Step 1. Remove the forward grip

This grip is held in by friction but you may need a credit card type plastic lever to help out the tabs if they are a bit sticky. Previous information I found was that both front and rear grips are held in by friction. This is not the case with the Blimp handle I have. You need to be a little careful here as the tabs are moulded as part of the grip. If these get broken you’ll end up with gaffer tape all over the handle.

Step 2. Get ready to move 2 Allen bolts from the front grip

The rear grip is held in by 2 screws at the front and one screw on the rear. The pair of two screws s highlighted in the photo. Not sure exactly what size these are but the look to be 3mm.

Step 3. Handle split

With the handle split into 2 you can see how the rear grip contains the XLR connector. Once the grip is removed, the XLR connector can be slipped out.

The fitting behind the front grip is the fitting for a pole or boom.

This one is of the camera running at 48fps (pretty sure that means feet per second)

This one at 32 fps.

I won’t dwell on the technical differences as these are quite easy to google but briefly, both are single point stereo microphones with capsules in X-Y configuration.

Power

Both mics are battery powered (NT4 9V or phantom, AT822 1.5V) so work well with things like minidisc and a zoom H2. This means that the NT4 works well with almost everything but the AT822 is better with plug-in power type devices.

Weight

The NT4 weighs about double (I would guess but have not weighed them on scales) that of the AT822. This could important for when you end up standing like a statue to capture a sound you weren’t expecting.

Costs

The NT4 also costs about double what an AT822 does. My at822 was £120 via ebay and the NT4 was £240 via competitive high street store.

Sounds

The AT822 I would say is better at soundscapes (wide sounds with lots of variety/range), in that it picks up and handles off axis sound better than the NT4, but then the NT4 is more accurate and directional. The NT4 also picks up sound from behind the MIC array – something that I don’t think the AT822 does. One important difference for the casual user is the AT822 is better at handling windnoise and comes with a lowcut/filter. The better performance in a slight breeze is I think, down to the fact that the mic capsules are have a protection screen build around them and that the mic capsules themselves (I think) are smaller. The NT4 will distort in a very slight breeze, whereas the AT822 handles well with the low pass filter (has proved itself at the top of a hill in moderate winds).

I won’t dwell on the technical differences as these are quite easy to google but briefly, both are single point stereo microphones with capsules in X-Y configuration.

Power: Both mics are battery powered (NT4 9V or phantom, AT822 1.5V) so work well with things like minidisc and a zoom H2. This means that the NT4 works well with almost everything but the AT822 is better with plug-in power type devices.

Weight: The NT4 weighs about double (I would guess but have not weighed them on scales) that of the AT822. This could important for when you end up standing like a statue to capture a sound you weren’t expecting.

Costs: The NT4 also costs about double what an AT822 does. My at822 was £120 via ebay and the NT4 was £240 via competetive high street store.

Sounds: The AT822 I would say is better at soundscapes (wide sounds with lots of variety/range), in that it picks up and handles off axis sound better than the NT4, but then the NT4 is more accurate and directional. The NT4 also picks up sound from behind the MIC array – something that I don’t think the AT822 does. One important difference for the casual user is the AT822 is better at handling windnoise and comes with a lowcut/filter. The NT4 will distort in a very low draft, whereas the AT822 handles well with the low pass filter.