It seems wireless mics are all the rage now, with everyone and his dog releasing one. Models from DJI, GoPro, RØDE, Sennheiser and Hollyland abound, and now Sony has joined the party with the ECM-W5.
Where do they get these snappy names from?
Anyway.
The system pairs two transmitters with one receiver, transmits over a line-of-sight distance of up to 500 m3 and Sony says is designed to reduce audio dropouts in congested radio-frequency environments.
Through the Multi Interface (MI) Shoe™, 32bit float4 audio travels digitally and directly to a compatible camera and records with video in a single file. Up to 64 GB of built-in memory enables 32bit float backup audio recording directly on the transmitter. Integration with compatible Sony wireless headphones enables cable-free monitoring and microphone functions.
Power supply and linked power control through the MI Shoe on compatible cameras support an workflow from recording through editing. The supplied USB Type-C adapter also enables connection to smartphones and PCs. The transmitters and receiver are also sold separately, supporting configurations such as up to four-channel recording and multi-camera production.
The high-performance microphones support 96 kHz High-Resolution Audio recording1, capturing voices with clarity and detail. A 3.5 mm microphone input also supports lavalier and external microphones, including the separately sold ECM-L1, providing flexibility for different recording situations.
The killer though just might be the price. At $619 it ain’t cheap if you compare it to the competitors I mentioned earlier. If you own a compatible Sony camera, then there may be some justification, but that $200-$300 difference for many will be a deterrent I am guessing.
I have requested a review unit, so if that comes to pass it wil be interesting to do side-by-side comparisons.