Customer Reviews

Sony ECMMSD1 Stereo Zoom Camcorder Microphone for DCRHC20/30/40/65/85, DCRVX2100, HDRFX1

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

 

 

I ordered this mic after having to return the ECMHS1 (because it was, in reality, totally non-directional). Well, this one actually IS directional, but it is such a pain to use I wish I never bought it.

1st of all, you should know this mic does not work with the "smart shoe" available on most Sony camcorders - this means it will not receive any power from or transfer sound data to the camcorder through the shoe. Therefore it is battery powered. This may seem like a minor problem, but it means you need to remember to turn it on and off each time you video, otherwise you will have either a soundless video or a dead battery. Believe me, at some point you WILL forget this.

Not being smart shoe compatible also means you have to plug the mic into a jack on the camcorder - this can be a real hassle if you have a small device and are trying to loop the cord around so it isn't in the way. (In my case the jack is under a rather cheap plastic cover that threatens to break off with repeated use.)

(As you might expect, I highly recommend you check whether a mic is smart shoe compatible. Of course, that means the mic doesn't need a battery or audio plug - not that it will simply fit into the shoe. It's a great feature.)

Finally, while the engineers at Sony have done some amazing things over the years, they weren't able to do even a half-decent job designing the cap that covers this mic's battery. This cap will fall off with even the slightest touch. This can be INCREDIBLY annoying. Mine fell off several times - fortunately I always managed to find it. I finally put a piece of duct tape on to secure it (doesn't look great, but at least the color matches).

Considering the high cost, this mic is a really bad investment. While the non-directional mics in most camcorders are pretty pathetic, this is a VERY poor substitute.

I've used this for a couple of years on a Canon Optura 20 camcorder with good results. I agree that you have to remember to turn it on and off but so what? That's not a big deal to me, I just always carry extra batteries.

About remembering to turn it on in the first place: when using an external mic you should also be monitoring your recording. It's actually critical to do this so you know what's being recorded on your audio track. You do this by plugging in headphones or ear pods into the audio out jack on your camcorder, then setting the camcorder appropriately (on my Canon it's menu/vcr setting/av/headphone). You will then hear everything that's being recorded and so will know if your mic is on or not.

My main quibble is that when the mic is fastened to the body of the camcorder, it picks up some hum from the camera body, although it's much better than the internal mic... probably 85% better. But still...

So I took a big artist's eraser and an Exacto knife and carved it so the eraser fits into the camcorder shoe and the mic slides into the top of the eraser. This isolates 99%+ of the sound. Took about 15 minutes to make it and worth every second. Cost about $1.00 and I've been using it for years.

I have to agree with Scipio's review. I have stopped using this mic for a few reasons. 1) I forgot to turn it on one time and lost a lot of valuable sound on my footage. 2) I never know if it is working or not as it doesn't integrate with the camera, so how do I know when the batteries are dead?? Scares me to use it not knowing if its working or not. Sound quality was great for the few times I have used it, but I'll be looking for a hot shoe mic now.

I bought this mike to go with my Canon mvx150i which
has an appalling problem with tape noise being
picked up by the internal mike.

I wanted a compact solution, so I steered away from
the bulky canon zoom mike.

This mike solved my problem beautifully. The quality
of the sound is wonderful and the tape noise is non-existent.
And it's small and cute.

As the previous reviewer points out:

This mike does not work with the smart shoe.
And if you forget to turn it on and you have the mike
plugged into your audio in, you get silence.

However, I've *never* had the battery cover pop off.

And its not a zoom mike. It has a wide and a narrow setting.
Not the same thing at all.

This is a great mic for the price. However I talked to Sony Customer Care center before I purchased this mic for my HDR-SR1 camcorder. I was told it would fit the accessory shoe on my camcorder. It doesn't even come close. I'm using velcro to hold it in position.

That being said... The mic is great. It picks up better sound than the on-board mic, and is directional. You can switch from Off to 90 degree, to 120 Degree pick up. All in all I love it.

Bought this item and returned it the next day. I was hoping to reduce or eliminate the mechanical noise picked up on my Sony DCR-TRV 103 by using this microphone. Well, even in the 90 degree setting, the mechanical noise that my camcorder emits is still picked up. In fact it sounded as though I was hearing two sets of mechanical noise instead of one. This mic should cut out the on board mic (a stereo version already), but apparently did not. Went into my settings and tried channel 1 only, then channel 2 only, then 1 and 2. Did not make a difference. Only good thing I can say is it fit in the Sony shoe. Of course it is not made to work with the intelligent shoe and is powered by battery and plugs into the mic-in jack. Don't bother with this model.

This microphone is listed as a compatible accessory for the Sony HDR-HC7 video camera on most websites, including SonyStyle. While the microphone may be of good quality (I didn't have an opportunity to thoroughly test it), it is only marginally compatible and a very poor choice for the HDR-HC7. The microphone does plug into the MIC jack on the camera and appears to work, but the shoe does not fit the hot shoe bracket on the camera. (Note that there is no direct way to tell if it is actually working without playing the tape back, at which point it's probably too late to make a correction.) After nearly an hour of very irritating chat room discussion and, finally, direct conversation with a Sony Technician, I learned that there is a "jury-rigged" bracket that will allow you to attach the microphone near the camera on a tripod. Otherwise, there is no way to fix it to the camera. The Sony technician finally admitted that it was " curious" that Sony lists this as a compatible microphone. If you have a Sony HDR-HC7, CHOOSE A DIFFERENT MICROPHONE!

Pros: This mic is easy to install and easy to use. Simply slide it onto accessory shoe and plug it in. This is a stereo mic that can be switched from a 90 to 120 degree cone of focus. Nice features included are a foam wind buffer and a cloth storage bag.

Con: Although plugged into the camcorder, you must turn it on/off manually. Not so bad once you have trained yourself to remember to turn it on before shooting, but before that, expect to capture some video without capturing the audio (once plugged in, the mic is the sole source of audio).

Overall: greatly improved audio. I am spoiled now and will always use aux mic for camcording.

Bought this thinking it would work with the HDR-HC1 - it does not. The shoe is not the right shoe for the HC1 camera. It is listed as a compatible accessory on the Sony web site, but when we got it and AFTER opening the package realized it was wrong, were quite disappointed. Bought it from ANT Online and because the packaging was opened, couldn't return it. You can't open electronics packaging without damaging it, making almost anything unreturnable. So now I have to figure out how to get rid of it. Contact me if you want it for Amazon pricing plus shipping.

I thought the mic will have significant improvement on sound clarity and quality, but obviously not. Also, it is not very easy to use that it is not easy to clip on and be stable, and needing to use on/off buttons to turn the mic on is really not a good feature (it should be just automatic). I taped a birthday scene for my daughter but later found out that I didn't have the birthday sound because I didn't turn on the mic, what a bummer!