Nikon’s New Shotgun Mic For The ZR Camera

credits: Nikon

When Nikon introduced the RED-backed ZR hybrid camera back in September, it also quietly announced a matching shotgun microphone, the ME-D10. That mic has taken a bit longer to show up, but it is now finally available to buy.

The camera’s built-in microphone already supports 32-bit float recording, which is still pretty rare outside of dedicated audio gear. That said, built-in mics are always a compromise, and Nikon sees the ME-D10 as the more serious option. The microphone mounts directly to the ZR’s digital accessory shoe and draws power from the camera, so there is no separate battery or cable to deal with. It also records in 32-bit float and includes an integrated shock mount to help cut down on handling noise.

The ME-D10 offers a couple of recording modes designed for different situations. “Pure” mode captures a flat 40 Hz to 20 kHz frequency range with no filtering, while “Focus” mode narrows things slightly to 90 Hz to 20 kHz to prioritise speech clarity. There is also some flexibility in how sound is picked up, with selectable front cardioid, rear cardioid, and omnidirectional patterns via a physical switch on the mic. The Nikon ME-D10 shotgun microphone is priced at $336.95 and ships with a wind muff, carrying case, and shoe cover.