As smartphone cameras shoot at  near-professional quality,  they have outstripped  the ability to record  sound at matching quality. But help is at hand.
Bangalore, January 28 2019: The camera on  the average  cell phone,   has become  so good, at capturing  good quality video,  you rarely need to carry a separate handycam or  Digital Single Lens Reflex (DSLR)  camera, unless you are a hard core professional shooter.  Many phones, even in the mid-price range, can record video at ultra high definition or "4K", which is  better than  what most TV channels broadcast.  And the latest premier  handsets  offer  separate lenses  for  wide angle,  optical zoom and close-up which  all help top create  great still and video imagery.  Indeed,  TV journalists increasingly use the cameras on smartphones in many outdoor  news scenarios.  But there's  one downside.
Good video means a good soundtrack to match -- and here, phones are a failure:  their microphones are too small to capture any sound with fidelity unless the source is very close.  What you need is an audio  accessory -- like a professional-grade  directional microphone which you can latch on to your phone or place  nearby.  In recent months this item on the wish list of  phone owners dissatisfied with the sound recorded with  their video shoots,  has been answered. Taiwan-headquartered Digital multimedia  company, AverMedia Technologies,  has  recently launched the AM133 for live streaming and vocal recording with phones, laptops or DSLRs which we have been trying out.
The tube shaped  microphone  weighs less than 80   gms  and can be attached to the  3.5 mm audio jack of the phone,  using  one of two cables provided: the one that  comes with an extra audio socket so that you can also plug in headphones to monitor the sound as it records. Also supplied is  a mount  for attaching on a selfie stick if you are using one  and a metal stand if you want to place the microphone on a table. To complete the setup, AverMedia supplies a "windscreen", a soft, furry cap for the mike that  muffles unwanted ambient noises from side or rear.
There are fixtures that allow  you to attach the microphone to  the hot shoe mount  of a digital camera as well.  The AM133  Live Streamer  sells for Rs 7000   and  when you consider that you are effectively saving the cost of a  standalone  video camera and mike, it is a reasonable investment.