10 Best Shotgun Microphones for Film

What are the best shotgun microphones for film?

The best shotgun microphones for film reach for the voice, reject what's around it and keep working in the conditions you're shooting in. Here's how we'd rank them, starting with the eight we run on set and finishing with the two worth buying:

1. Sennheiser MKH 416: best for exterior dialogue
2. Schoeps Mini CMIT: best short shotgun for drama
3. Schoeps CCM 41: best for indoor dialogue
4. Schoeps MK41: best for sit down interviews
5. Sennheiser MKH 8060: best for wet, humid or remote shoots
6. RØDE NTG3: best 416 alternative
7. Sanken CS3e: best for reach in noisy exteriors
8. DPA 4017B: best for a detailed, compact shotgun
9. RØDE NTG5: best to buy for indie film
10. Sennheiser MKE 600: best to buy for camera top work

[CONFIRM WITH MIKE: his everyday shotgun, the one in the bag on every job, and why]

Which shotgun mic suits which shoot?

Match the mic to the room and the weather. A shotgun outside, a supercardioid inside, and an RF design when it's wet. That one choice matters more than any spec sheet.

1. Sennheiser MKH 416: best for exterior dialogue

Best for: exterior dialogue, documentary, run and gun and camera top mounting.

Most shotgun bookings are for a 416, and shotgun mic hire usually starts and ends with it. It reaches for the voice and ignores what's off to the side. Its RF design shrugs off humidity, which is why it keeps working on a cold Melbourne morning when other condensers start crackling. It's short enough to sit on a camera and light enough to boom all day.

Watch out: inside a small room, a shotgun's tube picks up the reflections and voices can go hollow. Swap to a Schoeps MK41 or CCM 41 indoors.

2. Schoeps Mini CMIT: best short shotgun for drama

Best for: drama, scripted work, documentary and interviews where the sound has to be the best it can be.

The Mini CMIT is the small shotgun you reach for when you need the best of the best, and it's the choice on some of your favourite films and TV shows for a reason. It's a supercardioid short shotgun about 15 cm long, so it's easy to boom close and keep out of frame, and it sounds controlled and natural on voices rather than sharp.

[CONFIRM WITH MIKE: when he picks the CMIT over the 416, and why]

Watch out: it's a premium mic for controlled conditions. For wet, humid or remote shoots we run the MKH 8060 instead. Shooting outside? Ask for the Cinela Cosi when you book.

3. Schoeps CCM 41: best for indoor dialogue

Best for: interiors, interviews, drama and documentary in tight or reflective rooms.

This is the indoor dialogue mic you grab from the kit when your shotgun starts sounding weird in a reflective room. It's a compact supercardioid, not a shotgun, so there's no long tube picking up the room, and the voice stays clean when the room is doing its best to make sound ugly. It comes with a Cinela Minix shock mount for booming.

Watch out: it has a LEMO 3 pin connector, so make sure your cable or recorder input matches before the shoot day.

4. Schoeps MK41: best for sit down interviews

Best for: sit down interviews and dialogue in small or echoey rooms.

This is the mic for when a shotgun makes a small room sound like a tin can. The MK41 capsule on its amplifier body is a supercardioid with no tube, so the voice sounds like the person is standing there, and it rejects what's behind and beside it, which keeps the air conditioner and the crew out of the take. It's the mic our recordists choose for sit down interviews.

Watch out: booming it? Ask for a Rycote shock mount when you book, and wind protection if any of your day is outside.

5. Sennheiser MKH 8060: best for wet, humid or remote shoots

Best for: adventure and reality TV, documentary, camera top mounting and shoots in bad weather.

The 8060 is our shotgun of choice when the shoot is wet, humid or remote. It's shorter and lighter than an MKH 416, so it sits neatly on a camera or the end of a boom and still reaches for the voice. Sennheiser built it so off axis sound gets quieter without changing colour, which means a voice that drifts off the mic still sounds like the same person. We run it on adventure reality, documentary and drama where the Schoeps Mini CMIT wouldn't be able to take the conditions.

Watch out: booming outside, add the Rycote INV 7 shock mount and a softie when you book. Indoors in a tight room, the Schoeps MK41 is the closest match in pickup pattern.

6. RØDE NTG3: best 416 alternative

Best for: exterior dialogue, documentary, news and run and gun, and wet or humid shoots.

The NTG3 is the mic RØDE built to go head to head with the 416. It's an RF bias condenser like the 416, so it keeps working with the dew on an early call, and its self noise is very low, so quiet dialogue and room tone stay clean. It's designed and built by RØDE in Sydney. We run two of them alongside our 416s, and for most jobs you could swap one for the other and the editor would never know. It's a good call when every 416 in town is booked.

Watch out: booming outside, add a windshield when you book, because foam alone won't survive a Melbourne breeze. We have two, so book early if you need a pair.

7. Sanken CS3e: best for reach in noisy exteriors

Best for: outdoor dialogue, documentary, reality and camera crew days where the mic has to reject a lot around it.

The CS3e is for jobs that need more reach and focus than a standard short shotgun. It uses three capsules in a 27 cm body to keep its pickup tight, which is why it suits busy exteriors where you need the voice and not the street.

Watch out: it's best used by someone who knows placement, because the pickup pattern is tight. Drift off the voice and you'll hear it.

8. DPA 4017B: best for a detailed, compact shotgun

Best for: boom dialogue on film, TV and documentary shoots.

The 4017B is a supercardioid shotgun about 21 cm long, with DPA's preamp that adds a switchable low cut and high boost for dialogue. [CONFIRM WITH MIKE: when he reaches for the 4017B over the 416 or the CMIT]

Watch out: [CONFIRM WITH MIKE: anything a hirer should know before booking the 4017B]

If you'd rather own a shotgun than hire one, these two come up on every buying list, and both are worth it.

9. RØDE NTG5: best to buy for indie film

Best for: indie filmmakers and recordists who want their own boom mic.

The NTG5 builds on the NTG3 in a much lighter body. RØDE lists it at just 76 g and 203 mm long, with 10 dBA self noise, plus RF bias circuitry and a conformal coating against moisture and humidity. Light enough to boom for a full day without your arms giving up.

Watch out: it runs on 48 volt phantom power only, so your recorder or camera needs to supply it. We don't hire it, so it's a buy.

10. Sennheiser MKE 600: best to buy for camera top work

Best for: camera top mounting and shooters without phantom power.

The MKE 600 is the shotgun you'll see on most buying lists, and for good reason. It's a supercardioid that runs on 48 volt phantom power or a single AA battery, with a switchable low cut filter for wind and rumble. Retailers list the battery at up to 150 hours, so it works on cameras with no phantom power at all.

Watch out: on battery its maximum level drops from 132 to 126 dB SPL, so run it on phantom power when your recorder can supply it. We don't hire it, so it's a buy.

Can you use a shotgun mic indoors?

You can, but in a small or reflective room it often sounds worse than a supercardioid. A shotgun's tube picks up the room's reflections, so voices go hollow.

That's why recordists carry an indoor mic as well. The Schoeps MK41 and CCM 41 have no tube, so they sound natural in rooms that fight you and keep the air conditioner and the crew out of the take. If the room is large and well treated, a short shotgun like the Mini CMIT can work inside too.

What's the difference between a shotgun mic and a boom mic?

A shotgun is the type of microphone. A boom is the pole it goes on. So a "boom mic" is usually a shotgun or supercardioid held on a boom pole above the frame.

On most shoots we record a boom and a lav on separate tracks, so the editor can pick the best one. Our list of the best lavalier microphones for film covers the lav side. Our guide to boom mics vs lav mics covers when to use each.

Do shotgun mics need phantom power?

Almost all of them do. Condenser shotguns like the 416, NTG3, NTG5 and the Schoeps range need 48 volt phantom power from your recorder, mixer or camera.

The exception on this list is the Sennheiser MKE 600, which can also run on a single AA battery, so it works on cameras with no phantom power. If your recorder supplies phantom power, every mic here will run straight off it. Our location sound equipment range has the recorders, booms and blimps to match.

Questions we get asked