Is it just mine? Or does the built in microphone seem loosely attached?

It's loosley attached as a means of absorbing vibration.

Quick question regarding the built-in microphone.

It felt quite loose to me, or what I'd call a lot of freeplay. At the very tip of the mic, I can move it up and down roughly 1/4-inch.(which is a lot, as I can even see a gap between the rubber and the body)

Is this normal? If not, maybe I'll need to exchange it for another A1.

Thanks!

It is normal, so the mic can minimized vibrations from the movement of the camera.

Yep- lots of wiggle!

Thanks!

I guess it's normal, then... :)

Herbert, I'm sure you saw my earlier reply to the same question here:

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showpost.php?p=574340&postcount=7

"The built-in mic isn't loose, it's slightly flexible. And it's *supposed* to flex... that's not a bug, it's a feature. The built-in mic is shock mounted and is fully intended to give a little in both axes of rotation. Canon is to be applauded for doing that. And don't try to fix what ain't broken... you'll void your warranty!"

Is this right about the onboard microphone? I cant find much on the forum about it. I have just received my A1 & was surprised the onboard microphone has some movement! Is everyone's like this? Nothing mentioned in the manual of what I have read so far.

Thanks.

Don't worry - it's normal.

My A1`s is loose too. I`ve seen several post about it and it seems normal.

T

Okay. Thanks very much. That's good enough for me. Just didn't notice it when I looked at one before buying. A bit of a surprise. My only concern was how much pressure it could take when transporting in a camera bag. I guess it must be okay or someone else would have said something by now.

Thanks again.

G

It's not "loose." It's a shock-mount. Very much intentionally built that way.

When the XH A1 first came out, the "loose microphone" inquiries started to remind of the DVX with its "clunking lens" questions.

Well there are two things on the A1 that remind me of that... one is the shock-mount for the mic and the other is the standby / lock button that prompts so many "my camera won't turn on!" posts. For what it's worth, that little detail stung me too, the first time I ever picked up an A1.

And the "why are my images so grainy?" AGC switch posts.

I just got m A1 today, I ordered it from B&H and it arrived in the most appaling packaging (http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=86117). I must say I'm very dissapointed with B&H. They seem to have a good reputation, but do they just not care about their costumers unless they're studios spending 30k a year with them?? Anyways, my A1 seems fine except for the fact that the onboard mic is loose. I can jiggle the mic and where it is attached to the handle it has a fair amount of give. I was just wondering if this is normal on the A1 and I'm just paranoid b/c of the state the boxes were in when they arrived or if the camera might actually have sustained some damage. Any input is appreciated...

No worry, this is normal - it's "loose" for the proper shock absorption.

As Piotr pointed out it is just shock absorbtion and is normal on that camera. If the mic was mounted rigidly more handling and motor noise from the camera would be recorded.

B&H reputation comes more form the stock they have, the size of the store, and the prices. Last year alone we spent much more that you listed below and the treatment is pretty much the same. When it came time to get a demo of the new camera models they told us that they don't do that. Now I got a demo from a smaller local place that I feel I have to place an order with, but of course B&H has it in stock and it is cheaper.

wow good to know that thats normal for the mic, I figured that it was but when I saw those mangled shipping boxes and careless interior packaging I just about had a heart attack and have been in uber paranoid mode ever since. As for B&H i guess its good to know they treat all of their customers' purchases like crap and not just mine lol....

Obviously this has been a frequently asked question. I've merged several threads together as a result.

Yeah, i noticed a lot of give, with the built in mic as well, i can see a space between the rubber and cam... i fact i was letting a friend of mine use it and she thought she had broken it!

Woah -- hold on there! The built-in mic isn't loose, it's slightly flexible. And it's *supposed* to flex... that's not a bug, it's a feature. The built-in mic is shock mounted and is fully intended to give a little in both axes of rotation. Canon is to be applauded for doing that. And don't try to fix what ain't broken... you'll void your warranty!

A Guy here called Canon because of his loose mic, they said it´s NOT normal!
Anybody knows more about that?

A guy here called Canon because of his loose mic, they said it´s NOT normal!Trust me... it is perfectly normal. Most likely what happened in this case is that the particular support person was not completely familiar with the XH series camera. Most support personnel tend to deal primarily with the lower end consumer camcorders, so an occasional mistake like this is not uncommon. Hope this helps,

I`m sorry, but I am the guy who called Canon and the man on the Support told me:
"Please wait for a moment I`m just go to look at one XH A1 if it is normal... No I`m sorry I looked on it and it`s not normal. You can send it to our Supportcenter they`ll fix it."
The Support in Germany seems to have thier own Products to compare.

Hi Doblac,

I am not doubting your report. But I can assure you that the support person gave you incorrect information. You should be able to move the built-in mic around just a little bit -- in fact the most amount of play is in a slight twisting motion around the long axis, as if the mic were a key in the ignition of a car.

Every single XH A1 or G1 coming off the assembly line is made this way on purpose. If you had access to twenty of these camcorders, you'll find the exact same amount of microphone free play in each and every one of them. This is an intentional part of the design.

Video clip attached: A1 mic travel

If your A1 / G1 built-in mic moves as shown in this little video clip, then it should be considered normal... however, for anybody who wants to send their camcorder in for service because of this, I support you wholeheartedly -- but don't be surprised if you get it back unchanged, with a note saying "operating as designed."

outch, thats exact the moving my Microfon do. I`m sorry for my panic.

But one last question I have. Is the moving of your mic more smooth because of the rubber or is it loosely?

It's a bit loose. I've found that the Canon technical info people sometimes have different opinions when asked about technical info.

Hi Guys,
I've had an A1 for a couple of weeks now and done a very limited bit of shooting, paying attention to the controls and settings, etc... But, this morning I noticed that the built-in mic is really "wobbly" and "loose" feeling. To me, it feels like it's not on tigh enough, but I don't see any external screws to tighten myself. The problem seems to be between the mic housing itself and where it meets the body/frame of the cam where there is a rubber gasket/collar.

Is there something wrong here? Or, is this just an engineering feature to dampen rattling/movement noise to the built-in mic?

Of course, I was instantly bummed that something might already be broken on a 4,000 cam, but hopefully somebody has some good news!?!?

Thanks!

The mic is a bit wobbly / loose just naturally. That provides a bit of shock mounting to isolate it from camcorder handling noises. The retaining screws are inside.

Is there something wrong here? Or, is this just an engineering feature to dampen rattling/movement noise to the built-in mic?

You are correct. They started doing this with the XL2 to provide vibration isolation to keep camera noise from being coupled into the microphone.

-gb-

Wow - you guys are fast on the replies!

Thank you so much for the info and putting my mind at rest. I only ever shoot with external or shotguns, so I never paid any attention to the mic in the first place - just made me nervous.

Thanks, guys - I owe you an {adult beverage}.

A frequently asked question. Merged into our existing "Mic Loose?" thread.

My mic mounting is very loose on my XH-A1...I noticed it when I got the cam but didn't pay much attention....now as I'm shooting more...it's abig deal...anybody else with this issue?

It's supposed to be that way. There's a thread somewhere here if you search.

Bill

*edit* Never mind, I see in the link now that 2 mic topics were merged

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=89691

Please search first before asking questions.

Doh! I thought he was talking about the built-in mic. :-\

Bill

G'day there.

I'm looking at the xha1 as my next camera.

Just one question at this stage. Does the onboard microphone come apart easily? Or at least the mike head? It feels like the head plugs in to the body(maybe) but I didn't want to try and remove it in front of the saleman in case I created an embarrasing 'you broke it, you buy it' scenario.

It's supposed to wiggle a little. It's just a bit of shock absorbtion. And not it's not supposed to "un-plug"

Bill

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.

And you'll wreck your warranty if you try to remove the mics. Out of interest, why do you think you'd need to?

And you'll wreck your warranty if you try to remove the mics. Out of interest, why do you think you'd need to?

I assumed he didn't really want to. I thought it was just a curiosity thing.

Bill

Thanks guys.

I was curious, yes.

Just thought it would make it easier to fit a simple rain jacket if the mic head was a 'plug in' arrangement.

Since then I've found the 'Kata' RC-14 link which seems to fit the bill.

I just noticed tonight that my mic isn`t solid on the camera, I can actually wiggle it like a loose tooth. Is this normal? Or did the guy at Ritz last week break it loose when he tried to grab my camera from me?

It is supposed to be "loose." See also this existing thread:
http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=89691

I was the first to note the observation about the mic.
http://dvinfo.net/conf/showpost.php?p=569046&postcount=4

I am so PROUD! (it's still loose though...)

My on-board mic is about to pull out. Anyone know how to tighten this thing?

I glued mine back on.
Ryan

Permanent glue like crazy glue? I wonder what Canon recommends? If you ever needed to service this thing, I suspect you'd never get it apart?