Trust is a funny thing. It needs to be earned, but allowing it to be earned means taking a chance on someone or something to see if, yes, they can be trusted.
Sound for video for me is a constant battle.
I have options, lots of options, but sometimes I just do not have the answer.
The hole in my game as a lone shooter, is when I need two reliable sound recordings (to guarantee one) with a moving or distant subject. I have to control composition, focus and sound, so doubling my sound streams at the camera end is just too much to juggle.
A shotgun mic needs proximity and direction, which limits shooting options. If it is the sync track it’s no big deal, but if it is to be the “A” track and the subject drifts or turns away, you a left with massive level variance, or nothing at all.
I have two wireless LAV options, the Hollyland M1 (white) and M2 (black) mics, but they are consumer grade and I have been caught out once or twice (range, wind, clarity, volume), so I have trust issues. They do also need watching and have limited and vague controls (3 sound levels, one requiring a -/+ button with no indicator).
So, control, quality and reliability (range and signal) without on-the-go attention.
32 bit Float fixes control. Basically anything that can be heard can be picked up, without distortion or degradation within reason, many 32 bit float units lack a volume control at all.
To get superior, i.e. reliable wireless LAV transmitter would require the Sony or Sennheisser units that are relatively bulky thanks to their antenna, still have to be plugged into something at the receiving end and often are not 32 bit. Not to be ignored is the $1000au cost per unit.
The easiest fix is a 32 bit float, body worn LAV recorder.
Float fixes the control issue, body worn removes wireless range and signal reliability concerns and also effectively make range irrelevant (you could shoot a person behind a closed window). This means I only need consider good battery life, screw in mic connectors, a locking mechanism and easily worn/hidden.
The Zoom F2 recorder has always been on my radar, but the cost of a single unit has usually been prohibitive ($350au per unit). I just picked one up new (in white) for $175au and it is the Blue Tooth version. The provided LAV mic is fine, not spectacular, but that can be fixed later with a Diety or similar (Sanken Cos-11 would be the premium, but pricy). I also have a black mic from an F1 kit.
Not the Blue Tooth version, which I probably would not have bothered with, except it was free.
The main thing is control and reliability are sorted, quality is workable.
I have the Zoom F1 already that could also be used as a worn LAV recorder, but annoyingly the battery door is broken and my fix, a magnetic power pack, is not wearable and it is already twice the size of the F2 . It is also not 32 bit float, so I would be nervous until the results were “in the can”.
It is however one of my best shotgun options as it can record internally, it has an analogue volume control, the excellent SSH-6 mid/side shotgun capsule, small footprint and excellent shock mount, so it is probably best applied that way.
My second LAV option, probably worn by an interviewer, so a more clued in wearer, is my H1n or I guess any “H” series depending on space.
This might be the missing link, the reliable and easily used LAV I have been waiting for to support my already strong on-or-to camera mic range.