So I finally upgraded to the iPhone 15 Pro and honestly the video quality has me so hyped its actually insane how far mobile cameras have come lately. I spent all weekend filming some test shots at a local market here in Chicago and the cinematic mode is just gorgeous but man the audio is such a letdown. As soon as the wind picked up near the lake you couldnt hear a word I was saying and it just picked up every single car horn and random person shouting in the background.

Im starting a new vlog series where Im gonna be doing quick interviews with food truck owners and street performers and I really need a mic that can filter out the city chaos without being a huge pain to carry around. Ive narrowed it down to two main choices but I keep jumping back and forth. On one hand theres the DJI Mic 2 which looks incredibly cool and I love that it has that internal 32-bit float recording so I dont have to worry about clipping if someone starts laughing really loud or a siren goes off right next to us. But its definitely at the top of my budget which is around $300 max.

The other one Im looking at is the Rode Wireless ME. Its way cheaper and seems super beginner friendly which is great since Im not exactly an audio engineer lol. Ive heard the Rode sound is a bit more natural but Im worried it might feel a bit more plasticky or cheap compared to the DJI? I also checked out the Shure MV88+ since its a direct plug-in but Im worried about the connector getting loose or snapping if Im moving around a lot in a crowd.

I have a tight deadline because the first big food festival Im covering is next weekend so I gotta buy something like... tomorrow so it gets here in time. Weight is kind of a factor too because Im gonna be holding my phone on a small rig for hours and I dont want my wrists to die after one day of filming. Is the extra money for the DJI worth it for the peace of mind with the internal recording or should I just go with the Rode and call it a day?...