Lordy! If it just wiggles a little, this is normal. Hope you didn't fall into the glue scenario.

If it's near dangling, then a trip to service is in order
Bill

Well, it does sound like I'm not the only one who is having this problem. There are, what appears to be screw holes on the bottom side but access would require a special tool or something because the lens is in the way. It's way looser than when I bought the camera. Not quite falling off yet. I'm surprized that there aren't other threads addressing this issue.

Not only that but, it's starting to ring of what my intial concerns are about these cameras. They aren't built to take much physical abuse. Too much delicate plastic. Just look at the battery compartment and the release lever.

regards
dm

They aren't built to take much physical abuse. So don't physically abuse your $4000 camera? ;)

Good-natured kidding aside, there are lots of other threads about this; the mic is shockmounted to reduce camera and handling noise. If the mic is in fact getting looser with time as you suggest, then you might have a legitimate problem. However, I'd suggest not worrying about it too much unless the mic actually does fall off or something. Maybe it's just "settling in" to its natural state, who knows? I suspect that you might feel the need to fix this before it fails in a critical situation, but then if you're using a built-in mic for something critical, then you've probably got bigger problems to begin with.

Take all of the above for what it's worth. I may or may not have any idea what I'm talking about. :)

yep, well, I really do take care of the camera. However, I have a lot of stuff jammed into my camera case. Headphones, shotgun mic, shock mount.....the list goes on. I suspect that the mic took some unintentional upward or downward pressure. It moves at least 1/4" up and down. Definitely getting loose.

On the subject of usage, I try not to use it for a lot of reasons. However, I just recorded something outdoors and there was just enough wind to create a problem with my outboard shotgun mic with windscreen. I don't have a zepplin or deadcat etc... as I don't shoot outside very often. Had to resort to the onboard mic. Definitely not my first choice but saved my bacon.

regards
dm

I just got my XH A1 yesterday, and before I even shot with it, I noticed that the built-in mic was loose. It's now even making a noise like there is something loose inside it, I hear in the audio and when just lightly shaking the camera. I just wanted to make sure that this is what you guys are talking about. Is mine worse? Thanks.

Mines loose also, it's just the way they are built. I think using a small screw driver (for glasses) you'll be able to tighten the screw on it. I haven't tried yet. I don't tend to use the on board mic, unless it's purely as a guide track.

It is SUPPOSED to be loose. We've discussed this here many times. If it's NOT loose, there's something wrong. See http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showpost.php?p=574340&postcount=7 for details. Do NOT try to tighten it. It's made that way for a reason.

Hmmm. Sounds like someone needs to create a bit of persistent video or graphic image showing the "normal" range of motion of the built-in mic. Too many folks obsessing about it, and a fair number no doubt needlessly.

Hi,

the built in Mic on my A1 is very wobbly, I expected it to move a little for shock absorbtion.. but mine seems to rattle away from the rubber or soft element inside. Anyone had the same problem? Is there any way to adjust it?

Thanks

Steve

Normal. Frequently asked. Merging w/several earlier threads.

Yeah, like I said I expected it to wiggle, but mine feels like it has a few mm of completely free movement between the hard surface of the mic and the plastic baffle inside. Which renders the shock absorbtion less than useless.

No way I know of to adjust it on your own... sounds like a trip to Canon factory service, sorry.

The first A1 I bought I sent back thinking it was faulty because of the mic I have since been told that it was made like that to try and dampen the handling effect so it is apparently not a fault but a deliberate design.
Hope this helps.

The design is similar to that used on the GL1 and GL2, evolved out of the design used on the original Canon A1 (a Hi8 camcorders) from long ago, and no doubt similar to that used on other camcorders and by other makers. Works well for most users, but it ain't sailor proof as we used to say.

Perhaps more appropriate to say that you don't like the design for your intended use of the camcorder rather than that it is a terrible bit of design. Many folks no doubt find it to be a perfectly acceptable bit of design with in the context of its purpose, and better than many alternatives.

It seems as if I packed my to tight for travelling. Coming home i recognized a unfirm microphone. It doesn't seem to be brocken but it is loose. There is a gap of about 0.5 mm at the rubber piece between the microphone body an the hand grip. Did anyone suffer the same damage and fixed it on his own? Is this an Achilles' heel of this wonderful piece of technique?

Michael


edit:
Sorry, there are already threads about it, it's an Achilles' heel, I'm a newbee and my post should be moved in the "Mic Loose?" thread ;-)

Your mic is supposed to be loose. It's a shock mount feature to reduce tape drive and camera operator noise. Please don't glue it back together as some people have done. That is the worst thing you can do. Just leave it be.

How much should it move down to up to be normal? My friend just picked it up out of my bag by the mic and its got me pretty scared. Why aren`t people more careful??? It moves down to up about 1/8th inch at the tip. Can someone else measure theirs to ease my mind?

When the mic is in it's normal position on my camera it is 1.28 in(32.7 mm) above the lens hood. This measurement is from the flat of the lens hood directly under the end of the mic to the flat black band on the bottom of the mic. when I lift the mic up with my finger it is 1.45 in(36.9 mm) above the lens hood. With these measurements we can see that the mic fluctuates 0.17 in(4.2 mm) or just over 1/8th of an inch.

NOTE: All these measurements were taken will a digital caliper.

Yeah my A1 is only a month old and the was loose right out the box. I was curious about this too. I'm glad I'm not the only one. Hmmmmm...

Just got my A1. Silly question to anyone who knows the answer. My internal mic wiggles a little. It seems a little loose. Not firmly attached to camera body. Is this normal?

100% normal...for the A-1.

Sould be viewed as a good thing. Reduces picking up camera noises during operation.

Jay

Thanks for the reply. That makes total sense. So glad I dont have to return it.
Canon confirmed that this is normal and part of the design...even for the G1

Yes I know the mic should have some play cuz its on a rubber shock mount. BUT mine is drooping downwards, it doesn't just wiggle when I press on it - it's loose, like I can see the internal wires that connect the thing.

Anyone know how its mounted and a quick fix w/o Canons help? Doesn't look like anything except the wires are attaching the mic to the camera - weird!

Thanks, Jason

PLEASE don't say its supposed to be loose, some of us are having issues other than some play cuz its on a rubber shock mount.

Mine is drooping downwards, it doesn't just wiggle when I press on it - it's loose, like I can see the internal wires that connect the thing - a good 1/4 inch gap!

Anyone know how its mounted and a quick fix w/o Canons help? Doesn't look like anything except the wires are attaching the mic to the camera - weird!

Thanks, Jason

I solved the "problem" by wrapping a elastic rubber band in the slice between the mike and the housing. In this way it is still possibe to move the mike but it has no chance to rattle.
After this modification I have recorded some very loud noise ( pop concert ) and the ratling that I had before was gone. Now I have to solve the influence of the loud noise on the image. It seems that the image stabilisation is moving on the sound which is visible in the recording.
I hope my explanation is clear.

Gr.
Rene

Jason,
If you can see the wires that isn't normal. Reckon its a trip to Canon, unless you fancy trying to take it apart and tighten it. I would take it to Canon though

Jon

The nominal range of motion (up/down) of the front end of the microphone is about 1/8 inch (~3mm). Much more than that indicates a problem.

DIY attempt to repair the mic may void any remaining warranty.

The are a number of small screws visible in the handle assembly. But not clear if additional internal need to be removed to open the handle, as was the case with the GL1.

I know the mic should have some play cuz its on a rubber shock mount. BUT mine is drooping downwards... I can see the internal wires that connect the thing. Anyone know how its mounted and a quick fix w/o Canons help? If it's drooping downwards and you can see the wires inside, then you have a problem which needs to be serviced. And there is no quick fix that I'm aware of. Your camera really needs to go to a Canon factory service center for a proper repair.

The onboard mic *should* be loose, but *not* drooping down.

I will post a pic, but mine is drooping for sure and getting worse.

update:
Here is a picture or at least a link to a picture. Not sure how to do this on this forum:
http://www.dvinfo.net/gallery/showimage.php?i=786&c=2

Hi John, thanks for uploading to our Image Gallery.

Hmm, to me it's borderline... it *might* be a little too loose. Mine will flex that low if I move it by hand, but won't go quite that far just sitting there on its own. Will try to get some pix up shortly...

Hi Chris.

I thought it would be good to post some pics since this seems like a common topic. In my case, it was tighter when the camera was new. It was still a little loose, but reading the post on DVinfo I understood it to be normal. It now seems to be on the road to "too loose." Still works and I will not worry about it too much especially since I don't really use the on board mics.

...and I think I will keep the glue in the drawer.

Here's the range of travel in the onboard mic shock mount.

See video at http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showpost.php?p=625900&postcount=26

If yours does this it is normal.

Chris is correct a little bit of play is normal. However, I slowly started to notice that on two of my A1's the play in the microphone was getting larger and larger until it actually broke off exposing the two ribbon cables and one wire. I was able to order the 50 cent part that broke from my Canon dealer and I decided to tackle the repair myself. It was actually much easier than expected and took me about 1 hour because I was being extra careful not too "get in too deep" and leave myself an out in case I decided the repair was getting too difficult. If anyone needs help on this repair send me an email and I will do my best to walk you through it. I did have to purchase a phillips #000 screwdriver for the fix.

I think that the microphones were weakened by the pelican case that they were stored in. After a closer inspection I determined that the cases were just a little too small to properly hold the A1. So I will be purchasing larger ones.

It seems as if I packed my to tight for travelling. Coming home i recognized a unfirm microphone. It doesn't seem to be brocken but it is loose. There is a gap of about 0.5 mm at the rubber piece between the microphone body an the hand grip. Did anyone suffer the same damage and fixed it on his own? Is this an Achilles' heel of this wonderful piece of technique?
)

My daughter 'touched' the mic when I filmed her skating over the camera....(stupid action to let her do that in the first place...). Then I noticed that the mic (which I knew was a little bit loose as it should on beforehand) was hanging a little bit downward and wiggled a little bit bit more than before (vertical). In rest position you can look just between the rubber and the handgrip into the inside of the microphone (0,5-1 mm).
Phoned Canon and they told me that if the sound of the mic is OK I better leave it like this because there is a risk that reparing the mic will worsen the problem and some wiggling will always be present since this was designed to wiggle (as statd before). So I leave it this way and will protect the mic from rain/dust with a 'dead cat'.

Robert

Have a need for someone to check this, I have had my A1 for about a year and today I grabbed it to use it for a quick shoot and stripped off the accessories like the shotgun and wireless so the cam is stock. For whatever reason I checked the onboard factory mic and it's loose, not to the point that it swivels all over but it does move quite easily under touch. I would have to say that at the point where it attaches to the camera body, the mic moves upto 2mm and you can see the gap.

Is anyone else experiencing this, and is there a way to tighten this down?

Miguel

Have a need for someone to check this, I have had my A1 for about a year and today I grabbed it to use it for a quick shoot and stripped off the accessories like the shotgun and wireless so the cam is stock. For whatever reason I checked the onboard factory mic and it's loose, not to the point that it swivels all over but it does move quite easily under touch. I would have to say that at the point where it attaches to the camera body, the mic moves upto 2mm and you can see the gap.

Is anyone else experiencing this, and is there a way to tighten this down?

Miguel
I think what you're seeing is the way it's supposed to be. The mic does move a bit within its shock mount. Mine does, anyway.

There are several threads on this subject.

Expect the tip of the mic to move up/down by about 1/8" from center position. Where the mic attaches to the handle you can expect the joint to open/close some what as well as the tip pivots. However, a gap that you can see through into the handle/mic internals and wiring would not be normal.

There are several threads on this subject.

Expect the tip of the mic to move up/down by about 1/8" from center position. Where the mic attaches to the handle you can expect the joint to open/close some what as well as the tip pivots. However, a gap that you can see through into the handle/mic internals and wiring would not be normal.

Thanks I didn't run a query on the site for an open thread because I never thought that this would have been common, I feel better now and, no I cannot see wiring, but found it odd that there is that much play.

Thanks again,

Miguel

The play amounts to shock mounting of a sort.

Merged several "loose mic" threads together.

There are several threads on this subject.

Expect the tip of the mic to move up/down by about 1/8" from center position. Where the mic attaches to the handle you can expect the joint to open/close some what as well as the tip pivots. However, a gap that you can see through into the handle/mic internals and wiring would not be normal.

So I send my A1 back to Canon since the internal wiring could be seen (1-2 mm), they checked the whole camera and found that all functions, including the mic movement, were within the range of the specs. Even though the wiring was visible. The mic is working well so I decided to leave it this way and covered the 'joint' with black isolation tape to prevent damage by rain / dust etc. Still able to move the mic but it feels a little bit tighter now, imo more comfortable. No effect on the sound.

RW

If the construction is similar to the GL series, it does not come appart readily. There is a good bit of disassembly required to take off the built-in mic.

My Mic really does wobble up,down, left and right. It is more than, it can flex as in shock mount, it is loose. Can you tell me how to secure it.?
Lew

My Mic really does wobble up,down, left and right. It is more than, it can flex as in shock mount, it is loose. Can you tell me how to secure it.?
Lew

If it doesn't actually audibly rattle, it's probably not loose. It should move quite a bit.

You can actually see a very slight gap between the rubber shock mount at the handle. I just moved up from a GL2 to a used XHa1 and am a little nervous about my new baby. Canon's manual is a little sparse, any suggestions on where to find a user friendly practical how too?
Lew

Once again -- the mic is supposed to be loose -- it should flex up and down, and it should rotate a bit clockwise and counter-clockwise. That's intentional, by design. We don't offer a "how-to" on how to change this, because we firmly believe the old axiom "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." If you're still not sure, then the *only* recourse we recommend here is to send it in to a Canon factory service center. Again... it's supposed to be loose; it's supposed to wobble and flex. Hope this helps,

The loose microphone on my XH-A1 has given me something no other camera has, my own stickie at DVinfo! (I'm honored...Thanks Chris...Lol)

While I agree with the minimal movement for shock absorption, the play on the mic I have is beyond that. It's actually got a slight downward slope and a noticeable/sizable gap where it meets the handle. It will somewhat flop back and forth if I turn the camera upside down and then right side up. Enough to actually MAKE A NOISE while recording. Totally counter productive to the supposed shock absorption it's intended for.

So after reading 7 pages of this discussion I was pretty surprised no on had actually just troubleshot the loose mic. While shooting in China we noticed the mic starting to droop more and more until one day it stopped working. Before any of you start in with "why are you treating the camera like that" I will tell you my crew is very careful with equipment. Shooting on location like that has its wear. Anyway we simply removed the two screws on the base arm below the start stop button, the two screws under the eye piece (which allows access to the control ribbon plug in the back. Then remove two screw under the control ribbon plug are removed allowing the whole handle to be removed. Once you have the handle off there a several screw mounted underneath the handle. Remove those and the handle assembly comes apart. The Mic wires are simple ribbon that slide into a slot plug. The shock absorber is assembled using two plastic plates held in place behind the handle casing. Unless these plates break apart the mic WILL NOT FALL OFF. We replugged in the the ribbons and everything was back to normal. To say the least we have a few wraps of gaffers tape wrapped around the base of the mic now to ensure the play does not lend to loose mic ribbons again. I hope this helps.

So after reading 7 pages of this discussion I was pretty surprised no on had actually just troubleshot the loose mic. That's because it's purposefully designed to be that way for a good reason... in other words, it doesn't need troubleshooting. It's *supposed* to be loose! I thought this thread bore that out.

The A1's built in mic design is actually very good. As others have said, it is built "loose" as a shock absorber, so it doesn't pick up every little sound.

If you attach a shotgun mic in the holder, be ware, it will pick up most of your movements. I would love to be able to record XLR on one channel and the built in mic on the other (mono), however the A1 doesn't seem to allow that, which can be a draw back when you are recording a mono line out, and you want BG from your camera mic. But if you use the shot gun mic XLR in one channel, you can still record a line in on the other channel.