Whoa, this new Olympus LS-100 Portable Audio recorder looks crazy. I believe it's a bit overkill for something like basic DSLR video work, but some people believe 'There's no such thing as Overkill'. Then again I don't really record Rock Concerts, so maybe something like this could come in handy for some shooters. BHPhotoVideo.com has this nice video review, and writes up a short article about the specs from the new Olympus LS-10 8-Track Portable Audio Recorder (found here). It certainly has a more modern look than the Zoom H4n. If it's something you find as a must have, it's already available for under $400 bucks (click here).
Olympus 8 Track XLR Phantom Power Portable Audio Recorder
Oren
You get a lot for the money, and I expect to see Zoom respond to these additional features with their own offerings (viva la competition!). I have had the Olympus LS-10 and the only thing that keeps this from being my audio recorder of choice is the drift. The build quality is better than the Zoom units and having a manual knob is preferable IMO. Not fond of their choice of USB rechargeable proprietary battery, but 12.5 hours (if accurate) would be a grand improvement over the terribly energy-hungry zoom units.
Steve
WHat a shame it's only 2 simultaneous channels of recording. Most dslr guys need at least 3 - one for the stereo onboard and another for a dialogue mic. It's a deal breaker for the Hdslr community but fingers crossed they update firmware 🙂
Garrick
Im excited about the interface and rechargeable 12hr battery. For 100 more then the h4n its totally worth it.
Rob S.
One of the most important things in a recorder is the preamps and Zoom preamps across the board are not that great. Olympus preamps from the LS10/LS11 and up are very good.
Tony
After working a press event with two Zoom H1 tonight I think I might look into this. What a pain interconnecting with the mult box.
Jerry also
I fear that BoriZ is right. An 8-track recorder in this price range would represent a revolution for the potential of audio in many many kinds of situations and not just for music -- this wouldn't represent Overkill any more than good cheap stabilizers, jibs or anything you like.
BoriZ
The LS-100 can only record 2 channels at a time – it cannot capture both XLR audio signals and the built-in condenser mic signals at the same time. The Zoom can record audio through both XLRs and the built-in condensers at the same time. This is useful from a video production standpoint when you want to record to 2 shotgun mics for dialog and then capture environmental/ambient via the on-board condenser mics. I would suspect (but received no confirmation from Olympus) that this feature could be added to the LS-100 via a firmware update if the demand were high enough.
as from this article:
https://www.photographybay.com/2012/01/16/olympus-ls-100-xlr-audio-recorder-hands-on/
Tom
Nice and all... but will it blend?
Emm
Post author@Thomas Reynolds - "overdubbing multi-track mode".
Thomas Reynolds
When they say 8 track recording do they mean 8 simultaneous tracks? or is it merely you can overdub up to 8 tracks before you have to start bouncing them as mix downs?