1. I use the Azden in my T2i setup. A buddy of mine helped me last year with two weddings and he used a RODE and to be completely honest, the difference to me was minimal. Yes, RODE was a bit better but shit, look at the price difference. Bang for buck I suggest the Azden.
2. You don't want to use autofocus for video!! youre letting the camera choose where your audience should be looking, thats a no no in film making.
3. Hmmm, interesting. I just bought a jar opener to use as a cheap DIY follow focus seems to work really well.
4. I do not. The D5100 has 3D-tracking which is supposed to follow an object through the frame. It seems to be hit or miss. Admittedly, I may not be using it correctly.
5. @jonny55100 Do you have a Follow Focus setup?
6. I'm using a Nikon D5100. I've only had this camera for about a week (came from one without video) and I really don't care for the autofocus. Its searching too much and you can hear the noise in audio. I obviously have some work to do on my manual focusing when I'm not at the camera itself, but still...
7. This is an excellent video! I was actually wondering exactly how much better the RODE would be than a "cheap" mic such as the Azden... I have a really hard time spending $230 on a mic, but it seems it'd be worth the investment. What camera are you using, I have a Canon T3i and I didn't know it didn't have AutoFocus in movie mode, which is super stupid... You can definitely pick up the sound of the TV...

Azden SMX-10 vs Rode Videomic Pro audio comparison

10.82 min. | 5.0 user rating | 884 views

Amateur video comparing the audio quality of the Azden SMX-10, Rode Videomic Pro, and Nikon D5100 internal microphone. I was trying to discern the difference in both quality and "uses" for the different types. The Azden being an $85 stereo "directional microphone" and the Rode being a $229 mono shotgun mic. The Azden is using the AGC on the camera while the Rode is set to +20db on the mic and the lowest sensitivity on the camera to reduce hiss. This isn't meant to be complete or comprehensive. Mostly just contains audio samples from different positions on the three mics. I apologize in advance for the abrupt ending and the lack of focus at various points of the film... luckily I'm not showcasing the video capabilities of the D5100 or my editing abilities.
Tags: Azden SMX-10 rode videomic pro rode videomic nikon d5100 azden dslr test