Aputure unleash Chinese Deity on the world

Aputure, a Chinese firm that makes (mainly lighting-oriented) video and photography accessories has stepped up its ambitions with the launch of a shotgun microphone with high-end competitors in its sights.

The “Deity” is a super-cardiod of 250mm length, 19mm width. Aputure say it’s best compared against the Schoeps CMC641 or the MKH-60 but admit it might be considered alongside the legendary Sennheiser 416. They say it serves a slightly different function though, that while the range and ratio are the same, the Deity is meant (deliberately) to have better off-axis pick-up and be able to gather more ambient sound. That might sound contradictory for a shotgun but Aputure say they want to avoid the traditionally “tinny” sound you get from some rivals.

Initial tests show this to be a nicely quiet, pleasant sounding mic, with that wider soundfield that Aputure mentioned being definitely noticeable.

Interestingly, and very usefully, Aputure have also intended this to be highly durable. The mic has a coated circuit board so that even if it gets entirely submerged in water it should be fully useable after a couple of days of airing in a drying box. The company’s rep even went so far as to challenge me to swill it around in the filthy canal water underneath my narrowboat, saying that as long as it then got a wash in distilled water plus the aforementioned drying, it should be fine. I haven’t been able to bring myself to actually do this…

The mic is shipped in a very sturdy plastic box along with a basic foam windshield and a screw-threaded mic holder. Any outdoor use would of course also demand a proper furry windjammer such as those sold by Rycote. Speaking of which, the Deity will retail at $369 USD or $429 in a kit with a Rycote Lyre shock handle.

We’ll have a full video review coming soon but meanwhile, get more info at www.aputure.com and take a listen to our first sample tests: