Plug XLR mics into the Panasonic GH5

[@LaneCarter]

The GH series is killing it right now.

[@CINEMATTOX]

So true

[@honey4xi]

It is the winner for low price.

[@LetsGoOutdoors]

Pet peeve, while it's great all these youtube channel bloggers get their hands on this equipment months ahead of us mere mortals and then proceed to tell us how wonderful the gear is, resulting in getting us fired up about this new kit only to be put on hold by Panasonic for months on end because the product has not reached retail outlets. I have had this XLR mic on order for some time now ...still waiting .... that said Griffin great job on your reviews, it's a good thing they live on you-tube for a long time.

[@Photographicelements]

Great video! There's a wind/traffic filter on the unit too, which is really nice. As far as audio goes, always have a back-up, but if you want to solo run&gun, it's perfect!

[@ted_nemeth]

That is the clearest audio I’ve ever heard on a KZbin clip

[@SimonThorntonVideo]

This is a game changer for run and gun one man bands. How much easier will it be to set up phantom powered audio for quick interviews. Awesome

[@abhishijack]

Hey Griffin, I know this is too much to ask, But can you do a Director's commentary on 'Hand Cut', the short film you made with the new Gh5. We'd love you to talk about the technical aspects, how you manual focussed, the choice of lens and ISO, working in low light. Basically all the technical stuff to help amateurs like me.

[@GriffinHammond]

That's a good idea, Abhishek!

[@abhishijack]

Griffin Hammond Oh God You replied! Made my day. Can't wait for the commentary, Thanks.

[@schimmelmotion]

Heh, amazing video, keep doing! I have a question about the adapter - if you plug in a headphones to Gh5, can you hear sound from microphone via adapter?

[@MackMotionChannel]

Day 1 Canberra

[@davidp158]

What impact does phantom power use have on the GH5 battery life? I have noticed dramatically shortened battery life on the GH5 compared to the very long battery life with my GH4 and GH3 cameras. I'm lucky if I get 60-75 minutes with the GH5, so I'm wondering what will happen if the GH5 battery supplies phantom power to the XLR-1.

[@PremierReviewer]

I would love to see you do a more in-depth review of this unit.

[@russellbrown678]

I like running good audio into the camera but I have the same fear; however, coupling this with an audio recorder attached to a second mic is pretty bombproof. The camera audio or the recorder can get screwed up and you still have a great track and your video is pre synced if you need to get it out quickly.

[@TJWilliamssr]

Hi Grif. Using my audio adapter I have plugged in two separate sources into the xlr connectors. I get both separate sources levels on the flip out monitor but unlike just a single mount and the switch moved to 1, I cannot hear any audio in the headphones with the two inputs??? I set up my camera according to your donwload? I called panasonic support who recommend resetting the camera to factory. Do any of your settings affect this? Is there any menu causing this? Any help certainly appreciated. If this is just a shortcoming on the audio adapter and GH5 then it is a big deal as i always do interviews with two microphones on separate inputs!! TJ Williams Seattle WA USA

[@ChadWork1]

FYI you lose 6db of sensitivity on the NTG2 when you run it on battery power. That brings up the noise floor substantially.

[@delarageaz]

I also have one and i love it, it was one of the main reason to get the GH5. I've noticed that if you change the recording mode to mov (i normally use mp4) you can get 24bit up to 96Khz ! But it crashes my GH5 probably because of my slow SD card so i use 24bit 48Khz, it soubds better than in mp4 mode :)

[@gcprost]

Have you had any difficulty monitoring the audio with the unit. When my unit is attached I can’t monitor the audio. Have I missed something in the menus?

[@HablandoenCristiano]

How do you eliminate all kind of noise or hiss for the audio? I have some audio noise in my recordings. I use a isolated studio, the gh5 is recording in MOV and at 24p FHD, the settings in the camera for the XLR adapter are 96Hrz 24p. the adapter itselft is set in the phatom power (I use a mic shotgun 3 feet away from the person) 0 gain, low cut 160 Hrz, ALC off, one input, and the audio level wheel at 1200 or less.

[@gcprost]

I bought one of these as it makes it a little easier to get the audio in for streaming video, as you can't mix in audio captured by an audio recorder. One of the things, I find frustrating about my GH5's, is you can't change the mic input to line level. Even in the GH5 Mk2, this is not an option. If you are getting a house mix, it's line level. If you are using an external audio recorder, the output is line level.

[@scottvanderbilt1279]

The adapter looks good for what it is, but it is a relatively expensive one-trick pony. An infinitely better option would be to spend an extra $250 to get the Sound Devices MixPre 3. Three first-class mic pre-amps and headphone amp of significantly better quality, can be used with any camera, plus it doubles as a USB audio interface. And you can route the output back to the camera, so you have the backup recording that Griffin says is lacking in the Panasonic-only option. (Of course, if the Panasonic fails to record your audio, it probably didn't record your video either.) It is separately powered (by AAs or Sony NP-style), but I think that's an advantage in that it won't drain the camera battery as fast as the Panasonic accessory. In any event, the MixPre-3 is a much more flexible option that will grow with you. Make sure to check it out before you decide to buy this device. Just sayin'.

[@Hiah.l]

Same thoughts there on this. The XLR1 isn't universal like other pre-mixers, and is around $100-200 more than the average pre-mixers. Really hard choice to make if I can really justify buying XLR to marry with the GH5, or go with my previous pre-mixers.

[@scottvanderbilt1279]

If you don't anticipate ever needing to work with another camera for the foreseeable future and have no use for a standalone recorder or USB audio interface, and you're totally strapped for cash today, then perhaps it may make more financial sense in the short term to buy the XLR1. But those are about the only circumstances under which it makes sense, in my opinion. If you take care of the MixPre3, its resale value will be significantly higher, so you will see a much better return on your investment if you ever decide to upgrade your audio gear. How much can you sell that YAGH for now, compared to what you paid for it? :-)

[@iragrahamiii8796]

As always a great job explaining. Thanks!

[@BrucePhung]

Can you please link the AZDEN holder that hold the Rode NTG-2 mic. Where can I get that NTG-2 mic holder??

[@CINEMATTOX]

Hey Griffin! Will this adapter work with my GH4? Thanks

[@KallusGarnet]

no

[@davidp158]

Can you record one mic to both channels and set one channel lower as a safety net to guard against loud peaks?

[@sam_van_hecke]

Ive been looking everywhere and i cant find an answer. Is there a way to connect a rode ntg5 to a dslr with like a shoemount adapter or something?

[@AC4Film]

What microphone are you using?

[@danielduanetv]

How is the audio quality compared to a high end external recorder? Or is it more dependent on the mic used?

[@Filmmaker809]

Hey Griffin, If I have a GH5 & XLR 1 adaptor and a Atomos Ninja inferno. Should I connect my audio hardware via the XLR1 adaptor or via the Atomos Ninja Inferno with the optional XLR Breakout cable? I want to avoid the fan noise from the Atomos Ninja Inferno.

[@HMVideofilms]

Hey Griff, how are you bud? (hope well and happy.) Just a quick one I have synthesisers G2's and G3's and also the AVX systems but I cannot get a good sound on the GH5 using these even when set to the lowest setting and then bringing the GH5 down to -12, it's still clipping? DO I really have to pay another £350 (UK prices) to get good XLR audio? (cannot I just use the Senn's somehow connecting them up to the gh5? Thank you. Best regards. Hugh

[@GriffinHammond]

Hugh, is it a matter of setting the XLR-1 to "line" rather than "mic" input? Or does setting gain to -20db help?

[@jacksonhpeters_]

less points of failure are always nice though! what are the gh5 preamps with this puppy like? comparable to a like-priced audio recorder?

[@avarmadillo]

So, Griffin, how clean is the sound from this set up? Do you get any camera noise transferred to the XLR attachment? How is the noise floor---low I hope.

[@funguy74]

What is the weight limit of the hot shoe? I'm using a mkh 416 and rode blimp. Should I be concerned about the weight damaging the connector?

[@alexspeciale7748]

can you plug the rode ntg4+ straight into the 3.5mm jack on the gh5? Will the sound quality be good?

[@NobodyDog]

Does this override the Mic input on the side of the camera? I would love to plug my Saramonic Smartrig+ into that, and then use the XLR1 adapter and get four channels for some of the corporate work I do.

[@ThisDoesNotCompute]

Hey Griffin, what was the background music track you used in this video?

[@GriffinHammond]

It's called "Cool Nights" from the Jingle Punks library.

[@SIHRA2]

@Griffin thank you for this video but please can you shine some light for me. I'm new to this amazing world of video making and would like to know how the set up in your video will differ from say, buying a Rode Video Mic Pro Plus?

[@williepadin]

Hey Griffin! One question. I didnt see the Adapter connected to the input on the side. So, is it automagically connected from the cold shoe? or does it act as an independent sound recorder even when on the shoe? Also, can you just keep the camera mic on as a fall back. Thanks 4 another well done tutorial!!!

[@GriffinHammond]

Automagically, yes! It's actually not a "cold shoe" on the GH5, but a "hot shoe," meaning it has an electronic connection to the camera. You cannot keep the on-camera mic on. It's one or the other.

[@williepadin]

Ahhhh nice!!! Yeah i can see the problem with having a second copy but it solves the problem nicely of syncing in POST which is awesome. Give and take always. I bet for you as a documentary extraordinaire becomes a plus. Thanks again for taking the time to respond and I never miss an episode.

[@ChadWork1]

FYI the NTG-2 loses 6db of sensitivity when it’s run on internal batteries. Best to avoid that is possible.

[@NakeanWickliff]

Thanks for doing these videos! Are you using Aputure Lightstorms or COB's?

[@dominicpower7931]

Is it possible to rig two ‘wireless rode links’ to adapter in order record two lav mics straight to camera? Thanks. 🙏🏼

[@SNXMD]

Hey Griffin, how does this compare to other pre-amps in your opinion? Zooms, Saramonics, etc

[@pierrechupin4377]

Hey Griffin Thanks for that review. I cannot choose other mode than the 48KHz/16bit in my XLR mic adaptor settings...Any idea to fix that ? Thanks

[@coreyk44459]

Would this work on the GH4?

[@simianinc]

No!! It's only got the GH5.

[@krisbosmans1653]

Is there a similar device for the GH4 ? Might want that :-)

[@simianinc]

check out the Saramonic SR-AX104

[@chrisw443]

Can you ask if that will work with the fz2000? it has the same hotshoe, and a few months back when it was announced it was eluded that it would also work with the xlr unit.

[@ChrisScottNI]

Video idea. The GH4 eBay price is a third of cost of the GH5. If your new to GH line would you start with the GH4 or 5?

[@SewTubular]

Either camera can produce great results, but I would say that if you are pretty good shooting with the GH4, then you will be even better with the GH5. ( you gotta be good with the GH4 first though ) Both cameras require the right settings to get the best performance out of them, so learning on one or the other is not going to be that different. ( and if you buy a used GH4 you can probably sell it in 6 months and get most of your money back, where a brand new GH5 is going to take quite a hit when you go to re-sell it down the road )

[@mrpauldavidson]

Hey Griffin, loving the videos. Would you say it's worth upgrading to the GH5 from the G7? I'm a student doing a lot of video for college and freelance video too. Would I be better investing in more lenses for the G7 first (I only have to kit lens) since they can also be used on the GH5 if I upgrade later. Thanks!

[@GriffinHammond]

Lenses hold onto their value well, and will change how you shoot more than the camera body will. Unless you feel the G7 is holding you back-that you need 4K60p or IBIS or the headphone jack or something-I say no reason to upgrade if the camera isn't limiting your creativity.

[@ohshowproductions]

when should you use the "low-cut" or "Gain" settings?...thanks!

[@bran2851]

hi dude.. I've got the xlr adapter, and the ntg3, but.. audio doesn't work?? do I need an extra phantom power to make it works?? tks 4 answer bro

[@bonahmontage]

rode mic pro does not work with gh5 without the XLR1 XLR Microphone Adapter ......any help ? Griffin Hammond,,,, thanks

[@CTMPRODUCTIONSLLC]

Nice video, will the device allow you to record wav. files? Or does the gh5s convert the audio straight to mp3?

[@marcuspresident]

Is it possible to use the adapter and at the same time use the 3,5mm regular audio output?

[@GriffinHammond]

marcuspresident - You can use the headphone jack and the XLR adapter at the same time, but when using XLR, the 3.5mm mic jack is disabled.

[@pete49327]

Another great feature for the gh5, advanced audio recording, nice. On the comment about not knowing if your voice was being recorded, this might sound like a silly question from someone who has never used the XLR, but how hard would it be for Panasonic to have a small blinking light on the unit indicating sounds being properly recorded?

[@SewTubular]

You have audio meters on the GH5 camera displays. It's very easy to see if you are recording sound. ( and plugging in a pair of headphones will allow you to monitor the quality of your camera audio )

[@pete49327]

Well okay, that's reassuring, thanks.

[@SpacewayFilms]

Now that I saw this, should I purchase the XLR1 or the zoom H5?? Since you said this can replace the recorder, and that the H5 is actually much more expensive...

[@SewTubular]

If you shoot with a boom operator, they can work independently from the camera with a recorder like the Zoom H5, and they can plug-in their own pair of headphones to judge the audio they are recording. If you work as a one man band, then the GH5 XLR adapter would be a simpler set up, but just make sure that your mics produce a strong enough audio signal for this XLR adapter. ( an XLR mic with a weak signal might require too much extra gain, thus producing a noisy recording )

[@joelpwright]

Hey Griffin, Does it work on the older GH4, because the old DMW-YAGH Interface is just ugly and I'd much rather use this?

[@maxval001]

I am trying to record audio from an external mic on my new GH5. I am doing what I did with my Nikon, I have a juice link amp plugged into the mic port at the side of camera. Mic is connected XLR into the amp. When I did this with the GH5 it sounds like I am still recording from the camera mic. I looked for settings in the menu to correct this, could not find anything. What am I doing wrong. thanks, jerry

[@HiItsJonny]

Does the audio levels reflect on the LCD on the camera when using the XLR adapter? What do you think the battery usage is like when using it? As usual, always awesome to watch and learn from you man! Hope all is well! :D

[@GriffinHammond]

Yes, the LCD shows the audio levels for the XLR unit. The battery life looks like I could get 2-3 hours with a phantom-powered mic. I filmed an hour-long presentation this way, and dropped to two of three bars of battery life.

[@iKien]

Great video!

[@taylormurray8083]

Are metabones speedboosters any good for autofocusing? I've read some reviews saying they're great and autofocus fast but other people say they're very bad for autofocus

[@ScottSullivanTV]

bad af at af

[@galendaly-odonnell68]

i have been filming on my t5i for a while and was hoping to upgrade to 4k. i was wondering which camera to get. maybe a6500,a7s ii, or gh5.

[@CartoonCorey]

That's awesome! And while $400 (just under) is a lot of money, that's a decent price when compared to how much a C100 camera costs with the top attachment. I will definitely look into this attachment down the road. I like that it doesn't obstruct the battery like a lot of the ones that attach to the bottom. The GH series has a pretty great battery life, but my question is does this attachment drain it much faster or do you notice much of a difference? Keep making awesome stuff, Griffin!

[@VMXGroove]

Hey Griffin, what's your take on this GH5 autofocus issue? Have you tried any tests with that? Great vids, thanks for posting.

[@hmdigiart7857]

Hey Griff, I have a Zoom H6 and already know how to use it and love how it performs so rather than buy another piece of kit I would really like to have it connected on top of my GH5. I will use a Sennheiser AVX clip-on mic/receiver capturing straight into the zoom and simultaneously sending it to the GH5 but I don't know how to do this I have tried a few times but no sound in camera? My set up is - the mic on talent, receiver capturing straight into the zoom via AVX XLR, then a 3.5 connector from Zoom H6 line out into GH5 mic in Is there something I am doing wrong, can you or anyone else advise me how to do this correctly, its driving me nuts. Thanks and BTW - you're the best! Hugh

[@GriffinHammond]

Marta Demartini Hugh Hill, Are you getting any sound in camera when nothing is plugged into the camera? (First I wanna make sure your audio recording is active.)

[@hmdigiart7857]

@@GriffinHammond Thanks for replying Griff, I managed to get sound but it sounded awful then I tried using a different cable this time a 'Movo MV-RC100 3.5mm Male Line-in to Male Microphone Attenuator Cable' it sounded much better but I noticed it had a slight echo going into the GH5 from the Zoom which was not noticeable directly into the zoom. I took a photo to share but not sure how to add it here, I'll try a Flickr link to see if it works. Thanks again, you turned a lifelong Canon user to a GH2/GH3/GH4/GH5 convert. I am now looking to sell my C300, My C100mkII and going full Panasonic. : ) www.flickr.com/photos/hughhillphotography/48245998291/in/dateposted-public/

[@alejoromero]

Hello there. Does this adapter work also with the GH4?

[@GriffinHammond]

No.

[@globefilmcrew3203]

Will this work for G80

[@Taurai]

Zoom H6/Tascam DR100MK III price range. I'd love to see a comparison test of sound quality. I'm assuming it wouldn't be as good, but I guess you're paying for a more efficient run & gun set up.

[@simianinc]

Check out Curtis Judd's channel - he specialises in audio. He rates it as comparable to the Tascam dr-70d

[@ravel603]

hi griff! I've a question for you: Does the XLR works as power supply for the Rode ntg3 mic? (and ntg 4 as well)?

[@LtMjBurrito]

Is there still a possibility for a scratch track somewhere?

[@GriffinHammond]

I don't think so.

[@LtMjBurrito]

Aww nuts, well thanks for the answer Griffin. (I also think that door is very satisfying.)

[@NakeanWickliff]

Why would you need scratch if you've got premium already synced audio?

[@LtMjBurrito]

Nakean Wickliff never hurts to have redundancies.

[@NakeanWickliff]

Not sure I would qualify internal scratch audio as redundancy, but ok.

[@FILMLANDSTUDIOS]

does it work with other Panasonic cameras?

[@SewTubular]

I don't think any other Panasonic cameras have the same number or type of hot-shoe contacts. Maybe going forward Panasonic might release lower cost cameras that are compatible.

[@AlecSzabo]

Anyone recording audio (externally) while shooting variable frame rate?... looking to be able to shoot high speed and record audio, but not sure of the correct setup

[@Holtenstein]

What is the Battery life drain when using 1 or 2 channel phantom power?

[@SewTubular]

This will largely depend on the mics you are using. I own a few "pencil" condenser mics that have a very loud output and draw very little power, where I know that some XLR mics eat batteries like candy.

[@Holtenstein]

I'm more curious if it's going to cut down significantly on battery time to the gh5. In other words how many extra batteries will I need?

[@SewTubular]

It looks like one GH5 battery lasts about 135 minutes when recording 4K 10-bit 4:2:2 video ( this is the same whether IBIS is set to ON or OFF ) So I would expect two really power hungry XLR mics to kill a single camera battery in about one hour. Add on the battery grip and you are probably looking at 2 hours of shooting time. I normally shoot with dual system audio, where I use a Sound Devices mixer to power my mics which is fed to a Sony PCM-M10 recorder via the TAPE-OUT from the mixer. I can see myself adding this GH5 XLR adapter so I can have duplicate audio recordings, one copy from the Sony PCM-M10 and a second copy recorded on the GH5 getting it's feed from the mixer's XLR outputs. This way I can use the audio on the GH5 as my main audio source, without killing the GH5 battery, and I will still have a back-up copy on the Sony PCM-M10 recorder.

[@Holtenstein]

Sounds good. I have a Sennheiser G3 lav and a rode NTG2 that I would be interested in running for my wedding work. I have a few condinser mics as well but I use those for music recording. This sounds like a great option. Oh does it recorded the highest setting in All record modes? I head it may only work codecs.

[@SewTubular]

Yes, I own a pair of Sennheiser G3 units, but these are self powered so there's no hit to the GH5 battery. The "pencil" style condenser mics ( from the cheap but very good TakStar CM63 all the way up to the Audio-Technica AT4053b ) are the best mics to use indoors in smaller spaces like a typical home or office environment because they only pick-up audio from the front of the mic, where lower cost shotgun mics pick up audio reflections form walls, ceilings, and floors. The difference in quality is huge, but probably won't matter for a wedding because you are normally shooting in very big spaces. The Rode NTG-2 mic does not put out a very loud signal, so it's going to be noisier than my favorite low-cost shotgun mic, the Sennheiser MKE600 which puts out quite a strong audio signal. ( this also means your recorder/camera pre-amp batteries will last longer because you need less gain )

[@Sundaymov]

Would be Curious to see if you can record sound in Variable frame rate mode with this. 180fps with sound would be great selling point for the adapter. Anyone tried this?

[@JohnnyMotel99]

OK, it doesn't have a headphone out, doesn't record separate sound, doesn't have independent power.....why would I buy this instead the new SD mixpre3?

[@SewTubular]

The camera has the headphone out. The whole reason for this unit is to have a very compact system with super quick turn-around. Where you can hand your memory cards to a producer or editor and that's all they will need to finish the project. I shoot dual-system sound all of the time, but I would still like to own this system in case my external recorder dies or is forgotten in the rush to get to a location.

[@simianinc]

Since the whole point is for those who don't want to sync in post, what's important is what the camera records, hence the headphone out on the camera is what you want anyway.

[@WorldWideWong]

I really wish they made that thing backwards compatible. I understand that making it ONLY for the GH5 might incentivize people to pay more money to buy it and puts Panasonic on par with what Sony did for the a7sii. HOWEVER, it would REALLY set Panasonic apart from Sony and make all of their fans love them. AT LEAST have it on the G85/GH4...but whatever...

[@NakeanWickliff]

I think it has to do more with the power to the unit. They want it to be as small as possible, hence the lack of batteries (would have had to be much larger). In order to give it power I'm guessing there is an extra pin on the gh5 hotshoe that is not present on the gh4 but could be wrong.

[@GriffinHammond]

I just assume the GH5 has the right hardware and firmware to process the audio, which maybe the GH4 doesn't. But you're right-it would be great if the GH4 could use it too.

[@DriftaBeatz]

For 400 dollars seems a little pricey for something with lots of floor noise. Soon as you switched back to the other mic recording it stops hissing. I hope this can be fixed on the xlr adapter or it's not worth it.

[@SewTubular]

You have no idea if Griffin used optimal settings. The GH4 camera audio has a noise floor of -73 dB RMS when set up correctly, so I would expect this GH5 XLR set-up to be as good if not better. ( for reference the Zoom H4n portable recorder has a noise floor of -66 dB RMS )

[@DriftaBeatz]

True Griffin just got it i'm sure he'll tweak it to sound better. Thanks for the info.

[@GriffinHammond]

I actually never switch back to the audio recorder in the video. What you're hearing at 2:08 is me switching the NTG-3 to both left and right channels. Before that, you're hearing two microphones-two signals on top of each other.

[@VladimirNemchinov]

No recorder sounds awesome! And the price is better then before 🤣

[@avarmadillo]

All these things are good, but they've got to improve the AF. It's just too important to too many people. I shot with my Canon cams and Sony a6500 today with native Sony lens and the AF just kills it...light years better than the GH5. What a shame that Panasonic dropped the ball on such an important thing. The XLR recorder is nice, but you can do external methods and get excellent results---for LESS than $400.00. But there is no external correction for poor AF. The a6500 is so good at AF (even though I shoot manual focus much of the time) I'm close to selling my GH5. Please tell me Panasonic is going to improve this unnecessarily complicated and unworkable AF system! Please.

[@37Robski]

The price point of this is a bit ridiculous, you can get a Zoom H6 and good mics cables etc. All for similar money!

[@GriffinHammond]

Good perspective. I suppose you're also paying for the convenience factor. It is half the size of my H5, and won't require syncing in post. I could see news gathering folks liking this.

[@37Robski]

Griffin Hammond understandable, I'd more likely be using an attenuator cable with a zoom or a rode mic straight through if not syncing. I'm guessing ENG its an invaluable tool you're right with that.

[@ronaldevans425]

I got one for that reason of sync sound. However it is not as capable as the unit on my Sony NX30U. Two issues. I like using one mic and feeding both channels. This is possible but both will have the same recording level as it is not possible to set different levels for each channel or set ALC for one channel and manual level for the other channel when fed from one mic in input 1. This is where all my Sony units have the advantage of being able to do either these things.

[@JohnLuna]

hey Griffin, have you ever considered having a subscriber as an assistant? I'd love to have that learning opportunity 😀

[@avuser4543]

That noise floor is terrible for a 400 dollar audio accessory!!! This is not good at all. Listen at the 2:08 mark... when you switch back to your external audio recorder it's a world of difference. Anyway, thanks for testing! Oh and how does this thing affect battery life with for example one XLR mic with phantom power connected?

[@SewTubular]

Most likely the GH5 XLR unit was not optimally calibrated for Griffin's mics. I know that the GH4 has a noise-floor of -73 dB RMS when set-up correctly ( significantly better than most DSLR / Mirrorless cameras ), and I would expect this unit to be as good or better than the GH4. ( for reference the Zoom H4n portable recorder has a noise floor of -66 dB RMS )

[@avuser4543]

Its just plugging in the mic and adjusting the volume knob to get normal recording levels. There's no 'calibrating' involved. It all boils down to 3 options: 1) The mic used has an EXTREMELY low output level and the volume on the XLR unit had to be turned up all the way to the max to compensate. 2) The XLR unit is just noisy. 3) Something is defective. Could be the cable, the mic or the unit. Apparently the NTG-2 has a rather low output level. I wouldn't say extremely though. So my bet it's a combination of rather average amplifiers inside the XLR unit combined with a rather low output level mic. Either way the result I'm hearing just sucks and is unworthy of 400,- dollar

[@SewTubular]

It depends on the noise-floor of the preamp and how clean the gain is. Some units work better by recording with little gain and boosting the recorded audio in post, but this depends on the unit having a very low noise-floor. The GH4 has a very low noise-floor when set to it's lowest audio level ( with almost no gain ), but you need to feed it a strong audio signal to get the best performance from it, which means using mics that put out a strong signal. I often recommend the $60 TakStar CM63 "pencil" mic for indoor recording because it has no rear audio "lobe" so it won't pick up reflected sound from walls, ceilings, or floors ( low cost shotgun mics are terrible with picking up reflected sound indoors ), and because it puts out a very strong signal compared to a mic like the popular Rode NTG-2 shotgun mic. With some mics you are going to have to add more gain using a low-noise inline XLR preamp like the Triton FetHead, which produces +20 dB of clean gain and runs on phantom power. Alternatively you could use a low-noise mixer for this, but a good unit costs at least 5x what the FetHead does.

[@GriffinHammond]

I actually never switch back to the audio recorder in the video. What you're hearing at 2:08 is me switching the NTG-3 to both left and right channels. Before that, you're hearing two microphone signals on top of each other.

[@francotempio]

audio quality really sucks (i looked the video in a s6 edge)

[@SheldonCharron]

Hey Griffin. I have one, but mine is pretty loose. The lock isn't tight at all like my flashes would be. If I jiggle the camera, it moves around on me. Does yours lock down tight? Just wondering if mine needs to be adjusted or swapped out.

[@GriffinHammond]

That doesn't sound normal. Mine is easy to lock, but feels secure. It doesn't jiggle.

[@SheldonCharron]

We spoke at the Panasonic booth today. I do the hunting she's. I talked to Sean at the show and he said that is normal and the adapter has electronic circuitry to prevent handling noice from coming through. I'll try it again, but I had noise that seemed to be from the movement of the adapter. It could be from something else so I'll re-test.