Sony ECMHS1 Video Microphone with Zoom for DCRHC 40/65/85 Camcorders

by Sony

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 4.7 x 2.6 inches ; 2.1 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B00005T3BZ
• Item model number: ECMHS1
• Average Customer Review: 2.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: November 21, 2001

Product Description

Gun-like Zoom Microphone for Camcorders. May be synchronized with Camcorder Zoom

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

64 of 65 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Directionality Worth It, But Bass Slightly Weak & It's Mono, August 10, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Sony ECMHS1 Video Microphone with Zoom for DCRHC 40/65/85 Camcorders (Electronics)

Amazon.com guidelines state "your review should focus on specific features of the item and your experience with it." Unfortunately, four out of the five previous reviewers DID NOT ACTUALLY USE the microphone. Here are my experiences, under four major points.

First, you need a Sony camcorder with an "intelligent accessory shoe" on the top. This resembles a hotshoe for a 35mm still camera, but has a sliding plastic door that exposes contacts to match the 8 pins on the bottom of the mic. There's a logo that looks like the letters "i" and "A" together toward the back of the shoe. The shoe is used to hold and power other Sony accessories such as the PVPMSH color printer, HVLFDH3 video light, and HVLIRH2 NightShot infrared light. The microphone has no cord and no jack for attaching a cable, so don't try to use it on non-Sony camcorders, or on Sony ones without an intelligent accessory shoe.

Second, about its physical characteristics. It's about 5 cm (2 inches) high, 7 cm (2.5") wide, and 13 cm (5") long. It weighs about 60 grams (2 ounces). It's made of not-very-strong-looking plastic. There's no battery in it (the electret condenser is powered by the camera). The rotating collar locks the mic onto the shoe securely. It swivels in a horizontal plane through 270 degrees, with indents / stops at 0 degrees (facing forward) and 180 degrees (facing backward).

Third, how it works. There's a three-position "mode" switch (zoom/off/gun) at the back. It seems like the "zoom" is done electronically. In "zoom" mode, when the lens is wide-angle, you hear mostly the on-board omnidirectional mic in stereo and very little of the ECMHS1 mike in mono. As you zoom in to telephoto, more and more of the directional mike comes into play. If you're recording live music, it's probably "disconcerting" to zoom around because the sound will appear to switch from stereo to mono and back. In the "gun" mode, you hear no onboard microphone at any time (similar to how it sounds when the zoom is at the longest focal length possible) and the sound is totally mono.

Finally, about the sound quality in "gun" mode using a DCR-TRV240 Digital Handycam, which uses "Digital 8" tapes. YMMV. The low frequencies could use some boosting, but are only slightly weaker than the onboard mic. For classical music and speech, the bass is acceptable. The microphone does not totally eliminate sounds coming from the periphery, but overall is better for faint distant subjects than the one on the camcorder because it (a) records a stronger signal onto the videotape, (b) does not pick up too much ambient sound occurring away from the field of view, and (c) causes less tape motor noise (which is a problem with my onboard mic in quiet situations) to be recorded. (Zooming is very quiet for my camera, so neither the built-in mic nor the ECM HS1 picked up any significant zooming sounds.)

A few minor points: There is no instruction page (you have to figure out what the "zoom" and "gun" settings mean, and how to mount the thing onto your camcorder). The "specifications" lack a frequency response and other useful info. A provided storage pouch gives protection from dirt but not water or shock.

In conclusion, this shotgun-style microphone is worth the money for subjects that are not producing much sound, that don't need to be in stereo, that strong bass is not critical for, and that are on screen. (If you're taping loud concerts for which you want to hear the music in stereo, with plenty of bass, and all the time even when the performers are not in view, the mic that comes with the camcorder will work fine.) Buy it at Amazon.com!

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Does the job -- within reason, May 27, 2003

By 

L. Lestha "urieldewolf" (Uxbridge, MA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sony ECMHS1 Video Microphone with Zoom for DCRHC 40/65/85 Camcorders (Electronics)

Unlike the other unfortunate reviewers, this mic does fit my camcorder (Sony DCRVX2000 MiniDV Digital Camcorder) but I did some double-checking for compatibility before I purchased. Despite having a decent camera, I'm very new to "filming" so I can not speak from a position of expertise. However, I was astounded by how much this mic picks up! Even the cast members were amazed at the technology that allows the microphone to "zoom" in with the camera. Lacking a real budget and the proper equipment, this microphone has been a real blessing when doing tricky outdoor shots where the camera has to remain at a distance from the actors. (We're talking no-budget independent films.) Obviously, the quality of the sound is limited but for the money, it's a wonder for an amateur like me. However, a word of warning: based on prior reviews, make sure it's compatible with your camera before purchasing. My DCRVX2000 is considered in the pro-sumer range and this mic worked great for me right out of the box. I can not speak for any other camera.

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars IMO, a waste of $50... Check out the ECM-MS908C instead, March 28, 2004

By 

D. Wilder (Colorado, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sony ECMHS1 Video Microphone with Zoom for DCRHC 40/65/85 Camcorders (Electronics)

I bought one of these over a year ago when I could not find any reviews or any explanation of how the "zoom" worked. Boy, did I feel ripped off. I meant to warn others about the product but it got buried and forgotten until I ran across it today while cleaning my office.

Although some may like the convenience of no cables with the smart shoe connection, the audio quality is really quite abismal. It actually makes the on-board mic of my TRV27 shine. I was pretty naive about camcorder audio when I bought the ECM-HS1 but the fact that Sony doesn't publish any audio specs on the unit should be a big red flag to avoid this one. At best, this should be considered a speech only mic; forget music.

Although I've since moved on to pro audio equipment, you don't need to go to this level to get decent audio. After making the mistake with the ECM-HS1, I bought a Sony ECM-MS908C. It's compact and has a camera shoe mount although not the smart connector. However this means it will work with any camcorder that has an external mic mini-jack. The published audio specs are still thin but the audio quality of the ECM-MS908 is markedly superior AND it's stereo. I've gotten decent musical recordings with it and I've read recommendations from others who have used it for mini-disc recordings at concerts. Much more bang for the buck.