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Gear Necessities: Rode Vlogger Kit
As the saying goes, “The best camera is the one you have with you.” For most of us, that would be our cell phones. The good news is that the newer cell phones are amazing cameras! The lenses and internal processors can deliver beautiful images and videos. But they fail miserably at capturing quality audio, especially when there is any wind, and the little flashlight is less than adequate for filming at night.
If you watched the episode of The Western Hunter where I was hunting oryx in New Mexico, you saw footage and heard audio that was captured on my iPhone 14. After 10 days of hunting, Nate Simmons had to head home. I was determined to keep hunting, so my good friend Eddy Corona came to help. In the meantime, I ordered a Rode VideoMic Vlogger kit from Amazon which contained a microphone, external light, and mini tripod. Of course, I killed an oryx the first day after Nate left. I hooked up the microphone and handed it to Eddy (who has zero video experience), and he filmed me wrapping up the hunt.
I sent the files to Nate right from the field. He imported them to his production computer and immediately exclaimed that the audio quality was on par with our best microphones which cost about 30 times more.
Again, the Vlogger Kit includes a microphone, windsock, external light, and a tripod. The current price is $135. I didn’t think I wanted the tripod, but when purchasing the kit over the individual components, the tripod is essentially free. Do not purchase the microphone without the windsock – otherwise, you will just make the wind sound better.
When we film at Western Hunter, the quality of our audio is every bit as important as the video. If you think back to your favorite things that you have ever filmed with your phone, I bet you would agree that the dialogue contributed to your enjoyment. Whether you are filming your buddies around a campfire or your child’s fifth birthday party, you owe it to yourself to get the best audio possible.
