Want to up your videography or vlogging game for an affordable price? One of the first things you should invest in is an external microphone.
The Wavo from Joby is tiny and light, which are both great qualities for travelling videographers and vloggers.
It feels a little flimsy, so care needs to be taken when handling, but that’s partly a function of the Rycote shock mount which does a great job of isolating handling sounds.
And sound from the Wavo has impressed thus far, especially considering the price point. The super cardioid pattern focusses on voice, successfully isolating it from background noise, which is great when you’re in situations where you don’t have direct control over ambient sounds.
The included windshield is also perfect for use outdoors, again ensuring that voice is captured rather than ambient sounds when using the Wavo.
The Wavo is powered through your phone or camera and comes with the relevant cables for both, although if you are looking to mount the mic anywhere but directly on or adjacent to the recording device you will need to get longer cables as the ones supplied are really short.
Having used the mic on both mobile and camera (which requires different cables, both included in the box) we have been generally impressed with sound performance, being a definite step up from both the camera’s internal mic (Panasonic GH5) and phone mic (Samsung Galaxy S10). What we would say, however is that the sound is not quite as rich as the similarly priced Rode Video Micro.
Overall though, if you’re a newcomer to vlogging and videography, or even a seasoned pro looking for an ultra-portable mic for your travels, then the Wavo is a fantastic, affordable option.
