Built-in mic seems loose?

Cal Bickford · February 10th, 2007, 03:59 AM

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...

Piotr Wozniacki · February 10th, 2007, 04:02 AM

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

Jeff Rhode · February 10th, 2007, 04:37 AM

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.

Cal Bickford · February 10th, 2007, 06:18 AM

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....

Chris Hurd · February 10th, 2007, 01:32 PM

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

John Brinks · February 11th, 2007, 03:53 PM

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!

Rolf Seitz · February 15th, 2007, 10:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris Hurd

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?

Chris Hurd · February 15th, 2007, 11:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rolf Seitz

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,

Doblac Lubicic · February 15th, 2007, 12:11 PM

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.

Chris Hurd · February 15th, 2007, 12:22 PM

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.

Chris Hurd · February 15th, 2007, 12:45 PM

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."

Doblac Lubicic · February 15th, 2007, 01:21 PM

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

Doblac Lubicic · February 15th, 2007, 01:59 PM

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

Larry Vaughn · February 15th, 2007, 08:03 PM

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

Steve Ramsey · March 23rd, 2007, 08:37 AM

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!

February 10th, 2007, 03:59 AM	#16
Cal Bickford Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 157	Loose onboard mic??? 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...

February 10th, 2007, 04:02 AM	#17
Piotr Wozniacki Inner Circle Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Poland Posts: 4,086	No worry, this is normal - it's "loose" for the proper shock absorption. __________________ Sony PXW-FS7 \| DaVinci Resolve Studio; Magix Vegas Pro; i7-5960X CPU; 64 GB RAM; 2x GTX 1080 8GB GPU; Decklink 4K Extreme 12G; 4x 3TB WD Black in RAID 0; 1TB M.2 NVMe cache drive

February 10th, 2007, 01:32 PM	#20
Chris Hurd Obstreperous Rex Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: San Marcos, TX Posts: 27,368 Images: 513	Obviously this has been a frequently asked question. I've merged several threads together as a result. __________________ CH Search DV Info Net \| 20 years of DVi \| ...Tuesday is Soylent Green Day!

February 15th, 2007, 12:22 PM	#25
Chris Hurd Obstreperous Rex Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: San Marcos, TX Posts: 27,368 Images: 513	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. __________________ CH Search DV Info Net \| 20 years of DVi \| ...Tuesday is Soylent Green Day!

February 15th, 2007, 08:03 PM	#29
Larry Vaughn Major Player Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Gainesville, FL Posts: 201	Loose microphone It's a bit loose. I've found that the Canon technical info people sometimes have different opinions when asked about technical info.

February 10th, 2007, 04:37 AM	#18
Jeff Rhode Regular Crew Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: NJ, USA Posts: 169	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.

February 10th, 2007, 06:18 AM	#19
Cal Bickford Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 157	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....

February 11th, 2007, 03:53 PM	#21
John Brinks Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Phoenix Az Posts: 69	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!

February 15th, 2007, 12:11 PM	#24
Doblac Lubicic New Boot Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Berlin Deutschland Posts: 5	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.

February 15th, 2007, 01:21 PM	#27
Doblac Lubicic New Boot Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Berlin Deutschland Posts: 5	outch, thats exact the moving my Microfon do. I`m sorry for my panic.

February 15th, 2007, 01:59 PM	#28
Doblac Lubicic New Boot Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Berlin Deutschland Posts: 5	But one last question I have. Is the moving of your mic more smooth because of the rubber or is it loosely?

March 23rd, 2007, 08:37 AM	#30
Steve Ramsey Tourist Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Muskegon, MI Posts: 3	Built-in Mic Loose/Broken? 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!