[andrejs eigus]

dear all,

i am thinking about investing into a descent stereo condenser microphone or
a pair of condenser microphones for field/nature recording work in quiet
areas. i presently have tascam hdp2 compact flash recorder and gracedesign
lunatec v3 mic pre, connected digitally to hdp2 via SP/DIF. in my search
for most convenient option for microphones to choose for HIGH QUALITY nature
recordings, i came across several options:

(1) sennheiser mkh-40 matched pair of cardioids + pair of rycote windshield
kit 2 + pair of manfrotto 190b stands.

(2) sennheiser mkh-40 + sennheiser mkh-30 figure-8 cardioid M/S setup +
sennheiser mzs 20-1 suspension + sennheiser mzw 20-1 windshield + MZH 70-1
hairy cover

(3) sennheiser mkh-40 or mkh-800 + sennheiser mkh-800 variable pattern mic
M/S setup

now please correct me if i am wrong, but:

although option 1 gives me flexibility in terms of mic placement, it does
not seem too convenient because i need two microphone stands and it will
most probably be a great pain to drag this all along.

option 2 gives me more flexibility, because i can mount mkh-30 and mkh-40
piggyback on top of one another and it results in that i only need a single
boom, which is much easier to carry along and operate with. i also get M/S
output which is automatically decoded into conventional stereo by my lunatec
v3 preamp. i also get better focus and isolation to the sounds directly in
front of me. in addition, i can possibly get additional jobs with field
recording for film, since this setup seems more directional.

option 3 seems to give me a lot of flexibility (variable polar pattern on
mkh-800) and a better quality/dynamic range (mkh-800 - opinions?) at a
seriously higher price. anyone has ever tried mkh 800? is it possible to
record sounds above 20,000 hz with mkh-800 + v3 setup? will mkh-800 pair be
significantly better than mkh-800 + mkh-40?

your professional feedback will be greatly appreciated!

best wishes,

andrejs