Via AAS, I found Steve Garfield's suggestion regarding using the N95 remote control's microphone for videoblogging, as the results are generally higher quality than using the N95's built-in mike.
I'd like to try this, but there's a problem if I use the Nokia DT-22 tripod (and specifically, the phone 'clamp'😉, which I would often want to do. If I attach the N95 to the clamp so that the camera activation button is accessible (i.e. so I can start and stop recording), the clamp itself covers the socket into which I would want to plug the remote control.
Another possibility I thought of: I have a Jabra BT125 Bluetooth 'earpiece' which obviously doesn't need the cable connection, and wondered if it might be possible to use the microphone in the BT125 to record speech during video recording with the N95? I suspect the audio quality won't be good enough, but the other options are finding another tripod-mounting solution for the N95, or sticking with the N95's built-in mike (neither ideal, really).
Has anyone else tried this, or have another suggestion?
Many thanks 😊
If you pull the phone out of the clamp a little, you can still plug the remote or an external mic in.
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If you pull the phone out of the clamp a little, you can still plug the remote or an external mic in.
Thanks - I thought of that 😊 The problem with that approach is that the phone isn't gripped as tightly, as the 'arm' of the clamp only has about 3cm 'hold' on the phone if it's not covering the mike-I/O socket. (Am I the only one who now wishes Nokia had placed that socket next to the USB port?)
I've Googled around since my original post, and it appears that some folk have managed to use an A2DP Bluetooth device as a wireless mike for video recording, so I'll experiment with my Jabra headset and see if the N95 will pick this up and use it.
Thanks for the idea in the meantime 😊
To follow on from the above: I have just tried recording a short test video clip with the N95, to see whether I can use the Jabra BT earpiece as a wireless mike.
The good news is: yes, it works 😊
The not-so-good news is that, as I suspected, the fidelity of the audio is noticeably lower than the N95's internal mike, although to be fair, the earpiece mike is more directional and therefore doesn't pick up as much room noise. I think the lower fidelity is a limitation of the Jabra earpiece, as it is intended for use on phone calls where the audio sample rate is relatively low.
So, is this a viable solution for videoblogging, etc.? I think it depends on whether one intends to mix audio recorded via the earpiece, with audio from the N95's internal mike, during the same video clip. If I wished to do this, the drop in quality between the two is audible to the point of being quite jarring, so I would probably wish to warn viewers of this in advance. On the other hand, the convenience and relative unobtrusiveness of the earpiece mike, coupled with the reduction in extraneous noise, might make this a useful solution for "in-the-field" videoing.
Of course, for another option, there are A2DP headsets, but they seem to cost from £30 and most are considerably more than that. Does anyone happen to know whether the microphone's fidelity on an average A2DP headset, is higher than that on a typical BT earpiece like the Jabra BT125, as if not, there would be no point in me buying one?