mini zoom mic

[momoffduty]

Received a sima mini zoom mic to use with my sony minidv. Plan on using this for outdoor and indoor music events, small groups and a marching band. I googled to find info and nothing useful found.

Any tips on use...pros/cons....distance....type of event? Things I should think about before taping? I realize that this will not be in any way prof. quality, just want the best possible with what I have.

Thanks.

[Bob D]

This sounded interesting so I googled it. You are right that there isn't much info to be found, but my first stop was at Amazon and 5 out of 5 people did not like this product. Now you can't take everyone at their word, but it wasn't a good start on finding info.

Bob D

[Chuck Engels]

Wow, the reviews at Amazon are just terrible. If 5 people review it and all say the same thing I think you can trust the comments. You will definately want to test it before using it in an actual production of any kind

[Steve Grisetti]

Sony makes their own version, it the review (just one) is much more promising.
http://www.amazon.com/Sony-CAMCORDER-ZO ... B0009XDEP6

Also promising is this shotgun mike, which might be more of what you're looking for if you're recording performances from a distance.
Shotgun Mike

[Chuck Engels]

Most of the cheap mics will give you very poor sound quality. If you are serious about a external mic check out this thread
http://muvipix.com/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=300

[momoffduty]

thanks for all of the feedback. Went to Amazon and the reviews are terrible. I have tested it and wasn't too happy, but thought it was user error. It was a gift from my girls and didn't want to complain, but they did say they would take it back.

I went to the Amazon links on the mics, but it did not list my camcorder as compatible. Sony DCR-TRV18. I tried to google the sony # & mic and it is more confusing. Know of any sites that would list my model # & mic with reviews? I would rather pay more and get a good one, afterall it is my kid performing.

[rustysterling]

The problem with the Sony mics mentioned is that they need a hotshoe that specifically will recognize the mic, which means you need a Sony camcorder that has such a hotshoe. I love the idea of the Sony mics but none of my products will support them (even my HDR FX1). But for me that's OK because I have all the mics I need and then some (I'm a musician and a real gear head so you can just imagine). Good luck finding something that fits your needs. You might want to look at an Audio Technica 815B, if you can find one. It's a great long range pickup mic at a reasonable price. There's a lot out there. Here's a link to a great website I found with info on shotgun mics:

http://www.equipmentemporium.com/selectshotgun.htm

[momoffduty]

Thanks Rusty for the link to the article about microphones. My camera does have a hotshoe.

I emailed Sony asking for a recommendation $50 - $200 range and replied with the Sony ECM-HS1. $89approx. Looked at reviews on various sites and were not very good. It is mono and said not to use the gun mode. At zoom it did okay for long,long shots but the sound volume and quality went down.