Audio-Technica BP4029 (AT835ST) - Stereo Shotgun Microphone

The microphone comes with a XLR-5F to dual XLR-3M adapter cable; the cable that came with my microphone follows the convention of grey indicates channel 1 (left or middle, depending on the setting) and red indicates channel 2 (right or side depending on settings). Some other cables use the convention of blue or black or white to indicates channel 1, and usually, red indicates channel 2. I made a XLR-5F to single XLR-3M adapter cable for this mic to use when I want to use it as a mono microphone (using the middle capsule). Not sure if B&S sells such a thing, but if your handy with soldering, you connecting pins 1,2,3 on the XLR-5F to 1,2,3 respectively on the XLR-3M will allow you to use this with a single XLR input on a boom pole, camera, or whatever.

The Audio-Technica BP4029 (AT835ST) records in M-S Mode and Left/Right Stereo Modes. Yes you can use it to interview people sitting very close together, up to about 5 feet away from the mic at the very most.

The Audio-Technica BP4029 (AT835ST) - Stereo Shotgun Microphone requires power from 3-Pin XLR inputs to operate properly and cannot connect directly to a 3.5mm input on a camera such as the Canon R5. A small camera mixer such as BH #SASRPAX1 Saramonic SR-PAX1 Two-Channel Audio Mixer, Preamp, Microphone Adapter would work to achieve this setup properly.

Yes if connected via the included 24 (0.61 m) Cable (5-Pin XLR-F to Two Standard XLR-3M Connectors)

The audio and build quality of the Audio-Technica BP4029 are very good. There are differences in design between the stereo BP4029 and the mono Rode NTG3 and Sennheiser MKE 600 microphones and in the way that they capture sound. Mono and stereo mics are typically used for different applications. The NTG3 and MKE 600 each have one cardioid mic element for a very focused pattern which picks up sound from directly in front of the mic. The stereo BP4029 has a mid-side configuration with separate cardioid and figure-8 mic elements which work together to create a stereo image. The cardioid element is used for "mid" and faces the sound source while the figure-8 element is the "side" mic which is typically aimed at a 90 degree angle from the sound source and creates the left and right split. ​The BP4029 offers three selectable settings -- M-S direct, LR wide, and LR narrow. In M-S mode, the BP4029 provides a traditional stereo sound. In addition to the basic M-S pattern, the BP4029 also offers LR wide mode to pick up more of the ambient sounds for a wider stereo image while the LR narrow mode picks up less of the ambient sound for a more narrow stereo image. The three settings allow the mic to be adjusted based on the recording environment in order to capture the best possible audio. So the mic you select should be based on the application it will be used for, the direction of the audio source, as well as the recording environment.

I have an older AT835ST. I do advise that if you are recording bands upclose, invest is a set of variable pads. I have shot drum corp and marching bands at the field level and needed -20 to -30 dB pads because they can be so loud. Unless of course, your device can provide that.