quiet shotgun mic

["escalation746" escalation746]

I am having trouble finding specific noise floor information for some shotgun 
mics. Specifically, the ME66/K6 is rated at 10dbA by Sennheiser, but I presume 
that this performance is only reached when operating from phantom power. My 
reason for buying it would be to use it on battery power, so I need to know how 
it performs.

For comparison there is the AT897, for which I have no self-noise value.

Detailed comparisons of shotgun mics that I have read are oriented towards 
video, so there is no discussion of this issue. I will be using these for 
topical and ambient recordings. I hope to purchase the Olympus LS-10 to provide 
a more portable setup and a flexible alternative to my Fostex FR-2LE and 
AT3032. (But I need a blimp, so haven't done as much recording as I should.)

-- robin