Shotgun microphone for field recording

[snailed]

I'm looking for a shotgun microphone for field recording. It should be very directional, able to pick out something approx 20 feet away, and under $300. Preferably $200.

Any recommendations?

[Moon]

That's going to be tough in that price range!
I don't have much experience, so my lame recommendation is to just get an NTG-1 and a boom pole. If you can't approach further, like if it's a scared animal or something, use wireless personal mics and a lot of planning beforehand.

The NTG-1 likes handling and cable noise so you'd probably have to invest even more in covers and holders and nice cables.

But, I assume you know about how shotgun mics work in detail? I'm no expert, mind, just wondering what your expectations are.

[Seth]

I had some alright results with cheapass BSM9s and an improvised parabolic reflector.

[Moon]

I just ordered an ntg-1 so I can do some tests for you for direction vs background noise, if you've not bought anything yet

[timdrage]

http://www.12gaugemicrophones.com/red12.html

[snailed]

Moon, how do you like that NTG-1?

[Moon]

Moon, how do you like that NTG-1?

It is good enough for me, but I guess it is quite bland. It doesn't do anything exceptionally well, just average across the board. The mids are a bit weaker than I like, which you can really tell if you're recording a complex sound. If there's bass involved then the bass eats up everything under 1khz, if that makes sense.

Here's a bird's nest about 20ft away with an ac fan off to the left about 45 degrees:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/ns25hnp8oqdo31q/MONO-000.wav
Through a deadcat.

I still think it has more handling noise than other shotguns I've used, but it's probably my own fault. Maybe my joints have gone stiff or my heart beats louder.

Edit: that recording is straight into an H4N.