Customer Ratings & Reviews

This shotgun style microphone is thoughtfully designed with everything you want and without things you don’t need. Pros: • Light even with a full metal body • Premium feel • Easy gain and low-cut filter switches Cons: • Foam windscreen is tough to place on and off • Manual is lack luster First impressions are that Shure makes high quality mics. The body of the LensHopper is metal and the shock absorbing mount is well thought out. The battery compartment is super easy to access and can be opened while mounted on a camera. The mic feels substantial in the hands without overweighing your camera down. The manual isn’t very helpful but you will need to essentially turn down the gain within your camera and use the gain control on the mic instead. This will help eliminate any unwanted noise and the Shure LensHopper performs exceptionally well. It may not perform as well as a wireless bodypack but 1000x better than the camera’s built in mic. I do recommend the LensHopper for any level Vlogger due to the simplicity and design. Just 2 buttons and it just works. No frills but gets the job done!

Nothing gives a good video an amateur feel as much as lousy sound. The built-in microphones on even the best of today’s DSLRs and mirrorless cameras are too small to properly capture quality sound and can’t help but pick up every bit of camera noise. On the other hand, strap a great microphone to the top of your rig, set it up properly and you can bring your videos to a whole new level. This Shure VP83 “LensHopper” microphone is a huge step up from the built-in microphone on your camera and has some fantastic tricks up its sleeve. After I took the microphone out of the box and felt how sturdy and well-made it is, I started to get a good idea for what an improvement it was going to make in my videos. I attached it to the hot shoe on my camera, plugged it into the microphone input (make sure your camera has a mic jack!), flipped the power switch to turn it on with the low pass filter engaged (middle setting on the power switch) and set the gain to “0”. I did a little sound check with the camera and microphone about four feet in front of me and was surprised to see the indicators pop up into the red. I flipped the gain switch down to “-10” and I was set to record a short test video. Wow was I impressed with the results! The sound was crisp and clear with no background noise whatsoever. Moving back from the camera/microphone several feet, I was finally able to set the gain back up to “0” on the microphone without distortion. I haven’t had the need to set the gain up to “+20” yet, but I can see the need if you’re trying to catch a quiet or distant sound. For my purposes the lower gain settings are just perfect. The design with built in shock mount and metal body is incredibly sturdy, the switches feel like they will hold up and the foam cover (non-removable) does a good job of minimizing pop and wind noise. For really breezy outdoor shooting, you might want to invest in a fur windscreen, which is sold separately. The only thing I could think of to complain about are the three-position switches. I will always find myself wanting the middle setting and flipping back and forth past it a few times before I dial it in. It’s a minor quibble, though. People with more manual dexterity than I have will likely not even notice. Finally, I wish I could say something definitive about battery life, but I’ve only had the microphone for a week and haven’t managed to kill a single AA battery yet. I have no idea how long a single battery will last, other than to say it’s a surprisingly long time. In all, this is a truly excellent microphone to mount to the top of your DSLR or mirrorless video-shooter and get some great sound without a lot of weight or bulk. One AA battery will last a lot longer than your collection of memory cards ever could and a backup AA battery is easy to carry around, giving you at least another week of backup power. I’m beyond thrilled with this little microphone!

Shotgun microphones are popular microphones used when you want a small and lightweight setup for run and gun video. There are a couple things that make this microphone stand out from the rest. The first is size. It seems to be just the right size and weight to work on any camera and not add much extra weight or get in the way. I was even able to use this microphone on a GoPro Hero 9 with media mod and it did not get in the way of the video. The next thing I liked about this Shure mic is that it is powered by a single AA battery. There is nothing like shooting video and running out of battery in your Microphone. I am not sure how long the battery will last but either way if you keep a few extras you should be fine. It powers on via a switch on the Back and this could be the only downside is that there is no auto on/off so if you leave it on you could drain the battery. Or forget to turn it on before shooting and have no audio. Overall it has a simple design with only a power button and a switch for +20, 0, and -10 db. The Rycote mounting system is great so that it can freely move around without noise getting into your video. The only downside is that my Mic is slightly off to the side and it appears the Rycote system was compressed in packaging (picture below). It is only slightly deformed and does not change how it functions so I think it is alright. The last thing I will mention is the sound quality. I tested it on multiple cameras and the sound quality is much better than any built in microphone. I would highly recommend this to anyone who wants to up the audio in their videos and make professional quality videos. Having great audio can make or break if people want to watch a video.

I’m giving this 3 stars because of my disappointment in the brand. I own a sm7b so I had high hopes for this for my camera. I tried multiple settings but I was not pleased with the audio when I replayed videos on my computer.

The Shure VP83 Lenshopper condenser microphone has been for eight years (afaik) and is still great run and gun videographers tool next to its elder silbing the VP83F. Why you may ask? It’s because of its simplicity. With a chassis made of metal, it still weighs only a little less than six ounces making it as it were made of plastic but has the build quality you would expect. The VP83 is powered by a single AA battery which can power the mic for 130 hours. In the power switch there is an option to use the low-cut feature to reduce low frequency sound. There is also a switch to adjust gain for the mic. These can be adjusted to work with your dslr or camcorder to get the best audio possible. While the gain range is limited to -10dB, 0 and +20dB, it’s best to experiment which would yield the best results. In my case, using a -10dB and turning the low-cut filter option gives the best result when used with my Nikon D7200. Your results may vary though depending on your camera and its corresponding settings. Being a directional microphone, its off-axis performance performs very decent. But my one gripe with the VP83 is that it should have included a deadcat with this microphone. Still the VP83 performs as advertised.

I use a Sony Handycam AX43 4K camcorder when I film and I really didn't feel like I even needed a condenser mic until I got this VP83 LensHopper. The sound quality is and reach is above all my expectations. Just connect, power up and shoot your video. The condenser drowns out a lot of the background disturbance, while recording. It picks up the my voice with incredulous acuracy when I'm in front of the mic on the basic settings . Itcan be turned up to reach further or turned down for less white noise. I have nothing but positive things to say about this mic. It runs off 1 AA battery( included) and is very light-weight, making ot very easy to pack around. I can mount it directly to my camcorder or to whatever gimple mount you may have. If you stand behind it while speaking, you'll notice it through the recording, as it is a forward facing mic aiming at catching whatever sounds are in its path. It's well built and has shock obsorbers built right on it to keep from having that rattling noise in your videos. This is a really good purchase. I recommend it to anyone with a mic mount on thier camera. It literally fits just about every cam with a mic mount option. Get this thing.

I've gotten into the practice of recording video with my Sony ZV-1 camera, but the audio quality on the built-in microphone has always been a concern, especially shooting outside. I have a Shure MV7 that I use on my iMac at home, and have been happy with it's performance, so I felt good trying out the VP83 LensHopper. I was happy to learn that even though it's marketed towards people using DSLR cameras or audio recorders, the VP83 worked great on my ZV-1. The mount piece appears to be a standard size and fit snuggly into the bracket on my ZV-1. The VP83's sole connection is a 3.5 aux line. If you're connecting it to a camera, then the cable is probably fine, but if you're connecting it to a dedicated audio recorder, then you'll probably need some kind of extension cable. The controls on the VP83 are fairly straightforward. There's only 2 toggle switches on the back: the top one controls the amount of gain and the bottom one controls the power to the mic. The top toggle's gain settings go from a +20 dB boost, flat (0 dB boost) or -10 dB cut. In my uses, the -10 cut produced the better sound when recording someone with a louder voice. If you're dealing with someone quiet, you'll probably want to use the +20 setting. When I tried the +20 setting at home, there was a ton of extra white noise. It runs off a single AA battery, and I was a little concerned when I first set it up because the battery casing seemed to not want to accept the battery, but after some gentle wiggling, it went in fine. The overall design of the VP83 is geared towards people who need a better mic than what's built into their camera or recorder, but don't want to go into analysis paralysis with extra features. This is pretty much a set-it-and-forget-it type product, which I appreciate because it makes the learning curve much smaller. All in all, I'm happy with the microphone. It works for my use case of making videos on my ZV-1 and the audio comes out cleaner than the built-in microphone. Only downside to this is there's no extra aux connection for headphones to monitor sound, so if you're shooting outside, I recommend doing a test recording first, listen to the playback, and then record what you intend to. I learned that the hard way, shot my first video and had to redo it because I didn't realize how it sounded until I got home and started editing the video.

The Shure - VP83 LensHopper shotgun microphone for cameras and camcorders is all win and no nonsense. Was eager to try this mini-boom out for myself. It connected up to my Canon XC10 perfectly. The XC10 already contains a very capable built-in microphone but handling bump-noise and occasional fan noise pick can be a bit distracting. The Shure - VP83 LensHopper does a proper job of solving both of those issues. The Shure - VP83 LensHopper comes with a printed, easy to digest user manual. It is powered by an AA battery and on disposable alkalines, will operate for up to 130 hours and a nearly mind blowing 190 hours on a lithium formulation. I found the completely understated design appearance of the Shure - VP83 LensHopper to be perfect. It is slender, doesn't stand too tall, has a solid shoe mount lock, doesn't protrude off the back of my camera - even without the loop attached and its build quality is what you would expect from Shure. Unlike many of the competing mics, the controls are located on the back, tail end of the unit and that - honestly - is where they need to be. In my experience the gain offset (mic sensitivity) within the camera needs little to no adjustment when using this microphone at its default "0" setting. Certainly different shooting environments will impact this but for general usage, it just worked ... plug & play. The Shure - VP83 LensHopper does an excellent job of pulling the sound in closer while keeping the center of attention focused, clean sounding and full bodied. The onboard low-cut filter helps but does take a bite out of the low end - so use it carefully. This shotgun microphone is certain to elevate any cameras recording capability with respect to sound. My only gripe - and it's really just a nit - is that at this price point, Shure should have included a basic, dead-cat wind suppressor. But other than that, this microphone is completely No Nonsense. And on sale, this accessory is a complete no-brainer if you're needing to up-your-game or just needing to replace a worn mic you've had for a while... Highly recommended!

The Shure VP83 LensHopper has a strong durable metal body. This gives it a solid feel, but adds a little weight to it. Overall size is small compared to other similar style on-camera condenser microphones. I was overall pleased with the audio quality of voice with the mic. In my testing, off axis audio sources were picked up a little more than I would have liked. For example, when I was 90 degrees directly to the left or right side of the mic, the volume of my voice should have been significantly reduced. The volume of my voice was reduced, but not as much as I have come to expect from supercardioid microphones. It uses one of Rycote's lyre suspension systems. It's good for an on-camera mounted mic to help reduce noise from camera movement. Rycote is known for quality suspension systems and this one is no different. This was a good choice by Shure for the VP83. You can use one AA, NiMH, or lithium battery in it. The runtime varies depending on which type of battery is used. 1 AA battery will last up to 130 hours of runtime. Unfortunately, it doesn't have auto on/off. The mic requires that you turn it on and off each time. Some people will forget to turn off the mic at some point and end up returning it to the camera bag while it is still powered on. The power light is a bright green, so maybe that will reduce the chances of forgetting to turn it off. The power light lights up green when you have 100% down to having 13 hours of battery life left with an Alkaline battery. Once it gets down to 13 hours of battery life left, the light will turn red. This should give you ample time to get to a stopping point to change out the battery. The indicator turns red when you have 2 hours left when using a NiMH battery and when you have 1/2 hours left when using a lithium battery. The mic has a low cut filter that helps reduce noise at 170 Hz and lower. The power switch has 3 positions: Off, On/Low Cut Filter, and On. This makes it easy to turn on for the filter when you need it. There is also a gain switch which allows you to select 3 gain settings: +20 dB, 0 dB, and -10 dB. The gain and power switches are easy to enough to move to the positions you want so I had no problems there. It does come with a foam windscreen which works ok, but if you are going to be in breezy conditions, you may want to get a dead cat. I tested the mic in 3-5mph wind and found that there was too much wind noise with just the foam windscreen. According to Shure, the A83-FUR Rycote Windjammer will work with the VP83 and you can replace the foam windscreen if needed (Part# A83W). It has a brass cold shoe instead of plastic. This probably adds a tiny bit of weight, but is more durable than plastic. The 3.5mm audio cable is built in. I'm not sure how you would change out the cable if it were to be cut/pinched and needing to be replaced. The upside is that you won't ever loose the cable. Cable quality is good and the 45 degree angled 3.5mm connector worked out great with both of my cameras. It has a 1/4" hole on the bottom. Most on-camera mics will have a 3/8" but the VP83's 1/4" mount point will allow you to mount the mic on many common mini tripods where as with most mics having a 3/8" mount point you would have to get a 3/8" to 1/4" adaptor. That is a nice feature and thankfully Shure thought ahead on that. I would recommend this mic, but would also recommend getting the dead cat for it if you are going to be recording in breezy or windy conditions. Pros: Durable Metal Body Brass Cold Shoe Mount 1/4" Mount Point (bottom of cold shoe) Rycote Lyre Shock Mount Audio Quality Run Time Bright Power Light Low Battery Indicator Low Cut Filter Small Size Cons: No Auto On/Off Picks up off-axis audio sources a little too much Built-in Cable

The Shure VP83 LensHopper is a perfect addition to any entry-level videographer or person who wants to step up their audio on a budget. The VP83 is solid with mostly metal and a bit of plastic build on an integrated Rycote Lyre shock mount (exclusively developed with Rycote for the VP83) to complete a lightweight portable package. It is perfect for run and gun shoots or vlogging setups. The mount reduces the shock and bounce in the mic perfectly. It can slide into any standard hot shoe and has a 1/4-20 screw thread. The single "AA" battery is rated for upwards of 100 hrs but on Lithium you can almost get double at 186hrs! It comes with a foam windscreen, battery, and mic; everything you need to record audio on-camera. I absolutely love this mic as a replacement for my scratch audio instead of the onboard mics. Its straightforward and intuitive design is very simple and easy to use. It uses a 2 switch clearly marked interface with a +20db bumper, -10db bumper, and low-cut filter functions integrated over the spine of the mic. There is a little self-noise but not really noticeable unless you wear headphones but REALLY is pronounced with your add the +20db bumper. At that point, I would not even waste time recording with all the artifacts/noise. Due to the superior RF immunity provided by its solid build, you won't be easily susceptible that avoids unwanted audio artifacts from cellular and RF devices! The shock mount is solid and makes this a must-have for anyone looking for a cheap mic. Pick one up as your first mic and you will not be sorry.

So far the quality is superb. Use it on Sony camera and videos are top notch

I have used Shure mics on many occasions and I have been pleased This Shotgun mic was test on a recent job and it performed well. Make sure that you watch your levels on the camera and the mic. There are plenty of Youtube videos that I found helpful.

The key feature of any on camera Shotgun Mic is sound quality. With the Shure VP83 you cant go wrong. Mounting on your camera is a breeze and most camera controls etc are easily accessible when using on your camera. The AA battery installs on the bottom and whats great is, the LED power indicator turns red to give you a warning that its time to change out the battery. The Shure VP83 is lightweight, durable and compact and it works great with my smaller DSLR, the mic gain is easily adjusted for best distortion free and realistic sound capture, the shock mount support and isolation system is top notch and the overall build quality is second to none. Very impressed with the Shure VP83.

This Shure VP83 External Camera Microphone has been and is great for live music venues!

Great quality mic and very easy to use with my sony a6400

This microphone worked for what I used it for. I had an interview to film and it picked up the sound great. I also did a wedding and it picked up certain parts but I was not close enough to get the entire wedding. Works for close up recordings though.

The Shure VP83 LensHopper is a quality accessory. Great attention was paid to the Integrated Rycote® Lyre® shock mounting system. This mount provides superior isolation from bumps, vibration and mechanical noises. The microphone has a metal housing that gives it a quality look and feels. It should also help it to hold up, yet the unit is very light. At under 5 ounces, it’s easy to keep on. Ergonomics are great. The microphone sits forward enough so that it doesn’t hit you in the head if you use the viewfinder. All controls and status lights are in easy view and reach on the back. And it looks very cool! A Low-Cut Filter is on the power switch. This can provide extra help when the camera/mic are bumped. But it does detract from the sound. Still better than the noise from bumps if you’re moving around allot, like trying to cover a sporting event. There is -10 dB gain setting, but for me, a flat setting of zero worked best most of the time for conversation. If you are in a quiet setting, you also have a +20 dB setting a click away. If you need more fine tuning, you’ll need to step up to the VP83F which can adjust in 1 dB increments and some other extra features. The boom has a microphone on each side along the whole length. Frequency Response is 50 to 20,000 Hz which is good for most activities. However, if you are looking to record music sessions, you may notice the bass lacking. The VP83 comes with a foam cover for the microphone, which works well indoors and on very calm days outside. On a day with any sort of wind, the wind noise quickly gets out of hand. If you plan to use this outdoors, get yourself the Shure “Windjammer model A83-FUR. This is one of those fury looking type covers that fits snugly over the foam windshield to provide an additional 25 dB of wind noise reduction. A very bright green LED lets you know the mic is on, and that the battery is good. Although it mounts to the flash show, it gets no power from your camera. The microphone runs for 130 hours on a single AA Alkaline battery and 187 hours with Lithium. An Energizer Max battery was included in my box. As the battery nears end of life, the LED will turn red. You then have 13 hours of battery life left with an Alkaline, but just 30 minutes with a Lithium due to how those batteries perform, not the Shure mic. It’s easy to carry a spare AA. They are also cheap and easy to find if you find yourself unexpectedly in need. This is fortunate and there is no auto shutoff. The mic stays on until you switch it off. I used the Shure VP83 LensHopper on my Canon EOS 70D. This camera has a built-in flash that pops up in front of the accessory shoe. Unfortunately, the microphone blocks the flash from opening. Unfortunately grabbing a flash pic between videos with the mic on is just not possible. The VP83 is a quality microphone from a company that’s been in the microphone business a long time. It is very simple to setup and use, does not get in the way of the controls other than the built in flash, and looks great. It adds an audio presence that gives your videos audio welcome range, clarity, and life. It performed well in most every situation for me aside from a windy day. There is an optional fur cover that cuts wind noise if you need it. I'm happy with what it provides and plan to do more movies on my DSLR now that I can record a decent audio track.

The Shure VP83 Lenshopper Shotgun microphone is a decided improvement over the built-in mic that came equipped with your camera. But you'll have to do some adjustments in order to get the sound quality you're looking for. The dB gain range on this mic is -10dB to +20dB. There was a noticeable hiss when I set the microphone at +20 and 0dB. When I changed my camera setting to its lowest sound level, and set the mic to -10dB, the hiss was gone. You'll have to experiment with different settings for different environments. I would not recommend +20 for most indoor recording. The mic controls are conveniently located on the back of the unit, well within reach of my thumb, should I need to adjust settings on the fly. The included foam windsock does a decent job in reducing ambient noise. There is also a dead cat windsock available (not included) for those really breezy outdoor shoots. This mic requires one AA battery (included), and it's purported to last for up to 130 hours. The manual offers very little in-depth information. Even though it's 54 pages long, it's basically three pages of pedestrian information, repeated in a dozen or so languages. I would have liked to have seen a protective case for this mic. If your gadget bag is like mine, it's loaded with a ton of equipment, and I'm afraid of this mic getting damaged during transports to different gigs. This is a nice microphone, and I recommend it. I gave it only four stars solely based on its high price point. I've been shopping for a camera mount mic for a while now, and I've seen far less expensive versions out there (some of them at HALF of what this one costs). I can't imagine this mic being that much more superior to those others, that would warrant such a disparity in price. Before you make your purchase, perform your due diligence and shop around. Do your research. Who knows, this just might end up being the one for you. Just be sure before you buy.

I had hoped for less "static" noise using this microphone. There is minimal improvement of the sound using this mike compared to recording with just the camera mike.

Shure has a great brand reputation and this mic falls into their classic "it just works" line of products. My Nikon D7200 took OK audio, but I'd get a fair amount of surrounding noise when trying to focus on a single subject. With this, I was able to mitigate those surrounding sounds which made the subject sound much clearer. It's also great for those who are interested in live streaming, but don't want to go the boom mic route. For professional videographers, this is not going to replace the wireless mics on your subjects, but it may just save your bacon if your primary audio goes on the fritz during an interview and this is the only salvageable audio you have. About my only complaint is that there is no good way to add line power to it. The battery is said to last over 150 hours, but I'd rather have everything running off of solid rechargeable battery packs or wall power if the choice permitted. All in all, it's a good unit in a small package.