So I finally picked up the a7R VI after using my trusty a7III for literally forever and the jump in resolution is insane. The 61 megapixels is incredible for my landscape stuff but I started doing these mini-documentary style shorts for a local architecture firm here in Seattle and the audio is just not hitting the same level as the video quality. Ive been shooting for years so I know how to level things out and set my gain manually but I'm seeing some weird behavior with the noise floor on this specific body.

I was thinking that since it has that fancy digital multi-interface shoe I should probably be moving away from the 3.5mm jack altogether right? My logic was that a digital signal would bypass the internal preamps which might be where that slight hiss is coming from but I'm stuck between a few different choices. I looked at the Sony ECM-B1M because its compact and doesnt need cables which is great for my gimbal setup but then I saw the ECM-M1 has all those different pickup patterns. Is the audio quality actually better on the M1 or is it just more versatile?

I also considered going full overkill with the XLR-K3M handle since I have a couple of Sennheiser G4 wireless packs from my old studio days but that makes the rig so top-heavy and honestly I want to keep it light if I can for run-and-gun work. I have a budget of around 600 bucks and I need to get this sorted before a big shoot in two weeks so I dont have a ton of time to experiment. Has anyone noticed if the digital interface mics actually sound cleaner than a high-end shotgun like the Rode VideoMic NTG plugged into the side? I feel like I'm overthinking it but when the image is this sharp the audio needs to be perfect or it just ruins the vibe. Just curious if anyone has done a side-by-side on this specific body yet or if there's a specific setting I'm missing that makes the analog jack behave better...