Canon DM-50 Directional Stereo Microphone

Comments about Canon DM-50 Directional Stereo Microphone:

I bought this microphone to use with active live streaming for a speaker about 20 to 25 feet away from the microphone and I have found that the sound quality is much better, but the volume level can have issues if I do not manually adjust it on the camcorder and then I am left wanting just a bit more. Do not expect to get much louder volume than what you already have with the built in microphone for the camcorder, but for anything fairly close to the camcorder it works great and the sound quality is much improved.The instructions that come with this are almost useless and pretty much tell you that this will turn itself on and be good after you attach it to the camcorder. Nothing could be further from the truth. You will need to consult your camcorder guide and then do not expect to get much help. The biggest issue is adjusting the volume and making sure it is actually on as it has no power switch. It is supposed to turn itself on as soon as you attach it, but it does not always work that way. You may have to fiddle with it a bit to make sure it is actually on.Once I get it on and adjust the volume I am fairly pleased with the sound quality, enough so to not return it. There could perhaps be better alternatives out there such as wireless bluetooth microphones if you are planning to video far away from where your person is speaking, but if it is relatively close to the microphone you should be ok.

Comments about Canon DM-50 Directional Stereo Microphone:

I bought this for my Canon HV30.

On a trip to Disneyland I recorded my grand daughter talking to various princesses. With the built in mic often her conversation was drowned out by surrounding noises/voices so I decided to try a mic with a shotgun mode.

The DM50 is very convenient in that it fits right onto the hot shoe and does not need a cable or battery. The quality of construction is OK. Not great, just OK. It came with wind shields.

I tested the DM50 and found that while the shotgun mode was able to concentrate the audio from sources in front of the camera, the sound quality was not much better than that from the built in mic. The audio was lacking in mid-low frequencies and and sounded sort of hollow. This could be fixed somewhat in Final Cut Pro but I did not want to have to do that.

I decided to return the mic. B&H readily and promptly sent me an RMA and the mic is now on its way back to them.

Comments about Canon DM-50 Directional Stereo Microphone:

In most situations the DM-50 surpasses the performance of the Canon GL2's built-in microphone. It will still pick up camera noise. But for interviews, for instance, if you are within 3-6 feet of your subject camera noise will be negligible. It is not a solution for across the room sound or if you are shooting a speaker at a podium. You need a wireless mic for that.

Comments about Canon DM-50 Directional Stereo Microphone:

The DM-50 Directional Stereo Microphone is a great Microphone. It comes with three different modes, Which are shotgun, Shotgun one and two. Each shotgun opens up a little more than the next. The Microphone is also lightweight so you barely notice the difference in the camcorder weight. It is also easy to use, since it is connected to a hot shoe there is little you need to do towards your camcorder. It also comes with a wind blocker that does not lose sound quality when placed on. This microphone is also compatible with many other camcorders. So over all the DM-50 Directional Stereo Microphone is a great microphone that well get the job done.

Comments about Canon DM-50 Directional Stereo Microphone:

I've been using this mic with my old Canon HV20 for about two weeks now, and I'm loving it. Unlike most third-party mics I've seen, it interfaces directly with the camera through the hotshoe. Snap it on and it overrides the built-in mic, with no secondary wire requried.

I'm mostly using this for taping in noisy trade-show environments with untrained subjects who talk too quietly, but the mic picks them up loud and clear in shotgun mode, even when I can't hear them very well with my ears alone.

The two stereo modes work well outdoors or in areas with moderate ambient sound. S1 gives you stereo with emphasis on the area in front of the camera, S2 gives you omnidirectional sensitivity.

If you've got a compatible older Canon consumer camcorder that you rely on for usable footage in tough audio environments, this is a pretty great way to go. It's lightweight, attaches quickly, and delivers really solid sound. Just make sure you get the compatible dead-cat wind cover if you're going to be shooting outdoors.

A note about the rating: This mic is designed explicitly for older Canons, and as such, it's the best option I've seen for them. So I'm giving it 5 stars in that regard. In the total universe of short shotguns, I'd give it 3 stars.

Comments about Canon DM-50 Directional Stereo Microphone:

Thought this would work on the Xixia models. Had to exchange for a DM-100 which worked fine. No trouble returning and getting the DM-100.

Comments about Canon DM-50 Directional Stereo Microphone:

This mike is easy to attach, light and has great bidirectional sound. Unlike some other mikes, it is not heavy nor does it flop around. It does require a hot shoe.

Comments about Canon DM-50 Directional Stereo Microphone:

I tape a lot of choral and instrumental music performances on a volunteer basis. I have always been disappointed with the built-in mikes in the several DV/HDV camcorders I have used, and have edited in seperately recorded sound where possible.

When I recently got a new Canon HV40, I decided to get the hotshoe DM-50 mike as well. I just did a taping where I used it, and also had access to a separate, high-end audio recording of the same session. Based on that session, I would say:

Plus:

The DM-50 compared very, very favorably with the high-end recording.

It was so good that in most cases I would not even try to use a separate audio recording anymore.

Minus:

Bass response definitely falls off rapidly below about 150Hz. The recording location unfortunately had a low rumble at about 80Hz that the DM-50 completely missed. It is quite noticeable in the high-end recording. If you need low-end bass, you need a different mike for that.

While motor noise is very substantially reduced compared to the built-in mike, it can still be noticed at a very low level in near-silence.

Comments about Canon DM-50 Directional Stereo Microphone:

After reading everything I could find on add on Mics and watching all the youtube videos I settled on this Mic and I'm happy with it. I don't shoot feature films and I'm not making music videos. I just enjoy shooting family stuff and generally playing around with my camera. There may be better overall Mics out there but I think this is a very good general purpose add on that is a big improvement over the built in Mic. It doesn't seem to use much battery power. it fits into my camera case easily with my camera,cords and extra battery. I don't hear camera noise as some have said. Maybe in a totally quiet situation but I haven't filmed anything like that yet. There is a difference in the sound picked up between shotgun mode and stereo 1 but I don't hear much difference between stereo 1 and stereo 2. If your needs are general purpose and an improvement over the built in I think you'd be happy with it as well.

Comments about Canon DM-50 Directional Stereo Microphone:

The mic is lightweight and doesn't require batteries because it's charged by the hotshoe.
But also, it drains the power out of the camera quicker and you can't take it off of the camera to move it closer to the subject because the camera powers it. Overall, it works well and does what it's suppose to.

Comments about Canon DM-50 Directional Stereo Microphone:

Exactly what I needed.Perform as expected

Comments about Canon DM-50 Directional Stereo Microphone:

Shotgun. Stereo 1. Stereo 2. If you are wondering what that means, buy it for your video recorder and you will hear the difference. This directional microphone delivers high quality, professional sound. It is better to use it with a canon product. Always use accessories that are the same named brand of the product you are using . (Ex. Canon with Canon. Nikon with Nikon).
I was filming a festival this past weekend. I was about 50 feet away from the subject that I was recording. I decided to point to the subject using the shotgun option to test the distance of which the sound could be recorded, and believe it or not, I could hear clearly what the subject was saying. This, with the music in the background playing.
It is very sensitive on the touch. It also eliminates camera touch sounds.

Comments about Canon DM-50 Directional Stereo Microphone:

The stereo microphone picks up even low voices clearly.

Comments about Canon DM-50 Directional Stereo Microphone:

I was impressed to the quality of the sound in the video when it was used. Just recently used it for vacation at Aruba at the pool, beach, and our room it I could not belive the difference in the experience from last years videos. When it was used at the pool(in shotgun mode), sitting under the cabana and aimed about 30 feet at the kiddie pool, it caught everything. I was amazed. When we took it to the beach(in Stero 2 Mode), we had a sea turtle group that was explaing what they were doing and it caught everything. I think to that the mini windjamer we purchased along with it was a great purchase too. Consider it if it is in your budget, its worth the value. We have absolutely NO wind sounds in the audio, verses last years videos. Both are a great value.

Comments about Canon DM-50 Directional Stereo Microphone:

Th.is made all the difference in picking up sound with my Canon video camera. It fits right into the shoe without an extra cord.Iam very happy now with my movies.

Comments about Canon DM-50 Directional Stereo Microphone:

I used it on my Canon HV40 to shoot some research footage for a documentary. The sound quality was pretty good for its price. And it's very easy to use.

Comments about Canon DM-50 Directional Stereo Microphone:

The sound with the dm-50 is better than the camera's internal microphone. Less tape noise, + it's great and it looks professional. There's shotgun mode, and stereo mode, which is also great. However, the mic may look a bit too big compared to the camera alone, and it's still a basic microphone. For the price, I think it's overrated, but hey, it's still more affordable then it was 10 years ago. It's also only compatible with the hv20 series. For those with low budgets, buy it.

Comments about Canon DM-50 Directional Stereo Microphone:

I use the DM-50 outside on sports videos.
What I like: no extra battery and three sound settings.

Comments about Canon DM-50 Directional Stereo Microphone:

Great Little Mic. It is alot smaller then i expected but fits great with my HV40.
It picks up ALOT tho so be careful what you say in the next room.

Comments about Canon DM-50 Directional Stereo Microphone:

Have used the microphone only once, but it works as advertised.