rhaltiner Posted September 28, 2020 Share Posted September 28, 2020 Hi all, I recently purchased the VideoMic NTG to pair with my GH5s and although it works great with plug-in power turned on in the mic socket settings, it seems to connect and disconnect intermittently with plug-in power off. The microphone is fully charged and powers on fine on its own. Seeing as the Rode has a built in battery I'm not sure why it's doing this, would ideally like to conserve the battery life of the GH5s and have the mic using its own power source. Anyone else experienced this issue? Thanks in advance Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ac6000cw Posted September 28, 2020 Share Posted September 28, 2020 I don't own an NTG, but from the Rode NTG FAQ (I've highlighted the relevant part): Quote The auto-power feature was first introduced to the VideoMic range with the VideoMic Pro+. It is a handy function that automatically turns the microphone off when it detects that the camera is switched off, helping conserve battery life, and turns it on when the camera is turned on, so that you never have to worry about missing a take. The auto-power function only works if your camera delivers plug-in power (most do), as this is what tells the microphone if it is on or off, or if you are using the microphone in USB audio mode. The VideoMic NTG also features a power button, so that it can be manually powered on and off. ...which suggests to me that you need 'plugin power' enabled to make the auto-power feature work correctly, but that it doesn't actually use power from the camera to actually power the mic (it's just for sensing if the camera is turned on). In any case, the amount of power that 'plugin power' can actually supply is very low, so don't worry about it decreasing the camera battery life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UncleBobsPhotography Posted September 28, 2020 Share Posted September 28, 2020 It's possible to override the autopower function of the NTG, but I believe the function is worth the tiny bit of power it might draw from the camera. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhaltiner Posted September 28, 2020 Author Share Posted September 28, 2020 Thanks very much for your responses. I suppose if the battery drain is minimal you’re right. Definitely worth keeping it on plug-in power for the auto power function. What troubles me now though is if there is a fault with either the NTG or the GH5s mic jack. Even if it means not having the auto power function enabled, the NTG should work fine with plug-in power turned off, no? My only guess would be that the GH5s is still sending that 5v power (though not consistently) when turned off in the settings, and this is triggering the NTG’s auto power function.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevek007 Posted May 1, 2022 Share Posted May 1, 2022 Hi, I have "discovered" this feature of the rode and the GH5s, I too had to change the settings in the camera to stop the mic going on/off every 2-3 seconds. I even returned my previous mic to Rode as faulty and they replaced it. However the new one operates exactly the same when plugged into the GH5s. So, its the camera mic socket and a voltage there that is triggering the mic to seem faulty is my guess also. I too, has to enable "camera supplies voltage" to correct the proble. Anyway - here just for info Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.