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I recently had the opportunity to try out the Sony PCM-D50 linear digital audio recorder and I figured that I'd put it through its paces by bringing it to Iceland with me during the filming of an episode of Angry Planet. What better testing ground than a windy, frozen volcanic island in the North Atlantic? The PCM-Dso already has a reputation for being rugged, with stories floating around of a previous model surviving a hyena attack in Africa and living to tell the tale (I wonder what it sounded like?).This was my own chance to see if it could survive a real-world torture test.
On first inspection, the unit certainly did seem durable. The thick two-tone gray metal case seemed tough enough to take a bullet and the twin electret condenser microphones were protected by steel bars that resembled a mini shark cage. The backlit LCD screen was easy to read even in harsh, direct sunlight and the controls were easy to operate. My test unit also came with the optional AD-PCMi windscreen, which I consider an absolute necessity unless you never plan on using it outside. Without it, even the slightest breeze rumbles the microphones to distortion, rendering them useless. Once you slip the windscreen on, however, the microphones become perfectly useable outdoors again, although the odd shape and large size of the windscreen make the recorder look like there's a squirrel attempting to mate...