Amazon.com: Customer reviews: Rode VideoMic Pro R Camera-Mount Shotgun Microphone,Black

Excellent sound, assuming you know what you're actually trying to do

Garbage, cheap, stay away

Reviewed in the United States on June 22, 2023

Garbage. Worked good for a few months then out of no where the mic got super sensitive and sound became blown out, scratchy and useless. For a $300 mic this was absolute BS. Changing the battery is ridiculous too, not user friendly, cheaply made, could not get the battery cover back on, it was a one and done product. Garbage stay away!

One person found this helpful

2,350 total ratings, 918 with reviews

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From the United States

Jamie Mercer

Reviewed in the United States on August 18, 2019

25 people found this helpful

Great sound quality, easy to use, distance isn't super, wish it came with a case or storage.

Erroll Ends

Reviewed in the United States on August 14, 2023

The sound quality on this is no question better than the built in mic on my DSLR. It's super easy to use, pretty much plug and play. The mount clips in well and snugly, no worry about it coming loose my accident even if moving around or running. Like how the function buttons are easy to see and reach on the back, not a perfect spot if you need to change while recording so know which you want before you start. The shock mount is great, super flexible, amazing how much movement its able to absorb without transferring sound to the video. The only critique I have is I wish it came with a case or some storage, even just a sac but wish for a zipper hardshell. I end up trying to find a spot in my camera bag and worry about putting pressure on or twisting the shock mount. Check out my photos for a closer look and I hope this was helpful.

One person found this helpful

I wasted years without this...

Maura Smith

Reviewed in the United States on September 2, 2019

I heard about Rode mics for years. I bought an NGT2 (boom) years ago, and I love that mic. But, I never bought into the on-camera shotgun mics like the VideoMicPro. I recently start a new job where they had one of these in their kits. I tried it out for a project, and I couldn't believe the quality. I just bought one for my own kit because it is a must-have. The mic operates on a 9-volt battery, which I have rechargeable of so it is easy to swap out. The mic clips into the hot shoe mount on top of the camera or on a cold shoe mount on a separate grip I sometimes attach to the camera. The microphone itself has different levels for sound recording/signal, including -10, 0, and +20. This is great for when shooting out with clients because I can adjust the levels as I need to. I shoot with either a 5D or 6D, which both allow me to see the audio levels on the screen. If you're using a T-series camera, you can click into the "menu" and then "sound recording" to check your audio level before you begin recording. You can adjust the level to within a good range for your camera setup. This microphone is really a workhorse, and it is so light, and yet it is very sensitive to sounds. Lovely piece that I've added to my kit. So pleased!

4 people found this helpful

Great tool for the right job

Drew

Reviewed in the United States on January 4, 2018

I bought and returned this microphone (Rode VideoMic Pro R) and I intended to use it with my Canon 80D. I also own the Rode VideoMicro and kept that one instead.

Pros:
- Self powered condenser microphone with boost switch allowed me to turn down the volume on my camera so that there was less noise introduced from my camera's pre-amps.
- Tighter pickup pattern compared to the Rode VideoMicro which means less ambient noise bleed
- Great shock mount to remove unwanted noise from handling the camera

Cons:
- For me, the microphone was a touch too big. The new version with the Rycote Lyre mount is slightly longer and wider than the old version.
- While there is an included windscreen, it is very ineffective and doesn't do the job that the VideoMicro's dead cat does. If you plan on using this outside, you will need to purchase the dead cat for this separately and that will also add size to it.
- While the signal was hotter and cleaner, I found that even with the low-cut filter on, the sound was a tad too muddy for my taste. If you are going to record music or something that requires good bass response, then this mic is for you. If like me, you plan on only recording vocals, I found that the VideoMicro had more shimmer and brightness to it that lent well to adding clarity to vocals.
- While having battery power means a hotter signal, it also means that you need to carry an extra one in case it dies.

Conclusion:
This is a great mic and definitely captures a richer, and more detailed range of sounds than the VideoMicro, but I found the audio to be a touch muddy for vocals. For the added cost, and size, I felt that using the VideoMicro was plenty good enough for the work that I had planned. This mic is great, I just hope that this review will help you to decide if this mic is the right mic for you.

73 people found this helpful

But I decided to go with the old "buy nice or buy twice" on this one since I also ...

GetLikeBeej

Reviewed in the United States on May 20, 2016

I couldn't decide on a microphone to capture audio with my GoPro Hero4. Is this overkill for an action camera - absolutely! But I decided to go with the old "buy nice or buy twice" on this one since I also plan on using the GoPro as an additional camera for vlogging so recording good voice audio was one of the purchase criteria. I initially wanted to budget no more than $100 for a good mic which had me deciding between the Rode VideoMicro and VideoMic GO as well as similar competitor models. I liked the fact that those two do not require battery power (versus the Pro requiring a 9V battery) and the simplicity of use (no power switch as the mic is powered by the camera once it's plugged into the 3.5mm jack or mini-USB adapter). But the fact that this microphone is highly regarded by so many videographers, I felt like it could serve me well on many other future platforms and not just on the GoPro. I listened to comparisons between the three Rode microphones and the Pro sounds noticeably less noisy. Voice audio recordings also sound more natural and less harsh on the ears even at high volumes.

Regardless of the platform, this product functions very well at capturing audio and is very well constructed although removal of the battery door for the first time can have you second guessing if you're opening it correctly!

22 people found this helpful

Worked

Reviewed in the United States on January 18, 2024

Worked well

Garbage, cheap, stay away

Reviewed in the United States on June 22, 2023

One person found this helpful

Needs 9v battery but great mic

Janet

Reviewed in the United States on July 3, 2019

I am very happy with this mic now. At first I was not at all because the above information and videos that I watched before purchasing led me to believe that the mic comes with a lithium battery. it does NOT. Further reading said to use 2 AA batteries. that did not work at all. Please visit the official Rode website. They have all of the information that you will need if you have a question. It clearly says to use a 9v battery. I did just that and it works. Getting the battery door closed is a bit tricky and that is the reason for my lower star score under "easy to use". once I got the battery door closed everything went perfectly. The sound quality is really good. I did a test using a video camera, on each of the settings. My voice was clear and I was able to remove some of the background noise from the air conditioner. I highly recommend this mic. the price is really low for what you get. I am happy to say that this mic resolved my sound quality issues.

10 people found this helpful

switches fall off

Reviewed in the United States on October 27, 2023

The mic sounds fine but the build quality is cheap. The packaging it came in made me think it was fake. 6 months in and the switches on the back started to come off until finally today one came off while I was recording outside and is lost forever.
Edit: I sent an email to their support team to get replacement switches and they responded after only a few hours. Just 3 days later I received the replacement switches... so extra star for fast support. I still don't think that a $200 product should be presented and built this cheap but it's 2023 so I shouldn't have expected much.

One of the best on camera mics on the market

Jay Canter

Reviewed in the United States on December 17, 2022

There were a handful of on camera mics I was looking at for the day to day use. This one is absolutely great over all. Sound quality is crisp and clean. The noise canceling is quite decent as well.
Biggest issue is depending on what sort of camera/lens combo you have, you for sure will pickup the lens making sounds during auto focus.
Another eh, part of it is where the battery compartment is located and how difficult it is to take off and re install the battery cover. The 9 volt battery lasts quite a long time so thats a plus (but ALWAYS, carry a spare in your bag)
Overall quite pleased with using it for some interviews daily while filming and really zero need to do any enhancement to the audio in post production.

4 people found this helpful