Coming into video after audio, I always use an external device to record audio. They will let you monitor better and record better sound. After much debate i got a sony pcm-m10 for run-n-gun use. I've used side by side with the zoom h4 and it stands outs, battery life is a plus as well. The onboard mics are useable if needed and the menu system is easy to learn and navigate. Its not difficult to sync sound and you can get a cheap hotshoe adapter to mount them all right on your camera. http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&sku=638090&is=REG&A=details&Q=

http://www.ebay.com/itm/330692366108?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649#ht_2763wt_1398

http://www.ebay.com/itm/270858043629?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649#ht_3143wt_1398 (230$)

I wanted a small microphone and ended up with the sennheiser mke400 after much experimenting and it works great. (240$ w/ rycote wind jammer). http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/534023-REG/Sennheiser_MKE_400_MKE_400_Compact_Video.html

For headphones/cans, the cheap 20$ sennheiser 201s will work- they will break and dont last forever. The Sony Sony MDRV700DJ folds nice and take beatings but run around 90$ as well as the Sennheiser HD-280 which fold as well for around 90$. headphone.com has great IN-DEPTH reviews for all types and applications. I would not skimp on cans, get a nice pair, you'll enjoy your ears not hearing, hearing the sound accurately and they will last.

http://www.headphone.com/selection-guide/top-picks/10-best-headphones.php

For Lavs in lower budgets, Audio Technica models are a solid choice. I would download a free DAW, like studio one which was posted a few days ago on here, and free plugins (google for them) and work the audio before putting it with the video. Alot of people dont know how easy it is to a run white/pink noise filter, EQ and basic compression to get a recording from lav/or shotgun to sound tremendously better.

I got mine from Ebay and saved around 100 all around. If you can wait rode is releasing a the VideoMic HD with a nice capsule and recorder built in sometime this year that looks very promising.

some people do have issues with the shock mount on them, I luckly have yet to have an issue. There are better sounding mics for less, esp older ones, but they are large, stick out and could be an issue with a short/wide lens.

http://www.sam-mallery.com/2011/10/the-great-on-camera-mic-shootout-2011/

http://www.digitalphotographywriter.com/2010/07/dslr-camera-microphone-for-videos.html

both have helpful sound reviews

Guys, I am very new to this, please help if you can.

I am looking for a good directional microphone or a small recorder to chase my kids with. The built-in mic picks up my heavy breathing on the run. My voice thunders when I speak and I can barely hear my 2 year old girl over it.

I considered Sennheiser MKE400 and wonder if @balazer had any success with AT875R. What concerns me with on-camera mics is the added hiss I hear in some videos. That might be some SNAFU on shooter's behalf but I want to hear from you if this is something to be worried about.

Another option is to mount a recorder on camera which I would actually prefer. Sony PCM-M10 gets great reviews, but built in mic pickup pattern is listed as omnidirectional, I don't know if it's gonna help me in this scenario. Is something like Zoom H1 better at isolating the subject?

Any solution would do. My budget is ~US$250.

I would go with a used (or new) sennheiser G2 or G3 Lav system, and an external recorder like the H4n, (or others, they're all pretty close in terms of quality) and get the sony 7506 headphones. They will be handy pieces to have for a long long time. I suggest getting the recorder used, but buy the headphones new. The reason to go with a LAV system is that it is much better at picking up the sound you want, and not the BG noise. You never know where you might do an interview, (water fountain :) Busy office. Wind tunnel. It will work in all situations. Syncing an interview is not that hard, especially since you'll probably have only one or two long takes. I would NOT use any system where you can't monitor the audio you're getting. When it's critical that it be right the first time, don't rely on just the camera meters. This also let's your camera audio be a last resort backup audio/ scratch track if you mess up the recorder track.

Thanks! Lavaliers will not work with a two year old. I already have cans (Sony MDR-V900HD). Would external mic raise the noise floor if connected to the camera input?

@ssh (rather than the original poster):

Two year olds... could you find a really tiny clip-on audio recorder of some sort - maybe put in a pocket or attach somewhere on their clothing with a safety-pin, set it going, and retrieve it later on, if they haven't lost or destroyed it by then! I mean, it depends exactly what the situation is, but a mic attached to them in some way is the best way of getting great close sound which you can mix in with more distant sound, or use as-is. Normally with video, we accept quite close sound (if there's a "rule", it is that the sound perspective should be as close as the closest shot), and it can be charming to hear close-miking with children's voices. Almost like hearing their inner thoughts! Also it will pick your voice up, but quite a lot quieter than the child's, and that will sound very acceptable.

Obviously a gun mic might work OK outdoors, but it won't help if children are playing in a noisy, bright, reflective acoustic, especially if there are lots of other children around. At best it will simply tame the acoustic, but it won't have James Bond levels of discrimination, allowing you to home in on a single voice! I say that from reviewing some observational footage shot today as part of an academic study of 1-4 year-olds, where the cameraperson was recording a group of children indoors using a very expensive and very good Sennheiser gun mic. Good sound is really tricky with young children because they tend to be surrounded by other children, and you can't get too close with the mics as that distracts them, hence why I suggest that if you want to record a particular child, you try some sort of tiny clip-on recording device if you can find such a thing (or a wireless mic, as others have suggested). Once they get used to it they'll forget they're wearing it.

But it depends on the situation and you don't mention exactly where this child is (outdoors? With others? Indoors?) so these are only ideas based on what I think you're asking! Without spending a lot of money or effort, I doubt you're likely to get exceptional sound quality, and you then have to ask how realistic or desirable that is in that situation. I mean, with most children, in most locations, a low noise floor is the least of your problems.

One other thing that's worked consistently pretty well in many of our observational videos of groups of children at play indoors, and we used this in a recent series of recordings for a big project awaiting publication at the moment, is to use an H4n or similar, and hide it within a few feet of the children are playing - overhead works quite well, but basically anywhere where it's going to be undisturbed and out of sight of the camera. Children in groups tend to cluster around one location, so it works pretty well in practice. You can then concentrate on getting the shots you want, knowing that the sound will always be nice and close (obviously as long as the children stay in one location). As long as you get on-camera sound as well, syncing it will take no more than a few seconds, and you always have the on-camera sound to fall back on.

Hi @balazer, yes, that's the sort of thing I'm thinking of. Can't hurt to try. Most of the stuff we've done is in controlled environments hence the static recorder suggestion but it really depends how active the children are. Not an easy subject to record!

@ssh I just looked at the photos - the V900HD are a different set than the ones I meant. The ones I had in mind were gray/silver colored with small amounts of orange near the center exterior. Either I was a little tired or they changed the model # (I would bet on the former). :)

Here's another mini clip recorder, with some reviews claiming good recording quality. Of course you'd leave the pen part off. http://www.dealextreme.com/p/usb-4-in-1-mp3-pen-with-voice-recorder-and-fm-radio-direct-usb-ac-charged-3566

Fair warning: you never know if the thing you buy on dealextreme is going to be junk or not. :)

I have to believe an iPod Nano would be the best audio recording quality from something that size. Have you seen an iPod Nano 6th gen? It's really small, and not super expensive. There are a bunch of different tiny inexpensive mics that plug into it. None of them are great quality, I'm sure, but 90% of good audio is just getting the mic close to the subject. The iPod Nano has no gain adjustment, so you'll need to choose a mic with the right sensitivity to not cause clipping at close distances.