I have approx 50% luck with this. I use my cameras in aviation, and approx 50% of the time the external mic input is recognized and I get great ATC audio, 50% of the time it isn't recognized and I just get flightdeck noise. I don't know if I need to plug the mic cable in AFTER the camera is started, before, after recording starts, before etc to ensure it is recognized. Also is there any way to verify via a menu that it senses the external input?