Disclaimer: I received this product for free in exchange for my honest & unbiased reviewIf you are shooting video, an external microphone is a must for anyone who wants decent sound – it improves the sound quality. It is bound to - the internal microphone, considering its tiny size, cannot hope to compete with one this big. The difference in sound quality is significant.This microphone comes in a good presentation box (see photo 1). This is important if it is a gift - it makes a difference. Some items come in brown cardboard boxes.Inside everything is stored in cutaway foam (photo 2).Photo 3 shows what you get in the box – the microphone, a cotton foam muffler and a CR2032 battery. The bank note is to give you an idea of the size.The muffler reduces wind noise. It is essential.Photos 4-5 shows it mounted on the hotshoe, with the cable plugged into the camera.Photo 6 shows the rear of the microphone. The end cap unscrews to insert the battery, which is included. To insert the battery, tilt it so that the 12 o’clock position is inserted and then push on the 6 o’clock position. It snaps in place.Tip: The instructions are wrong regarding how to remove the battery (a translation error, I assume) . They say that the ‘metal card’ has to be pushed ‘outwards’ (photo 8). In fact, you push the metal clip (in the 6 o’clock position) DOWN – the clip is on a spring and will move down, releasing the bottom of the battery (photo 9). The battery then levers out. I tell you as you will be cursing if you do not know how to do it and try to follow the instructions.The microphone has three settings – off, 0dB & +10 dB. The latter increases sensitivity (and noise too, naturally, so there is a price to pay) – but it is good to have.If you are not used to this microphone, please always check it is on before filming – if you are used to using the built-in microphone, it is SO easy to film your child’s birthday party or whatever with this new toy and then curse because you forgot to turn it on. Every time I press record, I first check that the microphone is turned on.Confusingly, the red LED on the top by the three-position switch (see photo 10 – the LED (transparent in the photo) is just beyond the +10dB setting) does not stay on when the microphone is on. It only turns on to indicate a low battery. In normal use, when you turn the microphone on that LED blinks for a fraction of a second, and dimly – I thought that it meant my factory-supplied battery was dead on arrival. I tested it – it wasn’t – the LED is designed that way.I carry a spare CR2032 battery, just in case.The manual includes two graphs showing the output response of the microphone (photos 11 & 12). I cannot verify them – all I can say is that the microphone improves the sound quality and I am very happy with it.