For our first test we placed the AT851a on the stage with two people as talent. One subject moved around the stage, as if addressing the audience, while the other sat on a chair near the center. The AT851a was able to pick up both subjects clearly, with good volume and fidelity. We were impressed by the microphone's sensitivity. We could hear both subjects, with equal level and fidelity at distances up to 12 feet. It was not until our roving subject reached the very back of the stage, about 15 feet away, that we started hearing some reflected sound.

We had one of the subjects do a little dance and scrape and bump chairs on the stage. While the AT851a was able to pick up the sounds of the footsteps and chairs, those sounds didn't overpower the voices as so often happens. The microphone reproduced the sounds much the way they sounded to the ear, not as though the sound was being transferred through the wood of the stage itself.

With the frequency roll-off mode engaged, we conducted the same tests. We noticed little difference in the subject's voices, but the ambient noise from the foot and chair movement was noticeably reduced. In the videotape of the test, the black, low-profile mike was nearly invisible and we could hear both subjects as clear as if they were both wearing high-cost wireless lavalier microphones.

Next we tested the AT851a at a table, as it would typically be used in an interview or press conference situation. The microphone picked up the subject's voice equally well whether he was leaning forward or back in his seat. Once again, we noticed that although the microphone did pick up the sounds of hand movements on and against the table, the mechanical surface noises did not boom or overpower the voice. The surface noise sounded the same on tape as it did to the ear--barely noticeable.

We then added another person to the set. With two people sitting opposite each other and speaking into different sides of the mike, the AT851a reproduced both voices equally well.

We found the AT851a boundary microphone to be an excellent tool for the prosumer event and performance videographer. This mike would be a good choice for videographers shooting lectures, stage performances, interviews or conferences.

Cobra Crane
($600)
Classic Video Products
93 Cottage Lane
Aliso Viejo, CA 92655-4204
(949) 362-3741
www.steadytracker.com

Tech Specs

Prosumer, professional and even advanced hobbyist videographers are always looking for ways to make their footage stand out from the crowd. One shooting technique that always captures attention is the crane shot. We've all seen crane shots in big-budget movies and on television. The camera seems to be flying and can move from floor level to many feet above the action. Although camera cranes have traditionally been beyond the reach of most low budget producers, Classic Video Products Cobra Crane is an affordable solution built to handle consumer camcorders.

A camera crane is a long boom arm with a camera mount on one end and a counterweight on the other end. Most low cost, practical cranes mount on standard tripods and are sometimes called jib arms.

The Cobra Crane is a low cost unit that mounts on a heavy duty tripod with a quick release mount. For our test we used a Bogen 3036 tripod and a Bogen 3063 head with a Canon ES4000 camcorder. Using a cable and pulley system, the Cobra Crane allows the operator to tilt the camcorder up to 180-degrees with the tripod's tilt handle. This tilting feature helps make the Cobra Crane very versatile and is a feature seldom found on low cost consumer cranes and jib arms. The Cobra Crane will allow camcorder boom shots from floor level up to nine feet high. There is an optional boom arm available which will extend the crane's reach to 12 feet.

Of course, with the camcorder so far away you can't see though the viewfinder, so the crane comes with a video cable, which runs inside to attach the camcorder to a video monitor. Classic Video Products also makes an optional bracket used to attach a two-inch LCD monitor to your tripod. For the most creative configuration, there is also an optional remote control for camcorders with a LANC control port that can control the camcorder's zoom, pause and focus.

For the crane to be balanced it needs counterweight for the camcorder and boom arm. To accomplish this task inexpensively, the Cobra Crane has a bracket to mount ordinary barbell weights for ballast, available at many department and sporting goods stores.