TAKSTAR SGC-598 Photography Interview Shotgun MIC Microphone for Nikon Canon DSLR Camera (Need 3.5mm Interface)Auxiliary

Let's face it, in camera microphones leave a lot to be desired. With the video quality of todays DSLR's you really want the sound to be as impressive as the images. Enter the Takstar 598. Not quite Hollywood levels of sound quality but way better than the in camera mic. Let's take a look at it, shall we? First, the unboxing... worth mentioning because this thing comes in a nice package. Much nicer than anything you'd expect from say, Best Buy. With it's contoured foam liner and individual compartments for each item, the original box makes the best storage place for the mic when it's not in use. Inside those contoured compartments you'll find a velvet storage bag, instructions, spare vibration isolators, a battery, mic cover, and the mic itself. Second, the mic... Out of the box the mic itself appears to be constructed as well or even better than you'd expect. The foam cover slips over the shotgun snugly, the mic attaches to the shockmount frame via small rubber isolator bands, the frame attaches to the hot shoe mount via a small tension knob and a nice curled cord with a 2.5mm jack plugs into the camera. Worth noting... a number of people have stated the mic didn't fit their hot shoe mount... you may have to screw the tension knob up towards the mic frame so the mount can slip into the hot shoe. Then screw the knob back down to secure it to the hot shoe! ...much easier than returning the mic because it "didn't fit"! Third, the buttons!... inserting the supplied battery and flicking the power switch on the side of the mic illuminates a green power light so you know the mic is on. Also on the side of the mic is a 10 decibel sound boost and a high pass filter to block low frequency sounds. Fourth, my opinion!... I like the Takstar 598. it was well worth the $30 bucks or so that it cost as my in camera mic picked up way to much background noise (non directional mic's do that). The Takstar is a directional mic so sounds coming from the sides or back is heavily muted compared to the sounds coming from directly in front of it. The battery has lasted nearly 40 hours of being "on" over the course of a few months so it's not like you have to worry about it chewing through batteries, which is nice. Fifth, my only complaints are... The sound comes across quite muted, so you either have to be close to the mic or project your voice more than you would in normal conversation... turning on the +10 boost does amplify the sound to the camera, but not without a noticeable increase in noise and hiss. Also. the low frequency filter is designed to cut out bass heavy sounds but I found it cut into the vocal range making those on camera sound hollow and tinny when it's turned on. Lastly, and most importantly I think... the power light is located on the back of the mic, there really should be one on the front so if the mic looses power or you forget to turn it on (that's happened!) You'd know before loosing an entire recording. Overall, I would definitely recommend this mic to anyone looking for their first upgrade away from their in camera mic. Experienced videographers and professional cameramen having experience with better mics might likely find it less than impressive, but if they can show a better mic for $30 bucks I'd like to see it!

I have experienced the built-in microphone on many video cameras as coming up short. I got a new camcorder (FDR-AX100) and assumed the worst of the built-in mic. I have a nice wireless mic setup which works very well, but it is a nuisance when trying to tape an interview sort of thing. And the built-in mic is going to pick up everything except the interview subject unless you are in a studio. So I figured for the price, this might be the answer to my quandary: no more fooling around hooking the victim up with a wireless mic and no more dealing with room noise. I purchased one of these (same model, different supplier) and got something that was fairly weak and lots of static. I have no idea what was wrong with it, but it turns out it was just broken. I got my second one today ($1 cheaper, go figure!) and hooked it up as soon as the box came. Wow! If anything, it is too sensitive for use indoors. Sound quality is excellent and seems to be directional enough for my purposes. I believe this would work with the children at a park 200ft away! (Gotta try that soon...) The first one (broken) came in a plain brown box without much protection for the mic. The second one came in a fancy box with customized foam to hold the mic and windmuff - far more protection for shipment all the way from China. I guess the packing helps because this one works flawlessly. The base is isolated from the mic itself with small rubber widgets so noise from the camera is not conducted to the mic and this seems like a very good idea. For the price, this is an excellent mic. Be aware there are lots of sellers of this mic and the packaging seems to make a difference. If you get one in a plain brown box, check it carefully.

So far I think this is very good! I do have a couple things worth mentioning however. This is a mono mic. Not stereo. So if that is a deal breaker then look elsewhere. This mic has an EQ that is very low and low mid exaggerated so the low cut function really comes in handy as the main flat signal is quite warm and dark sounding. To sum it up it is a bassy mic. It is also quite sensitive on 10db which is to be expected but the noise floor is a bit iffy especially on older cameras with a poor mic preamp. However I found it did well with bird watching especially after boosting in post. Minus the noise of course. So in conclusion at this price point this mic is very good and has awesome features. You do get what you pay for but for someone on a budget or just starting out with shotgun mics this is a very good option.

Muy buen micrófono para ser de los económicos, altamente recomendado para amateurs. El producto llego retrasado pero solo por un día, lo cual no es muy agravioso. La caja original del micrófono presentó un ligero golpe en una de sus esquinas pero no afectó al producto. En resumen, buen producto, servicio de paquetería con pequeños detalles.

This mic is excellent quality. It is easy to use - can literally just get attached on the top of your camera and works with AA batteries. It does do some amount of background noise cancellation. And is slightly on the cheaper side as compared to some of its competitor products. Gives great quality sound.

Easy purchase to make. I was recommend this microphone after watching a few videos from Think Media. Its works, is extremley affordable, and instantly makes you look more professional. When I plug this in on the camera, it looks like I'm going to take a media interview. The real selling feature in the decibel manipulation on the mic itself; very helpful depending on the environment. It does requrie a battery, but that's a small price ot pay for this level of performance and portability.

Es el tercero que compro. Lo he comprado de nuevo para cambiarlo por el primero que compré hace 4 años, que se le ha pelado un poco el cable del sonido y, aunque todavía funciona... me da miedo quedarme sin sonido en medio de una grabación. El otro que compré hace 3 años está intacto y maravilloso (tengo dos cámaras). La calidad del sonido es muy buena, yo grabo obras de teatro en directo con ellos y estoy encantada. Pero si además sólo buscas recoger sonido de referencia, no te lo pienses más que no te hace falta ni Rode ni Roda. Y el precio es inmejorable.

I like it a lot