Like I had mentioned, the Tascam DR-08 was due in today's mail bag. Here it is in all it's plastic glory. Not that plastic is totally bad, even the Zoom H1 has it's share of plastic for the build. I haven't placed them side by side yet, but the Tascam appears to be in similar size and function. Will do a nice little test later tonight for audio quality and then run through the pros and cons of each item that I can think of.
2 more Zoom H1 Digital Portable Audio Recorders finally arrived from my pre-order. Wow, seems like that took forever, but I don't feel bad since even the top retailers are still showing 'out of stock' on this item. So in short, the pre-order still worked. Now i'm just waiting for my Redhead Windscreen for the Zoom H1 to drop in any day now for some wind tests examples.
One more day and the Tascam DR-08 should drop in for a nice side by side review against the Zoom H1. Since the H1 is already slightly cheaper it has an advantage, but i'm curious to see if Tascam can get more market share in the DSLR Ultra-Portable Audio recorder game.
Cinevate Cyclops DSLR Rig / Viewfinder
Cinevate is really on the ball with DSLR innovation. It seems like they are always one step ahead of everyone else when it comes to different rigs, support systems, and accessories. Just caught this video that first talks about their inexpensive Cinevate DSLR Camera Grip, and then towards the middle provides a sneak peek into their new Cinevate 'Cyclops' viewfinder system.
Cinevate DSLR Camera Grip
The Cyclops two-eyed viewfinder is the most different thing i've seen in a while as far as DSLR products go. I'm not really sure what to say about it just yet as there's not much information posted on their website. There is a bit more information via Cinema5D Jared Abrams' quick take video on YouTube.
Cinevate seems pretty active over at Vimeo, so you can leave your questions and comments at the video link: https://vimeo.com/14220163
Tascam DR-08 on Sale
The Tascam DR-08 Portable Digital Recorder
The recent announcement of the Tascam DR-08 Portable Digital Recorder
was almost invisible to the DSLR market. The estimated street price of $200 or higher for something so tiny and less functional than the Zoom H4n didn't make much sense to DSLR shooters. The reason this article is being posted now is the recent drop in pricing over at Amazon. This Tascam DR-08 Portable Digital Recorder
Besides the slim profile which would make this a more suitable 'in pocket' audio recorder to replace wireless setups, there's also more flexibility to the microphone positions than that of the Zoom H1 giving it the ability to lay flat on the table and still target your subject. The Tascam does require more batteries than the Zoom H1, but i'm more interested in the build quality and relative size comparison against the Zoom H1. For $200+ dollars the pricing on this portable audio recorder would be a huge deal breaker. Now that pricing is coming in at the new $135.00, just slightly over the Zoom H1's $99.00 dollars, i'm curious if the extra $35 dollars is worth the upgrade. If you're interested too, I'll have the Tascam DR-08 vs Zoom H1 Portable Audio Recorder side by side comparison later this week.
Here's the link to purchase: Buy Tascam DR-08 Portable Audio Recorder on Sale
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It appears we're a bit blessed state side, as Marthin Nayoan is unable to get a decent deal on the Zoom H1 Portable Digital Audio Recorder. Instead Marthin is opting for Sanyo's new sexy Portable Audio recorder labeled the PCM ICR-XPS01MF (who's going to remember that name?). There's been plenty of pocket recorders in the past, but none with the audio quality of the Zoom H1's X/Y stereo mic and especially not for the $99 dollar price.
The new Sanyo PCM ICR-XPS01MF is not going to compete with the Zoom H1's price, in fact it's about three times the price. Hopefully the really sleek compact design might help break this into market. A few specs are 3 hrs recording with a 2GB microSD, and yes it has a line in. I believe it's highest quality audio recording beats the Zoom H1's marginally. My intentions were to use the Zoom H1 as a body pack with the ATR3350 Lav microphone to replace a wireless setup. The Zoom H1 does work nicely for this, but definitely not as sleek in the pocket as this new Sanyo. Unfortunately as we are blessed with the Zoom H1, we might be cursed with the Sanyo Xacti PCM ICR-XPS01MF. The Sanyo Xacti is not as easily found in our major website retailers in the US, but as with everything, available via eBay coming over seas. I'm hoping Marthin will give us a good review once it's in his hands. Here's the link with more techincal specs on the new Sanyo Xacti Portable Digital Audio Recorder PCM ICR-XPS01MF.
Freeway microphone test: Rode VideoMic vs Audio Technica ATR-3350 (with a bonus Z96 test) from Cody Kitaura on Vimeo.
Ok, in all fairness this may not have all been perfect tests, but the final result in using a LAV microphone in this type of situation shows how effective it can be, so i'm going mainly off that result. So before other people start commenting on this video, i'll blog a little bit.
First test. The HG10 may have had some type of AGC turned on as I can hear the audio fluctuate up and down. If it were on, of course that may not have been a proper test, but a busy highway in the background is no place to use in camera microphone. So let's not look too closely at that first part of the review.
Second test. The Rode VideoMic was placed over the camera, and it's possible it could have performed 'a little' better if the AGC was turned on. Since the highway was behind the subject, placing the Shotgun over the camera towards the noise also would not be a proper test. It would easily pick up the noise in the background. Shotgun microphones like this would be best used on a Boom Pole off axis and possibly just pointing down onto the subject from overhead. Obviously we don't always have a second hand with us, or a boom pole handy, so let's not look too closely at test #2.
Third test. This is a good example. It's highly possible the AGC might still have been enabled on the camera, and may have been able to fine tune sound without AGC, but you really see the difference in using a LAV microphone in a very loud and noisy situation. I wish I had these in my pocket when I shot in a nightclub trying to do an interview with two people. The background music was soo loud it was really hard to isolate the subjects from the background noise. For even better sound you can give your subject a quality hand held microphone. For those times you may want the microphone to be discreet, for $20 dollars, the ATR3350 can get you closer to the audio you want to use in your final project. So big thanks to Cody for just taking time out on the side of a busy highway and running some basic audio tests late night for everyone to consider. Thanks Cody!
OK, maybe i'm the only one, but this may not be the most flattering looking accessory to add to your DSLR, but you can't argue it's functionality. If you caught my little DSLR video demo with the IndieHardware stabilizer where I walked outside in a breezy parking lot, you can hear the wind going crazy from the internal microphone. That video is found here: http://cheesycam.com/first-attempt-indiehardware-stabilizer/
DIY DSLR Microphone Windscreen
Koji Honda shows us how his little DIY DSLR Faux Fur windscreen is put together and goes on and off fairly easy. You can find the step by step image gallery for this DIY DSLR Microphone Windscreen on his Flickr account.
If you're the type that relies on that internal microphone audio to be as clean as can be, possibly to mix in a bit of ambient audio, then you may want to look into something like this. This is also a very helpful tutorial on the materials that can help you build other windscreens, possibly a blimp for a large shotgun. If your plans are small, the only drawback with this DIY is that you may need to purchase Faux Fur and Foam in a larger than needed quantity. Since you may end up buying 20 times more material than you need, Koji also has his little Windscreen for sale found here: DIY DSLR Microphone Windscreen
An excellent tip through the comments, was clean audio from your camera would make things much easier when syncing in post using PluralEyes software. Good example of why you could use good audio from your camera.
When the iPhone 4 was released there were fan boys galore. Photo shoots done completely on the iPhone, iPhone music videos, and iPhone short films. More new gear was released such as the OWLE, microphone add-ons for making it a cool portable audio recorder, and iPhone Handheld Steadicam Stabilizer like the Hague.
There's no doubt that there will be new gear developed in the near future to support the ever growing features of this gadget. For those who envied the iPhone 4 with HD video recording in a tiny portable device, Apple's new iPod touch (4th Generation) NEWEST MODEL
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Just checked and the seller says 4 in stock ready to ship. Very reasonable shipping prices you'd expect to pay on any other website. Looks legit and only 4 left. Just thought i'd share. Here's the link to the 4 Zoom H1's in stock.
[Update]
First link sold out quick, found another seller and called them direct. Just got off the phone with them, and they have 10 that just arrived. This one has Free Shipping. Here's that other link with 10 that just came in, ready to ship.
BTW, for those who pre-ordered from the earlier article, I just received notice mine had shipped. Woohoo! Finally getting the last two Zoom's to complete my audio set.
Thank you for your order. We are happy to tell you that your order has been shipped and it on its way to you.
Order Details:
OrderID: ******
Item: Zoom H1 H 1 Handy Flash Audio Recorder **PRE-ORDER**
Item Number: 22063087****
Quantity: 2
