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.

Easy purchase to make. I was recommend this microphone after watching a few videos from Think Media. Its works, is extremley affordable, and instantly makes you look more professional. When I plug this in on the camera, it looks like I'm going to take a media interview. The real selling feature in the decibel manipulation on the mic itself; very helpful depending on the environment. It does requrie a battery, but that's a small price ot pay for this level of performance and portability.

Arrived in good time and works well.

Es el tercero que compro. Lo he comprado de nuevo para cambiarlo por el primero que compré hace 4 años, que se le ha pelado un poco el cable del sonido y, aunque todavía funciona... me da miedo quedarme sin sonido en medio de una grabación. El otro que compré hace 3 años está intacto y maravilloso (tengo dos cámaras).La calidad del sonido es muy buena, yo grabo obras de teatro en directo con ellos y estoy encantada. Pero si además sólo buscas recoger sonido de referencia, no te lo pienses más que no te hace falta ni Rode ni Roda. Y el precio es inmejorable.

I like it a lot

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!

This was my first DSLR Microphone I bought and I am satisfied with my purchase based on the price.I watched a YouTube review comparing this to a RODE mic, and with the price difference, there was not a vast drop in quality (from what I interpreted) from the RODE to this guy, so I trusted the video and got it.As described and pictured, there are three switches on the device, a 3.5mm jack, a battery cover, and the removable dead-cat/wind resistor.The switches are well built and you know when they are on.This takes 1 AA battery and I haven't needed to change it yet.You plug the mic jack into your camera (mine being a Nikon D3200) and make sure the POWER switch on the mic itself is on, and you're in business.There is a bass filter switch that can try and reduce ambient noise (if you want an audio test video I can whip one up if you're unable to find someone on YouTube who has already done it). I just leave that one on.The other switch raises the dB level by 10, boosting it. I leave this off because sometimes my talent can blow or spike the audio, but it can be useful for shooting from afar. Then the last switch is power, which must be on in order to use it.IF THE MIC IS PLUGGED INTO THE CAMERA BUT NOT SWITCHED ON (At least on my camera), it will NOT record ANY audio, not even the on-board mic on the DSLR/whatever camera you use. So either unplug the Shotgun mic and use on-board, or don't forget to switch it ON (And there's a green LED that tells you it is on/battery life when red).The coiled 3.5mm cord is not long so don't expect to be stretching it very far. It works perfect for a DSLR and still has some slack which is nice.There is a shoe/hot mount to attach to your DLSR with a spinning ring that secures it in place, very useful.The mic itself is slightly suspended from the apparatus connecting it to the camera, for shock resistance I assume, but I notice nothing incredible about this.The windproof "sock" over the mic itself is decent at best, so if you have a better one, just throw it on there since the factory one is removable.The one thing I noticed about the mic is that despite it having its own power source (the AA battery), it DOES drain your camera's battery quite a bit, so be careful and bring your charger/extra batteries for the camera.For a starter shotgun mic, it's fantastic and does the job. I've used it in short films, professional interviews and filming a comedy stage show. If you want a cheap, good quality mic and are not looking to dish the $200 for a RODE, this is very good and worth the price.If you have any questions, let me know! I've had this since Feb. and I've run into no other problems but will list any if I do!

Muy buen micrófono para ser de los económicos, altamente recomendado para amateurs. El producto llego retrasado pero solo por un día, lo cual no es muy agravioso. La caja original del micrófono presentó un ligero golpe en una de sus esquinas pero no afectó al producto. En resumen, buen producto, servicio de paquetería con pequeños detalles.