Sony ECM-HST1 High-Fidelity Stereo Microphone

Comments about Sony ECM-HST1 High-Fidelity Stereo Microphone:

I used this with my sony CX700v. Dont see any difference with camera's built in mic and this. Returning this back to BH

Comments about Sony ECM-HST1 High-Fidelity Stereo Microphone:

Does a great job picking up the audio in front of the camera at the 90 degree setting. Much better than the built in microphones which pick up everything, including all the sound you don't want. This is a great, low cost solution for recording video without a separate sound guy with boom mics. Good choice for beginning movie makers.

Comments about Sony ECM-HST1 High-Fidelity Stereo Microphone:

Looks nice and compact. Works fine. Limited frequency performance. Missing Bass and Hi's for concerts etc.
Was shipped same day as ordered.

Comments about Sony ECM-HST1 High-Fidelity Stereo Microphone:

Works good picking up the sound in front of the camcorder.

Comments about Sony ECM-HST1 High-Fidelity Stereo Microphone:

I'm the guy that would do anything to remove the negative effects of using the built-in mic on any camcorder. It's proprietary connector doesn't allow it to be used on non-ai and non-Sony products, but the hot shoe configuration is simple to use and sets up quickly.

The mic itself gives a clean signal with low noise and comes with a dead-cat to reduce wind noise. It can be adjusted to camera-facing l/r, rear-facing l/r, and 90 degree for front and rear l/r.

It has a gromit at the base to reduce camera-handling noise. Its protrusion from the camera removes the camcorder from being pocketable (for me, at least). I'm using it on a cx550.

Having the mic, along with the mic in for external mic'ing, gives me overall good options when getting sound from the camcorder itself. It doesn't replace a dedicated field recorder but it does produce a clearer signal than I thought it would.

Comments about Sony ECM-HST1 High-Fidelity Stereo Microphone:

excellent product, the best microphone for camcoder Sony

Comments about Sony ECM-HST1 High-Fidelity Stereo Microphone:

For a public events it´s a good accesorie

Comments about Sony ECM-HST1 High-Fidelity Stereo Microphone:

The microphone is perfect for picking up one speaker at an event. I used mine for the best man's speach at my son's wedding and it worked fantastic!

Comments about Sony ECM-HST1 High-Fidelity Stereo Microphone:

Was unhappy with wind noise from camcorder's built in mic. This mic (along with it's windscreen) performed flawlessly. Even when recording from an open car window wind noise is kept to a minimum, or is non-existant.

Comments about Sony ECM-HST1 High-Fidelity Stereo Microphone:

Works as advertised, though the fuzzy cover is difficult to place/remove.

No real practical use yet with the 120-degree feature, the 90-degree function works well.

The soft cloth carrying case offers no protection, so make sure it stays within your padded camera bag when not in use.

Comments about Sony ECM-HST1 High-Fidelity Stereo Microphone:

it's a nice microphone, compact and functional. It's perfect to amateur use, maybe a few professional uses. I recommend!

Comments about Sony ECM-HST1 High-Fidelity Stereo Microphone:

I bought the Sony ECM-HST1 top mounted mic to improve the 5.1 built-in mic on my Sony HR-500V HD camcorder which is noisy, picks up too much rear sound like operator breathing, and has trouble picking up speakers just 6+ feet away. However, this external mic with 90 and 120 degree coverage settings has just as much noise (albeit higher pitched) and has significantly lower volume at its 90 setting and is still a tad lower at 120. The mic is also very sensitive to wind noise - even a slight breeze. A wind screen is provided but shouldn't have to be used for slight breezes. It's only potential benefit is that it greatly reduces rear noise - so much so, it's hard to narrate your recording - and it has a shock mount that might reduce camera handling noise though I don't have any when I shoot. I did a test with a cheap $7 mono mic I bought at [...] that I plugged into the external 1/8" mic input and was blown away by the tremendous sensitivity it provided. I was able to record quiet conversations at 10 feet. I then tried another similar "end cap special" with the same results. I then tried an old 3Sony external stereo mic and it, too, produced astounding results. Judging by the poor reviews of Sony's only other top-mount mike, a shotgun, it appears Sony has a serious flaw when using either of their only two top mounted mics in their proprietary top "smart" shoe. It's a shame because the idea is great but the execution is terrible. Just plug just about any other standard mic into the 1/8" mic jack and you'll get outstanding sensitivity. The only inconvenience with this approach is that there is no place to mount or hang an external mic and the top mount is proprietary and won't accept standard photo shoe mount brackets or accessories. If you have money to burn, don't need a sensitive mic, don't mind the background his, and want to significantly mute rear sound pickup, then it might be ok for you. For my prosumer use, it just doesn't work and isn't worth the price.I gave it 3 stars because it is not a bad mic. It is just a solution that when used with the HR-500V that is worse in most respects than the internal mics it is supposed to replace and improve upon.

Comments about Sony ECM-HST1 High-Fidelity Stereo Microphone:

Very good product, specially the wind screen.

Comments about Sony ECM-HST1 High-Fidelity Stereo Microphone:

Used on a Sony HDR-SR11 for classroom recording. Wanted a higher quality, more directional microphone than the built-in. Audio was very clear, and levels were good. Happy with performance.

Comments about Sony ECM-HST1 High-Fidelity Stereo Microphone:

I use the ECM-HST1 mic on my Sony DCR-SR82. I bought it in hopes of overcoming the distortion I get with the on-board mic while recording loud, live concerts.

Whereas the recordings I made before were distorted and difficult to listen to, the quality of the audio with the ECM-HST1 mic was clear and had reasonable bass response from about 100 feet away.

The recordings with the ECM-HST1 are definitely good enough to share with friends and to post online.