Saramonic Vmic Pro Review

In this week’s video, we’re taking a look at the Saramonic Vmic Pro, which was sent in for review by Saramonic International. Having not ever used any of their products before, I took them up on their offer to send it. I felt comfortable that they were looking for an honest review, and not a paid ad, and I respect any manufacturer willing to send their gear out to be tested.

I had the opportunity to use the mic in a wide variety of situations in the past few weeks, both in creating content for this channel and also during a handful of other video projects. Unfortunately due to it’s large size and faulty cold shoe mount (the cold-shoe mount was unable to connect securely to the shock mount) I was unable to really put it to the test on-camera. Saramonic confirmed that the mounting issue was known to them and has been sorted before the final production run. I was however able to use it on a short tripod in a handful of situations where it did not need to be mobile. The microphone performed well and produced useable, albeit dark results. The provided dead-cat windscreen was a real contributor to the lack of top end clarity, but even without it, it took considerable EQ work to recover any top end at all. The included high-boost switch on the microphone was compulsory in every situation in my opinion.

Compared to other popular DSLR microphone options, the Vmic Pro does well in terms of price, but the physical specs are where it lets itself down. The Vmic Pro is longer than the most popular options by a huge 85-120mm, and weights in at a staggering 130 to 210 grams heavier. I threw the Rode VideoMic into the chart as it is almost as long as the Vmic, but at nearly 100g lighter and priced under $100 it’s a much more reasonable budget option.

So, the mic works. The sound quality is useable, it’s certainly rugged and built like a tank, but I’m left struggling to understand who it is really for. The average DSLR or mirrorless user isn’t going to enjoy lugging this mic around. Anyone shooting with a wide lens is going to have issues with the mic appearing in the frame, and anyone with a camera big enough to support a mic of this size and weight, is likely going to be spending more money on a more industry standard shotgun mic.

I’d be interested to hear from folks who have used or owned the previous Vmic and Vmic Recorder models. If you have any real world opinions to share after having purchased these mics, please tell us in the comments below.

I appreciate Saramonic’s willingness to send this mic out to me, and really respect any maker, builder, or manufacturer who is willing to offer their gear up for critical review. Any criticism is this review is coming from a place of respect and enthusiasm for the engineering that goes into making the gear we use ever day. If anyone else has gear they would like to send in for review, tear-down or attempted repair, get a hold of me here through the site and we’ll set it up!

The first test stickers have arrived and they’re awesome! The first full batch will be here soon and I’ll be giving them away to FORUM members. I’ll let everyone know when they arrive through the forum, so keep an eye out and let me know how to get one to you!