Re: Preamps for 7D

With regard to the "Why use a preamp?" and "You don't need a preamp" comments - perhaps we are looking at two separate issues here. One is AGC disable, and the other is audio quality. These consumer grade external recorders (Zoom and Tascam) are not designed for film and video production. They are designed to record amplified music in practice sessions or on the road. That means strong signals going in and the ability to capture strong signals without turning the input gain very high. When you are recording dialog in a quiet setting with a lower output mic, you end up needing to crank the input gain all the way on the recorder to get a usable signal, even with proper mic placement and boom technique. This results in audible hiss from the relatively cheap internal preamps of the recorder. That's why you need an external preamp when using a consumer grade external recorder. Granted you have camera mounted shotgun mics like the Rode Video Mic Pro that put out a very hot signal to combat this particular issue, but you aren't going to use that to do location sound on a film.

All that being said, if your project demands audio be recorded in camera and you can't control the gain (as on a 7D), the DT454 is really your best bet. I saw one sell used on eBay the other day for $235. Pretty sweet deal.