TAKSTAR SGC-698 Photography Interview MIC Microphone for Nikon Canon Camera DV Camcorder Canon 1DX 1D MARKIV 5DⅡ 5D3 7D 70D 550D 6D 60D 600D 5D 650D, 100D Nikon D300S / D4 / D35 / D5100 / D5200 / D53

Although I purchased this Takstar SGC-698 three years ago I’ve only recently begun testing it against six other mics and have found it excels at attributes suited to live events such as outdoor concerts where soundstage, transparency and detail trumps directionality. It delivers a very wide bandwidth with quick transients for a 3-D like holographic presentation. The included wind muff does a decent job of reducing wind noise. It performs well on my Sony full frame mirrorless and with Samsung S19-Ultra.Many mic reviews compare voices for a podcasts that emphasize the popular “baritone” sound. This is not where the SGC-698 excels due to its slightly bright, forward delivery. But put it in a live performance and add about 3db boost to the lower bass and this stands apart from others I own and have tested including the Takstar SGC-598, Sony ECM-B10, Neewer CM-14, Movo VXR280 (stereo).

I bought this and the Rode Videomic at the same time to film interviews with my Canon t3i.I like the Rode better it terms of presense and range but since its not the pro it doesn't have the +20db boost.With this feature the takstar provides nice clear, usable audio. Best I have used for under $100.I plugged them into the H1 Zoom audio recorder and the noise/hiss all but disappears so consider your options if you need very clear audio.I was not impressed with the high pass but if you were in a rumbly situation maybe it would help.Don't use this for recording music - you definitely need a pre-amp (juicelink makes a good one).But all in all if you need to up your your audio on a budget and want to record through a 1/8" jack this is very reasonably priced.

As many have stated in other reviews online, for the price point this is a great mic. The quality is what most are looking for at a lower price point in comparison to Rode.Only complaint in the product physically is the power switch. W/o breaking the item down not much you can do to ensure the mic is on a side from shoot the segment and hope it caught it. The light on the mic button doesn’t work so you don’t know for certain that it’s on.

From the picture it looks like it will fit a hotshoe and screw down. However, it is a solid piece of plastic which does not tighten up. Now for the bad part the plastic round center column is to fat to fit into a hotshoe. I tried it on several types of devices ranging from the camera to flash / video light holders. It would not fit in any.... The center could be filed down and made usable. I have to return the item as it can't be mounted and used on a DSLR or video camera.

I do enjoy this little mike Yes your right it's not 9 v but how many 9 volt can you carry in your pocket plus a 9v would be almost the size of the base and at the price and sizeof the button batteries I can a dozen in my shirt pocket and probably like yourself when carrying batteries why can't they make other batteries Yes we know why but in due time

Love it

so far so good as a mic. is an ok upgrade from the on camera mic. the hot shoe was mounted incorrectly so i had to unscrew it from the mic and turn it 90 degrees and attach it back to the mic. The hot shoe does screw down to connect to the camera unlike another review stated.

This review is for the SGC-698.I use this camera with a T3i for recreational shooting. Here are the pros and cons I've found after a couple months of use.Pros:-Self-Powered, so it doesn't draw power from the camera battery.-20db switch, which helps boost the audio and cuts down on hiss in my camera.-Small and light.-Comes with a deadcat cover, which helps cut down on windnoise.Cons:-It doesn't do a great job at cutting out background noise.-The range isn't very good. After more than about 6 feet away, it is very quiet.I wasn't ready to drop a lot of money on a Rode since I making videos is just a hobby. For the money, this mic is a good improvement over the built in microphone in my DSLR.