I have recently finished shooting a live concert using the D800 and found that the best audio quality was achieved by using the built in microphone of a Zoom H4n without the need to sync in post. First I set the recording level on the Zoom H4n during the sound check at around -12db and the headphone level at 70. Using a Sescom H4n cable I connected the zoom from the headphone out to the mic input of the camera and set the D800 recording level quite low around 5 which gave what i thought a good recording without any hiss, distortion etc. I listened to the audio that the camera had recorded and didn't feel I needed to use the audio recorded by the zoom although this was more dynamic. There are other, cheaper recorders available. Its all about being able to raise the recording level of the external mic while keeping the cameras recording level as low as possible thus keeping the hiss to a minimum.

Here is a couple of tracks I recorded using the above setup.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GeAecXi_e-o

I just bought a D600 with the ME-1 and am also experiencing a very noticeable hiss with the audio. What a disappointment, as I was explicitly purchasing this setup to get reasonable video and audio.

Is this a known defect with the mic or cameras?

I too bought the D800 to shoot video and capture audio. I shot my first interview this week and came home with the hiss. I have been testing assorted work around but why should I need a work around when I just paid 3,000 for a camera! Canon here I come.

Remi,

I totally understand your frustration with Nikon. It's unfortunate that we have to find a work around for this issue considering the caliber of the camera. My suggestion is by far the least expensive work around and has allowed me to shoot "hiss free" without having to capture audio separately. You're looking at a $125 fix. When I posed the issue to Nikon at PDN in New York their response was "It's a still camera first and foremost that also shoots great video. Any professional shooting knows the importance of always capturing audio separately." I wasn't too pleased with the response.

Let me know if you want me to send you some images of my set up, though I'm sure you're all good. Good luck.

The sound hiss is a big issue and I bought the camera at vast expense to avoid recording sound separately so I can do solo jobs. I feel cheated and misinformed by Nikon. Is there a less complicated way to eliminate the hiss from an otherwise great camera?

I've had the same issue with my D800 but found a work around which has delivered successful results. I have a Rodes directional mic plugged into an H1 audio recorder, then the H1 going out, into the D800. The gain on the Rodes mic is set to "0", the H1 is set to max input volume and the D800 is set to a volume lever of 3. I have a double cold-shoe splitter on top of the D800 which holds the mic and H1. The great thing is that not only does this solve the hiss problem COMPLETELY, i also have volume control on the H1 while shooting. A feature unavailable on the D800.

What the hell? I'm paying three thousand dollars for a DSLR and Nikon makes a camera with reverse polarity thus causing audio hiss. I'm far from a troll, and love my Nikon camera; but these types of difficulties warrant the use of the D800 out in the field pretty useless. I am a photographer for my college's newspaper. We're expanding the multimedia department to include onsite interviews and the like. If the D800 has an audio hiss (given that we have Sennheiser wireless lavalier microphones already), and it will be difficult to receive a replacement with such high demand, what are we, as the consumer, supposed to do?

I'm having the same problem. I'm using a Pearstone lavalier plugged directly in to the cam, and have adjusted the gain up and down with the noise being an issue at all levels. I've had good luck using the Rode Video Mic Pro with the +20db setting. But would love to get a solution for using my lav directly into the D800 body.

Thanks for that - I'll rig something up and see what happens. Might also pop into Nikon HQ to see if they all do it!

Hmm...could the polarity be reversed? Try swapping the wires and see if the hiss goes away. If it does, Nikon wired the socket backwards.

Hi there, just wondered if anyone else is having problems with their D800 audio?

The sound is fine using the built-in camera mic (although obviously poor quality) but as soon as I plug in any external mic I get really noticeable background hiss. I've tried the ME-1, a Sennheiser radio mic, a wired lavalier mic but they all behave the same - any sound monitored and recorded has a strong background noise that renders it unusable.

I've tried changing the input levels from auto to manual, from low to high, headphone levels from low to high, but the hiss is always there. Recording the same audio with my Zoom HN4 shows no problems at all.

Am I missing something obvious? Or has the D800 a really bad audio circuit with plug-in mics?

Cheers,

Paul