I got a Rode Video Mic Pro - Compact Shotgun Microphone for Christmas as a gift and put it through its paces. First impressions after two days of use - it is an exceptional, well built, mono video microphone that has a fantastic super cardioid condenser. Rode microphones are designed and made in Australia. The Video Mic Pro is easy to mount on any DSLR hot-shoe and with its built in 3/8 inch socket can be mounted on booms and stands with ease.

Specifications as provided by Rode

I was a bit surprised with the short length of the cable that connects the mic to the 3.5 mm socket in camera.  However, it is long enough for all DSLR’s when the mic is mounted on the hot shoe. Extension cables are a quick fix when you want the microphone connected to an external recorder or when mounted on a boom pole. The mono output is paralleled to both left and right channels. The unit is powered by a 9V battery housed in the microphone frame.  I found the battery door to be a bit clumsy in its construction and the ease of opening and closing the compartment door is not easy. The battery life is stated at 70 hours, which is more than sufficient for any field work.

The unit is mounted within a cradle with four shock/vibration control elastic bands. A second set of these bands is included in the packaging. There is sufficient clearance between the cradle and the mic so the likelihood of any bumps and interference during normal use.

The rear of the microphone has two three-position slider switches.  The upper switch positions are power Off, Mic On (flat response) and Mic On HPF (High Pass Filter set at 80Hz).  The second switch is a three-position attenuation control. -10dB, 0 and +20dB.  Above these switches is a LED that flashes red on power on and then turns to green.  When the battery is low the LED will turn to a solid red.The high Pass Filter is excellent at filtering room noise, environmental hum, and other low frequency ambient noise. Wind and pops are well handled by the foam encasing on the super cardioid.  The microphone’s attenuation control functions exceptional well.  In loud environments, street scenes with a lot of traffic noise the -10db and 0 db settings are ideal.  However in low sound level situations the +20db has the right amount of boost with absolutely no deterioration of sound quality.  The directional pattern is excellent and the mic eliminates side and read sounds very well.The +20db setting was not required when the microphone was connected to and external recorder.  Using 0db set on the mic and attenuating the signal on the recorder yielded the best results.The microphone is well packaged comes with a quick start guide However the manual must be downloaded from the website. The warranty is 1 year that will be extended to a 10 year warranty once you register. You must register your product on the Rode web site at www/rodemic.com.In conclusion, this is an excellent light-weight professional shotgun mice that I have no hesitation recommending for any DSLR videographer.You can get this mic at The Camera Company - click here and at Hunts Photo - click here