First thing you should consider: Every microphone that's on the camera (either built-in or on the hot-shoe) will not give you decent quality since the microphone is where the camera is and not where the sound comes from. So if you want to make movies (shortfilms, features, documentaries, ...) you'd best put your microphone on a boom pole.
Next thing to consider: If you want to plug your mic into the camera, you'll have sync'ed sound. That's a good thing. But the built-in preamps of the Canons are not the best, and setting the sound levels right through the camera-menu is cumbersome.
Recording sound with an external device like the recorders of the ZOOM series (H1 costs about 100 bucks, the H2 about 160, the H4 about 300) with a decent microphone will give you much better sound. Downside is: you'd have to sync sound in post which is not too hard, especially when using plugins like pluraleyes... but even "by hand" it's not rocket-sience...
BTW: The Rode mic is ok. And with an external sound recorder it'll improve the quality of your films a lot
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