I bought the AT897 shotgun mic (along with MA-200). It is a great mic: battery and phantom, 20-20K, great S/N. I called Lightwave to ask which windscreen to use, as the mic is new, and not listed on their website sizing chart yet. The lady who answered the phone said everyone was gone for holiday, and suggested the MWM106 and MS106. These were supposedly made for the 0.8" mic O.D., and made to accomodate 6" slots. I bought these, along with MM-XL and SI-XL.

First, the SI-XL (sys isolator) looks great, but caused 4 problems:
1-not usable with MA-200. Forces the angled bottom of the camera on your shoulder, hangs the MA-200 past your back! It over compensated the weight and distance distribution.
2-Causes a very tight bend in viewfinder cable, which will shorten its life. The bending radius is too tight for this shielded cable. A 1" extension could be made to solve this.
3-Puts mic so far forward, it shows using the 3X wide angle lens
4-The mic must be removed each time to fit in the Portabrace CTC-3 case. This is a pain. I returned the SI-XL!

Secondly, the MWM106 and MS106 are more costly, "premium" versions of the "equalizer". They consist of the outer, unzippable, washable fur coat, and inner acoustic element. They look absolutely awesome!! And work equally well. However, the models mentioned are too large for the AT897. Slots in the AT897 measure 6"; this windscreen measures 8" end to end. An 8" windscreen forces this short mic so forward, it is in the plain view of the 3X lens. Remove the fur, and you can use the element (barely). This is with the MM-XL installed (microphone mini-mount) facing the rear of the camera! The mic is barely long enough to mount in the rear-facing MM-XL with this 8" windscreen wonder hanging off of the front, and is not secure in the mount. I returned the MWM106 and MS106!

Third, I really like the MM-XL mini mount. You can securely mount / dismount any mic with a 1/4 turn of a thumb control. Absolutely genius design. Shock mount works great, too. I am keeping the MM-XL!

Fourth, Has anyone bought the AT897 and a premium windscreen for it? Please advise what you bought. Also, is the Equalizer physically smaller than the 2 components I tried that make up the same look?

The following is a list of screens that will fit:

Lightwave: the 104 will work fine (either the MiniScreen and windjammer or the Equalizer)

Rycote: 18cm Medium Hole Softie or the less expensive Mini Windjammer "Special 155" (Fits over standard wind screen)

Windtech: BG-1 Big Gun windscreen

*** The 106 from Lightwave is too long ***

Thank you! Exactly what I was looking for. I really appreciate your information. You knew more about Lightwave products than Lightwave themselves...

Okay- has anybody actually compared the 897 against the ME66? I mean USED BOTH?

Results?

Yes, I own both, and I think I've posted about a dozen times....
The Sennheiser is way too noisy for my ear, and way too thin sounding for my ear, and too costly for what it gives. Yes, it's a hotter output at level, but if the level is unusable, it's not really a hotter mic....It's a good choice of a mic, I suppose, since many people like it...but then again, there are people that like the Azden stuff too. On one of the other community sites, if you look around, you'll find a review of 4 very popular shotguns. The 897 finished second overall, and first in it's class. Ironically, this month's Electronic Musician pitted the AT condensers against condensers costing 4 and 5 times as much, and the AT's generally won out.

I just spoke with a woman at Redding Audio (www.reddingaudio.com), the US distributor for Rycote, about the AT-897 which I am purchasing. In lower-cost options, she recommends either the Mini Windjammer Special 155 ($55) or the 14cm Medium Hole Softie $135. The latter is available with shorter hair for camcorder mounting or tight shots with a boom.

I have the mini windjammer and the 897 and it's a great combo. The miniwindjammer fits over the foam covering the mic comes with.

Now the question is: Is there $80 worth of difference between the Windjammer and the 14cm softie in wind protection?