Review: Sennheiser MKE 200
Sennheiser expands its MKE line of professional video tools with the tiny and versatile MKE 200.
By Preshan John
14 December 2020
Supercardioid Camera Microphone
The Sennheiser MKE200 is a supercardioid microphone but its shape deviates from the typical design Sennheiser’s other MKE-range shotgun mics take. The compact black canister is clad with perforated plastic on the front, back and sides. Another layer of denser perforations lies just underneath, which offers more resilient wind and plosive protection. Two, short 3.5mm coiled cables with right-angle connectors are included, one with a TRRS jack for smartphone use. A screw collar locks the cable securely to the mic. These along with the furry windshield and the mic itself fit nicely into the included velvety drawstring pouch.
Vlogging is a growing trend and the Sennheiser MKE200 hits this selfie-stick filmmaking niche perfectly. Plug it directly into your smartphone thanks to the included TRS to TRRS cable, or use the tripod screw thread underneath to connect it to a handheld vlog kit. Its diminutive form won’t poke out like Pinocchio’s nose while the built-in shock absorption saves the hassle of a bulky shockmount. And if you’re roaming the streets on a blowy day, the fluffy wind sock will all but eliminate wind noise.
Of course, the Sennheiser MKE200 is completely at home on a camera’s cold shoe mount too. Just switch to the TRS to TRS cable and plug it into your camera’s 3.5mm mic input. Power is drawn from the camera (most mirrorless and DSLR camera input jacks are capable of this nowadays) which saves you the headache of charging up separate batteries the night before a shoot.
Sometimes a mic’s low output can require a lot of gain from the camera’s input which typically results in unwanted noise, but the MKE200 puts out a healthy level which didn’t need any extra gain from my camera for low to medium level sources. Noise was mostly undetectable and the pickup pattern is tight enough for significant rear rejection but not so targeted that you miss a sense of ambience. Proximity equals presence with the MKE200, so stay close to your subject if you’re wanting a more upfront sound for spoken word such as vlogs or interviews. I really like that it only took a couple of minutes to rebalance a DJI Ronin-S rig after popping the 48g MKE200 on a camera.
Whether you employ it as your primary audio source for vlogging, or as a permanent staple atop a professional camera, the Sennheiser MKE200 is a fantastic all rounder that will certainly elevate your audio beyond the capability of a built-in microphone.
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