If you’ve just got your Canon G7X Mark III and wondered if you could connect a microphone to it then this post will help you out.
A 3.5mm microphone jack is what you need to be able to use an external microphone on the G7 X Mark III.
Luckily, the Canon G7X Mark III does have a 3.5mm microphone jack, so you can use an external mic on the Canon G7X Mark III.
This makes it the first in the G7 X series of cameras to have an external microphone input.
💡 If you just want a quick summary here goes…
The G7X Mark III has an external microphone input, but nowhere to mount a microphone.
- Get the UURig G7X Mark III Cold Shoe Extension or something similar so you can mount a mic.
- Attach the UURig G7X Mark III Cold Shoe Extension to your G7X Mark III.
- Then get a microphone like the Rode VideoMicro (or the Boya BY-MM1 if you need something more affordable).
- Connect your external microphone to the 3.5mm mic jack on the G7X Mark III.
- Mount your microphone to the UURig G7X Mark III Cold Shoe Extension that you got.
🎉 You now have a G7X Mark III with high-quality audio.
Table of Contents
Can You Connect An External Mic To The Canon G7X Mark III?
On the G7 X Mark III, you can plug in and connect most standard external microphones with a 3.5mm mini plug.
Having an external mic input is one of the reasons it is a better option compared to older models like the G7X Mark II which doesn’t have an external mic input.
However, there is a slight problem with the G7X Mark III when it comes to attaching microphones.
Even though you can connect a microphone, there is no cold shoe like you have on most DSLRs, so you have to find a creative way to attach the mic so it’s not just hanging off the camera.
Later on in this post, I will also describe a way to use external audio without actually connecting a microphone to your G7 X Mark III.
How To Attach External Microphones To Canon G7X Mark III
It’s not that easy to connect a mic to the G7X Mark III unless you buy an attachment.
Most external microphones tend to have an attachment at the base that can be mounted to the top of a DSLR or mirrorless camera.
Unfortunately, the Canon G7X Mark III does not mount like this so you cannot mount the mic to it easily.
Luckily, there are accessories that you can buy that can create a make-shift mount on your G7 X Mark III. People may refer to these mounts as ‘cold shoe mounts’.
The cold shoe rig below is perfect for the G7X Mark III as it lets you mount a mic to the side of the camera instead of just letting the microphone hang off by the wire.
Once the microphone is attached you can plug the microphone cable into the 3.5mm stereo mini microphone jack on the side of the Canon G7X Mark III.
Once an external microphone is connected and turned on, your G7 X Mark III will use the external microphone as audio instead of the internal microphone of the Canon G7X Mark III.
Using External Audio With G7X Mark III Without Plugging In
You can still use external audio without actually connecting a microphone directly to the G7 X Mark III.
This is a good option for you if you don’t want to mess about getting an additional attachment to create a cold shoe mount as I mentioned in the previous section.
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 G7X Mark III.
If you do this, you will need to find an alternate way of making sure the microphone is powered other than plugging it into the camera.
For example, there are a lot of microphones out there that are either battery-powered or plug into mains electricity and don’t rely on being powered by a camera.
By doing this you can then record separate audio and video tracks for your footage.
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 G7X Mark III.
- 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 G7X Mark III.
What Is The Internal Mic On The Canon G7X Mark III?
If you do not have an external mic or you just really don’t want to mess with extra accessories then you can still record audio with your Canon G7X Mark III.
The Canon G7X Mark III has a built-in microphone that records stereo sound and it does a decent job for basic vlogs and videos.
It just won’t have that higher-end feel that an external microphone would bring.
What External Microphone Should I Use For The Canon G7X Mark III?
Since the G7X Mark III is a compact point-and-shoot camera, you don’t really want larger shotgun mics like the Rode Video Mic Pro+ or the VideoMic GO II.
Instead, you want more portable microphones to match the compact nature of the G7X Mark III (I mean that’s kinda the whole point of the G7X models).
I think the best microphones for the G7X Mark III are the following:
- Rode Video Micro (best option overall)
- Boya BY-MM1 (if you need something a bit more affordable)
Rode VideoMicro
The Rode VideoMicro is much more affordable than the VideoMic GO II and the VideoMic Pro+, and it’s small enough that it fits well with the G7X Mark III.
The Rode VideoMicro is especially great for people who don’t want a large mic on their camera and will definitely provide a good improvement over the built-in microphone on the G7X Mark III.
Pros
- Very compact
- Provides a large improvement over the built-in microphone on the G7 X Mark III
Cons
- The sound quality is not as good as the VideoMic GO II or the VideoMic Pro+
You can check the price and availability of the Rode VideoMicro on Amazon at the link below.
Boya BY-MM1
If you want something a bit more affordable than the Rode VideoMicro then you can go for the Boya BY-MM1 microphone.
For the most part, the Boya microphone does the job just as well as the Rode VideoMicro.
The time where you will notice the biggest difference though is when it is windy or you have shaky footage.
When you have windy or shaky footage, the Boya BY-MM1 does struggle whereas the Rode VideoMicro actually does quite well.
If you think you’re going to be outdoors a lot (windier) or recording footage where you might be moving around a lot (more shaky footage) then the Rode VideoMicro is definitely a better option.
If you are just going to be indoors with no fans and the camera is just going to be set up on a tripod or something, then the Boya BY-MM1 can be a good option to save a little bit of money.
You can check the price and availability of the Boya BY-MM1 on Amazon at the link below.
Check out the video below which compares the sound quality between the Rode VideoMicro and the Boya BY-MM1 microphones.
Summary
Let’s quickly recap the post…
The Canon G7X Mark III 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.
The only downside is that you don’t have a built-in cold shoe mount so you need an accessory to have this feature.
While it’s not as straightforward as attaching a mic straight to the camera, the mic input on the G7X Mark III is a welcome change compared to the older G7X models which did not have an external mic input at all.
You can also record audio separately and then combine the audio and video together in post-production.
Whichever method you choose, there are enough external microphone options out there that can meet your needs to achieve the best quality audio on your Canon G7 X Mark III.
If you do decide to get an external microphone for the G7 X Mark III, I recommend the Rode VideoMicro as the top choice.
Related Reading:
If you plan to use it for video it’s worth noting whether the G7X Mark III can shoot in 4K or not.