SONY UWP-D27 Wireless Mic Review — 2-channel 4th Gen System

In this episode we have a look at and a listen to the SONY UWP-D wireless microphone system. This 2 channel kit includes a dual channel receiver and two transmitters with lavalier microphones. The system is a good fit for wedding videographers, news, and general video making, especially if you film with SONY cameras which have the MI shoe — which allows you to feed clean digital audio from the receiver, directly into the camera with no extra wires.

If you’d like to learn how to make great dialogue audio for your film and video projects, please have a look at my courses including processing dialogue audio in Adobe Audition and DaVinci Resolve/Fairlight, recording sound, how to use the Zoom F4, F6, F8, and F8n, and how to get the most from the Sound Devices MixPre series of recorders. Our latest courses cover Sound for Live Streaming with the ATEM Mini and an Intro to Izotope RX.

Support my work creating videos by donating at Ko-Fi.com.

Gear used or mentioned in this episode. The links below are Amazon.com, B&H Photo, Sweetwater, DVEStore, Perfect Circuit, Trew Audio or other affiliate links. As an affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases:

- SONY UWP-D27 dual channel wireless microphone system — B&H, Trew Audio

- SONY FX30 cinema camera — B&H, Amazon

- SONY FX3 cinema camera — B&H, Amazon

- Impact Turtle-Base C-Stands — B&H, Amazon

- Amaran 200x S LED light — B&H, Amazon, Aputure

- Aputure Light Dome II soft box — Aputure, B&H, Amazon

- Aputure Spotlight Mount — Aputure, B&H, DVE Store, Amazon

- Rosco Prismatic Glass Gobo in Cool Lavender — B&H

- Canon C70 Cinema Camera — B&H

- Canon RF 24-70 f/2.8 lens — B&H, Amazon

- Panasonic GH5 camera — B&H, Amazon

- Panasonic 12-35mm f/2.8 II lens — B&H, Amazon

The intro and outro music for this episode is from Musicbed - “Dynamo” by Virgil Arles. Take your films to the next level with music from Musicbed. Sign up for a free account to listen for yourself.

Copyright 2023, Curtis Judd

Sound for Video Session: Learning SONY UWP-D & Q&A

In this week's session, we learn how the SONY UWP-D wireless microphone system works. SONY was kind enough to loan me the UWP-D27 wireless mic kit and I'm just getting started with it so I can make a review in a few weeks. We'll learn this together. Then we answer your sound for video questions.

If you’d like to learn how to make great dialogue audio for your film and video projects, please have a look at my courses including processing dialogue audio in Adobe Audition and DaVinci Resolve/Fairlight, recording sound, how to use the Zoom F4, F6, F8, and F8n, and how to get the most from the Sound Devices MixPre series of recorders. We have a course on sound for live-streaming with the ATEM Mini and just added Introduction to Izotope RX for Dialogue Audio.

Gear I often use or that we mentioned in this episode. The links below are Amazon.com, B&H Photo, Sweetwater, DVE Store, Waves, or other affiliate links. As an affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases:

- SONY UWP-D27 digital dual channel wireless microphone kit — B&H

- Mackie DLZ Creator — B&H, Amazon

- Earthworks ETHOS microphone — B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

- Sound Devies 888 field recorder/mixer — Trew, B&H, Sweetwater

- Sound Devices MixPre II Series Recorders - B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

- Panasonic GH5 camera - B&H, Amazon

- Canon C200 Camera - B&H

- Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 lens — B&H, Amazon

- ATEM Mini Extreme & Extreme ISO - B&H, DVE Store, Amazon

- Allen & Heath SQ5 Digital Mixer - B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

- Rupert Neve Designs Shelford Channel, pre-amp, EQ, compressor - Sweetwater, B&H

- Universal Audio 6176 channel strip pre-amp, EQ, compressor — B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

The intro and outro music for this episode is from Musicbed. Take your films to the next level with music from Musicbed. Sign up for a free account to listen for yourself.

Copyright 2023, Curtis Judd

Sony ECM-674 Shotgun Microphone: Compared to RODE NTG2 & Deity S-Mic 2

Microphones in the $250 to $350 range are at a sweet spot between performance, sound quality, durability, and reasonable price. In this episode we take a closer look at the Sony ECM-674 shotgun microphone and compare it with the RODE NTG-2 and Deity S-Mic 2. All three of these microphones are shotgun style boom microphones with XLR balanced outputs. Let’s see how they compare.

If you’d like to learn how to make great dialogue audio for your film and video projects, please have a look at my courses at https://school.learnlightandsound.com including processing dialogue audio, recording sound, how to use the Zoom F8 and F8n, and how to get the most from the Sound Devices MixPre series of recorders.

Links to gear used in this video:

Sony ECM-674 (Amazon) Shotgun Microphone

RODE NTG-2 (Amazon) Shotgun Microphone - our review can be found here:

Deity S-Mic 2 (Amazon) Shotgun Microphone - our review can be found here:

Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K - I used this to record most of the product shots

Blackmagic Ursa Mini Pro - Used to shoot the talking head shots

Aputure COB120dmkII (Amazon) - Key light in the talking head clips

Aputure Light Dome II (Amazon) - Newer version of the big soft box with faster setup and gel holder

Lupo Superpanel Full Color 30 - RGB 1x1 panel light for Lighting Bridget

Came TV RGB Ringlight - Used to light the product shots on white background, review coming soon

Panasonic 12-35mm F/2.8 OIS (Amazon) Lens - Used on the BMD Pocket Cine Camera 4K

Olympus 45mm f/1.8 (Amazon) Lens - Used on the BMD Pocket Cine Camera 4K

Copyright 2018 by Curtis Judd

Music Copyright 2018 by Cary Judd. Used with permission.

Sony Wireless Audio 2 Mics 1 Receiver URX-P03D

At NAB 2016, we talked with Andy at the Sony booth about an interesting new wireless audio receiver: URX-P03D which is part of their larger UWP-D wireless audio ecosystem. The thing that is most exciting about this receiver is that it can receive audio from two separate transmitters. For those shooting with Sony’s alpha series of mirrorless cameras, you can now capture audio from two separate people/transmitters just by mounting this in the hot-shoe of your camera without any bothersome wires. Additionally, you can always send a 3.5mm line output to a proper mixer or non-Sony camera. And as an added bonus, there are a few additional ports on the receiver that make it even more useful: A 3.5mm headphone jack to monitor audio, and an additional 3.5mm stereo microphone input so you can actually record two transmitter body packs plus an additional mic attached to the receiver. Looks like an interesting addition to the Sony wireless audio system which solves a serious practical issue: How do I record two people with wireless lavalier mics?

Pricing looks to be $999 USD and should start shipping in August. It is a little on the pricey side but this is a pro-level receiver with line level outputs unlike kits like the RODELink which only outputs mic level signal (and thus requires an amplifier).

Special thanks to Scott Vanderbilt who was kind enough to bring his brand new Sony FS5 camera to film this series.

Sony a6000: The First 24 Hours

The Sony a6000 camera and 50mm f/1.8 lens arrived yesterday and I spent a few hours putting it through its paces. Not a ton to say just yet but this camera is every thing I expected, mostly good and a bit of bad.

The good: Incredible imaging in a tiny, very convenient to carry almost anywhere little camera body. Full sensor readout for video (vs. line-skipping which many DSLRs and mirrorless cameras do),  electronic viewfinder, good build quality, assignable custom buttons. Screen articulates for low and high angle shots. Hotshoe so I can add proper portable strobes. Focus is fast and so far, feels as good as my DSLR. More to come on all of this.

The Bad: Tiny battery needs frequent swapping out, strange, somewhat onerous menu system, how do I get a histogram overlay on top of the live-view image? Video record button in an odd location on the handgrip.

Here's my first real foray into the Sony ecosystem (the camera I bought for my wife doesn't count). So far I really like it. It is small enough that bringing a proper camera with me more often is a real possibility. I'll be putting it to use at a concert later this week alongside my Nikon D750 to see how well it holds up for video and stills.

It needs a fast card to record to the XAVC S 50mbps codec so I'll need to order another UHS-3 card along with a battery charger and extra batteries (we've had good luck with Wasabi Power batteries which are priced at a fraction of the OEM Sony batteries).

Sony a6000: I Caved and Bought It

I've had my eye on Sony for a while. If you've been following the blog here, you know about my mixed feelings on the matter: Sony is innovating like crazy and I love what they're doing. Their cameras aren't perfect  but they are very, very compelling! I don't like that they use such tiny batteries that need replacing way too often. I don't like that they shut down after about a 20 minute video clip. I don't like that they don't send 10-bit color out their HDMI port (Panasonic GH4 does). The color science is sometimes a little wonky (e.g., strange looking skies). The menus are a little funky, too. But all that aside, their alpha line of cameras are really, really impressive!

And for me, I like APS-C sized sensors for video. They're a great middle ground. Bigger than micro4/3 which always seems to struggle at ISOs above 800 when shooting video. But not so big that you have to stop way down to get a person entirely in focus like on a full frame sensor. And frankly, for cinema, APS-C/"Super 35" is sort of the closest thing to a standard size. Many of the cinema cameras have sensors this size.

The a6000, in particular has been tempting me for months. I know, it isn't a new camera - in fact, it is quite old (released in early 2014). But Sony has added the XAVC-S codec with 50mbps bit rate. No, it doesn't have any log profiles, but I don't think log profiles on 8-bit 4:2:0 or 4:2:2 color sub-sampling cameras actually works out that well in most cases anyway. Once you get that footage into Resolve or any other color grading app, the image is rather fragile. So I don't think I'm going to miss that too much for my work.

I couldn't pass up the holiday pricing so I just placed my order for the Sony alpha A6000 over at B&H. $398 for the body, $198 for the 50mm f/1.8 lens (when you buy with the a6000 body, $249 otherwise). Can't wait to put it to use!

Sony a6000 Camera Special Pricing

I am so tempted right now... But I already have two very capable cameras...

B&H has the Sony a6000 mirrorless interchangeable lens camera for just under $400 USD right now as part of their black Friday specials. I bought the a5100 for my wife last December and she's been really happy with it. Truth be told, I've been really happy with it too as its the camera that usually comes along on family outings.

When I reviewed the a5100 early this year, the a6000 didn't have the XAVC-S codec while the a5100 did. In true Sony fashion, they since added the XAVC-S codec in a firmware update for the a6000 so now it is capable of recording full HD at 50mbps and reads out the entire sensor to make that image. It is quite beautiful. In fact, I like the footage the a6000 produces better than my Nikon D750.

But the a5100 doesn't have an electronic viewfinder which can be a problem when shooting outdoors. And now the price of the a6000 is same that I paid for the a5100 last year - only $400 for the body.

Yes, Sony will probably release an update of this camera some time in 2016, but wow, this is a great deal for a camera that produces some very nice HD footage with a solid codec. High ISO performance is very solid up through 3200 and maybe even up to 6400. That's not Sony a7S II territory, but plenty of gain for 99% of the shooting I do. Focus system is solid, even in video mode. I really love these little Sonys.

So the $400 gets you just the body, or for $550 you can get it with the 16-50mm kit lens. And that lens is ok, but not the fastest (f/3.5 - 5.6). When we took it along to an indoor dance competition, my wife asked me to shoot during her competition. And while that lens got some great shots, it would have been nicer to have a few more stops to work with. I could have walked away with more motion-blur-free photos. So if I were buying, I'd probably get the body only and then add the Sony 50mm f/1.8 lens.

In case you missed it, here's the review I did of the a5100 earlier this year. Nearly everything on the a5100 also applies to the a6000 except that the a6000 has that electronic viewfinder (which would be very helpful when shooting outdoors):

Please don't be tempted like I am unless you are in the market for a camera and have the cash sitting around.  ;-)

Sony a5100 Special Pricing

A few months back we did a review of the video features on the Sony a5100 mirrorless camera which impressed me quite a bit. I bought one for my wife, who was looking for a camera nearly as small as her point-and-shoot from 8 years ago, but a little quicker at actually capturing photos. Yes, she has a smartphone and yes she uses that plenty, but wanted a "real" camera that would take nicer photos when there wasn't a lot of light and that could zoom optically. https://youtu.be/tq2AkLc_hGI

While this camera doesn't have as many physical buttons as higher-end models, and the default settings are definitely aimed at beginners, Sony was wise enough to allow shooters to turn off all those annoying auto/beginner features and take total control. And the HD video this camera captures is quite impressive with its XAVC S codec (a higher bit-rate flavor or H.264 encoding) and its large APS-C sized sensor. The only downside I really find is that it is limited to about 25 minutes of continuous shooting. That's not a problem for those of us that are doing short pieces, but probably not the best choice for someone doing long-form video like lectures or shows where you want to capture the whole hour or two on one camera.

And the best part? This camera won't break the bank. Right now, it looks like they've reduced to the price so that the camera body alone is less than $350 USD. Even with the 16-50mm kit lens, which is a solid beginner lens, the package still comes in at just under $500 USD. I'm not sure how long this lasts but I'd say that if you're looking for a camera for shooting talking head, interview, or dramatic style film, this is a very solid starting point. Same for those looking for a B (second) camera.

Sony a5100 Video Features

"Which camera should I buy?” I get that question from time to time. Usually it is from someone wanting to get started shooting video. So in this episode, let’s look at one pretty good option for the aspiring video and film maker: The Sony a5100.

This is one of the more affordable options in large sensor, interchangeable lens camera systems. And Sony has done a great job in terms of balancing features, price, and quality.

If you're looking for your first camera for video, give this one some consideration. And if you're looking for a nice 2nd camera, this is also a good choice.

Why not just get the Sony a6000 instead? The main thing for me was that the a5100 has the better video recording format: XAVC S which records at 50Mbps whereas the a6000 only has AVCHD and tops out at 24Mbps.

Downsides of the a5100? No mic input. No viewfinder (EVF). But the price is nice and the footage it produces is impressive!