Sony ECM HGZ1 - Microphone - zoom

I was looking to buy this microphone for my DCR-HC90 and after reading the reviews already on here, most people seemed to either give 1 one star saying it was useless or 5 stars saying it was great, which of course I found quite frustrating.

Anyway, now that I've got one and have played around with it, I'm quite happy with it. Using the 'gun' setting on the mic really does cut down on surrounding atmos etc which is what I was after, if you're looking to film an interview, even in a relatively noisy location, this should cut down a fair bit on everything other than the person you're pointing it at.

Of course this mic won't give you a completely professional result (which I think some people were expecting) - then again, this isn't a professional microphone. It is simply meant to be a step up from using the in-built mic - and it is.

The 'zoom' function I was not overly impressed with, and don't really use it. Before I even tried it I knew it was more of a gimmick than anything. Pure and simple, you're not going to get crisp, clean audio if the mic is a long way away from the audio source, simple as that. I've been using it mainly for interviews so far where the person is no more than about 5 or so meters from the camera - in this situation the mic works fine.

In regards to the quality of the audio itself, it's pretty much the same as the in-built mic (which I actually think is quite good for a cheap camera), and with the levels of all the surrounding noise brought right down I was quite happy with it.

All in all I am quite happy with this mic and think it is pretty good for what it is and how much it costs. It is definitely an improvement from the built in microphone and if you're looking to do basic interviews or things like that, for the price I think it's pretty good.

Finally, you would want to note (and this is where I got caught out) that this is a MONO mic that will record to the left channel only. You will have to duplicate the left channel in your editing software to have it coming out of both left and right channels in your finished product.

Cheers.

I've been using this microphone off and on with my issued Sony HD camcorder, and before that, with a Sony SD hard drive-based camcorder, for perhaps 2 years or so. Understand that the HGZ1 by no means is a $500-or-above Sennheiser shotgun microphone that picks up subtle whispers and bumble bee noises. Come now, we're talking about a $60 piece of equipment. But on a number of occasions, people have asked me whether the audio I've captured with this unit was actually captured on a lavalier microphone. If you understand how the HGZ1 works, you'll find ways of making work for you under more extreme conditions.

Remember, this unit is proprietary; until someone designs a better one, this is it, for mounting to the Sony (unless you buy a wired mic for those camcorders that have mic jacks). **Note: There IS an alternative, wireless bluetooth Sony makes, the Sony ECMHW1 Bluetooth Wireless Microphone... We plan to order one to try, but read those reviews here as well** First thing that I was told (and I've also learned the hard way) is to place the mic on "GUN" setting. Don't use either of the other two, unless you really understand the limitations of those settings. Using it on "zoom" setting will make the thing adjust to what your camera's lens is zoomed to. So, if you're trying to get good audio when your subject is close, and you're using the wide adapter, your audio will still capture everything around you; it won't focus on your subject until you zoom in on them.

I rarely use the wide setting, and even when I do, I wind up returning it back to "gun." Here's some pointers, especially with noisy locations. First, keep the noise behind you. If you use the shotgun mic, it will capture all that noise WITH your subject, drowning their voice out (even when you use one of those expensive gun mics). It would be really nice (but impractical) to make an extension cable so your mic can be hand-held, but Sony would be foolish to do that - they should make a hand-held gun mic that can be taken off-camera. But I digress. One thing I like doing, since I don't like more than 5-10 seconds of someone slapped in front of my camera yakking their mouth off, is I start capturing what I want to hear, to lead in what I'm recording, and then I actually move the camera beneath the subject with the mic aimed up to their face. That way, I can use B-roll and other supporting video to capture just what that person is talking about. It worked the best when I had to shoot a stand-up scene of a battalion chief at a fire scene. Behind him were fire apparatus, with diesel engines roaring, as the fire was still being worked on. Once I had that first part of the interview, I moved the camera below him, which removed the noise of the fire trucks and actually saved the interview. Editing video of the scene just after 5 seconds of footage of the chief made the package work well.

If my microphone breaks, would I replace this? Yes, I'd ask for another one. Until or unless someone makes one better, this will do for now. I can actually grab a Sennheiser or use a better shotgun, with an audio microphone adapter on my Sony, but quite often, I use this setup to shoot "run and gun" video, things that you can't take too much time to set up, or you'll miss something. The mic attaches in an instant, and you're ready to record. And the mic swivels about 270 degrees, so you can aim it towards your subject if they're standing off to the side, or even right beside you, while you're shooting something else. Watch where you place your subject. Aim the mic towards them, so that you can set your shot up so that it makes sense, and so that if possible, your subject isn't in line between your mic and any loud noise. And grab more supporting video so that you can add that as your main visual, so your package won't depend on watching your subject for a long time.

PS: If you're out in the field, try this: conduct the interview in a vehicle with the windows closed. You will be surprised to hear how great the sound quality can be! I had just shot an interview with a cabbie, sitting in his car. My mic pointed to him, but the street traffic rolled on the other side of the car. So I opened the LCD screen and placed the whole camera on his dashboard, framing it to see him behind the wheel. The sound was incredible. Ooh, I see there's a way to add video - I might just show that difference if I can post it.

I read all the reviews and then tested the microphone on my Sony HDR-HC3. I agree with others that the gun mode is best. And there might be uses for the zoom affect, like having the sound increase in strength as one moves into a scene. But in normal mode like filming wedding vows from a distance the gun mode would be best while zoomed or not zoomed.