![]() To be fair, neither of the other two units were subjected to such punishment, so I can’t say for sure how they would fare in a similar accident. Unfortunately, that’s enough to allow a direct hit to sidewalk to take out one of the mics (something that actually happened to my unit on a recent outdoor shoot). Tascam puts metal rings around its condenser mics however, they are still somewhat exposed at the top of the unit. There is a lot more metal on both of these units. ![]() A direct hit a hard surface would likely do some damage to them though.īoth the Olympus and the Tascam feel sturdier overall. The exposed condenser mics atop the unit give me a little consternation however, the Zoom comes with a hard plastic case so they don’t get bashed around in your gear bag. The Zoom H4n is mostly plastic, but relatively tough. Zoom H4n, Tascam DR-100 MkII & Olympus LS-100įor what they are and how they are priced, all three units are well-constructed. Tap record again to begin recording – the light goes solid red. Tap the record button once to monitor – you get a red flashing light. ![]() In all cases, the recording setup is the same. For me, this is a bigger deal than the 1/4″ inputs and is an easy trade-off if that is, in fact, the reasoning behind the exclusion. Note, however, that the Tascam is the only unit of the three that offers a locking tab on the XLR inputs. The Tascam DR-100 MkII comes up short and sticks with XLRs only. In addition to the XLR inputs at the base of each unit, the Olympus LS-100 and Zoom H4n will accomodate a 1/4″ input. Other condenser mics (like the Rode NTG-2) offer the option of using phantom power over an XLR cable or can be powered via a battery inside the mic housing. If you are unfamiliar with phantom power, condenser mics (like the shotgun mics noted above) require additional power that can be delivered via the XLR cable to the mic. XLR inputs provide a pro-grade and standard connection from a variety of mics.Īll three of these recorders offer dual XLR inputs with phantom power available via an easily accessible switch. This is probably the biggest feature that users are looking at when they are shopping for recorders like these. So, if your needs or preferences are otherwise, some of what I have to say may not speak to your needs.īelow, I’ll address the features of these units that are important to me and how I stack them up against each other. I’m generally looking for directional audio with a very narrow polar pattern provided by shotgun mics like those mentioned above. Unless I need surrounding ambient noise, I don’t use or like the sound reproduced from the built-in condenser mics on any of these recorders. Primarily, I’m either working on interviews or short-form narrative content. I generally use either a Rode NTG-3 or NTG-1 shotgun mic mounted on camera with a shock mount or on a boom pole. Generally, I capture audio almost exclusively with a shotgun mic, which requires phantom power – something all three recorders provide. What I’ve tried to do is use them in the way that I normally shoot video and consider the advantages and disadvantages for each based on how and what I shoot. However, the Zoom H4n isn’t the only game in town.įor the past month or so, I’ve been using the Zoom H4n alongside the Tascam DR-100 MkII and the Olympus LS-100 with this comparison in mind as I used them. The Zoom H4n has a lot of stuff going for it – it’s compact, it’s relatively inexpensive and it provides much better sound quality than you get out of your DSLR’s internal mic. Tons of other users around the world have been using it as well. I’ve been using the Zoom H4n for a couple of years or so now when shooting with HDSLRs like the 5D Mark II and 7D.
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