By Max Duncan and technical editor Matt Allard:
At BIRTV in Beijing, Aputure were showing a new budget-priced lapel microphone called the A Lav. The microphone features an omni-directional pickup pattern, and comes with a 20ft (6m) long cable, LED lights to indicate when the amplifier is turned on, internal and external windsocks, a mic clip and a carry case.
The A Lav powers on when the connector is attached and turns off when it’s removed. There is also a headphone jack for monitoring audio straight from the mic itself. Aputure expects the A Lav to be available towards the end of this year for around $30 US. That’s not a typo – thirty dollars – so it’s going to be interesting to see how it sounds. Could be a great backup option to have in your kit. It will be available with several different connectors for phones and cameras.