Been thinking about your issue all afternoon. Honestly, had issues with cheap ones failing mid-shoot. Are you moving around a lot with the dog? Maybe look at the Boya BY-M1 Lavalier Microphone 6m cable.

> i have like no clue what im looking for when i check amazon and all these terms like shotgun vs lavalier are just confusing me more. Totally get the confusion. Basically, a shotgun mic picks up audio from the front while rejecting side noise, which is great for vlogging. A lavalier clips onto you, so the mic stays close to your mouth regardless of where the camera is. Since you are doing dog training, you might want to consider how much you move around. If you are constantly walking away from the camera, a Boya BY-M1 Lavalier Microphone Omnidirectional is dirt cheap and will give you way cleaner audio than that built-in mic ever could. Just be careful with the cable length though, make sure it is long enough to reach your pocket if you are plugging it into a recorder, or just straight into the camera. Another solid option if you prefer something mounted on the camera is the Deity V-Mic D4 Mini Compact Shotgun Microphone. It is super light and does not need batteries, which is one less thing to worry about when you are busy training dogs. Just make sure to check your gain settings in the menu so it doesnt clip. You definitely dont need to spend a fortune to get decent sound, just avoid those super cheap generic ones that claim to do everything.

Ugh, the a6000 internal mic is truly awful, sorry you had to deal with that noise. For dog training vlogs, you need something that isolates your voice. Honestly, dont overthink the technical stuff. Just grab a Rode VideoMicro Compact On-Camera Microphone and you will be set.

• It is super small and light
• No batteries needed
• Great sound quality for the price It literally just plugs right in and works, which is exactly what you need.

> im so frustrated right now. i just bought a used a6000 for recording my dog training vlogs and the internal mic is honestly garbage Man, I feel your pain. I started filming my own dog training stuff ages ago and the internal mic on those Sony bodies is basically just a wind magnet. I ruined so many good clips of my lab learning to heel because the audio was just a mess of static and outdoor noise. Like someone mentioned, you really need to be careful with build quality. I bought some cheap knockoffs early on and they died right when I was getting the perfect shot. It honestly killed my motivation. If you want something that actually lasts and sounds solid, I would suggest the <a href=" https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?Ntt= Sennheiser+MKE+200+Directional+On-Camera+Microphone&BI=8941&KBID=10361&SID=12345&DFF=d50" target="_blank" rel="nofollow sponsored">Sennheiser MKE 200 Directional On-Camera Microphone. It has a built-in windscreen which is a total lifesaver for dog training in the park. Just make sure to double check that you have the right adapter cable if you grab one, since those plugs can be super finicky. Don't cheap out on the connection, it's not worth the headache later.