RØDE VideoMic GO II Ultra-compact and Lightweight Shotgun Microphone with USB Audio for Filmmaking, Content Creation, Location Recording, Voice Overs, Podcasting and Video Calls

I ordered the microphone, and also a 'dead-cat' wind shield. Both arrived, in separate packages, but I found that the microphone box had been opened and another (unpackaged) dead-cat jammed into it. So now I have two.Other than that, yes it does what it says on the tin. I've just been recording a blackbird in my garden with my Panasonic DMC-FZ330 camera, loud and clear, no problem.

I have always liked Rode products but this one initially was a disapppintment. Used on my JVC camcorder as an input to Zoom meetings I get a horrible hum or hiss.I followed suggestions re sound setting on camera. Also tin foil around curly cable. Tried a different cable, turned wifi off on camera. I then replaced the supplied cable with a high quality double shielded one and this cut out the hiss..But still a horrible hum. It turned out to be due to interferance on the mains circuit. As the mic is powered from the camera it seems that a dirty mains circuit can affect it. When the laptop and camera were both run off mains the hum stopped. Trouble for me is recording session can go beyond battery limits. In my case the culprit was an older freezer on the premises. I have now tried a differnt mains socket and that cured the problem. Also I started using a boom pole and finally getting good results. So if him and hiss is problem try turning off wufi on camera, use manual level, try good quality double shielded cable, if using mains power try different socket. Hope this helps.

The beauty of this microphone is in its versatility.Plug it straight into USB for supreme-quality video calls, or high-quality podcast and voiceover audio.Really I'd recommend it to anyone who regularly speaks online.Or plug it directly into to your camera for good middle-distance directional sound.It even makes for a competent boom mic.A transformer is required to run it on XLR phantom power though. That's something I'd like to see built-in with version 3.

By now you'll have noticed that the built in recording function on your camera or device sounds terrible and you're looking to improve the quality of you're production. The biggest appeal of this model is the fact that it has no battery. You simply plug it into your recording device (camcorder, dslr etc.) and your ready to go hence the name. There are advantages and disadvantages to this but it's up to you what you're after. For me it's been an awesome addition to my home setup so i'm not fussed. With that said here are some of the pros and cons.PROs:-The mic itself is very light, has a sleek design and can fit into your back pocket.-It comes with a lengthy 3.5mm jack which you can connect direct to your dslr and it'll start working.-The mic is attached to a shock absorption stand that reduces noise and vibrations and can be attached direct to a hot shoe mount.-The sound quality pre-processing is great for the price and has a decent frequency response range with background noise.CONs:-The design of the mic means it protrudes at the back so its not level with camera. Wouldn't say it's a big deal but if you're looking through the view finder odds are its going to bonk you on the forehead.-Has no built-in pre-amp, battery or high pass filter, hence why you can get interference, noise and the sound quality is slightly lower at the same level as more advanced rode models.-You have to purchase an SC7 cable if you want to use with an iphone or android phone.- Can get interference if dslr wifi is on so switch it off before use.Overall i'm pretty satisfied with the mic it's been with me for a while and I've always had it connected to one of my cameras or phone recording content even after getting better mics. I'm aware of some complaints about hisses, clicks and interference but to summarise all of those issues are the result of the camera or lens and it's internal settings. Simply switching to manual mode get's rid of all those problems. I would absolutely recommend this to anyone getting started.

When using the 3.5mm socket the device worked well and sound quality was on par with similar microphones. However when using the USB connect to my laptop when no other cables connected (not even power) it has a massive mains (When I audio live to -16LUFS this is quite audible at -45DBs for spoke word). I contacted Rode and they confirmed they believed the device was faulty so returned to Amazon for a refund based on this advice from Rode. I went for a refund rather than replacement as searching around on the Web it appear both the original and this version 2 are know to have poor RFI protect, a real pity as otherwise a great Microphone.