You Get What You Pay For

The Sima MZM-1 camcorder microphone upon first glance looks to be a decent product. It is small, compact and is reasonably priced. However, as soon as you unpack it and actually feel its quality construction the illusion quickly falls apart.
The microphone itself is made of cheap plastic. It weighs almost nothing and the on/off switch is flimsy to say the least. It requires an AAA battery for its power. Installation of the battery, of course, adds more weight to the microphone. Installing the microphone is very easy as it fits on a standard accessory shoe built on to most camcorders. The cable plugs into a 1/8" external microphone jack.
How effective is the microphone? The product description says there are two modes, normal and zoom. Mode choices are made using the 3-position slide switch on the microphone. The positions are "Off," "Norm," and "Zoom." The switch is extremely delicate and hard to operate. It slides easily from one mode to the next. In the normal mode I found that the sound quality was no different than the microphone built into my Sony Handycam. In the zoom mode it is supposed to act like a directional mike and block noise from the rear and sides. However, what you actually get is a lot of ambient noise as well as the target audio. Its like the treble switch is turned all the way up.
To put it mildly this microphone was a complete waste of money and time. Shabby workmanship and no noticeable increase in the audio level or quality when using this microphone make for a product that is pure trash. Stay FAR AWAY from this microphone.