DJI is better known for building impressive drones and action cameras, but the one of the brand’s newest projects has an altogether different purpose. As the name suggests, the DJI Mic system is made to make capturing impressive audio to go with your video footage really easy.
Offering dual-channel recording, similar to Rode’s Wireless Go II system, the DJI mic is a compact package and consists of two transmitters (both of which support omnidirectional audio) and one receiver unit. What’s even more impressive is that the units come in a case that not only protects the devices when you’re moving from one location to the next, but also charges up the mics on the go.
Let’s talk about the transmitters first and you may be surprised to hear that each unit’s battery lasts up to 5.5 hours and also comes with 14 hours of built-in storage to act as a backup and to prevent audio frame drop or other related issues. Each transmitter tips the scales at just 30g and measures just 47.32×30.43×20.01mm. The transmitters come pre-paired and, as there are two mics, will allow content creators to record an interview or they can choose to capture their voice on one mic and ambient sound on the other.
The receiver unit (which can slip onto a hotshoe mount and has a battery life of up to 5 hours on a single charge) weighs just 24.9g and features a clever touch-sensitive menu screen. The receiver can be attached to a number of different devices, such as a regular DSLR or mirrorless camera via the 3.5mm port, or it can attach to a smartphone or the new DJI Action 2. DJI says the mics will work up to a distance of 250 metres from the receiver, enabling users to record quality sound a decent distance away from the camera.
Recordings can be made in Mono or Stereo and this DJI Mic system will be particularly useful for videographers using cameras that don’t have a headphone port that enables them to monitor sound. This is because there is an Out port on the receiver that you can plug some headphones onto and monitor your audio to make sure it isn’t too loud or quiet.
The transmitters have a clip that enables users to simply slide the unit securely into place on their collar, but there’s an extra option as the unit can also be held in place via a supplied magnetic attachment. To ensure the mics can be used in blustery conditions, there’s even a windshield, which can be attached to the top of the transmitter unit. Lastly, users can adjust input and output sensitivity between -12dB ~ 12dB to better suit the environment you’re recording in. Available from January, the DJI Mic system will cost from £289.