photog proof head-phones

[<head-phones>]

Lately I've been using the type that wrap around the back of your neck--- made by sony. They are great headphones when they haven't been destroyed. I've had two pairs get destroyed... one was my fault,the other... you guessed it, the person who borrowed my gear!

HAVE YOU FOUND HEAD-PHONES that stand up to the wear and tear of General Assignment shooters??? How long have you had 'em... what do you use?

Thanks!

 

[WV24fpspro]

Look into a place called Sporty's Pilot Shop (sorry no link yet available) for some impressive headphones. B&H takes a close second.

I've found two particular brands which I prefer: Anything with the Sennheiser or Bose label should be more than adequate. It really depends on how much you're looking to spend. I've found the two names mentioned above to be of the best quality, sound, and construction. I've owned both sets for well over ten years with no complaints.

Happy hunting!

 

[<IFB>]

just like your reporters wear: on camera, custom molded IFB from audio implements. gives you plenty of gain (assuming you use the correct ohm clarifier) people can't borrow it, has a coiled cable and either a straight or 90 deg plug to fit whatever camera you need it to fit.

get one for your right ear so that your outside ear is open to hear whats going on around you.

did i mention that no one can borrow it? yeah...thought so.

 

[corpvid]

I usually just wear an IFB for news, sony phones for corporate stuff.

 

[Lost in Alaska]

Whenever I know my camera is going to be borrowed (vacation etc.) I take mine off. It is the one sure fire way to save them.

 

[freedom]

You lend out your gear? My livelyhood is based on my gear. If it acts up I look real bad. You are lucky that only your headphones were damaged.

 

[cameragod]

I learned from painful experience that shearing headphones is a good way to get ear infections. I don’t shear mine now period. I do keep a cheap set for others to use, it makes the reporters feel special to have their own set, plus its good to have a backup set in case you step on the good ones.

 

[hamcam]

I have those wrap around sony's too. Great sound but the foam covers are wearing out quick. I too take all my personal stuff off my gear and out of my truck when I'm off for two days or more. Hey the company didn't pay for it why should other shooters use it?

What I'd like to see is some sort of BLUETOOTH headphone set up so that when I take the camera off the sticks and go for a diferent angle I don't snap the cord and get it in the head!



Well how quick was that... a simple Google search and VOILA!

BLUETOOTH STEREO HEADPHONES

WOW Man...

[ September 02, 2004, 01:36 AM: Message edited by: HamCam ]

 

[2000lux]

Cool, but I wonder how much it's going to cost. Better keep a back up pair for when the battery dies! When I break the Sonys, I usually just rip the plug off. That's replaceable. You can also find cheaper ones made by Philips or some other brands I've never heard of at CVS or Best Buy. What I've tried recently is I bought a cheap portable CD player at Best But that came with the kind of headphones I like, and I bought the extended warantee. Now, if I break those head phones I can get the replaced for free! Of course now they've lasted longer than any other pair I've had...

I don't think there's such a thing as an indestructable set of headphones.

[ September 02, 2004, 02:32 AM: Message edited by: 2000lux ]

 

[shoot da parrot]

check out the Koss TD-80's... I love em and they are really tough. They have volume controll on each ear, a cury cord, and a 90 degree jack. Plus they cut out some background noise. I will never go back to a IFB or a set of those small walkman ear phones.

 

[SAwood]

yup, i hear ya....no pun intended. I really, really cant stand putting the ear piece in. Freaks me out. I've used multiple pairs of Koss headphones. cheapest ones I can find, use them til they take a crap, get a new pair. My only complaint is I wish they had a curly cord. I'm gonna try to solder the ifb curly cord onto the headphones and see if that works.

 

[1911A1]

I have a couple of pairs of Sony MDR7506 headphones. One pair stays hooked up to my camera. I use the other (older) pair for editing on a portable editor in the field. They run between $90-$100 and sound great.

[ September 02, 2004, 02:11 PM: Message edited by: 1911A1 ]

 

[2000lux]

I have a pair of those from my sound teching days. They're great head phones, but personally I don't like shooting with them. First of all, if you shoot hand held with them on, you'll bang the right can on the camera. It makes a suprisingly lound and painful banging sound! Also, the cord tends to get tangled. They're great for editing and sound teching.

I use the Sony "Street" style, wrap around the back of the head design (or some cheap facsimile there of). They're flat enough that they don't bang on the camera. Cheap enough to replace. To store them I just wrap the cord up and hang them off the wireless.

 

[Baltimore Shooter]

Sony earbuds. $20 at Circuit City, Best Buy, etc. Works great. Had my pair for 3 yrs. A lot easier to use than cumbersome headphones. Let the soundguy use the headphones.

Warren

 

[1911A1]

Meh, they're not for everybody. I haven't had any problems shooting with them. To each his own...

 

[Macro]

I've bought the $30-70 headphones before...broke 'em. I tend to step on the cable when I lift the camera from a low angle. Lately I've been using a "behind the head" type that I found at Walgreens of all places! $5.99!! They sound just as good as the Sony's for a daily news application and if I break 'em, so what. I bought several pair.

 

[2000lux]

Interesting. What "brand" are they? I bought some $15 Philips ones at CVS, but they died on me for no reason. I've stuck with the Sonys ever since.

 

[FTOJRLST]

I recieved a great pair of Headphones from my Mother in Law this past Christmas. They were full size with a straight 6 foot wire.

Since they were a gift I didn't hesitate to use them daily, but the wire was too long and it stayed wrapped around my battery on the back of the camera. This proved to be a downfall about 3 months into their use.

The wire got caught in the tripod head as I panned and then I went too far and the wire broke.

I soon after went and picked up a new pair of the over the ear type described within these posts. I have been using them ever since.

They cost me ONE DOLLAR, and the wire is only about 18 inches long and just jerks out of the earplug if I stretch too far.

The sound quality in these is as good as any for day to day news gathering purposes.

And the replacement cost can't be beat. I could replace these once a month for what MOM paid for the big ones. ((DITTO ON ALL SUNGLASSES I WEAR))

 

[texshooter]

Originally posted by 1911A1:
Meh, they're not for everybody. I haven't had any problems shooting with them. To each his own...

I also really like my 7506's, the only gripe I have is the coil cord does tend to get tangled, and the straight plug can get bent in the headset output on my 300a, but this was solved with a right angle adapter from Radio Shack. And a couple of weeks ago I was shooting a live shot interview for our infotainment/cash cow morning show, when about 30 seconds into the hit, I was sweating so bad, the cans slipped off my head, and were hanging behind my back for the next 3 minutes.

I have tried the IFB route, and don't get the quality I need, and the cheapo headsets just fall apart after a couple of months.

 

[addixicon]

IFB gave me acute tinnitus, only 7506's for me, I love them because you can fold up the can on the right side and, and its essentially gone. Great sound, just shorten the cord. BTW, Ive used the same pair everyday for 3yrs, the are bulletproof to, so you can use them to protect you from hurricane debris.