David

I'm recording using a Rode NTG2 mic and Zoom F3, which records in 32 bit float. Any advice on how much gain to use? I know it's meant to be set-it-and-forget-it. Does it make any difference? Options are "x1" and powers of 2 from x2 to x1024. I experimented a little when I first got it, and as I recall didn't see any difference in the recordings once normalized. On an unrelated note, at times there are a few cases where the shotgun mic almost seems to be disadvantageous, when I am in a relatively quiet setting with the bird moderately close at roughly my level. The shotgun mic seems to pick up hundreds of meters worth of rustling leaves, distant birds, a distant road, etc., that I do not hear without the mic. On the other hand, a mic pointed up toward a bird with only sky beyond works great.

With my NTG2 I use a Rode SM3-R Rycote Lyre shock mount with a camera shoe. This lets me mount it to my camera or to a separate pistol grip. I've misplaced the grip and now usually use the mount by itself, which seems to work fine and is more portable when I am multi-tasking. Some handling sound will still transfer in any case, so holding still still matters. When mounted to the camera with my 150-600mm lens the weight not ideal for longer recordings. Also the cable can interfere with using the viewfinder, as I prefer. But a cable with a right-angled connection at the mic solves that issue, as shown below.