Einleitung
The DM-100 is still the go-to microphone for all Legria / Vixia camcorders. This basically includes all Canon camcorders starting with "HF". The mic has a high price point of about 190$, and has a design flaw that will render it unusable after only a couple of years of use.
Symptoms: The microphone produces a rattling noise when the camera is being moved, basically rendering it useless for all other than stationary shots. This guide will give a quick fix to the problem for less than a dollar.
Werkzeuge
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You access the internals by removing the grill in the front, which is held in place by a small amount of adhesive.
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Use a set of tweezers (or a pointy metallic object, I used a tiny screwdriver) and gently pull in a circular fashion not to destroy the metal girder.
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Canon has used an elastic band for vibration reduction of the directional "sound pipe" (seen as a circle behind the elastic band).
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The pipe visible behind the elastic is supposed to be mounted toe the inner wall with the two marked circular joints.
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These incredibly weak joints are bound to break as the rubber loses its elasticity.
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Rubber band is irreparable and needs to go. I scratched it out using a small, sharp screwdriver.
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The culprit of the rattling noise is now apparent. A plastic cylinder stretches through the whole of the microphone, enabling the microphones forward focused / directional sound.
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When the rubber band breaks because of the bad joints, this thing hits the inner side of the cylinder.
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I measured the internal diameter, and found that there in total was a void of about 2mm in between the tube and the mic cylinder.
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After some searching, I found a 2mm thick foam sheet for about 50 cents at a hobbyist shop.
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Use this to cut a small sheet of depth of about 2 cm and length matching the inner circumference.
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There! 190$ microphone fixed for less than a dollar.
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The audio quality isn't affected at all.
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The DM-100 is a good, but expensive microphone for all Canon camcorders. The internal suspension is broken by design, and will render the microphone unusable after 2-3 years of use.
This fix is a permanent fix to Canons poor design. Since the pipe is solid, and the foam is only reaching about 2cm into the pipe, audio quality is not affected at all.
2 Kommentare
Good work, good tutorial! Can you help me? I have DM-50. How to connect it to Mini Advanced Hot Shoe? Do you have an electric circuit DM-50?
raoul.luigend@gmail.com
Hi, Raoul. I’m not sure what you’re trying to accomplish on what sort of equipment. I don’t know the DM-50, but if you have a camera with the mini hot shoe like the Legria / Vixia, you just need to slide open the compartment on the top of the camera and insert the mic firmly into the hot shoe.
Bonka -