Zoom SGH-6 shotgun microphone, capsule for H5/H6/Q8

Having recently purchased a Zoom H5 recorder to up my interviewing and podcasting game (I'm a jobbing journalist by trade) I decided to invest in a few additional microphone modules to cover all scenarios. I wanted a shotgun mic for interview situations where a lavalier couldn't be used, and that meant my choice was between the SSH-6 (stereo mid-side) and this SGH-6 (a mono, frequency independent, super-cardioid polar pattern mic). I'm not interested in capturing ambient sound in an interview recording, quite the opposite in fact. I am interested in a highly directional pickup, and this ticks that box. You do have a relatively short shotgun here, so the further away from the source you go the less useful it becomes. Like the other mic modules from Zoom, the H5 automatically recognises the change and adapts to suit. You can tell it knows as the word 'GUN' appears on the screen. That said, you will need to make some adjustments to gain in order to overcome the noise floor of both device and mic (there's a physical gain dial on the shotgun mic itself). The included furry windshield that comes with the SGH-6 is a real bonus. Not only is it very well made, and very effective at reducing wind noise in an outdoor environment, but it represents quite a decent 'dollar value' as these things are not cheap to buy separately. The equivalent Zoom item for the standard mic modules is a £25 purchase! All in all, then, I'm more than happy with this mic. Sure, it's not as good as some of the bigger shotguns, but it's a portable item and works out the box to provide perfectly acceptable recordings. Best of all, it's part of a modular recording studio that you can carry around in a suitable small travel case...

Standard Zoom quality. Works well and not too noisy.

I used this with the Zoom H6 and wow, what a combo. The sound is so clear and crisp, You can adjust the sound input from the mic which makes is easier to control. You won't be disappointed!

My second zoom shotgun mic, after dog mistook it for a squirrel when I went out one day (it has a hairy wind cover), I use it a lot for interviews and had to replace. Doesn’t stand up well to being mauled by a dog - though it is very sturdy when not being chewed.

I'm not a audiophile, sound engineer or anything, but even I, a half talentless clown manages to get amazing sound from it. However! Unless you're extremely talented audio specialist (I'm not), a £15 Lavalier (which I also got) will probably be completely sufficient. I was genuinely shocked how good of a job they do. So my advice from one amateur to another, Zoom 5 and the shotgun will go for some £350, and a £15-20 lavalier will probably do a very similar job. My advice to professional? You probably know this product better than I do, you know it's amazing.

Get another super zoom microphone I was surprised at how directional this microphone can be and have used it to record sounds from several hundred yards away and it still records excellence sound, thoroughly recommended

It is good for non professional usage. 3 stars, because thanks to this microphone, I understood that I need better microphone and that for small money you cannot expect miracles.

I had high hopes for this microphone, and was pleased to see it came with a "dead cat" wind shield. However I was quickly disillusioned. The microphone is unuseable hand-held (due to excessive rumble - and I am very used to using hand-held microphones and do not usually experience this problem). Secondly the microphone is unusable outdoors, even with the "wind shield" due to chronic wind noise in the slightest breeze. Probably OK on a stand indoors. That's all.