Accessories

SURPRISINGLY GOOD FOR THE PRICE
I bought at the same time this microphone, a Sennheizer anti-shock mount, and a Panasonic 3CCD PVGS-120 Mini DV camcorder. The only additions I've had to do to my camera kit are a mono to stereo plug converter, and some cable extensions because, apart from the fact that this little piece of equipment is mono, is a versatile and high quality microphone (better in short ranges and set up in cardioid pattern). I've been using all this things for three years already, and although there's plenty of new options in the market when it comes to video, this mike still does the audio job way better that many others.

Good beginner's shotgun.
This is medium quality for a shotgun and high quality for a camcorder mic. If you are looking for a replacement to the mic in a drum on your camcorder, this is the best you can get without installing balanced xlr connectors. Point and shoot. Even canceles out 90% of traffic noise.

didn't function properly
Tried this device on the DVX-100B, and no matter how high I would adjust the gains, it just picked up very faint wispers of sound. At this point I thought maybe the problem was in the XLR adapter I used, but when plugged into my computer and laptop, I got the same results. Device was on, used 2 different new batteries... Nothing. I've used various mics before like Azden, so I think I have a decent understanding on how these should perform, and the pickup on these mics are almost nil.

Acceptable Microphone
I have used this microphone at a function and was not surprised by it's usefullness. For the price, it gives a good sound and some range. It is a powered mic with one battery and a switch from short to long range pickup. The effectiveness of the long range is exaggerated. I bought it to replace a cheap one and to attach to new video camera.

Good audio considering it doesn't cost $750!
I've used sennheiser "big" shotgun mics (needing 48V phantom power and XLR connections) that are in the $700 price range and I was pleasantly surprised that the ATR-55 gave reasonable performance for the price. You don't compare it to a 2 foot long mic that costs 15x as much and is clearly for professional use. It's meant for the home moviemaker who is unhappy with the builtin mic on their camcorder which has an external 1/8" mono mic jack -- yes, this is a MONO output so it will likely only appear on one of two channels if you put it in a stereo mic jack leaving the other one empty. You might want to build or buy a dual mono to a single stereo adapter so you can capture audio from 2 mic sources on tape when using this. It will give you more editing options later when you read your tape + 2 audio tracks into your software.

What it does best is replace that built in microphone on your DV handheld recorder that picks up the motor noise and every click of the buttons you press. It does tend to reject your voice if you whisper to the person next to you, perhaps to adjust the lighting. The package comes with two mic holders, one for a hot-shoe (no electrical connections) and one for a traditional mic stand/arm. AT made a complete kit out of this unit.

It uses a single AA battery which should last for a long time. Some advice - toss the included battery in your pile and buy a good one that won't leak. I recommend the L91 lithium AA batteries because of their long life and long storage without leakage. This is a battery you won't be replacing for a couple years so it's best to put a high quality one in to begin with since you'll forget it. The L91 also provides about 2x the usage of a normal alkaline battery, but it costs ~2x as much so it works out in the end as a wash.

One note - the picture shows a nice metal mini 1/8->1/4 adapter but what is included in the kit is plastic and lacks the screw-on threads to keep it from pulling out. The cable is fixed to the microphone and not replacable like professional equipment, but again it's not at that price point.

Use this and your videos will sound alot better. The next step up is a wireless mic and receiver package for really long distances. I have used several of these and they make for excellent tapes of a single subject willing to wear the mic and transmitter. With the shotgun mic you are ready to go no matter who or what you are recording.

I think you'll be impressed with what you get for your money here.