27/02/2026 5:27 pm
Topic starter
Notifications
Clear all
APS-C Mirrorless Cameras
3
Posts
4
Users
0
Reactions
139
Views
0
So I just picked up a Sony a6400 last week because I'm supposed to be the "designated videographer" for my sisters wedding in Seattle next month and I am totally panicking. I thought the camera would just handle everything but I did a test recording in my kitchen and the audio sounds like I am underwater or something. You can hear every little click of the buttons and the motor in the lens when it focuses which is really annoying. I definitely need an external mic but I have no idea where to start and searching for this stuff online is just giving me a headache with all the technical talk.
I dont know what "phantom power" or "pre-amps" are and honestly I just want something that I can plug in and it just works right away. I am really worried about buying something that wont actually fit the camera or needs some weird adapter that I dont know about. Like is the jack on the side of the a6400 a standard size? I see some mics have these thick cables and others have thin ones and I'm just lost.
Here are some things I am thinking about:
- Budget is pretty tight maybe like $120 or $150 at the absolute most since the camera was already a lot
- It has to be small enough to stay on the camera while I walk around because I'll be moving a lot
- I need it to pick up voices clearly from like 5 or 10 feet away during the speeches
- Something that handles wind would be great because the wedding is at a park near the water
I saw some people talking about the "hot shoe" connection and saying some Sony mics dont even need a cable which sounds amazing but are those actually good? Or should I just get one of those fuzzy ones I see people using on YouTube? I dont know if brands like Rode or VideoMicro or whatever work the same on these smaller APS-C bodies as they do on the giant professional ones. Sorry if these are dumb questions I am just a total beginner trying not to ruin my sisters wedding videos... any ideas?
3 Answers
12
27/02/2026 5:53 pm
Saw this earlier and it honestly gives me flashbacks. I tried to save money using a generic mic for a beach event once and it was a total disaster... the wind noise made it sound like a hurricane was hitting the mic. Sadly, even some mid-range stuff like the Deity V-Mic D4 Duo Dual Capsule Shotgun Microphone didnt quite cut it for me because the build quality felt kinda flimsy for a busy wedding day. I was really disappointed with how much hiss I got on the a6400 until I figured out the settings. Quick tips for you:
- Set your Audio Rec Level manually in the camera menu to like 5 or 6, dont leave it on Auto.
- Always do a test recording and listen back with headphones before the ceremony starts. I eventually used the Sennheiser+MKE+400+Mobile+Kit+Directional+Microphone&linkCode=osi&tag=5422-20" target="_blank" rel="nofollow sponsored">Sennheiser MKE 400 Mobile Kit Directional Microphone and while it stretched my budget, it was way better for voices. Just sucks that the built-in mics on these cameras are so useless for weddings.
10
27/02/2026 5:48 pm
Agreed, but I would suggest the Sony ECM-G1 Shotgun Microphone. It uses the MI shoe for cable-free audio, tho be careful since its supercardioid pattern is basically a wind magnet.
3
27/02/2026 5:27 pm
I had a bad experience relying on the internal mic once and it basically ruined my footage. Unfortunately, some budget mics I tried had issues with weird background static. I eventually went with the Rode VideoMic GO II Lightweight Directional Microphone because its simple. Just grab a fuzzy windscreen too, because the foam one is not as good as expected in the wind.
