Verdict & Conclusion
When it comes to videography, one of the most difficult parts to master, and thus make your videos seem more professional, is the audio. DSLR camera manufacturers are really not interested in cramming better (and larger) audio components inside their cameras, leaving the on-board microphone a bit of a dinosaur.
Step forward the camera microphones, and immediately the audio quality in your videos go up a few notches. But what makes a good camera microphone?
For a good camera microphone, not only must the the audio levels be clear and easily picked up, it has to have feature/functions that you will actually use. The Azden SMX-30, for me, is just utterly fantastic, it covers all the bases I have. Not only is the Azden SMX-30 great at interviews, but in a noisy environment, the stereo function gives you a sense of presence you would normally lack when using a mono microphone. The SMX-30 is relatively compact and sturdy, I’ve thrown it into its carry bag and tossed it into rucksack several times and I have not had to worry about damaging it.
The functionality of having both a mono and stereo microphone all rolled into one, the Azden SMX-30 gets my vote!
Buy the Azden SMX-30
