Sony ECM HQP1 - microphone

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• 8 stars

  Review of the Sony DCR-HC90 and the 4 channel microphone ECM-HQP1

  by stubenkastl on February 15, 2006

  Pros: Not Available

  Cons: Not Available

  Summary: What do you get?
  
  Surround microphone, wind screen, pouch, documentation - no software included.
  
  How is it designed?
  
  It fits in the shoe on top of the camera. It is
  
  
  
  
  
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  Summary: What do you get?
  
  Surround microphone, wind screen, pouch, documentation - no software included.
  
  How is it designed?
  
  It fits in the shoe on top of the camera. It is not a standard shoe so it is for certain Sony cameras only. The micro makes the camera almost twice as high. The use of the view finder is restricted since the back of the micro is almost at the back of the camera. The camera is held by four very fragile looking small plastic pieces. I guess if you hit the microphone not even very hard they will break. So be aware of 3 things: be careful not hitting anything with the micro and of course you have to protect it from other people if you are in a crowd. Be prepared not to use the viewfinder when using the micro. Be aware that there will be no bag for both - the camera and the mounted micro. You will have to take the micro off if you want to put the camera in a bag. Good is that when you put it on the camera the camera is automatically switched to 4 channel mode and back to the other setting that you had before. But be prepared to mount the micro on and off very often...
  
  How does it sound?
  
  The sound is a BIT brighter and clearer than that of the internal microphone. The channel separation is higher. Even very loud sound could not cause distortion - what is not the same with the internal micro. But be aware of the frequency range. It is only 150 to 10000 Hz what is EXTREMELY basic. The 4 channel sound itself is amazing. The limited frequency range did not cause problems to my recordings - perhaps because of my old ears. Different to internal surround micros this microphone has the best position for 4 channel sound recording. All micros are in a perfect angle and open. Latter means that you should avoid stronger wind. But for this you can use a hairy protection making your micro look like a little rat sitting on top of the camera
  
  How to get Dolby 5.1?
  
  This is a problem you should not overlook. There are not many ways to capture 4 channels. The only solution I found (apart from expensive hardware solutions) is at www.szenalyzer.com. This not very expensive software can capture 4 channels with the standard FireWire connection and does a perfect capture job in general.
  
  But it takes more to get Dolby 5.1. You need software that can handle 4 channels and render it to Dolby 5.1. I use Sony Vegas 6. It is not cheap and not easy to use - at least at the beginning. But after some time you might love it. There are not many private persons making 5.1 videos. The documentation is thin. I had to find out and learn a lot. Dolby 5.1 was designed for movie studios and not for small DV camera artists. So be prepared to be a pioneer in every sense.
  
  Is it worth it?
  
  I will NEVER buy a camera without surround anymore. It is great even if it is more effort. Very often the sound becomes more important than the picture now - it is more realistic. But this means of course in the future you will not only have to look for a good picture but also for a good sound. And you will have to explain interesting background sound for instance. So it opens up a whole new very interesting world. It gives your videos a new dimension - your bank account too But these are memories you will forget - the memories in your videos will last
  
  One last statement to the camera. I had it for several months now. I still can confirm what I wrote in a review. Minor problems but overall a great camera especially if you have many night shots - in my case for sure 80 % NOW. Before with an other camera simply impossible. Do not forget to switch at night to the setting Sunset & Moon. Even fireworks will look great then. And with surround you might watch them over and over again. Check out the sharpness settings in the menue. Without I find it a bit too much on the soft side. But check for jagged lines then - video AND photo - one setting for both.

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  5 out of 5 users found this user opinion helpful.

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