Sony ECM-AW3 - Bluetooth Wireless Microphone System for Video Cameras

Comments about Sony ECM-AW3 - Bluetooth Wireless Microphone System for Video Cameras:

I use it in a church service to connect with the sound booth. Reception was decent but when line-of-sight was broken there was some spottiness. Overall a pretty good product.

Comments about Sony ECM-AW3 - Bluetooth Wireless Microphone System for Video Cameras:

I bought the ECM-AW3 from my experience with ECM-HW2 for my Sony HDR-CX500. But, the ECM-AW3 was for my new Canon HF G10. I look at the Canon's wireless mic, but thought it was too expensive. I do some testing with the mic and received very good results. One thing is for sure, the Bluetooth does not go through walls. Also, you can use it on any camcorder with a 3.5mm minijack mic input. The mic is bulky and hard to hide on someone. I gave it 4 stars because of the microphone size and how the receiver hangs on the wrist strap.

Comments about Sony ECM-AW3 - Bluetooth Wireless Microphone System for Video Cameras:

If there was some feed back suppression these would be a perfect mic set! The sound is great and the distances easily 150ft with perfect sound.

Comments about Sony ECM-AW3 - Bluetooth Wireless Microphone System for Video Cameras:

its easy to use, although it needs special connector for iPhone.
sometimes records on different level, probably because automatic gain control. wasn't able to precisely figure that out

Comments about Sony ECM-AW3 - Bluetooth Wireless Microphone System for Video Cameras:

Big improvement over using the camera mic, and not as expensive as higher-end lavaliers. I've used it with my high school students for a week--so far so good!

Comments about Sony ECM-AW3 - Bluetooth Wireless Microphone System for Video Cameras:

I use it with a Sony camcorder and it works. Sound recording quality is acceptable to me.

Comments about Sony ECM-AW3 - Bluetooth Wireless Microphone System for Video Cameras:

I love these Mics and they truely do the job. I work at a Chevy Dealership and for the purpose of interviews and vehicle walk arounds, these mics are top notch. It was a hassle (not with the mics) to find a camera with a mic input. So I gues you can say we built everything around these microphones. The clerity is there, usability is top notch. No real need to do distant work past 50ft. Highly recommend.

Comments about Sony ECM-AW3 - Bluetooth Wireless Microphone System for Video Cameras:

We needed a wireless mic for faculty to record themselves live (they wander, so cords are impractical). We assemble kits that include 4 rechargeable batteries and a wall charger so that they can easily swap out the batteries for fresh ones before each class. The whole system works great, except the recording software is on their Mac/PC laptop and the receiver output doesn't seem to work well with laptops, so I dropped the rating down to 4 stars because we have to add a USB audio interface (e.g. iMic).

Comments about Sony ECM-AW3 - Bluetooth Wireless Microphone System for Video Cameras:

Super easy to use and gives awesome clear sound even when moving around.

Comments about Sony ECM-AW3 - Bluetooth Wireless Microphone System for Video Cameras:

Just plug the reciever into your camera mic input, and turn it on. Then turn on the transmitter and attach to your subject, who can move far away from the camera. You can communicate with him/her through the receiver/tramsmitter and earpieces (off or on camera), therefore giving them directions such as "talk into the mic, or turn more towards the camera" etc.

There is a volume control on the reciever and transmitter for your earpiece. I thought the control on the transmitter was for volume to the camera.... it wasn't clear that the control was only for the earpiece.

Comments about Sony ECM-AW3 - Bluetooth Wireless Microphone System for Video Cameras:

I use the product to record interviews on my Camcorder and it picks up sounds clearly and the blue tooth communication helps. The drawback are you have to have the Microphone closer to the mouth if the sorrounding is noisy and the LED is sometimes distractive which can be remedied by putting a duct tape on it. I recommend the product.

Comments about Sony ECM-AW3 - Bluetooth Wireless Microphone System for Video Cameras:

PERSONAL USE
ABLE TO PICK UP SOUND CLEARLY, NOISE BAKGROUND
LIMITED

Comments about Sony ECM-AW3 - Bluetooth Wireless Microphone System for Video Cameras:

I am using this bluetooth pair to hear better under a wide variety of situations. I am considered "moderately severe to profoundly" hard of hearing. Even with both hearing aids in use, I cannot hear the television, stereo, or radio at the same levels as most people. Listening to speakers at a meeting or seminar or religious service is similarly difficult. This system helps a LOT.

I put the microphone near the source of the sound I need to hear (in front of the tv or radio, in the middle of the conference table or at the speaker's podium), and carry the receiver, using a telecoil induction neckloop or earpiece to get the amplified sounds directly to my hearing aid. It works well, has a good range of amplification, and is small, light, and relatively inexpensive.

It does use up battery power quickly, requiring a change after around three hours, so it is not something you can use all day. Most meetings or movies are less than three hours long, though, so it is fine for single events. It works very well with rechargeable batteries (I use the "Eneloop" by Sanyo), so I make sure to always keep a spare pair of charged batteries with the unit, and another in the charger ready to swap out. This greatly reduces the battery costs.

It would be very useful if a hard protective case were available to protect them better, rather than the drawstring pouch provided. I made one using an old hard-shell velvety hinged jewelry box, replacing the cardboard inside with foam rubber cut to size. This protects them very effectively when carried around in a larger bag or briefcase. You do need to stay within about 50 feet of the microphone, so in a large room, you probably can't sit at the very back, but that is usually not much of an issue.

I have found this microphone-receiver pair to be very, very useful, performing the functions of several more expensive, dedicated hearing assistive systems, and am very happy with the purchase. The service contract I purchased should also ensure that it lasts as long as I need it to, under conditions where it will probably get more use than for which it may have been intended.

Comments about Sony ECM-AW3 - Bluetooth Wireless Microphone System for Video Cameras:

I use this when recording my University lectures and I agree with other reviewers it makes a huge (essential) difference over boom or on camera recording.

BUT... new alkaline batteries only last 70 minutes and if they go flat you will get no sound. I cannot swap batteries during a lecture which means I must remember to put new batteries in before every lecture. Gets a bit pricey and I have had a coupled of 'mimed' lectures recorded when I forgot to put fresh batteries in.

Comments about Sony ECM-AW3 - Bluetooth Wireless Microphone System for Video Cameras:

I used this for a Segway tour around Pittsburgh. My subject was on one, I was on the other. I'd often be 100 feet behind him and the sound was still clear. For the price this is an extraordinary piece of consumer video gear.
It is completely self contained so it can be hidden. The down side is it needs to be hidden.
The two way communication feature is also nice, that is, the camera operator can talk to the subject - which at 100 feet is very useful.
A perfect use is to clip it on the main subject of an event, say a birthday - then you can get good audio from the subject, regardless of where you are in the crowd. (May need to edit the voices in post - people won't know they are being recorded...)
The only negative is that you can't plug a mic into it to really hide it, other than that - amazing.

Comments about Sony ECM-AW3 - Bluetooth Wireless Microphone System for Video Cameras:

I bought this for my Sony NEX VG-10 and it works great! However, I also have a Sony a55 and I find myself using the wireless mics on this because the sound quality is better. Whereas, the NEX VG-10 has better quality than both. Still I feel these mics were an awesome addition to my camera bag!

Comments about Sony ECM-AW3 - Bluetooth Wireless Microphone System for Video Cameras:

Things that are great about it

Comments about Sony ECM-AW3 - Bluetooth Wireless Microphone System for Video Cameras:

I bought this to use with my Nikon D7000 for HD videos of my wife doing 3-4 minute introductions for an online market research course. (In fact, it was recommended to us by a former documentary filmmaker in Australia who happens to be one of the students in the course.) Sound quality is EXCELLENT. For the most part set up was intuitive, but there were a few things worth noting:
On the down side: (1) battery orientation was not very clearly marked inside the cover -- it's there but hard to read in dim light; and
(2) the battery compartment cap is permanently attached with a very short cord, so don't pull too hard in getting it off the first time.
On the up side: (3) the Bluetooth pairing was automatic -- just turn on both units and wait a couple of seconds -- much simpler than even the wireless trackpad or keyboards on a MacBook, let alone any cell phone/headset combo I have ever used; and
(4) there is an unexpected bonus -- each unit is actually a transceiver, so you can use them separately from any sound recording for remote (<50m/150ft) communication with the supplied earphones.

Comments about Sony ECM-AW3 - Bluetooth Wireless Microphone System for Video Cameras:

This wireless microphone is excellent. I've been using it to record group discussions of my students as I circulate in my classroom, and it works perfectly. The microphone is easy to use and reliable; it has a good sound and does not lose its signal as some other wireless microphones that I have used do. In addition, its small size makes it perfect for recording while on the move.

Comments about Sony ECM-AW3 - Bluetooth Wireless Microphone System for Video Cameras:

I was using both the Azden WM-Pro (VHF wireless system) and occasionaly the Sony WCS-999. The Azden WM-Pro worked fairly well but it was the 9V (PP3) rectangular batteries that I dreaded; and the Sony WCS-9999 wireless system was unpredictable in terms of interference. I bought the ECM-AW3 because I have a number of different camcorders (all with microphone inputs), but I use the ECM-AW3 primarily with my Canon HV30. This microphone system works on Bluetooth frequencies (2.4 GHz), and it's completely digital of course. And while the ECM-AW3 is a great improvement over the Sony WCS-999, it would have been nice if I could still plug in my own lapel mic and override the internal capsule as it isn't easy hiding this microphone from the camera's view - and the super bright green LED (power indicator) lamp on the microphone is distracting. I solved this problem by cutting a small piece of aluminum adhesive tape to size and masked the lamp from the camera's view. The actor can still see it because this indicator wraps from the front and goes across to the top; and the tape doesn't hide the top portion.

Secondly, there is a slight delay between the actual sound versus what the camera is recording and according the owner's manual indicates this is to be expected.

What's really cool about this system is the transceiver feature (where the subject can hear you through the built-in microphone on the receiver). Now the actor can wear an earbud that's plugged into the side of microphone unit, and the camera-person can guide them into position or through the scene if they forget a particular line, etc. This feature is great.

What's also great is you can also run these units on AAA Nickel Metal Hydride rechargable batteries (one AAA for each unit).