Sony ECM-DS30P Electret Condenser Digital Microphone

I purchased this Sony ECM-DS30P mic to use with my Kodak Zi8 Pocket Video Camera. I wanted a little better sound capture at not a huge price. I trust the Sony name brand in sound equipment and the price was right. The total length of the mic is 2.2 inches (56.5 mm) and its' diameter is 0.45 inches (11.42 mm). It does capture sound in digital stereo. I haven't used any soft or hardware to determine the sound quality compared to the built in mic of the video camera. It does sound better to me, but don't get it twisted, it doesn't come anywhere close to the mics I use with my hand held HD camcorder. This mic does have a pivot point which allows you to rotate the sound capture head up to about a 45 degree angle. Because the external mic port on my Kodak cam is on the side, plugging this mic directly in would have its' sound capture ports (remember it is a stereo mic) facing up or down or front to back. Not ideal! Therefore, I purchased a 90 degree stereo adapter (with a male and female connection) from my local Radio Shack. It allows me to rotate the mic in almost infinite positions including straight down by the pocket cam's side for easy storage. There are probably better mics out there, but let's keep it real, for the price and quality and its' intended use this Sony ECM-DS30P microphone is hard to beat. I will up load some photos shortly.

Very nice unit, but doesn't seem to work with iPhone 4. I suspect it requires more power than the iPhone delivers through the mini-jack. It would be nice if they specified that the mic isn't for iPhone. I'm still looking for an inexpensive directional mic for the iPhone.

I use this microphone with my Olympus DM-10 digital voice recorder. The entire package fits easily in a shirt or jacket pocket. As a radio/tv broadcast journalist, this compact microphone allows me to record spontaneous interviews in broadcast quality. This is a superb microphone and worth every penny.