HDR-HC9 Audio

[Brian Maurer]

I recently purchased an HC9 and am trying to collect all the different things I need to create the best image I can for the money that I have (how typical, I know!) I’m in the market for some shotgun mics and have heard some conflicting things. A good friend of mine who has worked in video production of the University here has suggested two mics: the RO-NTG3, and Sennheiser MKH-416. The HC9 has an 8th inch stereo plug in near the front below the lens. Finding an SLR to 8th inch is no problem, but I was wondering if anyone here owned this camera, and has tested external mics with this model / has suggestions as to how I can go about selecting the right mic.

[J. Stephen McDonald]

Brian, I've found that although the built-in mikes on my HC9 have good performance compared to those of many other models, I have to always use an external mike. The operating noises of the camera can be heard on the recording, whenever there's no ambient sounds to mask them. Fortunately, I always shoot with a shoulder-mount, which has plenty of space to attach an external mounting arm. I have several types of mikes I use, most often a little Sony ECM-MS907. It's stereo, with good pickup and fidelity for its size and an adjustable directional sector. It looks like it was made for this camcorder. It's on a Kevlar/epoxy arm that keeps all camera noise out of it. Other times, I'll use a big, 19-inch long UEM-81C Audix XLR mike (no longer available). I made my own adaptor cords, that dead-end the balancing circuit in a metal stereo miniplug housing, along with the return connector. With a Raynox 2.2X telex, the little camcorder is mostly obscured from sight, but the setup gives good results and isn't as cumbersome to handle as it looks. I have tried some other mikes on it, such as a pair of Audio-Technica ATR55 shotguns, which work alright on their normal setting, but add too much noise in their super-directional mode. Any kind of camcorder mike could be used on it, but I don't think a large XLR adaptor unit would be practical to mount on a camera this small.

Below are links to two pictures of it. Maximize the pages that appear to see a larger size.

That's a Sony VCL-DH1758 1.7X telextender on it, which I think is the best one for this type of camcorder. I use a 37mm to 58mm step-up ring to adapt it, which is available from B&H. This telex was made for Sony's digital H-series still cameras and has a lot of resolution potential. It vignettes only below 30% full zoom on the HC9. I think it's sharper and is less expensive than the 37mm HD telex Sony sells specifically for this group of camcorders. My own fiberglass butterfly hood is on the telex, which has no end threads for screw-on hoods.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2332/...ffbd4d4b_o.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3222/...6773da88b4.jpg

[Brian Maurer]

Excellent information, and greatly appreciated!