Zoom H2 / other field recorders

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ghc52

Member
I just got the Zoom H2 24-bit field recorder. Its made of cheap plastic, cost $180, and yet the audio quality is phenomenal. The device is made up of four built-in, self powered condenser mics (two stereo pairs).

Also, it's really lightweight and has a handy tripod mount on the bottom...so mounting to a boom-pole is theoretically possible, for location sound. On top of that, the thing is battery powered, so there are no wires.

Okay- then ON TOP OF THAT, it has an internal clock! (which runs a little fast for some reason...)

So far, I've found that it gives me better sound than I could get with a pro Shure mic plugged into the camera input. Better, as in, low noise floor and no hissing. I'm pleasantly surprised with this rather inexpensive item...maybe I'll post some audio tests to show you what I mean.

Sony makes some higher-end field recorders, which give better results.

These things seem like a neat solution to acquiring location sound, especially for an amateur like myself. ;)

Thoughts?
 
I used a couple of H2's and a Zoom H4 for recording audio for my feature 'Tangled Web'. All units performed very well, and I was pleased with the results. I kept the H4, which I still use, and sold the H2's. I do sometimes miss the little H2. Might have to pick up another one someday.
 
That works as well, line out of H2 into Cam's input. Just remember though, you're going through the AD/DA twice. During post-production, you can minimize this by using the recorded media files on the H2 and sync the audio that was recorded into cam.
 
I don't like the H2 really.

My short-list was the Olympus LS-10, the Edirol R-9HR and the Sony PCM-D50.

Talking to others, they seem to agree with my short-list.

I eventually went for the Olympus.

(I *do* have pro recorders like the Fostex FR-2 and Nagra VI as well, though).
 
i did side by side comparison of all of those (recordings of the same source) and genuinely felt the H2 sounded best. the Olympus was tinny by comparison.
 
John Willett said:
I don't like the H2 really.

My short-list was the Olympus LS-10, the Edirol R-9HR and the Sony PCM-D50.

Talking to others, they seem to agree with my short-list.

I eventually went for the Olympus.

(I *do* have pro recorders like the Fostex FR-2 and Nagra VI as well, though).
Click to expand...

But those three are each at least twice the price of the Zoom H2. Even more than the Zoom H4, which has combo XLR-1/4" inputs and provides phantom power.
 
I use the H4 for double-system sound and it always performs very well.

HOWEVER: the XLR inputs are pretty weak, with noisy preamps. And using phantom power from the H4 just eats the batteries faster. Also, the built-in mics on both the H4 and H2 aren't the best for grabbing on-cam dialog. I noticed on a couple of those lav-less interviews the telltale roominess of these recorders' mics. And yes, it can be usable if the recorder is in close enough and only one record channel is used in editing (remember: dialog is not recorded, or mixed, in stereo). But despite the exceptions to the rule, I would not recommend using one of these on a fishpole... ever. The strength is in the SD recording and the available resolutions.

That having been said, the H4 was incredibly handy on a recent film project. We were shooting in and around a '57 Chevy, mostly on a process trailer. But I did have a chance one afternoon to stay back when the rest of the crew went to set up at one location. I rode down there with the owner of the Chevy, and let the H4 roll with its built-in mics and grabbed some interior sounds of the Chevy running. Then, after we set for the first shot that afternoon, it was back to taking a line feed from my mixer.
 
Yeah, I wouldn't use the H4 as a mic on a fishpole either, but I'd hang it around the sound guy's neck and cable it to a mic on a fishpole.

For 'Tangled Web', it was a fixed mic position, so we did attach an H2 to the end of a boom arm on a mic stand. But that's different. Worked pretty well, though.

I suspect the 'roominess' comes from the fact that the mics aren't hypercardioids -- they have a much broader pickup pattern than your typical shotgun mic. Still, very useful recorders.
 
I've used the H2 for quite awhile. I only use the internal mics for capturing natural sound in the shooting environment (nat room sound, footsteps, nature, etc...). I then use the line in and record redundant audio of everything I shoot. It comes in handy and it's always nice to have a backup. I also use it as an audio sketch-pan when I'm working on music for a film. Great little recorder to have around!
 
So that video I posted, the recorder used was a H4.

I've used the H4 in MANY environments and scenarios where people had thanked me for bringing something to record on-the-go. There were times where someone had fogotten their laptop for portable recording, pop my H4 out and no worries. The H4 alone is good, add a mixer in front it'll be great.

Your first priority is correct mic placement, good boom operating, and a trained pair of ears. Nothing will stop these 3 combinations.
 
Alan, I'd love to hear that but I can't get the clip to play on my PC. (WinME is probably the reason.) Any chance you could post an audio-only clip? MP3?
 
ZazaCast said:
I've used the H2 for quite awhile. I only use the internal mics for capturing natural sound in the shooting environment (nat room sound, footsteps, nature, etc...). I then use the line in and record redundant audio of everything I shoot. It comes in handy and it's always nice to have a backup. I also use it as an audio sketch-pan when I'm working on music for a film. Great little recorder to have around!
Click to expand...

The only thing with the line-in on the H2 is that there is no phantom power (or XLRs for that matter). So using an external mic would generally increase the amount of hiss, unless you use a pre-amp or something. Am I right?
 
The H2 is not meant to have external mics attached, though it does have the 1/8" input for lower-cost stereo mics. The best thing to do with both the H2 and the H4: use it to record from your mixer's line feed for any dialog, then use the built-in mics if needed to capture ambient sounds.
 
C2V said:
The H2 is not meant to have external mics attached, though it does have the 1/8" input for lower-cost stereo mics. The best thing to do with both the H2 and the H4: use it to record from your mixer's line feed for any dialog, then use the built-in mics if needed to capture ambient sounds.
Click to expand...

Yup, Best approach.
 
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