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Shotgun mic in 2020: Sennheiser 416, 60, 8060?

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Ashley Stracke

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Hi everyone. I need to upgrade my shotgun mic for documentary production (shooting in a variety of contexts, outdoors and indoors). Can anyone with firsthand experience advise on the Sennheiser MKH 416 vs. MKH 60 vs. MKH 8060, either new or used, in 2020? I'm seeing different opinions out there about whether it's best to stick with the tried-and-true 416 or move on to something more modern. Also willing to consider the Rode NTG3. The Schoeps CMIT is out of my price range. Thank you.
 
Thanks Patrick and William -- do you guys like the 418 for the stereo imaging or overall performance (or both) for a camera-mounted mic in a single-shooter doc rig?
 
Today I'm using a CCM41 and a CCM8 in a MS configuration and in a cinela mount and leo windscreen. It's not shotgung. But for the shotgun I would go with the mini cmit or CSM1 for size reason. Remember a mic has a life span of 20+ years if handled correctly and can be revised, worth every penny of this investment.

http://www.sanken-mic.com/en/product/product.cfm/8.1001900

Pat
 
Ashley Stracke said:
Also curious if you've used the Sanken CS3e
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Sanken's are great and definitely "standards" in the mic world. I own two CS-3e's that see probably 90% of the "boom"/shotgun/interview duty, a CS-M1 that is 99% an "on-cam"/nat mic(although one of my guys loved it when we used it for some off-cam dialog and another one of my audio guys rented it from me for a plant in a vehicle on a national commercial), and probably at least 8-10 COS-11 lav's. I also have a Schoeps(CMC641), but it only sees action for some interviews.

For what it's worth, one of my audio guys, who does a lot of high-end work(commercial and narrative) and owns several Schoeps, talked me out of getting a Shoeps "Blue" many years ago and going with the Sanken CS-3e, instead.

I don't think you would regret buying a CS-3e.
 
Thanks everyone! For those who use the Sankens: setting aside size/weight (which is definitely a factor, especially since this will be my primary on-camera mic paired with a couple of lavs), how would you rate the audio quality between the CS3e and the CSM1 in terms of fidelity, range, and off-axis rejection? Thank you all again for the great info.
 
The 3e and M1 do sound a little different(the 3e has more "balls"), but the M1 still sounds good.

And if for no other reason than size, I would go with the M1, if it's for primarily on-cam use.

I was going to post some pics, but you can't load images directly on here. They have to be hosted somewhere on-line.
 
Thanks Christopher. I looked around for some CS3e and M1 comparisons online and it does sound like the CS3e is richer in the low/mids (but hard to tell what we're listening to from highly compressed YouTube video comparisons). Does it do as well in terms of range and focus?
 
I may not be the best person to get that in-depth. I have A/B'd them and listened to them simultaneously(one in each ear) on one of my SD mixers, but I haven't gotten that "in-depth" with the M1 vs. the 3e, like that, as I mostly use the M1 as an on-cam mic and I hand-off most of what I shoot. But the fact that my audio guys also like it, does say something to me.

Sorry that I can't help more with this specific question.
 
Not a problem. Thanks so much for your input into this question.
 
Hey everyone, still thinking through my options here for a shoot coming up in a couple of weeks. As a one-person shooter, I need something that will be mounted to the camera (no boom operator) and will be able to pick up clean dialogue at medium range both indoors and outdoors, but primarily outdoors. What do people think about the Sennheiser 416, 8060, or even 600 for this purpose? Or is it not a wise investment to get a better quality microphone for on-camera use?
 
David Peterson said:
Go for it! Is easily my favorite mic.
Click to expand...

Is this overkill as a scratch mic?
I need to find a legit one.
I seem to misplace the the tiny ones I usually leave on my DRAGON :(
 
Eric Santiago said:
Is this overkill as a scratch mic?
I need to find a legit one.
I seem to misplace the the tiny ones I usually leave on my DRAGON :(
Click to expand...

Depends—$1400 is a lot more than I would spend on a mic used only for sync purposes/backup. And I also consider it overkill in size—it’s about 11” long, so quite big for mounting on camera, and you may have to adjust to keep it out of your shot. Despite the mic quality, as a scratch it’s unlikely to be positioned in such a way that it gets great sound.
The shorter CSM1 is pricey, so maybe also overkill for scratch, but it’s less likely to get in your way. But good enough to use on its own if you don’t always work with a sound mixer.
You might be better off buying an inexpensive wireless system as a camera hop.

If it were me buying a scratch for the Dragon, I’d probably just go with compact battery powered mics with built in cold shoe/1/4-20” mounts meant for DSLRs (made by Rode, Sennheiser, etc.) Convenient, cheap, no need to deal with XLR and power, etc.
 
M Harvey said:
If it were me buying a scratch for the Dragon, I’d probably just go with compact battery powered mics with built in cold shoe/1/4-20” mounts meant for DSLRs (made by Rode, Sennheiser, etc.) Convenient, cheap, no need to deal with XLR and power, etc.
Click to expand...

Thanks, I was leaning that way too.
The Sennheiser MKE 400 is probably the biggest I would go with but same issues as you mentioned.
 
Eric Santiago said:
Is this overkill as a scratch mic?
Click to expand...

Although the Sanken CS3e is a "short shotgun", I think it is kinda too long for a scratch mic. For me the ideal perfect on camera mic would be my Sanken CSM1.

As your RED Dragon lacks phantom power, get yourself a Mozegear CaPre:
https://www.mozegear.com/p10
(might also consider from Mozegear their Flexbox: https://www.mozegear.com/flexbox)

Or an Ambient UMP III: https://www.trewaudio.com/product/ambient-ump-3/

Or perhaps the Kortwich VCP-20 Pro: https://www.gothamsound.com/product/...e-power-supply

Or the very cheap (especially if secondhand) Denecke PS-1A: https://www.gothamsound.com/product/ps-1a

Lots and lots of options!

The ultra low budget alternative to consider instead of the CSM1 would be the Deity SMic 2S (it is a lot longer than a Sanken CSM1 though, but still heaps shorter than a CS3e/416/NTG3/etc):
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...icrophone.html

Or if you don't wish to deal with the "hassle" of P48 powering, then get the Deity V-Mic D3 Pro:
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/prod...hones_vmicd3pro_v_mic_d3_pro_directional.html
 
Thanks, David all great tips!
I like the last one, really simple.
My issue is that at times I remove the tiny mics for storage and then forget to add them during the last min (heck even prepped) shoots.
With the Deity, it would at least slap me in the head during pre-setup and have it ready for use.
Again it's just for scratch.
 
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