Solving Audio Issues on the 5D and 7D

I have been working with Ron Spencer to solve on set audio issues on the Canon 5d and 7D. I have switched to a full DSLR camera outfit that was a big leap for me in to the unknown in a way. i had compared the 5D and 7D footage many times to the Sony pmw-ex1 and I was tired of it coming up short and simply not looking very good compared. That said the EX-1 is a great camera. One thing that I will miss is the great on board sound capability that it offered. It is widely known that the Canon DSLR line does horrible audio.
There are a few solutions to this problem that have come out, the best and cheap option to improve the audio quality is to install Magic Lantern and add some sort of stereo mic to the camera hot shoe. This kit might cost as much as $200 but it will increase the unusable audio to audible.
That said, there are a few other options. The Zoom H4N is a hot item and I just picked one up. Great sound, and again, cost effective. The third option is probably the Juice Link preamp and Magic Lantern combo and mic. This option will also work if you have a wireless lav setup I will be switching to this for my should rig when it comes in the mail. All this really depends on what you need to do and what audience you are hitting.

Tomorrow I will be running the 7D and the 5D setup as a two camera set up. The 7D will be wide and fixed and the 5D will be on a redrock shoulder mount with follow focus. I will have a stereo mic on the 5D and a Rode mic on the 7D, while the zoom will be on a boom with a shotgun mic. There should be some good sound out of all that.