On Mon, 28 Apr 2003 06:25:10 GMT, "Magnusfarce" <magnusfarce@earthlink.net> wrote:

>I posted quite a while back about finding a zoom mic for my Sony TRV-18. I

>finally got around to testing the cheapest one, the ECM-HS1, which turned

>out to be as bad as members of this group suggested. Attenuation of sound

>from near the camera was moderate at best, and the quality of the sound

>signal from the mic itself (during zoom) is terrible. It goes back to

>Circuit City tomorow.

>

>My needs are pretty conventional: I need to get rid of most of the noise

>near the camera and focus more on my target, whether I'm zoomed or not. The

>sound quality of the camera mic is acceptable (I guess), certainly compared

>to the ECM-HS1 in zoom mode. The built-in camera mic is way too sensitive

>to local noise (noise near the camera), and I need to block most of that

>out. A while back, I shot some stuff while I had a head cold, and most of

>the audio track is me sneezing and snuffing. Pretty disgusting.

>

>Searches show several Sony mics that cost a little more, and I hope (perhaps

>naively) that they will perform better than the one I just tested. The

>three I've located are:

>

> ECM-Z37c (a uni-directional non-zoom mic for about $100)

> ECM-MSD1 (a gun zoom mic that synchs with the camcorder for about $80)

> ECM-MS908c (a one-point mic for about $75)

>

>The last one apparently isn't a uni-directional or zoom mic, so perhaps not

>what I am looking for. (BTW, what is a one-point mic?) I might be

>satisfied with a uni-directional mic, and not even worry about zoom

>capabilities. Overall, a much better version of the HS1 would be ideal.

>

>Any comments on these mics or any others that might work as well? These

>three appear to be physically compatible with my shoe, and I don't mind

>having to plug it in as long as the power comes from the camera. Thanks in

>advance for any help.

At least with the 908c, it does not use the camera power

(the single AA battery lasts a long time [especially if

you forget to turn on the mic ;-], but not if you

forget to turn it off...). The 908c is a good-sounding

mic that does not require having two widely-spaced

mono mics for good stereo effect (thus, "single-point").

It is not directional, though... I have not tried the

others, though a discontinued Sony Z157 does sound good,

but only around a mid-point in the zoom range (I would

avoid using a mic that zooms with the lens...). It

is large (but very light) and it sounds good (but is

about $165 at B&H), but worth considering: the

Sennheiser MKE-300. BTW, no mic will cut off all

surrounding sound, and the shotguns are more effective

at being directional at higher frequencies more than

at lower, but some help without going to the extremes

of using 2' long shotguns or parabolic reflectors...