Sony’s Answer To Rode’s Wireless Go Coming April

Nokishita reports that the expected Sony microphones will come out April 16 in Japan [Update: Sony sent out its press release confirming that it will come out “in April.”] The ECM-W2BT wireless mic – akin to the new Rode Wireless Go II – will sell for $230, which is roughly comparable in price to the Rode offering when considering the Rode package includes two mics and one receiver.

Sony launched a new hotshoe interface with the introduction of the A7r Mark IV two years ago and is now slowly rolling out devices to take advantage of the added bandwidth capacity it provides. While it is seldom that photographers would use flash at the same time they record audio, the additional port in the hot shoe does present some liability for damage – both to the more numerous and sensitive contacts, and also as a point of ingress for water. Old-style hot shoes for some brands have a well-deserved reputation for toughness, and in at least one case was seen used as a bottle opener in a pinch.