Zoom Q3HD is here

[Fran Guidry]

Originally Posted by Ty Ford

And yet I wonder if the USB interfaces from Centrance and others convert at mic or line level.

I'll have to find out.

Regards,

Ty Ford

Please let us know what you learn, Ty. The mics I know about that have a/d at the capsule (or at the impedance converter immediately after the capsule, actually) are pretty expensive and don't connect using USB. Like the TLM103D you've reviewed recently.

Fran

[Ty Ford]

ta da!

From one of the many people who make me look smarter than I am.

The following...

"There are dozens of A/D chips on the market. The higher-quality ones are typically line-level, since the designer is expected to know what to do, preamp-wise, and in terms of signal management. In MicPort Pro and AxePort Pro we use an expensive Japanese A/D converter chip with line-level input. We match it up with a custom -designed preamp.

There is an even larger number of chips avaiable, which you could qualify as consumer-level. Those can sometimes include a "so-so" preamp on the same chip. They would usually find their way into webcams, skype headsets, cheaper soundcards, etc. Probably not good enough for serious audio work... "

Regards,

Ty Ford

[handpicked]

Can someone tell me if the Q3HD can record audio only.(no video)?

[Fran Guidry]

Originally Posted by handpicked

Can someone tell me if the Q3HD can record audio only.(no video)?

http://www.zoom.co.jp/english/products/q3hd/

It’s also an audio recorder
The Q3HD can also be used as an audio recorder to record just sound. In addition to being able to record 24-bit/96 kHz PCM files that far exceed CD-quality, the unit can also record AAC (m4a format) files that have smaller sizes. The Q3HD also features an internal reference speaker so you can check recordings without earphones.

Fran

[handpicked]

Thank you Fran

[dweezil]

I wonder how the Q3HD compares (video and audio) to the Zodak Zi10

[denmar355]

From what I've seen online with comparisons, the video quality of the 10 is not much, if any, better than the 8. There are quite a few features, but the basic video quality is about the same. So, that being said, Fran has down a good comparison of the Zi8 and the Q3 already. Thanks Fran! You can get a Zi8 for $120.00, ($84.00 refurbished) and the Zi10 for $179.00. The Q3 I believe is $299.00?

[BoB/335]

Zi10 better than the newest FLIP HD?

[Fran Guidry]

Originally Posted by denmar355

From what I've seen online with comparisons, the video quality of the 10 is not much, if any, better than the 8. There are quite a few features, but the basic video quality is about the same. So, that being said, Fran has down a good comparison of the Zi8 and the Q3 already. Thanks Fran! You can get a Zi8 for $120.00, ($84.00 refurbished) and the Zi10 for $179.00. The Q3 I believe is $299.00?

I'm more and more convinced that my Zi8 is dying and not producing the quality it should. Since this is my second Zi8 to suffer this fate, I'm not too inclined to buy another one to see if things improve.

But I see lots of excellent looking and sounding video out there taken with the Zi8. Lots that's not so good also, of course,

Right, the regular street price on the Q3HD is $299.

Fran

[SeamusORiley]

Does anyone know how the audio of the H1 compares with audio only of the Q3HD?

[St.Stephen]

Seamus - can't speak to the H1, but I just put up a video on youtube using the Q3HD in audio only mode. Youtube does add compression, so you lose some of the harmonic overtones and sparkle, but you can get an idea of how it sounds.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRbOX5s3O3M

For the other folks in this thread wondering about using the Q3HD as an all-in-one device, I think I've decided that you're really better off using separate audio and video feeds and synching them (I used Sony Vegas). So I think the Q3HD is sort of superfluous just using it as an audio only, but I guess I'll just keep using it that way.

Thanks to Fran and LJ and all the others in this subforum for all the great info on recording. There's a wealth of information here.

[ferg]

Originally Posted by St.Stephen

For the other folks in this thread wondering about using the Q3HD as an all-in-one device, I think I've decided that you're really better off using separate audio and video feeds and synching them (I used Sony Vegas)

I've come to the same conclusion myself for a variety of reasons. The 2 main reasons are this:

1) I don't want to record audio from the camera. I want the audio to be recorded much closer to the sound source. I would do this using the Q3HD with a mixer and external mics, but that's not really practical, particularly in a live setting (chords running up close to the stage from the middle of the room?).

2) Ultimately, the video isn't cutting it for me from any of these devices. I have a Kodak Zi8 already, and I personally prefer the video from that to what I've seen from the Q3HD, but, really, I want something better. It just so happens that my wife is dying to make the jump to a DSLR for still photos, so for Christmas, we're giving each other the Canon T2i. If your interested in seeing what something like this is capable of, go to http://vimeo.com and search for "t2i". However, if you want to remain content with your Zi8 or other mini-HD device, I recommend you don't look. That was the mistake I made, and now I'm paying the price.

It's something to consider for those of you who already have an audio device, such as the Zoom H2. The bottom line is, getting the Q3HD for me right now really gains me nothing...and that $300 price tag is a big chunk of what a DSLR that shoots video costs.

..and this is a little off-topic, but to all of the you-tubers out there:
If you haven't taken a look at vimeo (and I assure you I have no affiliation), it's worth a look. The quality, IMO, is WAY better. I still post my stuff on youtube, because there's more traffic there, but vimeo is much better in terms of quality.

[BoB/335]

Originally Posted by ferg

I've come to the same conclusion myself for a variety of reasons. The 2 main reasons are this:

1) I don't want to record audio from the camera. I want the audio to be recorded much closer to the sound source. I would do this using the Q3HD with a mixer and external mics, but that's not really practical, particularly in a live setting (chords running up close to the stage from the middle of the room?).

2) Ultimately, the video isn't cutting it for me from any of these devices. I have a Kodak Zi8 already, and I personally prefer the video from that to what I've seen from the Q3HD, but, really, I want something better. It just so happens that my wife is dying to make the jump to a DSLR for still photos, so for Christmas, we're giving each other the Canon T2i. If your interested in seeing what something like this is capable of, go to http://vimeo.com and search for "t2i". However, if you want to remain content with your Zi8 or other mini-HD device, I recommend you don't look. That was the mistake I made, and now I'm paying the price.

It's something to consider for those of you who already have an audio device, such as the Zoom H2. The bottom line is, getting the Q3HD for me right now really gains me nothing...and that $300 price tag is a big chunk of what a DSLR that shoots video costs.

..and this is a little off-topic, but to all of the you-tubers out there:
If you haven't taken a look at vimeo (and I assure you I have no affiliation), it's worth a look. The quality, IMO, is WAY better. I still post my stuff on youtube, because there's more traffic there, but vimeo is much better in terms of quality.

I saw the price tag so there is NO need for me to see any examples. I think it's great that you can go to that level. Am I correct in assuming that there are audio inputs in this camera? I figure that's important to you at this point of the discussion.

I have hopes of getting one of the "cheap" options available in hopes of getting better at some video/audio samples to market myself for gigs.

[ferg]

Originally Posted by BoB/335

I saw the price tag so there is NO need for me to see any examples. I think it's great that you can go to that level. Am I correct in assuming that there are audio inputs in this camera? I figure that's important to you at this point of the discussion.

FWIW, I got mine used, and, while it was still more than a tiny bit more expensive than the $299 Q3HD, the quality was FAR more than the price difference.

There is a stereo audio input on the Canon T2i, however, I don't intend to use it, and it wasn't a consideration. I decided some time ago that I'm going to continue to record the audio on my H2, regardless of the video source. That was kind of my point - the cost of an H2 + a Zi8 is less than the cost of a Q3HD, and you can achieve comparable video with MUCH better audio with the 2 unit approach...then if, like me, you decide to upgrade your video later, you can focus on whatever your best option for video is without worrying about the audio, since the H2, IMO, nails that.

[Fran Guidry]

What's the maximum length of an HD clip on the Rebel t2i?

I'm ready for an HDSLR myself, there's certainly a lot to criticize about the video of any of these pocket cams.

Fran