Equipment discussion: to blimp or not to blimp (1 Viewer)

[almostnothing]

Hi folks,

I've have been video recording birds for a couple of months now and decided to step up my audio game.

I already had a ntg2 laying around and xlrs cables so I decided to add a Zoom f3 to my setup. My question is: with that setup, should I consider a blimp? I know a guy selling a Rode blimp + deadcat + rycote suspension in perfect condition for a third of the price of new ones. Is this something I need? It's pretty windy here.

Also, can/should I connect the blimp handler into a regular photography tripod or are there better solutions out there?

 

[Jon.Bryant]

A proper blimp will provide the best protection against wind noise, as you are creating a ‘cushion’ of air around the mic.

Also a suspension system is great for minimising and handling noise. The only problem can be the connection cable to the mic. Some systems come with an XLR connection mounted on the blimp and then thin leads to the mic, to avoid/minimise noise transfer.

I personally think that if you have invested in a short or long shotgun, you will only be frustrated time and again by handling and wind noise, unless you also go the whole hog and invest in a suspension system and blimp.

You do however need to understand if the mic and blimp are compatible. The suspension system will be for a certain diameter mic, and the length of the blimp should generally be long enough for the mic capsule to fit within the straight section - ideally it should not project right to the rounded end of the blimp, so that it is almost touching the end.

 

[almostnothing]

A proper blimp will provide the best protection against wind noise, as you are creating a ‘cushion’ of air around the mic.

Also a suspension system is great for minimising and handling noise. The only problem can be the connection cable to the mic. Some systems come with an XLR connection mounted on the blimp and then thin leads to the mic, to avoid/minimise noise transfer.

I personally think that if you have invested in a short or long shotgun, you will only be frustrated time and again by handling and wind noise, unless you also go the whole hog and invest in a suspension system and blimp.

You do however need to understand if the mic and blimp are compatible. The suspension system will be for a certain diameter mic, and the length of the blimp should generally be long enough for the mic capsule to fit within the straight section - ideally it should not project right to the rounded end of the blimp, so that it is almost touching the end.

Thanks for the reply, I decided to pull the trigger on it. The blimp is a rode blimp and has more than enough space to handle my NTG2. I will try it out this weekend.

 

[opisska]

So the point of the blimp is to be able to fly to microphone closer to the birds?

 

[almostnothing]

So the point of the blimp is to be able to fly to microphone closer to the birds?

Is there any other use for a blimp that isn't doing that?! 😂

 

[Elkhornsun]

The blimps usually have a 5/8" connector socket for use with boom poles or stands. An adapter for smaller sizes to get the 5/8" size is easy to find on Amazon.

 

[Jon.Bryant]

The blimps usually have a 5/8" connector socket for use with boom poles or stands. An adapter for smaller sizes to get the 5/8" size is easy to find on Amazon.

Yes. I think this is easy to fix.

If you are referring to my comments about making sure the kit is compatible, I was more referring to making sure that the clips in the suspension system are the right size. For example an Rode NTG5 is 19mm diameter, whereas a old Sennheisser ME67 is 22.5mm diameter. You may squeeze the ME67 into the NTG5 suspension, bit I imagine the other way round it could be rather 'loose and sloppy'. Mics are not one standard diameter, so best making sure that the suspension system is right for your chosen mic.

 

[Jason Bugay Reyes]

This one looks nice and less than USD 100 in my place https://www.boya-mic.com/product/by-ws1000