Video Microphone, SAMTIAN Camera Smartphone VideoMicro Kit with Shock Mount, Mini Tripod, Shotgun Interview Microphone for Canon Nikon Sony iPhone Android Samsung Camera YouTube Vlogging

The media could not be loaded.  I use this often now to shoot a quick but with clear audio that I don't need to clip my wireless mic or where a simple and quick setup is needed.The body of the microphone is metal and does not require an external power source yet the sound quality has been amazing. You also do get the 'dead cat' to muffle any wind noise and being a small form factor, it mounts with the anti-vibration mount on top of my Canon EOS R. I didn't edit any audio on the video review I did so you can get an idea what it sounds like. Keep in mind that my room is not treated so there may be some echo in the sound itself. But overall, this is a simple solution to have awesome audio quality and not relying on the in-camera microphone that often times have awful sound!

UPDDATE: I am updating this review because this mic DOES work with the Pixel 2, IF you have the correct adapter. The 3.5mm to USB-C adapter that comes with the rig did not work with my Pixel 2. But when I added a Google 3.5 to USB-C adapter that did the trick. The Google adapter was only about $6 here on Amazon. So with that sorted out, I like this rig a lot. Sound is better than the internal mic, but not amazing. It is sufficient for my needs.Raising my rating from 2 stars to 4 stars. Would give it 5 if the sound was amazing and if I hadn't had to buy an additional adapter.It is a nice little rig. The tripod is decent, the phone mount is snug, but the microphone does NOT work with the Pixel2 phone that I have. Even with the USB-C adapter, and the external mic switched on, no sound is recorded. I'll keep it, because I may be buying a DSLR camera in the near future, but this is a major annoyance that is is NOT compatible with my particular android phone.

The small tripod that came with my unit is all METAL, very sturdy, and really nicely-made, I dare say it could hold a lightweight SLR camera and a moderate zoom lens if you chose too. The microphone too is metal and strong. Sound quality isn't "night and day" better than my iPhone's microphone (mine is an old SE) but the sound quality is definitely better. The mic is quite directional but it does pick up sound from the side and behind, just not with the same clarity as from directly in front - you will want to use this as a directional mic if you want good sound. The mount that holds the microphone works well and the cables are of good quality. Mine would not record through the iPhone's lightning port, and while that could be a cable issue I'm betting it is a phone issue as the Lightning adapter cable supplied with the kit is made as nicely as everything else that came with the package - therefore I'm not taking off a star for that. It records fine through the 3.5mm ear/mic jack. All-in-all a surprisingly-good product.

The media could not be loaded.  My phone has a type C plug and the cord for this microphone does come with a type C cord that fits my phone with no problems. The tripod that comes with this microphone. The tripod is fully secure and holds my phone with the case on it with no problems. If I want to keep my phone on a steady table, I'm able to do so. I have used this microphone to record several memories with the family and rather than hearing wind noises in the background, I have clear voices when my videos get played back. The cover I noticed has helped with combating the wind noise. Just last weekend I recorded a family member's wedding that was outside. While others were recording, when everyone was playing their videos back, you couldn't hear the people saying their vows. With my video playback, I could clearly hear the vows being said with no wind noise in the background. Not to mention, I was able to steady this tripod at the table we were out and it came out not just still but clear as can be.

This mic kit caused me a ton of problems. First let's speak to the quality of the mic itself. I recorded the same sounds with the built-in mic of my DSLR and this SAMTIAN mic and put the sound files into Adobe Audition to compare. The waves were nearly identical.The problem I encountered was the iPhone adapter does not work on the iPhone 8 we used. I plugged everything in as directed, using the correct phone cable and adapter, but the mic was not recognized. Sadly, I didn't realize it wasn't working since I was hearing sound. Apparently the internal mic was being used so there I was with a plugged in mic that wasn't even working. I recorded an entire session before realizing I was just using the internal phone mic.I'm not sure if I received a defective product cable but the poor mic quality is enough for me to return the kit.

I found the deadcat SUPER difficult to put on the mic, so now that it's on, it's staying on!The tripod is super easy to use, but I found if you aren't careful about pushing the "release" button for the pivot that it will become loose in some positions. Treat it gently. Probably not good for someone who is rough with their tech.The iphone adapter that came with the item (when used with the "phone" cord) gave me a lot of background noise (with my iPhone 7). I switched to the "camera" cord and that seemed to help. However, I did think about my usage, and I realized I would likely need to be plugged into an external battery at some point. I purchased a separate "charge and phone call" adapter (make sure it doesn't have its own mic like the first one I bought), and after some experimentation found that combined with the "phone" cord works best, with no background noise.I do feel this item was a little overpriced after realizing the poor sound quality I got with the iphone adapter, but getting the tripod plus mic holder plus phone holder on balance means it was worth it for my purposes.