Cheap and good wireless mike normally do not go together. :-)

I did a comparison between the Sennheiser ME2 lavalier mic which is around $140 and the $25,- omnidirectional Giant Squid mic. With the Zoom H4N, by the way. It's a very decent mic and at 25,- it's a very good deal. You can see/hear it here:

About good wireless mikes:



http://www.sam-mallery.com/2011/08/wireless-mic-shootout-sennheiser-g3-vs-lectrosonics/

Cheap, Simple/Efficient, Quality -- Choose any two. Make this your mantra.

Obviously, you're going to have to make compromises depending on how cheap you want to go. If you want cheap AND high quality, you'll have expect that it won't be the simplest or most efficient solution.

Zoom H1 ($100) w/Audio Technica ATR-3350 ($20) lav mic can be used as a "cheap and wireless" setup. Clip the mic to the talent, hit record on the H1, and put it in their pocket. The main compromises here are that you won't be able to monitor your sound and you'll have to sync it in post.

The Sennheiser G3 ($600) is considered cheap compared to the Lectrosonics 400 ($2500), and there are definitely compromises to support the price differences.

However, when it comes to wireless, go to cheap and you'll be in a world of pain. Basically, don't get any VHF systems because they are way more prone to interference and will just not give you consistent audio.

Maybe you could have a look at the Sony UWP-V1 ($450) which is probably one of the cheapest UHF setups that still has good quality (especially its distance).

Then again, I've heard that the Sony has a MINIMUM transmitting distance so it is not ideal for small spaces. Again, compromises.

Just a thought, but if you're doing sit down interviews, then you could just get a mic stand and position the NTG2 near the talent while you shoot. This would be the cheapest solution by far and would yield fairly good results as the NTG2 is a good mic.

Could the Technica ATR-3350 be concealed under clothing, if not which reasonably priced lav mic could?

I've found that using an NTG2 indoors generally produces poor results (at least in my limited experience). Sounds like we're in a gym most of the time. It's kick ass outdoors though on a boom. Generally use a Rode NT3 inside hooked up to a Tascam DR-100 and it works perfect for my feeble needs (VO and interview 50/50). Is there some trick to getting clean sound from an NTG2 inside? Just recently started looking into the wireless lav setups. Is the G2 system still ok? Thought I read somewhere that the frequency it operated on was no longer usable in the USA?

@ikoniq

It is not wireless :-)

You could try thinking outside the box:
http://www.zzounds.com/item--SHUPG14PG185



You could power the receiver with a portable battery I guess. You'd also need to find a way to attach it to yourself or your rig which shouldn't be hard. It's a bit bulky but gets the job done and has good range up to 250ft.

Power Requirements supplied by external power supply
PG4: 12–18 Vdc at 160 mA

@Aria I just bought one of those Shure lavaliers, we'll see how well it works. I really like how Shure offers a wireless vocal mic and headset that are compatible with the same receiver. You can also record an electric guitar just by plugging a cord into the lavalier's body pack.

+1 for the G3's, I have 2 lavaliers and 1 handheld.
I've used them 3 or 4 times a month for 18months, mostly for conference/lectures at busy venues.
The only hiccup I've ever had is the mute button on the transmitter has occasionally been pressed.
The omni is better general purpose bet than the uni.

Azden WMS-Pro kit is a good choice. Cheap wireless system, good sound quality. It has phone out in receiver so you can monitoring the audio. Sometimes (few times and no sound cut) it gives a slight interference in transmission but nothing bad and can be corrected changing camera position (you hear in the phones). I like it a lot.

@vicharris Its not perfect as I said. But it works. Need to pay attention in the phones to avoid noise, but the noise just appears occasionally, noise is small and disappears when change camera position (receiver position). Works ok in small distances without obstacles. It worked inside a room with door and window closed also. I tested it 100 feet away and it works, but I use it 30 feet maximum distance.

Received the Shure Performance Gear Wireless Lavalier system today. I'll write a review on it soon. My first impression is that I like the receiver's light weight and lack of external antennas. It's a little bulky though, and requires an external 12v power supply.