Sony HDR-MV1
If there’s one failing of incredibly tiny but capable action cams like the GoPro, it’s their awful microphones capturing equally disappointing audio that can often let down a stellar moment caught on video. The Sony HDR-MV1 was never a GoPro competitor, but it fixed the problem of bad audio on tiny camcorders with a pair of stereo external microphones mounted right below the camera lens in an X-Y formation.
The HDR-MV1 was as capable as the high-quality portable recorders from companies like Roland and Zoom, but came with the added bonus of capturing video at 1080p or 720p, depending on your storage needs or what you planned to do with the footage. It filled an interesting niche as musicians started to rise to fame using social media and platforms like YouTube, but the orientation of the HDR-MV1’s screen, which couldn’t flip out, remains a bizarre choice. Not being able to see the screen while pointing the camera at one’s self meant that shooting selfie videos was problematic unless you got creative with mirrors.
