I’d considered fitting an off camera mic to the GoPro when it first arrived, but decided against it at the time because the usual recommended ones were generally shot mics still mounted on the camera’s cold shoe (for the uninitiated, that’s a normal shape/size “flash gun” type slide mount on the top of a camera, but with no electrical connections) and they weren’t wireless. Decent wireless models were all £100+ for one worth having, and if I’d tried cutting cost, expected to get tangled up using a wired lapel type mic when I’d be wandering around theme parks. So I plumped for just using the GoPro Media Mod and it did a decent job to be fair
Fast forward a couple of years and after dusting the GoPro off the other month and taking it along for a walk with the dog, mainly in anticipation of knowing it will be me that has to narrate any video we take on our travels next month, reading the news that Godox had released the Alink made me take more notice than it normally would.
Godox are a major Chinese manufacturer for all manner of camera related accessories, especially studio lighting and flash guns, virtually all of which is well received and reviewed. Better still, it’s also usually great value, so used extensively by amateurs and pros alike. Hence, I picked up their diminutive iT30 Pro mini flash for the Fujifilm X-E5 at the Photography Show where it was on offer (and is liable to be the next review item!).
If you’re thinking there’s not much to the Alink, you’d be right, but it works a treat!
The receiver that sits on the camera is only 4cm long, 2cm wide and 1cm thick, yet the battery is supposed to do 30 hours and is able to pick up the mic from 300m, while the mic itself is 2.5 cm x 2cm x 1cm, so definitely fairly discrete and weighs only 6 grams. Connectivity is via 2.4GHz wifi, and if you choose the dual mic kit, you can use either mono or stereo modes, the mic offers 48Khz/24 bit sampling and there’s smart noise reduction as well. Impressive specs from a really small package.
The receiver comes with the cold shoe I have fitted here, but detach that and you have a USB C connector, so plug it into any current phone or tablet and you can use it on there. If you’re a Sony or Canon camera user, there are dedicated hot shoes available for each brand allowing direct digital connection, so avoiding wires or analog conversion. As the GoPro only has a cold shoe, you have to use the supplied 3.5mm jack cable from the receiver and into the 3.5mm socket on the Media Mod in my case, or if you connect directly to the standard GoPro, you’ll need a USB C to 3.5mm adapter cable which isn’t supplied and a pass-thru door.
There’s just two buttons on the receiver and one on the mic, thankfully both units have LEDs to assist with setup and while in use. The instructions for pairing are straight forward, though the print is a bit on the small side, so downloading the PDF off Godox’s website makes life easier. If you’re an Android user, there’s a dedicated control app available, with a QR code on the instructions as well. iOS/iPadOS users, we have to suffer!
Charging both units is via USB C, directly for the receiver, while the mic sits in a USB C equipped magnetic cradle and charges the mic via a pair of pins onto studs on the mic itself. There’s also a small magnet supplied in the kit to allow you to attach the mic to a suitable surface that way as opposed to the clip which is part of the casing.
As the Alink only arrived at the weekend, I’ve only had chance to try it once, but the results were brilliant. With the mic clipped on the neck of my jumper and the GoPro/receiver combo on a wrist strap as usual, the sound quality was superb, definitely clearer than via the Media Mod mic, plus I’m not worried about wafting the camera around and causing tonal or volume changes. No need for the fluffy wind cove for the mic today, but I know just the place to try it!
The icing on the cake for the Alink? £40 for the single mic Kit1 setup I have, £66 for the dual mic Kit2, which comes with a battery pack/charging case that houses both mics and the receiver at the same time; to give you a quick boost charge on the go. To be honest, I think Kit2 is a much better value buy than Kit1, as the charging case when bought on its own is £20.
Really looking forward to using the Alink more and I’ll update the review once I’ve tested it with the wind shield.