Rode Wireless Go - A Vloggers Review

Reviewing Gear

I don’t normally review gear. I will sometimes talk about the products that I’ve paid for and use, but it is rare that I will do a flat out gear review. Even when if I do discuss something that it is gear focused, it’s normally for something that helps me take photographs such as a camera. I will also try and integrate the gear discussion into a trip out with the camera to take photographs.

The Rode Wireless Go is different though. As a wireless microphone system it really has no bearing on how I take my photographs at all. In fact, it’s a bit of gear that only helps me with creating content for my YouTube channel. So why am I talking about it on my blog? While I appreciate that the majority of people that read this blog have no interest in the practical aspects of vlogging, I know that a number of you actually do. There is a rich and vibrant community of photography content creators out there, and I thought that if I created a short video on my latest purchase it might prove useful.

So here’s a quick look at the Rode Wireless Go:

If you are a vlogger, are you thinking of getting this product? How do you currently record audio? Let me know in the comments below.

Regular Viewing Back Next Week

If you’re a regular reader of my blog, don’t worry, I’ll be back next week with another post or video on landscape photography!

Planning a Landscape Shoot at Dawlish Warren

Plan, Plan, Plan

I like a plan.  Plans are good.  Plans don't always go to plan, but I like having one none the less.  As a private pilot I definitely like to have a plan when I head out to the skies.  And though photography is arguably less risky than flying I still want my trips out with the camera to be worthwhile and successful.  After all, there is no point in heading out for sunrise only to arrive at your location as the sun comes up.  This has happened to me before and trust me, after the hour and half it took me to get there it was a painful lesson.

So to prevent missed sunrises, badly timed tides, and gale force winds, I like to plan my shoots so I can maximise my chances of success.  In this video I will use:

• yr.no

• Google Maps

• Surf Forecast

• The Photographer’s Ephemeris (TPE)

These are the tools I use the most and I've found them to be very effective and accurate in the past.  So let's see them in action along with my shoot down at Dawlish Warren beach:

Success

As you can see from the video, I had a successful trip and I've come away with an image I was very happy with.  By checking out what the conditions were going to be like before I headed out I could be reasonably confident that my image would meet my vision for that location.  

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Not as calm as it looks. Nikon D750, Nikon 24-70 f/2.8 VR, 195 secs at f/11, Lee Filters ND Grad, Polariser, and Big Stopper. Processed in Lightroom CC.

Audio Quality

As I mentioned in the video, though the photography went well I had a few problems with the video.  When I had the camera facing into the wind I lost all the audio of my voice over the wind noise so I had to ditch a lot of the clips.  Being a landscape photographer this won't be the last time I will have to deal with this issue so I have purchased a Rode smartLav+ external mic (and some added furs for extra noise reduction).  Though I will have to sync up the audio in post using Premiere Pro CC (my Sony RX100 M4 doesn't have a mic input), the improvement in audio quality will be worth it.  So expect to hear my dulcet tones much improved in the next video!

Do you plan?

So do you plan your trips out with the camera?  Or do you chuck the camera in the car and go for it?  Let me know in the comments.  And if you have a couple of minutes please like and share this blog post.  Till next time....