TAKSTAR SGC-698 Photography Interview Recording Microphones MIC 3.5mm Output for Nikon Canon Camera DSLR DV Camcorder

Don't believe everything you read. Try it for yourself. We bought this mic, wasn't not given.Pros:- It's pretty close to Rode Stereo Mic Pro, in my opinion. TakStar 698 seems to be more directional, though- Stereo. You can hear Stereo effects and hear channel separations clearly.- Condenser. Sound in front is much louder than in back of Mic (Someone's talking behind you shouldn't ruin your audio)- It has (-10), 0 and +20 dB filters and High Pass filter. High pass doesn't change much, but (-10)dB reduces floor noise dramatically.- (0)dB has good bass if to record music, (-10) dB reduces floor noise and doesn't cut off bass too much- No distortions when recorded street performers loud music- No distortions from wind with Dead kitten On.- Mic shock mount shoe fits easily in Camera standard shoe without resistance.- Battery is 2032 so by design Mic doesn't turn LED on when Mic is On in order to save battery. Battery indicator will blink when you turn Mic On and should turn Red steady when battery is getting low (according to manual) and you will have yet about 1 hour for recording before replacing battery.- Suitable size for On Camera Mic, that is beat any other (including Rode) bazooka size Mic's.- Wind shield dead kitten looks as good as Rode's one.Cons:- Shock mount is not the best one. Focus motor is kinda ruin your audio in environment without ambient noise (unless you have STM lens if it's for Cannon)- Cord length itself is 205mm (8inch), which is enough to connect to your camera, but short if you you going to use steadicam with extension plate for Mic. It's also about 1.3mm (0.05 inch) thick, braided though- (+20)dB is overkill. You may hear your voice across your room, but it raise up white noise too high also.- Mic shock mount shoe is plastic and looks thinAll in all: Sound quality is good and bassy at 0dB in room recording and at (-10)dB when outside. Stereo, Condenser, no distortions. It beats Rode Stereo Pro in price at almost the same quality but loose in design of shock mount if to use USM lens instead of STM for Canon..Good Mic

It works just like the good ole 598 so what's better what's worse? The size is smaller and compact. It uses a coin type battery which was suppose to be included but mine was missing from the package. The dead cat or furry windscreen looks nothing like the one pictured. It looks like a dead rat. It is wonky and sheds. That's right it sheds. Sound quality on the 0db setting is slightly worse than your on board microphone. It is low. -10db takes the recording volume level even lower. It's for close recording or maybe in a loud setting. +20db works great on a GoPro. It improves the audio significantly. On a Canon R700 it's a little too much and you will have to lower the in camera audio setting. Same on a DSLR. The bass filter does't quite work as good as it did on the 598.Overall I'm happy with the purchase. I would have preferred a better windscreen and it would have been nice to have a battery but luckily I had ordered some to use with this. It would have also been cool if there was a +10db setting. I also like the AA battery in the 598 because I can get rechargeables. The coin battery does allow this to have a smaller footprint though. Build quality is good nothing shady except the furry windscreen. Not bad at all for the money. No hissing or interference even with wifi on. Some people may be referring to noise at a dead silence but com on this is a consumer grade china made affordable budget device that satisfies most people. If you want real high quality you're gonna have to pay real high prices for that no noise at dead silence. I would just turn it off if you want that on this.

It's a nice, compact mic. Sound quality is pretty good (but not as good as the Takstar scg-598- but the difference is not great). I found 0db to be too quiet with the preamps turned down in the camera to appropriate levels to prevent hiss but +20 was too high and introduced hiss on my Sony RX10 but it was OK on my Nikon d500.From 8 microphones I tried out, this was the third best. The Takstar scg-598 is rated first, followed by the Rode VideoMicro, and this is the this is third. But it's not made for all cameras if you want low hiss but healthy audio levels, it depends on the preamps.

This microphone made a world of difference in my videos, and I love that it lets you adjust the microphone for various environments. I'd buy it again in a heartbeat.

Audio is awesome but the mount is cheap and broke after 1 month. I handled everything with care but it still failed.

missing the battery even though the instruction manual says the package comes with it. Also overall the product is really cheap looking.

missing the battery, it was supposed to be with the battery, what can i do ?

My mic was missing the battery. Luckily I had bought extra.