ECM-XYST1M

This microphone works on a wide range of Sony camera/Handycam models supporting the Multi-Interface shoe. This will not work on Active Shoe Interface devices, and there are no adapters for converting the Multi-Interface devices to fit Active Shoe devices, as Sony is streamlining and standardizing their devices to use the Multi Interface from here on out. This is a very nice pro quality microphone that captures extremely life like audio. It's honestly better than my Rode Stereo Mic. This mic is very compact, it's got a bit of weight to it and it is very tall and a bit wide. But for an on-camera mic, this is as good as it gets for these kinds of mics in this price range and size. The mic eliminates sounds captured by your hands rubbing against the camera body, and thanks to it being tall it isolates the audio better on what you're capturing. The mic is split between two channels and can be manually adjusted from 0* to 120* for either capturing audio on a single subject, to a wide acoustic setting like a concert or party. And having it manually adjustable makes it great for acclimating to different audio situations on the fly. It comes with a windscreen, an audio cable for connecting to the mic port on the camera, and a rubber spacer ring if you have a camera model with a sliding compartment to keep the piece from hitting the mic and causing unwanted pick up by the compartment door hitting the mic. It also has a dedicated switch for switching between normal audio recording and low-cut audio to reduce vibrations and background noises and wind. It's a very smart and well engineered microphone, and certainly better than the older model Sony stereo microphone, and for such a compact unit, it has amazing audio capture that certainly gave my Rode stereo mic a run for its money. It is a pricy microphone. Not gonna lie, this is the price you are going to pay pretty much anywhere you go, I have not seen it cheaper anywhere. But if you ask me, it's almost worth picking up if you're planning on buying a new Sony camcorder or camera in the high price range. If you have a high quality camera, then you will want high quality audio out of it. I definitely recommend it if you don't want to spend $300 on a microphone, this is just the right microphone for almost every need you'll have.

I was planning for an Air Force Thunderbirds airshow and wanted nothing but the best sound I could get for my Sony FDR-AX700 Handycam, at a decent price and not too high-end. My camcorder records excellent sound, but I knew it would not be the quality I wanted for the Air Show. I connected this mic, did a few tests and WOW, what a difference! Superb sound quality. Having the noise filter (Norm, Low Cut) switch on the mic is a nice feature. The wind screen is great and will not come off even in heavy winds. I love it! This is an excellent choice for a replacement to the standard Handycam internal mic.

I waffled over purchasing this microphone for my Sony DSC-HX400V for quite some time, mainly because of the number of negative reviews that basically said the audio quality was not significantly better than (some of) the Sony camera built-in mics. For the HX400V, like *some* other Sony cameras, the proprietary multi-interface shoe is the only option for adding an external microphone and this microphone seemed the only compatible mic well-suited to my majority use cases: in/outdoor band and theater/dance performances. I recently had a shoot (outdoor marching band) nearly ruined by wind noise and for this particular instance I only had the on-camera mics to rely on, so I had no option for adding windscreens. Luckily, all the camera mics were decent stereo mics (thank you, Sony) and by mixing between the different recordings I was able to salvage my footage. But I learned my lesson and will be using wind-screened mics for future outdoor events. When I saw the price drop again on this mic to $90, I pulled the trigger for the sole reason that I'll be able to add a windscreen when needed (the mic comes with one). My first test was with the HX400V: I recorded a marching band from the bleacher stands of a high school stadium with a mild breeze. The audio quality (e.g. bass response) and stereo image improved by adding this external mic, however, the wind noise increased significantly as well. Adding the windscreen to the external mic brought the wind noise down to about the same level as using the internal mic (with wind noise reduction turned off in the camera), but the over-all recorded audio was still an improvement. My second test with an HDR-CX900: I set up the camera outdoor on a tripod on a breezy evening recording just the sounds of nature and ambiance, alternating between the internal microphone and this external x/y mic, and here are my observations: * When using the built-in microphone, the automatic wind noise reduction is enabled by default on this camera and works pretty well. The wind noise was acceptable and overall the audio was usable and pleasant. * After attaching this microphone without the windscreen the wind noise was atrocious - it's like a wind magnet! Adding the wind screen did lower the level of noise, but the result was a low rumbling rather than the mild hiss with the built-in mic (and wind noise reduction). The resulting recorded audio was really unusable. My third test was with both the HX400V and the CX900: I recorded live musical instruments (drum set and bass guitar) in a small room (13 x 13') with a running ceiling fan. The stereo separation and audio fidelity definitely improved when using this microphone, but again, the wind from the ceiling fan was picked up only when using this microphone (without the windscreen). The improvement in audio quality over the internal mics was more significant with the HX400 than the CX900. Also, with the CX900 I have the option of using an external microphone via a 3.5mm TRS cable, so I compared with the audio recorded from a Sony ECM MS957 (stereo mic) and I guess it should be no surprise, but the MS957 was significantly better still (note: it's not really designed to affix permanently to a camera however). Notes: * I'm sure it's a function of the Sony cameras, but I noticed much less dynamic compression (auto-gain) when using this microphone over the internal mics and so the sound was more natural when recording loud sounds alternating with quiet ones (the quiet ones remain quiet and background hiss does not ramp up as you'll hear with auto-volume/gain circuits enabled). * When attaching any external microphone, the Sony cameras mentioned no longer give the user an option of any wind noise reduction or audio gain adjustments - you get what you get from the mic and that's it (hopefully it doesn't clip). * I tested both with and without the low-cut filter switch engaged on the microphone and really never noticed any difference - I haven't found any specification of exactly what frequency below which the signal is attenuated (any know?), but I'll likely just leave the filter switched on. * On the Sony cameras mentioned, you have to stop and restart recording when switching between the internal mic and any external mic (or vice versa) - hot swapping is not supported. So, in summary: I'm disappointed that the wind noise is about a wash (when using the included wind screen, which I will just leave on all the time) but am happy to have the option on my HX400V to record improved stereo audio when I need it. I'd probably be less inclined to use it with my CX900 since I have other, better (cabled) options with that camera.

I’m a new YouTuber and I was using a lapel mike for all my videos I needed something that can record my voice with it being hooked up to my shirt and with my Sony camcorder this works the best , love the fact that you can change if you want it to point in one direction or capture more of a full room , also comes with a wind screen has worked great so far . The 4 star on noise cancellation is due to sometime it does pick up a small about of background noise .

Mejora mucho la calidad de audio, en exterior en verdad se nota mucho. Considero que mejora conectado al MI de la sony alpha, ya que el cable que tiene si buscas de cierto modo ampliar el rango o cambiarlo de dirección, es algo deficiente. Supongo que tiene que ver con el cable. Pero conectado directo a la cámara sin usar el cable mic, mejorar la calidad de audio.

Product came as advertised. Quality and works perfect. Would buy from again

Improved sound quality. Expensive.....

社外品か？純正？迷っているなら間違いなく純正が一番！ 音質も問題なくカメラの電源を入れただけでマイクを認識しますし不満は一切なし

La calidad sonora es buena, comparada con microfono integrado, la direccionalidad ayuda mucho y me es muy funcional, ademas los materiales tienen buena apariencia. Una desventaja es que al no ser amplificado mete ruido, es practico y compacto para llevar en la maleta. El supresor de bajos es funcional. No requiere baterias por lo tanto esta listo para usar y no requieres preocuparte por esto.