Nikon D3200 Digital Field Guide

Microphones

The D3200 records great video and you can improve the overall quality of your footage by making sure that you pay attention to the sound, as well. The built-in microphone is great, but there are other options that work better in certain circumstances. The following sections take a basic look at the options for recording sound.

The built-in microphone

The good news is that the Nikon D3200 has a built-in microphone, so you don’t need to buy anything extra to record sound with your video. The microphone is located on the front of the camera right above the name tag. Consider the built-in microphone in the same way as the built-in flash: it is always there, works reasonably well, doesn’t need any extra batteries or gear, but never really does a great job.

The biggest drawback to the built-in microphone is that it can pick up the sound of the autofocus motor in the lens as the lens focuses. This can be rather loud, depending on which lens is used and how much it needs to autofocus. The best solution to this problem is to use an external microphone that can be held away from the focusing mechanisms in the lens.

CAUTION When using an external microphone, try not to touch the cable while you are recording as it can add noise to the recording.

Stereo microphones

Stereo microphones record sound using two elements—one on the left and one on the right. This type of recording produces a natural sound that re-creates the feeling of the scene being recorded because it captures ...