This is probably a few years in the making. Since getting the Boya microphones and the Canon EOS M50 camera bodies, I’ve been looking for a shorter 3.5mm cable that connects them together. The cable that comes with the microphone is okay, but I’m now on my third potential replacement in a quest for a shorter, less fiddly, cable.
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| The cables being tested. |
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I haven’t had a ton of time with the latest cable purchase, but so far so good using it in a previous video and this related video. I bought two of them and used one for the filming camera. The main goal here was finding a cable that was short enough to not get in the way and have a 90 degree right angle bend on each end of the cable. I also didn’t want it to interfere with the camera or microphone in any way.
I found out with a previous cable that I needed the cable’s camera connection to come back a decent amount so it wouldn’t touch the Canon M50’s strap lug. In the related video I talk about the cables I’ve currently bought and tested out on this combination of the Canon EOS M50 plus the Boya MM-1 on-camera microphone. I also show the cables with a smart phone to see that they sometimes can work better or worse if the situation is different.
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| The main microphone I use for my YouTube channel right now (I have two). |
BOYA BY-MM1 Mini Cardioid Condenser Microphone
Check it out in detail through my affiliate links:
https://bhpho.to/2Goumav
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I think this microphone is decent considering the price, but I don’t have any serious experience with microphones of a similar design or different pickup patterns. All I know is that I can get decent enough audio out of it connected to the Canon M50, especially when I do some processing in Audacity or my video editor to clean the audio up. The microphone doesn’t need any batteries, which is a big benefit in ease of use. The red cold-shoe connector isn’t amazing and I’ve had one crack on me, but they do sell them separately if you want spares (I picked up a few).
The official specifications:
- Frequency Response: 35-18KHz +/-3dB; sensitivity +/- 1dB/ 0dB=1V/Pa, 1Khz; signal to noise Ratio: 76dB SPL.
- 86g / 0.19 lb in weight
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| The cable’s length is difficult to judge due to the stretch. |
The microphone comes with two cables. Both have a 90 degree bend plug and a straight plug. One of them has the normal TRS connections and the other has TRRS for connecting to phones or other devices that use the extra ring.
I haven’t had any big technical issues with the cables, but they are pretty long, and with the straight plug it can get in the way of using the camera for photography when the microphone is attached because it can make the viewfinder difficult to access.
Valley Enterprises 3.5mm Male Right Angle to 3.5mm Male Right Angle Audio Cable
Check it out in detail through my affiliate link:
https://amzn.to/2U69AFa
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| The approximate length is 6 inches. |
These are my current favorite cables for connecting the Boya microphone to the Canon EOS M50. At least so far, they have worked well without any audio issues. The length is short enough to have minimal slack compared to the other cables I’ve found so far. The ends of the cable don’t interfere with anything on the microphone or camera.
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| The two cables have the connectors facing differently. Production oddity? |
I have noticed a few potential issues with build quality. On one cable the plastic is a bit rough near the metal connector. Another oddity is that one of the cables has the connectors point in one direction, whereas the other cable has them pointing toward each other.
Riipoo 3.5mm AUX Audio Cable, 2-Pack 15cm Double 90 Degree Angle 1/8″ 3.5mm TRS Male to TRS Male
Check it out in detail through my affiliate link:
https://amzn.to/36AeZqL
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| My measurement was larger than their store listing by nearly an inch. |
These are the most unique cables of the bunch. They have a very thin ribbon style cable and also short thin plugs. I generally like the novel design, but there is an issue with my specific vlogging setup.
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| The connector profile is actually too short. |
The big problem, in my case with the M50 is that the strap lug can interfere with the cable. It’s actually pretty easy to accidentally unplug the cable from the camera’s microphone input. I did it once or twice before I stopped using the cable.
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| The cable can work nicely (won’t likely work with a phone due to not being TRRS). |
I generally like the cables due to how thin they are, so I tried out a different setup with a smartphone. If you have a different camera it might work a lot better. One thing I didn’t think about while testing this is that you will probably need a TRRS cable instead for the phone…
SinLoon 3.5mm Stereo Audio Cable,(2-Pack) Gold Plated 90 Degree Right & Left Angled 3.5mm Male to Male Stereo Audio Cable
Check it out in detail through my affiliate link:
https://amzn.to/3131yOR
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| I measured around 10 inches for this cable. |
This last cable was the most disappointing. There appears to be some type of issue with the connectors, especially when connecting it to the Boya microphone. If the cable is fully pressed into the microphone it won’t work properly. The length is pretty decent. I can wrap it around the microphone’s base, so it keeps out of the way. I just can’t recommend the cable due to the connection issues I’ve had.
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| Here are the connectors close up. |
For the time being, I’m done with my quest for the perfect cable to connect the Canon M50 to the Boya microphone. The Valley Enterprises cables appear to do the job and are a convenient size. I’ll keep using them to see if there are any flaws in longevity or design.