A Travel and vacations forum. TravelBanter

If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

Go Back   Home » TravelBanter forum » Travel Regions » USA & Canada
Site Map Home Authors List Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read Web Partners

Los Angeles Wilshire Boulevard



 
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #11  
Old April 17th, 2004, 04:07 PM
Joe
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Los Angeles Wilshire Boulevard


"JohnT" wrote in message
...

"Joe" wrote in message
...

wrote in message ...


Joe wrote:

I am looking for a mic for a JVC camcorder which can only be

purchased
in
the States at the moment. So I have just a few hours to find a

Camcorder
Store that stocks JVC equipment. Could any of you kind Los Angeles

folks
suggest a store near to 3515 Wilshire Boulevard where I can buy the

mic.

I would suggest Fry's Electronics: they have a website at:

http://www.outpost.com/

and a toll-free number, 1-877-OUTPOST, that will guide you to the
nearest store to the Wilshire location. A HUGE electronics

superstore,
with many outlets in the LA area.

Many thanks to Azzure and PTTravel for their helpful advice. There's

nothing
easy. The more I look up the net, the more I learn and the more I

realize I
am chasing rainbows. We are from Ireland. We are just taking a tour of
California with Cosmos. My JVC Camcorder is a GR-DVP9EK (probably

European
PAL). The USA equivalent is GR-DVP9US (probably NTSC). The hot shoe mic

is
MZV3U which does not appear to be for sale in Europe. I think that the

sound
part of the camcorder should be compatible with the zoom

mic.Unfortunately
none of the stores suggested have the mic on their website. I think I

will
phone around and thanks to all you warm hearted people for all your

help,
Joe

You can get it in the UK from QED but it is expensive at £121.57. See
http://www.qed-uk.com/?i=&vp=6&bg=10...&bi=0&ird=1405

The US Amazon website shows it as out of stock but it will cost US $130 to

a US
Customer. They won't ship it outside the USA.

Alternatively, you can get one direct from JVC UK for £145 including

postage.
See http://www.jvc.co.uk/product.php?id=MZ-V3U&catid=100022 Presumably

this
includes shipping to Ireland.

I can't find it on the JVC Ireland site.

John

John, its almost worth my while flying to LA to buy the mic at those UK
twice the prices. Its good news for me as it looks almost 100% that the mic
is compatible with the European model,
Joe


  #12  
Old April 18th, 2004, 01:04 AM
PTRAVEL
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Los Angeles Wilshire Boulevard


"Joe" wrote in message
...

wrote in message ...


Joe wrote:

I am looking for a mic for a JVC camcorder which can only be purchased

in
the States at the moment. So I have just a few hours to find a

Camcorder
Store that stocks JVC equipment. Could any of you kind Los Angeles

folks
suggest a store near to 3515 Wilshire Boulevard where I can buy the

mic.

I would suggest Fry's Electronics: they have a website at:

http://www.outpost.com/

and a toll-free number, 1-877-OUTPOST, that will guide you to the
nearest store to the Wilshire location. A HUGE electronics superstore,
with many outlets in the LA area.

Many thanks to Azzure and PTTravel for their helpful advice. There's

nothing
easy. The more I look up the net, the more I learn and the more I realize

I
am chasing rainbows. We are from Ireland. We are just taking a tour of
California with Cosmos. My JVC Camcorder is a GR-DVP9EK (probably European
PAL). The USA equivalent is GR-DVP9US (probably NTSC). The hot shoe mic is
MZV3U which does not appear to be for sale in Europe. I think that the

sound
part of the camcorder should be compatible with the zoom mic.Unfortunately
none of the stores suggested have the mic on their website. I think I will
phone around and thanks to all you warm hearted people for all your help,
Joe


Joe, Sony manufactures a shoe-mount zoom mike that might work with your JVC,
if you can't find one any where else. Incidently, someone mentioned Frys --
it's very unlikely they'll have it and, at any rate, there is no Frys
convenient to where you'll be in the mid-Wilshire area.

With all that said, let me add this: I am a very serious video hobbyist (I
spend as much or more time in the rec.video newsgroups as here). I'm
familiar with the type of device that you're looking for. To be perfectly
honest, I don't think you'll be happy with the performance. I assume you
want the top-mount mike so that you can isolate distant sound sources from
ambient noise. Though a good shotgun mike will do this, consumer "zoom
mikes" intended for camcorders will not perform anywhere near as well, or
even well enough to justify their cost. There are some less-expensive
shotgun mikes available for this purpose that will offer somewhat better
performance, but unless you're prepared to spend $300-500 US for a
microphone, don't expect to get something that will give you great
performance.

You might take a look at Audio Technica's mikes, which are readily available
(and, probably, can be found at Best Buy, Circuit City or the Good Guys --
the latter is in a shopping center at 3rd and La Cienga, not very far from
where you are on Wilshire). I use an Audio Technica ATR55, which is shotgun
mike with switchable capsules, providing an enhance cardoid effect in the
"tele" position, i.e. it doesn't "zoom" automatically, but it does let you
switch between "near" and "distant" settings. It's a monophonic microphone
that comes with a shoe mount that should fit your camcorder. It plugs in to
"mike in" jack (I'm almost certain your camcorder has one). It provides
reasonably decent sound, certain good enough for amateur purposes, and sells
in the $55-75 US range. The only negative for you is its size -- it's 12
inches long (a little less than 1/3 of a meter, I think). However, I think
it will do what you want, and when you're not using it you can take it off
the camera. Oh, and try Samy's Camera -- they used to be on either 3rd or
Beverly Boulevard (it's been some time since I've visited them), which is
about a 5 minute cab ride from where you're staying.

Good luck, and have a great trip!

Paul






  #13  
Old April 18th, 2004, 01:05 AM
PTRAVEL
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Los Angeles Wilshire Boulevard


"Dennis McClendon" wrote in message
...
Joe wrote:
I am looking for a mic for a JVC camcorder


You might find a news agent who stocks the US edition of Popular
Photography or Shutterbug. Those magazines have hundreds of pages of
ads from big photo stores and mail order houses. Only a couple are
actually in Southern California (Highland Park Photo comes to mind) but
any of them will ship by FedEx to your hotel.


A word of warning: ALL of the advertisers in these magazines are scams,
except B&H and Adorama, both of whom are exceptionally reliable and honest
mail order camera equipment dealers, and from both of whom I've purchased
many thousands of dollars of gear. If you're thinking of buying electronics
or camera gear mail order, check out:

www.resellerratings.com



  #14  
Old April 18th, 2004, 01:07 AM
PTRAVEL
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Los Angeles Wilshire Boulevard


"Joe" wrote in message
...

"JohnT" wrote in message
...

"Joe" wrote in message
...

wrote in message

...


Joe wrote:

I am looking for a mic for a JVC camcorder which can only be

purchased
in
the States at the moment. So I have just a few hours to find a

Camcorder
Store that stocks JVC equipment. Could any of you kind Los Angeles

folks
suggest a store near to 3515 Wilshire Boulevard where I can buy

the
mic.

I would suggest Fry's Electronics: they have a website at:

http://www.outpost.com/

and a toll-free number, 1-877-OUTPOST, that will guide you to the
nearest store to the Wilshire location. A HUGE electronics

superstore,
with many outlets in the LA area.
Many thanks to Azzure and PTTravel for their helpful advice. There's

nothing
easy. The more I look up the net, the more I learn and the more I

realize I
am chasing rainbows. We are from Ireland. We are just taking a tour of
California with Cosmos. My JVC Camcorder is a GR-DVP9EK (probably

European
PAL). The USA equivalent is GR-DVP9US (probably NTSC). The hot shoe

mic
is
MZV3U which does not appear to be for sale in Europe. I think that the

sound
part of the camcorder should be compatible with the zoom

mic.Unfortunately
none of the stores suggested have the mic on their website. I think I

will
phone around and thanks to all you warm hearted people for all your

help,
Joe

You can get it in the UK from QED but it is expensive at £121.57. See
http://www.qed-uk.com/?i=&vp=6&bg=10...&bi=0&ird=1405

The US Amazon website shows it as out of stock but it will cost US $130

to
a US
Customer. They won't ship it outside the USA.

Alternatively, you can get one direct from JVC UK for £145 including

postage.
See http://www.jvc.co.uk/product.php?id=MZ-V3U&catid=100022 Presumably

this
includes shipping to Ireland.

I can't find it on the JVC Ireland site.

John

John, its almost worth my while flying to LA to buy the mic at those UK
twice the prices. Its good news for me as it looks almost 100% that the

mic
is compatible with the European model,
Joe


If you can find it here, it should work on your camcorder. The only
difference between European and US cameras is that European are usually PAL
and US are NTSC -- that's a difference in video standards; the audio portion
should be exactly the same.





  #15  
Old April 18th, 2004, 10:07 AM
Joe
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Los Angeles Wilshire Boulevard


"PTRAVEL" wrote in message
. com...

"Joe" wrote in message
...

wrote in message ...


Joe wrote:

I am looking for a mic for a JVC camcorder which can only be

purchased
in
the States at the moment. So I have just a few hours to find a

Camcorder
Store that stocks JVC equipment. Could any of you kind Los Angeles

folks
suggest a store near to 3515 Wilshire Boulevard where I can buy the

mic.

I would suggest Fry's Electronics: they have a website at:

http://www.outpost.com/

and a toll-free number, 1-877-OUTPOST, that will guide you to the
nearest store to the Wilshire location. A HUGE electronics

superstore,
with many outlets in the LA area.

Many thanks to Azzure and PTTravel for their helpful advice. There's

nothing
easy. The more I look up the net, the more I learn and the more I

realize
I
am chasing rainbows. We are from Ireland. We are just taking a tour of
California with Cosmos. My JVC Camcorder is a GR-DVP9EK (probably

European
PAL). The USA equivalent is GR-DVP9US (probably NTSC). The hot shoe mic

is
MZV3U which does not appear to be for sale in Europe. I think that the

sound
part of the camcorder should be compatible with the zoom

mic.Unfortunately
none of the stores suggested have the mic on their website. I think I

will
phone around and thanks to all you warm hearted people for all your

help,
Joe


Joe, Sony manufactures a shoe-mount zoom mike that might work with your

JVC,
if you can't find one any where else. Incidently, someone mentioned

Frys --
it's very unlikely they'll have it and, at any rate, there is no Frys
convenient to where you'll be in the mid-Wilshire area.

With all that said, let me add this: I am a very serious video hobbyist

(I
spend as much or more time in the rec.video newsgroups as here). I'm
familiar with the type of device that you're looking for. To be perfectly
honest, I don't think you'll be happy with the performance. I assume you
want the top-mount mike so that you can isolate distant sound sources from
ambient noise. Though a good shotgun mike will do this, consumer "zoom
mikes" intended for camcorders will not perform anywhere near as well, or
even well enough to justify their cost. There are some less-expensive
shotgun mikes available for this purpose that will offer somewhat better
performance, but unless you're prepared to spend $300-500 US for a
microphone, don't expect to get something that will give you great
performance.

You might take a look at Audio Technica's mikes, which are readily

available
(and, probably, can be found at Best Buy, Circuit City or the Good Guys --
the latter is in a shopping center at 3rd and La Cienga, not very far from
where you are on Wilshire). I use an Audio Technica ATR55, which is

shotgun
mike with switchable capsules, providing an enhance cardoid effect in the
"tele" position, i.e. it doesn't "zoom" automatically, but it does let you
switch between "near" and "distant" settings. It's a monophonic

microphone
that comes with a shoe mount that should fit your camcorder. It plugs in

to
"mike in" jack (I'm almost certain your camcorder has one). It provides
reasonably decent sound, certain good enough for amateur purposes, and

sells
in the $55-75 US range. The only negative for you is its size -- it's 12
inches long (a little less than 1/3 of a meter, I think). However, I

think
it will do what you want, and when you're not using it you can take it off
the camera. Oh, and try Samy's Camera -- they used to be on either 3rd or
Beverly Boulevard (it's been some time since I've visited them), which is
about a 5 minute cab ride from where you're staying.

Good luck, and have a great trip!

Paul

Paul, thanks for your very helpful advice. Have taken everything into
account and will try Samy's camera on Beverly Boulevard.
Joe


  #16  
Old April 19th, 2004, 06:57 PM
Zeyd M. Ben-Halim
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Los Angeles Wilshire Boulevard

Paul, thanks for your very helpful advice. Have taken everything into
account and will try Samy's camera on Beverly Boulevard.
Joe


FYI, Samy's on Fairfax just south of 3rd (about 4 blocks north of Wilshire)
You could just take the bus to Fairfax and walk up.
 




Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is Off
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Qantas Airways Cuts Fares from Los Angeles to Australia and New Zealand texan@texas,,,removethisbit.usa.com Australia & New Zealand 0 April 2nd, 2004 06:01 AM
Los Angeles to Grand Canyon and back... Heyheyyu USA & Canada 0 February 23rd, 2004 12:00 AM
Los Angeles to Grand Canyon and back... Shawn \Me\ Hearn USA & Canada 1 February 22nd, 2004 06:29 PM
Hotels or other accomodations near art museums in Los Angeles Karl Sussman USA & Canada 2 October 6th, 2003 05:11 PM
Angeles City Bargirls - Philippines Filipina Bargirls Asia 2 September 29th, 2003 06:01 PM


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 02:10 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.6.4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright ©2004-2024 TravelBanter.
The comments are property of their posters.