Which mic will be best for my needs.

[Antonie Koen]

I am looking to purchase the Hc9 in a couple of weeks time when it is released in my country. Having the same body as the Hc7 I believe that they can share accessories. I want to use the Hc9 as a b-camera with the V1 and need a reasonable (affordable) mic. The Hc9 will mostly be used for the filming of live events. Here are the 2 mics which I have been considering:

1.)sony gun zoom mic (ecm-hgz1)
2.)sony stereo gun mic (ecm-msd1)

Any advice will be greatly appreciated

[J. Stephen McDonald]

Antonie, either of these mikes would work with the HC9. The HGZ1 is a hot-shoe model, that needs no battery or connecting cord. However, it is a zoom mike, that changes its directional sensitivity according to the zoom position. This might be good for some purposes, but I personally wouldn't want to have the audio changing and intensifying as I zoomed-in. You'd have to decide if you would want this feature. The MSD1 will mount in the hot-shoe, but doesn't use the connections there. It has its own battery and a stereo miniplug on a cord. This is the one of the two I would choose for my HC9, which I will also be receiving shortly. I found the MSD1 online for $50. (U.S.) and the HGZ1 for $70. These prices might vary a lot at different dealers.

I wouldn't expect these tiny mikes to be equal to larger, pro-quality types, but their size matches the camera and they are fairly low-priced. If you buy one and it doesn't pick up weak sounds well enough, then you won't have lost too much money. There is an alternative Sony mike, the ECM-MS907, which I have and will use on my HC9. It seems to still be on sale for about $80. to $100. It doesn't have a camera mount, but I cut and shortened the cord and made my own shoe-mount for it. Another version, the ECM-MS908C, has a shoe mounting and a mike holder and a shorter cord of suitable length for a camcorder. This model may be harder to find, but a couple of U.S. online dealers have it. I think it has very good performance for its size and it has a directional sector adjustment for its pickup angle. It has more sensitivity than the built-in mike on my VX2100 and the sound from it is very clean. I don't think any of these mikes come with foam windscreens, which are needed when outdoors. I cut the front half off one that was intended for a full-size mike and it fit well on my ECM-MS907.

There will be times when I will mount one of my large, 19-inch long pro mikes on the HC9. It's an XLR mike, for which I've made my own XLR to miniplug adaptor. This small camera has a metal body and hopefully, it is sturdy enough to hold this mike. Since I shoot from a shoulder-mount, I might rig up an alternate shoe for it, on a separate arm that attaches to the bottom of the mount and isn't supported by the camera. Something similar could be attached to a tripod to take the weight of a large mike off the camera.

Here's a link to an earlier message I posted, that has links to an older thread about the ECM-MS907 and to a picture and description of it on Sony's website: http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=116178

Good luck in finding the best mike and it would be helpful if you would send a message about how it performs on the HC9.

[Antonie Koen]

Thanks J. Much appreciated. At this stage I am leaning towards the MSD1. It seems to be a much better all rounder.

[J. Stephen McDonald]

Originally Posted by Antonie Koen

Thanks J. Much appreciated. At this stage I am leaning towards the MSD1. It seems to be a much better all rounder.

I'm now remembering the HGZ1 mike from several years ago. If it's the same as the one Sony was selling then, it was regarded by most people as not a very good performer and that the zoom function did not produce much in the way of effective results. If the MSD1 does the job for you, that's fine, but I expect that the MS907/MS908C would have more pickup power.

[Andy Wilkinson]

Have you thought about the Rode Videomic for your new HC9 as an alternative cost effective mic? You'll need a shoe adapter to convert the non-standard Sony shoe to a normal shoe (both UK and US suppliers that ship worldwide make them - very cheap.)

Many posts about this mic on here already if you're interested.

[J. Stephen McDonald]

Originally Posted by Andy Wilkinson

Have you thought about the Rode Videomic for your new HC9 as an alternative cost effective mic? You'll need a shoe adapter to convert the non-standard Sony shoe to a normal shoe (both UK and US suppliers that ship worldwide make them - very cheap.)

Many posts about this mic on here already if you're interested.

Andy, could you elaborate on the need for an adaptor to mount non-hotshoe mikes on the HC9? Who makes them? Actually, I've been able to mount wired and self-powered mikes in the hotshoes of my other two Sony camcorders. I cut small squares of plastic from a food container and slip them into the hotshoes, to cover and protect the electronic contacts. I temporarily stick these shields in place with a tiny drop of shoe-goo.

[Andy Wilkinson]

I have HC1 and my understanding is that HC7 and HC9 have the same, "non-standard shoe" (i.e. a Sony proprietary one.) I use the shoe adapter sold by B. Hague on this webpage - scroll down to near the bottom. A US supplier also makes a similar low cost shoe adapter - not sure who off-hand. Note that this results in a standard cold shoe to which you can fit more or less anything you want.

http://www.b-hague.co.uk/camcorder_m...ccessories.htm

Pictures on my "rig" are also in this thread (a few posts in) showing the shoe adapter used with both the Rode Videomic and Stereo Videomic.

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthrea...790#post835790