Are there any wireless mics comparable to senheiser g3 under $300?

[Scott Welsch]

Without audio being incredibly unreliable and dropping or turning to white noise

 

[Terry VerHaar]

I've been intrigued with these but I can't tell you anything specific about their performance...

http://www.rode.com/wireless/filmmaker

 

[Marc Wielage]

Not to me. Go rent a Lectro 400-series or L-series receiver and a compatible transmitter. No need to buy anything, provided you're near a large city with a sound rental company.

$300 would pay for a reasonable lav microphone (by itself) without a transmitter or a receiver.

 

[Peter Arnold]

Used the Rode filmmaker set on a few interviews.
Yet it performed flawless.

There is an option to stick the lav to skin or texture 8i.e. shirt) with silicon pads and make the lav invisible.
Very very cool.

 

[Mike P.]

I think the RodeLink actually performs as good as the G3 (if not better) and it's stock microphone is actually better than the ME2 that comes stock with the G3... That said, *it's massive*. Both the TX and RX packs are way bigger than the pictures make them seem and this can actually be an issue for hiding the pack. It's also made of plastic and does *not* feel nearly as solid as the G3 (though it does make it way lighter). But, yeah, even the Rode is $425USD...

 

[Marc Wielage]

The Sennheiser G3 is actually a fairly well-regarded modestly-priced wireless system and can do OK for what it is. But I still think the added reliability of Lectrosonics can't be underestimated. I could drop a Lectro transmitter and receiver from 3 feet onto concrete, and I bet they'd still work. Not so much with Rode, Azden, and similar economy-priced models.

Both Lectro and Zaxcom are extremely well-regarded, and what you're paying for is reliability and range. Those two things are the difference between a $500 wireless system and a $2500 wireless system. The last thing you want to tell a director at the end of a perfect take is, "sorry... we had a static hit on the actor's mic." With Lectros, I've never had to say that to a director.