In my comparison of the Sony HDR-MV1 to the Zoom Q4 I noted that the Zoom comes with wind protection in the form of a rather effective hairy windsock. This feature gives the Zoom a clear win over the Sony for outdoor recordings using the built-in mics.
There are several other things I prefer about the Zoom, but in the end the video and audio quality of the Sony seems to edge out the Q4, so I’ve adopted the MV1 as my music camera of choice, and I’d really like to come up with some form of wind protection.
Mr. Tomoaki Koyama
Luckily someone has already figured out at least one solution. Mr. Tomoaki Koyama uses the Tascam WS-2i windsock and trims the fur to clear the lens. In this video he demonstrates how to prepare the WS-2i and in this one he demonstrates its effectiveness in an outdoor recording.
Outdoor Comparison
I thought it might be fun to compare the MV1 with a modified WS-2i windsock to the Zoom Q4 with its standard windsock. I added a Zoom H1 without any wind protection as a reference, and shot the session on the Lumix GH4.
I think it’s pretty clear from listening to the video clip that my version of the modified Tascam WS-2i did not really do the job. It was an improvement over the unprotected Zoom H1, certainly, but not good enough for my purposes. I watched Mr. Koyama’s video again and realized that I made several mistakes in modifying my windsock, so I’ve ordered another one to give it another try.