Sony ECM-SST1 Compact Stereo Microphone

Comments about Sony ECM-SST1 Compact Stereo Microphone:

One of the first videos I made after purchasing the mike was a walking sequence (with an old Steadicam Jr) of a house, a real estate listing. I walked up the driveway onto a large front patio with a water fountain. The mike clearly picked up the sound of the water from a distance away, grew louder, swung left as I passed the fountain, and faded away. Very realistic!

Comments about Sony ECM-SST1 Compact Stereo Microphone:

Should have insulation between the connection points. It adds noise, without any real gains. It physically attaches well. But even with 2 settings, it doesn't add any valuable audio quality. In fact, it's worse.

My use is to capture my children playing. In this, it fails.

If you'd like to have better audio, consider the Nex-7. It has front facing mics. Additionally, the Nex-7 has an external mic port, but the 5-N does not.

Lastly, the Nex-7 doesn't experience an audio clicking, not even a hint. The 5-N does have the audio clicking, but while there is a free repair from Sony, the clicking may remain or return even after the "fix."

Comments about Sony ECM-SST1 Compact Stereo Microphone:

This mic is a great acessory to the Sony NX5, the audio quality is decent and it literally saved one of my recordings as I had this audio as a secondary option and my main audio track was lost. So, I applied some filters to the audio from this mic and it came out nice on the final product.

Comments about Sony ECM-SST1 Compact Stereo Microphone:

I searched high and low to find this microphone for my new Sony NEX-5 camera and I was so lucky B&H had it in stock. It arrived in time for me to use while interviewing professionals at a recent symposium in NYC and it performed beautifully, bringing clarity to the target while reducing the noise of the crowd all around us.

Comments about Sony ECM-SST1 Compact Stereo Microphone:

I only bought it to eliminate lens focusing noise, but it is still so close to the lens (maybe even closer than the internal mike) that it offers no improvement in reducing the lens noise. What good is having AF for movies if the lens noise is picked up? I am using and E-Mount lens.

Comments about Sony ECM-SST1 Compact Stereo Microphone:

Bought the ECM-SST1 as I could no longer handle the built in microphone of the Nex-5n. The problem is that the built in microphone is sensitive to even the start/stop button and you get these clicks in the video. This is not the case with the external microphone and it even has a directionality button 90/120deg and it will pick up the sound accordingly. I like it a lot. Excellent quality sound. The best way to test it is in a noisy environment and you will be able to distinguish the various sounds. If you test it in a quiet room ,you will not notice a great difference relative to the built in mic.
One issue I did notice is that if you try to zoom the kit lens and do so very slowly (18-55mm) it might pick the squeaking of the lens zoom mechanism so you hear it but if you do it a bit more smoothly it will not affect the sound in your video.

Comments about Sony ECM-SST1 Compact Stereo Microphone:

The external mic enhances the audio of my 10 year old daughters chorus and dance performances.

Comments about Sony ECM-SST1 Compact Stereo Microphone:

I bought an NEX-5 exclusively as a stills camera. However, I was very pleasantly surprised by the quality of the videos that it can produce - while capturing a nightclub performance by an electric blues band, for instance. I thought the video picture quality was great, but that the internal microphones produced mediocre sound. So, I purchased the external mike and got a substantial improvement in the recorded sound. My NEX-5 does not have volume control, so I have to be careful about standing too close to loud amplifiers, etc., but, if I exercise some common sense, it gives me pretty decent results with the least hassle possible. I do not like the fact that Sony does not provide a standard mike input on the camera; this mike comes only with the proprietary Sony plug and thus cannot be used with any other devices. The mike does come with a windscreen and a nice plastic case similar to the one for the on-camera flash unit; it is very small and light and convenient to bring along everywhere.

Now, keep in mind that I'm a casual videographer at best and I have less exacting standards regarding sound than those of someone who is serious about shooting video of live music. Those who are obsessed enough about high-quality sound should either use a dedicated video camera with XLR mike inputs, or a separate audio recorder made by Tascam or Zoom, etc. However, for my purposes the Sony accessory mike is good enough, and compact enough, so that I can always have it in my little bag.

Comments about Sony ECM-SST1 Compact Stereo Microphone:

Bought the Mic when I bought the NEX-5N because the sound fidelity of digicam 'built in' microphones is almost always sub par in my experience. True to form, the sound fidelity of the NEX-5N's built in mic is not so great and furthermore most of the NEX-5Ns come with a 'clicking noise feature' (Google 'NEX-5N clicking noise') that Sony is fixing under warranty but unfortunately means that you won't have use of the camera for two weeks while it is being repaired.
The sound fidelity of the ECM-SST1 Compact Stereo microphone is vastly superior to the built-in mic and does greatly reduce (but not eliminate) the 'clicking noise feature'.

Comments about Sony ECM-SST1 Compact Stereo Microphone:

about 10,000x better than the in body mics
maybe 100,000x

i took this to a trey anastasio concert
the sound was amazing

Comments about Sony ECM-SST1 Compact Stereo Microphone:

Great microphone. To hook it up, it pops into the slot easily on the NEX-3/NEX-5, however, there's a difficult to reach knob that must be tightened in order to secure the microphone to the camera.

Otherwise it's a great microphone.

Comments about Sony ECM-SST1 Compact Stereo Microphone:

Provides clear sound for Sony NEX cameras, much better than the built in microphones.

Comments about Sony ECM-SST1 Compact Stereo Microphone:

Audio is critical unless you are shooting B-roll footage, so this microphone improves audio quite noticeably. In testing it, I found that it produced noticeably better clarity (voice) and a better signal to noise ratio in comparison to built-in mics. It prevents the common accidental covering of the left built-in microphone port when shooting handheld.

This appears to be the only alternative to adding an external mike to the Sony NEX-3/5. The wind sock is also an essential when shooting in windy conditions. And the one drawback is the process of mounting and dismounting this external microphone. Once mounted and secured, it appears to have a solid connection.

Comments about Sony ECM-SST1 Compact Stereo Microphone:

My principle use for the NEX's video capability is dance recitals and theatrical work, usually musical numbers. This usually puts me quite a distance from the stage. The built in mics are inadequate for this, so I recently purchased the ECMSST1.

Due to its small size, the NEX 5 does not offer traditional connecting options, so one is limited to the Sony "smart accessory terminal" as the only option. Given this limitation, the Sony microphone does what it is designed to achieve: improved "live" audio recording. I am new to video, especially the audio end of it, so this system, with all of its limitations, serves my current needs.

Comments about Sony ECM-SST1 Compact Stereo Microphone:

The on-board mics on the NEX5 are located on the top edge of the body... not too ideal for capturing good audio from subjects standing in front of the camera. The ECMSST1 mic is as needed as a second battery. Just do it and love it.

Audio quality is VASTLY improved.

Comments about Sony ECM-SST1 Compact Stereo Microphone:

Great for recording audio and video of live music - makes a big difference in audio quality. A quality product with its own case that holds the microphone and baffle. Compact unit fits nicely with the Sony NEX5 and lens in small Sony case. Not so great, but not really bad - the microphone connection is small, so my larger handed husband has a little difficulty attaching.
However, when attached to the NEX5, it is very securely connected. No wobble and won't come off accidentally.

Comments about Sony ECM-SST1 Compact Stereo Microphone:

I use this when i am doing special shoots...I had not problems with using it. It can be a bit hard to install it but you get use to it.

Comments about Sony ECM-SST1 Compact Stereo Microphone:

I've used the microphone to record a band playing a couple of songs, and to record a couple of people in conversation. I'm no sound engineer, but it sounds very good to me, and better than the on-camera microphones.