I really like the small size of this camcorder microphone. It’s ultra convenient and can fit into the smallest camera bag easily. The sound is amazing, too. It’s clear and its directionality makes it stellar. You can record group or individual sound – it rocks!

The hot shoe feature doesn’t work with all Sony camcorders so you’ll need to check. Unfortunately, this integration isn’t possible with all cameras. In the case the hot shoe doesn’t power the mic, you’ll have to use a battery, which is a pain because it’ll need to be turned on/off independent of the camera.

The Small And Compact Sony ECMMSD1 Camcorder Microphone

This camcorder microphone has some definite pros and cons, I like the convenience of this small mic but it can’t integrate well with all hot shoes.

Look how small the Sony ECMMSD1 camcorder microphone is. I love how it’s compact and convenient, making it the perfect accessory for a compatible Sony camcorder. Mounting it on the camera is super easy. Each Sony has a cap on the top, just pull it off and slide the mic on. It literally takes two seconds – no muss, no fuss.

The pickup is awesome on this mic. It has switchable pickup patterns. You can go with 90 degrees or 120 degrees depending on what best suits your situation. I love how you can easily adjust the pickup for group settings or individual settings, this makes recording so much easier and clearer. I could easily see using this microphone on vacation, maybe at the beach with the family or even at a wedding.

There’s one thing that I really don’t like about this camcorder mic: on some models, it doesn’t power directly from the camera as other mics do. You’ll have to use batteries and remember to turn the mic on separately from the camera. This is probably not a big deal for people new to the concept of a cam mic but it may pose a problem to others accustomed to the mic automatically turning on with the camera. I imagine there are/will be many who’ll forget to turn it on and will lose out on a lot of sound.

I like the sound quality through this mic. If you remember to turn it on before taping, you’ll get some wonderful sound footage. It’s clean and clear and the directionality makes it so much better. Just remember you also need to turn it off after use or the battery will die.

Whether the Sony ECMMSD1 camcorder microphone will work with your Sony hot shoe depends on the model you own. Your best bet is to double check with the store you plan on purchasing it from. That way, you don’t buy it and bring it home only to find it won’t work.

Adjustable angle of pickup for stereo sound and relatively small in size.

No zoom feature and no sensitivity switch.

Sony ECMMS907 Digital Recording Microphone: A Step Above the Amateur Mic

The Sony ECMMS907 has many different uses from recording music to lectures.

The design of this digital microphone is supposed to make it compact and small enough to take with you to the studio. It’s not the bulkiest but it’s also not nearly as small as some of the newer mics on the market. The Sony ECMMS907 mic is 8.8 x 5.5 x 2.2 inches and is much bulkier than the skinny DPA Danish Pro Audio 4011, but for over a thousand dollars difference, who’s complaining?

This is a really good mic for those who aren’t quite pros yet but who are ready to take a step above amateur.

I especially like the way you can adjust the degrees of the pickup angle for different sound situations. This makes it easy to pick up the sounds of a single instrument, many instruments or even voices that you wouldn’t be able to with some of cheaper mics out there. This stereo feature is very important to the overall performance of the microphone because it does not have a sensitivity switch or any other kind of zoom feature.

It really is as though you have more than one microphone at work when you use the Sony ECMMS907 Digital Recording Microphone because it’s a powerful one-point stereo design. This is what you need if you’re using either a portable DAT or MD digital recorder. It also woks quite well when it comes to recording lectures or meetings, but you need to make sure it’s placed right or you could miss important points.

One of my favorite aspects of the Sony ECMMS907 is the energy consumption. All you need to run this microphone is one single AA battery. That’s fabulous and it doesn’t run out super fast like you’d expect either. And taking only one extra battery with you when you go out is simple, unlike if you had to take 5 or 6. That would weight you down!

If you have some audio software, you can really use it to boost the sound of the audio that you pick up with the Sony ECMMS907 microphone. This will allow you to up the volume of lower conversations etc. and clear up many of the issues you could run into with this mic.

Just remember that most mics are not compatible with just any device and that’s true of the Sony ECMMS907, as well. You need to make sure the equipment you have will work with this mic before you purchase it.