Lavalier and headset microphones
Wired lavs, headset and earset mics, and capsules for bodypack systems, for interviews, presentations and seated podcasts.
How to choose a lavalier microphone
Polar pattern. Omnidirectional is the default: it survives a head turn and sounds natural. Directional lavs (Hollyland's Directional Lavalier) reject more room but punish anyone who turns away from the capsule.
Termination. This is the specification that gets ordered wrong most often. Shure bodypack lavs such as the DL4 and UL4 terminate in TA4F; Rode's Lavalier II and smartLav+ use 3.5 mm TRS or TRRS; camera and phone inputs are not interchangeable. Match the lav to the transmitter you already own.
Wired or wireless. A wired lav is cheaper and more reliable for a fixed seat. Wireless is unavoidable for presenters, stage and anything handheld — those systems live in wireless microphones.
Headset versus lapel. A headset (Shure DH5) holds a fixed mouth distance for a moving presenter or a fitness instructor, where a lapel mic loses several dB every time the subject turns.
Shure supplies 27 of the 44 models here, Rode 8, with SmallRig, Hollyland, Godox and Ulanzi covering the clip-on creator end.