Røde NTG5
Short shotgun condenser built for film, TV, and field recording.
The NTG5 is Røde's flagship short shotgun. It uses an acoustically-engineered slot design rather than the traditional interference tube, which gives it lower colouration than typical shotguns at off-axis angles — a meaningful advantage when actors turn their heads.
Compared to the German benchmarks (Sennheiser MKH 416, Schoeps CMIT) it's a fraction of the price. It's also lighter, weighing 76 g, which matters more on a long boom day than you'd think.
Specs
Where It Wins
The off-axis colouration is much better than a typical short shotgun. Voices stay natural even when the boom can't quite track. The low self-noise (10 dB-A) means it stays usable on quiet dialogue.
It's RF-bias condenser-like in feel, even though it's a true condenser. The result is forgiving in damp conditions where some shotguns fall apart.
Where It Falls Short
It's a short shotgun. On a noisy street or a wide exterior, the more aggressive directionality of a long shotgun (NTG8, MKH 8060) will reject more side noise.
The kit version includes a Rycote Pistol Grip and windshield, which is useful but not the studio-grade Cinela suspensions you'd pair with a 416 on a serious feature.
Recommendations
The mic on its own.
View →Adds pistol grip, windshield, cable. Worth it if you don't already have a boom kit.
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