Rode RODELink Wireless Filmmaker Kit

Ok, let's be clear here. The microphone itself is WIRED, and it plugs into a wireless transmitter and receiver combo. So there's going to be some cables running down shirts and into the transmitter which is usually in a back pocket or clipped to a belt on the subject/talent. I chose this kit, because as a solo videographer, I don't have the luxury of a second pair of hands for a boom mic. I set the sound and shot up, test and calibrate the sound, and then I have to focus on the video side during the shoot. Recording video requires the sound and video to be synchronized, and that's hard to do in field situations. Sure, you could record your lapel mic to a handheld recorder or even a mobile phone, but that still leaves your sound data on one device and video on ... MoreOk, let's be clear here. The microphone itself is WIRED, and it plugs into a wireless transmitter and receiver combo. So there's going to be some cables running down shirts and into the transmitter which is usually in a back pocket or clipped to a belt on the subject/talent. I chose this kit, because as a solo videographer, I don't have the luxury of a second pair of hands for a boom mic. I set the sound and shot up, test and calibrate the sound, and then I have to focus on the video side during the shoot. Recording video requires the sound and video to be synchronized, and that's hard to do in field situations. Sure, you could record your lapel mic to a handheld recorder or even a mobile phone, but that still leaves your sound data on one device and video on another. This can be hard to synchronize in post processing later on, especially without time-code compatible equipment. Using this, I can plug the receiver into my camera, or field recorder, and then pipe it into the camera so I have redundancy in case there's a problem. The wireless system is great for interviews, and in situations where the talent is moving. The transmitter box might be an issue if the talent faces away from you, so you'll need some ability to hide the transmitter box if that's somehow important. Boththe receiver and transmitter, each use 2x AA batteries. (Total of 4). I highly recommend buying rechargeable batteries. Particularly the Eneloop variety, especially if you're intermittently using this kit, as it should hold up to 80% of it charge after a year neglect. I can't say how long the batteries last, because I've never recorded so much that I've run out. But I've done a two hour interview without problem. The sound quality is very good for a lapel microphone, however, you can use any 3.5mm TRS-plugged microphone with the transmitter. The wireless system might not be able to handle all of the nuances of really high end microphones though, it will certainly raise the noise floor somewhat, and of course, there's the issue of interference on the wireless frequency. So there might be issues with field locations in industrial sites or where powerful broadcast towers might be present. If there is interference, you can change the channel on both the receiver and transmitter to see if that helps. That's easy to do on this kit. Just make sure you have matching channel numbers on both transmitter and receiver. If you want to use a phantom-powered, XLR microphone, you'll need a separate power source and adaptor to make it work with this wireless kit. I've used such a setup when I've found one cable to be damaged, or too short, and where absolute studio-grade sound isn't a requirement. I think for the money, it's a very nice piece of kit, especially for mirrorless and DLSR videographers. I wouldn't say that this is the kit movie studios would use, but for field recorders, news crews, and personal projects, it's very hard to beat.

Plug and play user experience, can be use with other body packs. Battery life on Eneloop pro is about 1.5 hours. Take care when removing the left battery not to damage the contact spring. The camera pack has a threaded fitting for hotshot mount which needs to be secured, more bulky than Sennheiser G3 but also easier to use.

This isn't going to win any prizes for compactness, but the Rodelink kit is supremely easy to set up, well-built, reliable and produces great sound. Batteries seem to last for days, and it's easy to tell when they're getting low on power from the two meters on the receiver. I've just purchased a second kit after several months using the first, if that's any endorsement of how pleased I am with the performance. I've used mine with a favourite Sanken COS11 lavalier microphone and the results were outstanding. You can't run output from two transmitters into one receiver (which is why I'm buying #2) but other than that I can't find a fault.