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

Manufacturer:	Sony
List price:	~~$69.99~~
Our price:	$46.49 that is 34% off!

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

Average rating: Stars

Pitiful

Like most I bought this before searching out some reviews. I should have searched first. This mic is for buyers who haven't listened to it before purchase.

On my Sony PC330 camcorder the zoom function is really a mic mixing function: in wide shots the built-in mics are used, and as the lens is zooms out the accessory mic is faded in while the built-ins are faded out. Since the two work on very different principles (built-ins are up-facing XY-configured omni mics and thus have a very good frequency response but strange soundfield and room responses; this accessory mic is a capsule-in-a-tube mono so it has no bass at all and is very comb-filtered) the sound obtained while zooming is bipolar (in the mental-health sense of the word). It's such a disconcerting effect that it's best used in comedy skits.

If used only when the lens is zoomed out and left there it's possible to overlook the tinny nature of the sound if you need a lot of directionality in a noisy environment (it does a good job of minimizing off-axis sound). But the zoom feature, the only real selling point of this mic, is useless. Better to buy a cardioid M/S mic and let the stereo field remain constant during a zoom shot than deal with this mic clearly produced for those who buy blind.

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

Know what you are getting and why...

I have owned one of these for over 3 years and are very happy with it. I use it frequently when I need to get the sound from a distance source rather than the environment that I am in. Some examples are:
- someone giving a speech without amplification
- picking up the sound of a waterfall rather than the crowed at the overlook jabbing through the whole thing.
- picking up a conversation of people walking towards you (from a significant distant to directly in front of you)>

For an overview of the features and how they work see the review of 'A customer from California'. The only thing that seems to be different with my PC110 is that I only get one mono channel when the mic is in use (either as zoom or gun) and nothing from the internal mic.

Albeit this mic goes very well with my PC110. It complements the internal mic very good and it is also small enough to fit into one of my pockets.

Last but not least I would like to react to some of the reviews that you can read here, which are so useless that they forced me to pitch in my 2 cents:
- of course you need to make sure that your camera is hotshoe compatable. Just as you need to make sure that any filters or lenses you buy fit the thread on the lens... (probably intelli means only for people that can make that distinction).
- when I bought this mic in 2000 I was also a little bit concerned about it being mono. I also had some reservations about the sound quality which didn't seem to measure up. When using it I realized that this was a non-issue.
1. The sounds that you want to record with this mic are typically mono aural and pretty far away.
2. When editing the video I also edit the audio, dropping most of the non-essential sound and putting a music track in the background. This typically comes out very well for recordings with this mic.
3. If you need to record ambient sound (amplified events), use the internal mic or an external mic which is non-directional.
4. If you have a static setup use remote (wireless or otherwise) mic. I use a good mono Sennheiser for recording speeches or presentations.
5. Lastly for those that want to record concerts, use professional audio recording equipment and do your sound engineering the way it should be done. If you are just taping something from the audience (make sure it is legal) the internal mic in your camera will be more than adequate.

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

IMO, a waste of $50... Check out the ECM-MS908C instead

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.

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