Customer Reviews

Sony ECM-HGZ1 Shotgun Microphone for DCR-PC55, DCR-DVD305, DVD 405, DVD 505, HDR-HC1, HC5, HDR-UX1, UX5, DCR-SR100 & SR200 Camcorders

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

I was looking to buy this microphone for my DCR-HC90 and after reading the reviews already on here, most people seemed to either give 1 one star saying it was useless or 5 stars saying it was great, which of course I found quite frustrating.

Anyway, now that I've got one and have played around with it, I'm quite happy with it. Using the 'gun' setting on the mic really does cut down on surrounding atmos etc which is what I was after, if you're looking to film an interview, even in a relatively noisy location, this should cut down a fair bit on everything other than the person you're pointing it at.

Of course this mic won't give you a completely professional result (which I think some people were expecting) - then again, this isn't a professional microphone. It is simply meant to be a step up from using the in-built mic - and it is.

The 'zoom' function I was not overly impressed with, and don't really use it. Before I even tried it I knew it was more of a gimmick than anything. Pure and simple, you're not going to get crisp, clean audio if the mic is a long way away from the audio source, simple as that. I've been using it mainly for interviews so far where the person is no more than about 5 or so meters from the camera - in this situation the mic works fine.

In regards to the quality of the audio itself, it's pretty much the same as the in-built mic (which I actually think is quite good for a cheap camera), and with the levels of all the surrounding noise brought right down I was quite happy with it.

All in all I am quite happy with this mic and think it is pretty good for what it is and how much it costs. It is definitely an improvement from the built in microphone and if you're looking to do basic interviews or things like that, for the price I think it's pretty good.

Finally, you would want to note (and this is where I got caught out) that this is a MONO mic that will record to the left channel only. You will have to duplicate the left channel in your editing software to have it coming out of both left and right channels in your finished product.

Cheers.

Length:: 0:57 Mins

I've been using this microphone off and on with my issued Sony HD camcorder, and before that, with a Sony SD hard drive-based camcorder, for perhaps 2 years or so. Understand that the HGZ1 by no means is a $500-or-above Sennheiser shotgun microphone that picks up subtle whispers and bumble bee noises. Come now, we're talking about a $60 piece of equipment. But on a number of occasions, people have asked me whether the audio I've captured with this unit was actually captured on a lavalier microphone. If you understand how the HGZ1 works, you'll find ways of making work for you under more extreme conditions.

Remember, this unit is proprietary; until someone designs a better one, this is it, for mounting to the Sony (unless you buy a wired mic for those camcorders that have mic jacks). **Note: There IS an alternative, wireless bluetooth Sony makes, the Sony ECMHW1 Bluetooth Wireless Microphone... We plan to order one to try, but read those reviews here as well** First thing that I was told (and I've also learned the hard way) is to place the mic on "GUN" setting. Don't use either of the other two, unless you really understand the limitations of those settings. Using it on "zoom" setting will make the thing adjust to what your camera's lens is zoomed to. So, if you're trying to get good audio when your subject is close, and you're using the wide adapter, your audio will still capture everything around you; it won't focus on your subject until you zoom in on them.

I rarely use the wide setting, and even when I do, I wind up returning it back to "gun." Here's some pointers, especially with noisy locations. First, keep the noise behind you. If you use the shotgun mic, it will capture all that noise WITH your subject, drowning their voice out (even when you use one of those expensive gun mics). It would be really nice (but impractical) to make an extension cable so your mic can be hand-held, but Sony would be foolish to do that - they should make a hand-held gun mic that can be taken off-camera. But I digress. One thing I like doing, since I don't like more than 5-10 seconds of someone slapped in front of my camera yakking their mouth off, is I start capturing what I want to hear, to lead in what I'm recording, and then I actually move the camera beneath the subject with the mic aimed up to their face. That way, I can use B-roll and other supporting video to capture just what that person is talking about. It worked the best when I had to shoot a stand-up scene of a battalion chief at a fire scene. Behind him were fire apparatus, with diesel engines roaring, as the fire was still being worked on. Once I had that first part of the interview, I moved the camera below him, which removed the noise of the fire trucks and actually saved the interview. Editing video of the scene just after 5 seconds of footage of the chief made the package work well.

If my microphone breaks, would I replace this? Yes, I'd ask for another one. Until or unless someone makes one better, this will do for now. I can actually grab a Sennheiser or use a better shotgun, with an audio microphone adapter on my Sony, but quite often, I use this setup to shoot "run and gun" video, things that you can't take too much time to set up, or you'll miss something. The mic attaches in an instant, and you're ready to record. And the mic swivels about 270 degrees, so you can aim it towards your subject if they're standing off to the side, or even right beside you, while you're shooting something else. Watch where you place your subject. Aim the mic towards them, so that you can set your shot up so that it makes sense, and so that if possible, your subject isn't in line between your mic and any loud noise. And grab more supporting video so that you can add that as your main visual, so your package won't depend on watching your subject for a long time.

PS: If you're out in the field, try this: conduct the interview in a vehicle with the windows closed. You will be surprised to hear how great the sound quality can be! I had just shot an interview with a cabbie, sitting in his car. My mic pointed to him, but the street traffic rolled on the other side of the car. So I opened the LCD screen and placed the whole camera on his dashboard, framing it to see him behind the wheel. The sound was incredible. Ooh, I see there's a way to add video - I might just show that difference if I can post it.

Length:: 2:52 Mins

I read all the reviews and then tested the microphone on my Sony HDR-HC3. I agree with others that the gun mode is best. And there might be uses for the zoom affect, like having the sound increase in strength as one moves into a scene. But in normal mode like filming wedding vows from a distance the gun mode would be best while zoomed or not zoomed.

This is a cheap shotgun mic, also known as a boom mic. Compared to a camcorder's built-in mic this mic is uni-directional, so it's less susceptible to ambient noise. The naysayers here don't like it because they don't know what to expect or how to use it properly. You need to read the manual and follow the instructions, silly. And be sure to use it on one of the listed compatible Sony camcorders (although I also got it work with a Hitachi model). The sound quality is about the same as a Sony camcorder's built-in mic -- that's why I said this is cheap -- but you imemediately notice the improvement. The trick is to point the mic's front end at the sound source. If I had more money I'd have bought a Sennheiser, but for 45 bucks, this is not bad at all.

We use our videocameras to tape preschool classrooms for observations. The hope was to use the microphone to isolate conversations.
To test the microphone. I went to a Noisy Starbucks, huge lines, moderate music and tons of conversations. I recorded on the video cameras mics, then used the zoom mic then used the gun feature. I aimed the microphone at the barista yelling out the coffee orders. In all instances, there was no difference in sound quality.
I then went to the Sony Style Store in the Mall and had her open a different Microphone and allowed her to install it. She read the package from a distance and then we listened to it in all three settings. We could not find any difference.
I checked the camera instructions and there was no setting for the external mic. Once the mic is attached and turned on, the external mic is suppose to override the on board mic.

I am still insearch for a gun mic for a digital camera. Many of the new camcorders with hard drives and DVD drives do not have a MIC input or Active Interface Shoe. I would rather want a MIC input so that I can use a more powerful mic rather than being at the mercy of Sony to create one for their shoe.

Overall, I am stuck. If I record something interesting I will probably have to try to enhance the audio portion while editing. (The camera shots great video)

This really isn't as bad as everyone's saying. Compared to what you get standard on most cameras, this mic does a great job in picking up dialogue. Just point and shoot. I'm pretty satisfied.

Despite some of the negative reviews, I ordered this mic, based on one of the contrarian reviews that said people either didn't know how to use it, or were expecting miracles.

That review was accurate. I videotape my daughter's soccer games with a Sony DCR-HC96, and this mic is a nice complement. I use it exclusively in "Gun" mode and can make the following observations after recording 4 games:

* The sound *quality* is marginally improved. Don't expect huge improvements in fidelity .
* The *amplitude* is increased significantly. When recording from the sidelines, you can now hear the players talking to each other quite clearly, where with the built in mic, it was a strain.

So, consider the application for this mic. If you are trying to get closer to the subjects you are recording, this mic works fine. If you want to improve the fidelity of your recordings, there are probably better choices.

P.S.: This mic records in mono only.

This product didn't appear to add any appreciable sound benefit; the sound from the ECM-HGZ1 appears to be the same as that recorded with the native audio of the camera itself. I wish I had not bought it.

I realize this is not a true gunshot mic though I had hope. The product presents itself as cheap and I hate to say the results are not good quality. At this time, I'm the only reviewing customer and I can see I must have been the only guy to buy one of these.

Product attaches well and there is a noticable change in the audio. Three settings, zoom (syncs with camcorder's zoom), gun (which maxs the zoom of the mic regardless of video zoom), and off.

I purchased this to make recordings of presentations better. I know now that I should have just bought a wireless mic for the speaker. I thought I'd get more use this route.

I was very disappointed with this mic. I wanted to be able to do interviews at a construction site. Even though we were several 100 yards away and there was little machinery running at the time, the audio was poor. I had a constant hiss in the audio. The mic is very light weight and feels cheap, almost like a "toy" mic. Since SONY makes sure you can use only their mics, you don't have much choice. I am thinking about getting their wireless mic, but after seeing the quaility of this one, I'm a little hesitant to buy another SONY mic.