TAKSTAR SGC-598 Photography Interview Shotgun MIC Microphone for Nikon Canon DSLR Camera (Need 3.5mm Interface)Auxiliary

Let's face it, in camera microphones leave a lot to be desired. With the video quality of todays DSLR's you really want the sound to be as impressive as the images. Enter the Takstar 598. Not quite Hollywood levels of sound quality but way better than the in camera mic. Let's take a look at it, shall we?First, the unboxing... worth mentioning because this thing comes in a nice package. Much nicer than anything you'd expect from say, Best Buy. With it's contoured foam liner and individual compartments for each item, the original box makes the best storage place for the mic when it's not in use. Inside those contoured compartments you'll find a velvet storage bag, instructions, spare vibration isolators, a battery, mic cover, and the mic itself.Second, the mic... Out of the box the mic itself appears to be constructed as well or even better than you'd expect. The foam cover slips over the shotgun snugly, the mic attaches to the shockmount frame via small rubber isolator bands, the frame attaches to the hot shoe mount via a small tension knob and a nice curled cord with a 2.5mm jack plugs into the camera. Worth noting... a number of people have stated the mic didn't fit their hot shoe mount... you may have to screw the tension knob up towards the mic frame so the mount can slip into the hot shoe. Then screw the knob back down to secure it to the hot shoe! ...much easier than returning the mic because it "didn't fit"!Third, the buttons!... inserting the supplied battery and flicking the power switch on the side of the mic illuminates a green power light so you know the mic is on. Also on the side of the mic is a 10 decibel sound boost and a high pass filter to block low frequency sounds.Fourth, my opinion!... I like the Takstar 598. it was well worth the $30 bucks or so that it cost as my in camera mic picked up way to much background noise (non directional mic's do that). The Takstar is a directional mic so sounds coming from the sides or back is heavily muted compared to the sounds coming from directly in front of it. The battery has lasted nearly 40 hours of being "on" over the course of a few months so it's not like you have to worry about it chewing through batteries, which is nice.Fifth, my only complaints are... The sound comes across quite muted, so you either have to be close to the mic or project your voice more than you would in normal conversation... turning on the +10 boost does amplify the sound to the camera, but not without a noticeable increase in noise and hiss. Also. the low frequency filter is designed to cut out bass heavy sounds but I found it cut into the vocal range making those on camera sound hollow and tinny when it's turned on. Lastly, and most importantly I think... the power light is located on the back of the mic, there really should be one on the front so if the mic looses power or you forget to turn it on (that's happened!) You'd know before loosing an entire recording.Overall, I would definitely recommend this mic to anyone looking for their first upgrade away from their in camera mic. Experienced videographers and professional cameramen having experience with better mics might likely find it less than impressive, but if they can show a better mic for $30 bucks I'd like to see it!

I'm pissed at myself that I waited this long to purchase this mic for my video needs. I've seen it along with the other big name products for years and only recently decided to bite the bullet on this one. I didn't expect much because I never use the audio from the camera anyway. I'll have my big mic plugged into some sort of recorder and marry the audio to the video in post. I do a lot of run and gun style shooting and sometime I don't have the chance to set up proper audio but still want better than what I can get with the cameras built in microphone. Since I've put this on my cam I honestly haven't taken it off. Even at home using it for youtube videos and other content i've been pleased with the sound come from this mic. It's been my go-to mic on my last few videos on my channel [...]Now you will pick up some background noise, while it's fairly directional you can hear thing in the area. The dropoff from the front to behind the mic is not the greatest, it just becomes more muffled. I just had to mention it. Also, I wish there was some kind of way for it to better alert you that you've left it one and could be in the process of draining your battery. I've come back to it days later and saw the faint little green light on like "oh snap I forgot to turn it off." I only takes a small AA battery but I would hate to be out somewhere using this and my battery finally go dead and not have an idea before hand.Overall, it's really just a great option especially for the price. I've had the chance to use the other options by rode and various companies and they're well worth the price, but this one is steal for it's tag. It's cheap enough to buy it, give it a try and not feel like you've "lost out" if it doesn't meet your standards. I just wish I could have told myself that a few years ago when it first popped up.

So far I think this is very good! I do have a couple things worth mentioning however.This is a mono mic. Not stereo. So if that is a deal breaker then look elsewhere.This mic has an EQ that is very low and low mid exaggerated so the low cut function really comes in handy as the main flat signal is quite warm and dark sounding. To sum it up it is a bassy mic.It is also quite sensitive on 10db which is to be expected but the noise floor is a bit iffy especially on older cameras with a poor mic preamp. However I found it did well with bird watching especially after boosting in post. Minus the noise of course.So in conclusion at this price point this mic is very good and has awesome features. You do get what you pay for but for someone on a budget or just starting out with shotgun mics this is a very good option.

I am the media director for a small church and this is the perfect mike for my needs. It catches even distant sounds without any distortions. Something very important when recording sermons. I have owned more expensive mikes that did not do as well. Definitely worth the money. I also like the fact that it uses an ordinary double A battery instead of button batteries.