Customer Reviews

Sony ECM-MS908C Stereo Video Microphone with Switchable Pick-Up Angle

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Excellent mike but NOT for mounting on your camcorder. Anytime you touch your camcorder to adjust exposure, zoom in-out, manual focus,etc the sound of your finger tips will be recorded on tape. Be warned. The Sony ECM-HS1,which I have used for over three years, is a much better choice. No camera handling noise is recorded, sound quality is not at par with the MS908C, but much better than the internal mike. Just leave it in the 'Shotgun' full time for best results.

I bought this mike 3 years ago. Much of my videos are interviews. I bought a six-foot extension cord at Radio Shack and use this mike handheld. Viewers remark that in my videos you can hear what the people say, with full, clear sound. If I have to cut in an interview someone else did using a camera-mounted mike, the sound is suddenly tinny, distant, and weak. I also own a camera-mounted Canon shotgun mike. I use that if a handheld mike isn't possible, but it's substantially worse sound. I also own two Sony wireless laveliers. I rarely use those, they're too much trouble to deal with. As for built-in mikes, some camcorders have acceptable mikes and others are horrendous. This Sony mike is my first choice mike in nearly every video. Simple to use, pro sound. I never use this microphone mounted to the camcorder. Thus I should have bought the Sony ECMMS907, which is the same microphone but with a small stand instead of the camcorder mount. But the subject is almost always holding this mike so I usually don't need a stand.

I should start out by saying that my primary uses for this mic have been for instrumental recording. I generally record directly to a Sony MD player if I am recording a practice session with it, but I have recorded a few concerts as well and have run it through a mixer with great results. Individual voices come through very well. The only disadvantage to it is that you can only use 3.5mm cable with it, which works great for recording to MD but means you need adapters to work with any other type of recording equipment. If this is a major concern, you may wish to look at the more pro-sumer like equivalent, the MS-957, which will allow you to use either 3.5mm or XLR cable. However, I find these mics more than acceptable for most of my uses, and have been pleasantly surprised by these two mics that I picked up.

The sound quality of this mic is excellent, but only if within a relatively close range. One can only get good-quality dialogue if the speaker is within, literally, 10 feet of the camera. When switched to 120-degree mode, yes, the mic does pick up more, but, as I have said, the quality is poor. I have also used this mic for recording music and it does fairly well as long as it is placed within a reasonable distance away; it doesn't stand up well to loud situations. Overall, if one plans to use the microphone to record interviews or other close-range situations, then this is definitely the microphone to get. But, because of the greatly varying sound quality, if one is considering this for a project that requires distance and range I am sure that one could find one of better quality for equal or even lesser price.

This microphone was an excellent purchase. I am using this on my Canon HV20 HDV camera. The sound quality is great and it reduces the noise from the camera motor to almost 0. It was a snap to install and fits nicely on top. The provided shoe mount worked great.

Great product.

I tried several mics and finally came across this one which works perfectly on my Cannon HV20 Consumer camcorder. It comes with an extension arm to reduce the the occasional tape or motor noise heard while recording with the built in mics. However even with using the camcorders hot foot it works very well as well. The hot foot DOES NOT supply power to the Mic though, it is just used to mount the mic...;). Excellent low end mic for this camcorder...

I make a lot of videos, and the first time i used this microphone my audio improved greatly. I just stuck it on my Optura 50 and I was good to go, it works like a charm. Crisp and clear audio. Just listen to the sound quality of this video and you be the judge. [...]

I would highly recommend this microphone for any serious hobbyist.

Doesn't work on my HDR-HC7 shoe. You might think Sony would be smart enough to include a $1.50 adapter for their own intelligent shoe, but no deal. Overall, it's a great mike. Looks sharp, sounds crisp and clear, and seems to be acoustically accurate. Low noise. It probably works best within 10-12 ft. It just arrived today so I can't report field results, but in a quiet environment it didn't pick up any camcorder noises and it seems to have adequate stereo imaging and directionality. Thinking optimistically, the mic offers us the 1,002nd use for duct tape. Performance: 5 stars. Sony Intelligence: 1 star.

All in all, I am pleased with this mic. It works well with my Sony MiniDV Camcorder and is easy to install. The one thing I don't like is that the light indicating the battery life of the mic is covered by the foam windscreen.

Works great with my Sony DCR-TRV17. The built-in mic captures the noise of the motor from the tape transport, so every video has this whine. I tried an Audio-Technica shotgun mic for camcorders, but it produced a low hum on every recording. The Sony ECM-MS908C works great, captures good sound. Finally, noise free recordings!