If you’ve just got your Canon EOS 70D and thought…
“Now then, how do I connect my microphone to my Canon 70D?”
Then this is the post for you…
To be able to use an external mic on your Canon 70D, it needs a 3.5mm microphone jack.
Fortunately, the Canon 70D does have a 3.5mm microphone jack so you can use an external mic on the Canon EOS 70D.
Table of Contents
Can You Connect An External Mic To The Canon 70D?
The Canon 70D does have a 3.5mm microphone jack, so you can just plug in and connect most standard external microphones.
Having an external mic input on the Canon EOS 70D is one of the reasons it is a better option compared to other popular DSLRs like the Rebel T7.
There is also a way to use external audio without physically attaching a mic to the 70D, which we describe later in the post.
How To Connect External Microphones To Canon 70D
It is quite easy to attach an external microphone to the Canon 70D.
Most on-camera microphones like the Rode VideoMic Pro will have an attachment at the base which can be attached to the top of the Canon EOS 70D.
Once the microphone is attached you can plug the microphone cable into the 3.5mm microphone jack on the side of the Canon EOS 70D.
See the video below to see what we mean.
This 3.5mm microphone jack on the Canon EOS 70D is a stereo mini-jack.
The microphone jack is right next to the remote trigger terminal on the Canon EOS 70D which is a 2.5mm size jack.
There is no 3.5mm headphone jack on the Canon EOS 70D, so you are not able to listen to the audio you are recording in real time.
If you have an external microphone turned on and attached to the Canon EOS 70D, then the camera will use the external microphone as audio instead of the internal microphone of the Canon 70D.
How To Use External Audio With 70D (Without Plugging In)
If you want to use external audio for your Canon 70D but don’t want to physically plug in the mic to your camera, there is still a way to get this done.
You can do this by using an external audio device to just record audio separately using a microphone that isn’t attached to the Canon 70D.
Of course, you would need to make sure that this microphone is able to power itself or have an alternate way of powering it rather than plugging it into the camera.
Once you have your separate audio and video tracks, you can then synchronize the audio and video in your post-production process.
Basically, you would:
- Record your video with your Canon 70D.
- Record audio separately with a microphone.
- Join the two audio and video tracks together in your editing software.
The video below shows you one way of doing this with a sony a6000, but the same concept applies to the 70D.
What Is The Internal Mic On The Canon EOS 70D?
If you do not have an external mic you can still record audio with your Canon EOS 70D.
The Canon EOS 70D has a built-in microphone which records stereo sound.
What External Microphone Should I Use For The Canon EOS 70D?
Depending on what type of videos you are trying to create there are different types of microphones that would be best.
For this list, we are just focusing on microphones that are compatible with the Canon EOS 70D without having to create separate audio and video tracks.
Rode VideoMic Pro+
The Rode VideoMic Pro+ is one of the best shotgun mics overall and can be used for most types of video. It’s a favorite amongst many big YouTubers.
Cons
- It’s powered by a battery so you need to make sure the battery has power or keep spares with you.
- Some people may want a more compact smaller mic on their camera.
Check the price and availability of the Rode VideoMic Pro+ on Amazon at the link below.
Rode VideoMic GO II
This is similar to the VideoMic Pro+, but the VideoMic GO II has a lower price point and some differences in features.
It’s good for people on the go because it uses plug-in power, so you don’t need to worry about having charged batteries.
Just plug the microphone into your camera and you’re ready to go.
Cons
- Can get in the way of the viewfinder of the camera due to the design of the microphone. (the mic sits back a bit from where it is attached on top of the camera.
The Rode VideoMic Pro+ II has a better design that doesn’t get in the way as much.
Check the price and availability of the Rode VideoMic GO II on Amazon at the link below.
Rode VideoMicro
This is much more affordable than the VideoMic GO II and the VideoMic Pro+, but it still provides a decent improvement over the internal microphone of the Canon EOS 70D.
The Rode VideoMicro is especially great for people who don’t want a large mic on their camera.
Cons
- The sound quality is not as good as the VideoMic GO II or the VideoMic Pro+.
Check the price and availability of the Rode VideoMicro on Amazon at the link below.
Rode Wireless GO II
This is the best option if you need to stand a certain distance away from the camera. It can also be used for subjects close to the camera.
For example, it can work really well for situations where somebody is presenting and where you attach the mic to the person presenting.
You can also use this for things like interviews and attach the microphones to the interviewer and interviewee (will need to get a dual channel version that comes with 2 microphones).
Check the price and availability of the Rode Wireless GO II on Amazon at the links below.
The video below shows you how the Canon 80D (newer version of the 70D) works with the Rode Wireless Go.
Conclusion
The Canon EOS 70D enables video creators to have high-quality audio as you can use an external microphone by plugging it into the 3.5mm stereo mini jack on the camera.
You can also record audio separately and then combine the audio and video together in post-production.
Whichever method you choose, there are plenty of microphone types out there that can meet your needs to achieve the best quality audio on your Canon EOS 70D.
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