Well needless to say I am disappointed in the answers to my original questions. I guess I live in a different world. The costs you have each associated with different systems are not only beyond my reach, they are excessive for most any videographer. Perhaps not those working with broadcast news etc, but for the average videographer (I include myself) working on such things as documentaries these kind of costs, $5000.00 wireless syetems, are way out of line, at least from my perspective. Now……I have viewed video which have been produced using various wireless systems,Shure, Sampson, Sennheiser and more, videos that in my opinion have excellent sound.
But it seems this forum and its response team has their head far above the clouds of average and normal in favor of reaching some level of unprecedented sound quality……..regardless of marginal improvemnts in sound from the clouds below. Now I know you might say the improvement in sound will be extrordinary, but I tend to believe you have been discussing state of the art “wants” rather than realistic “needs.”
You stated “I know $500 to $600 seems like a big investment but it really is not. Think what you paid for your camera.” Well I do have a lot invested in cameras and other equipment, more than I would have liked to have spent. But this crazyness of exorbitant prices for equipment that gains marginal quality is just nonsense. The rush to HDV for example is in my opinion, a ploy by manufacturers to expand earning potentials. The quality of viewing for the consumer is not much better over SD. I’ll point out one example related to HDV vs SD. I have among other cameras a JVC GYX2B and a JVC DV500. I also have a Canon XH A1 HDV. Now I have taken both the GYX2B and the DV 500 and used them in recording directly to a laptop…….out door documentary stuff that I also shot with my Canon in HDV. Being very careful with lighting and camera settings, the JVC cameras produced video competitive with the HDV shot. Now there is a difference between them but not a difference recognizable by a lay person. My point is there is a lot of waste in this business, associated with the cost of equipment and the hype about the gain in quality of product. Thanks for all of your responses but I guess I’ll have to look for more advice in other circles.