Anyone have luck with inputting Zoom H4n into mic jack on the 7D?

G

GavinGear

Active member
I recall somewhere there is a cable that "converts" line out to mic out. I'd really like to use the onboard mics on the H4N for instructional video production (within 2' of camera) for my voice, and would like to avoid sync-in-post as I normally do. Lack of AGC disable makes this problematic I know...

Please share your experiences!
 
Thanks! Just ordered one. Glad to see it avail. in the US.

Now, best hotshoe mount option for the H4n? (hotshoe to tripod adapter with ball mount???) :)
 
GavinGear said:
Anyone have luck with inputting Zoom H4n into mic jack on the 7D?

I recall somewhere there is a cable that "converts" line out to mic out. I'd really like to use the onboard mics on the H4N for instructional video production (within 2' of camera) for my voice, and would like to avoid sync-in-post as I normally do. Lack of AGC disable makes this problematic I know...

Please share your experiences!
Click to expand...

If I am understanding the situation correctly,
you want the audio to go from the zoom into the 7d and be recorded by the 7d?

I think there is going to be a whole lot of people with a lot to say about how that's a no no!

edit:
I'm totally mystified why you would want to do that. For better quality sync audio? Sync audio is sync audio, its meant to be crap!
Or am I completely misunderstanding what you are asking?
 
Sometimes you need to feed a wireless mic into the Zoom H4n, so if the talent is 20 feet away, how do you suppose the camera's audio can pick up the dialog to sync up with the wireless audio from the H4n?

There are many uses for the line to mic cable. Hope that demystifies it for you.
 
Try and get something like this to cut the AGC, otherwise just sync the audio in post. 'Tisn't that hard. :)
 
... said:
Sometimes you need to feed a wireless mic into the Zoom H4n, so if the talent is 20 feet away, how do you suppose the camera's audio can pick up the dialog to sync up with the wireless audio from the H4n?

There are many uses for the line to mic cable. Hope that demystifies it for you.
Click to expand...

No not really. 20' suggests to me a wide and the further the talent is from the cam the less the need for exact sync.
Besides you only need to sync once per take. When the director yells 'Action' which usually
happens closer to the cam than the talent.
Even at 12' I've done sync sound with three different DSLR's and no problem with onboard mic from pana or canon.

Besides, none of this is the situ the OP described. Read his post again. I think the OP want to use the Zoom H4 as a substitute for a mic.
If that's the case we talking inferior mic thru hissy preamp to line level then back to attenuated signal then agc. Not a great setup.
 
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GavinGear said:
Thanks! Just ordered one. Glad to see it avail. in the US.

Now, best hotshoe mount option for the H4n? (hotshoe to tripod adapter with ball mount???) :)
Click to expand...

Hey Gavin, if you really are serious about using the mics in the Zoom H4 or H4n or H1
or H whatever - don't mount it on the cam.

You will pick up all sorts of handling noise, lens noise etc. Even if you had a custom
shock mount bulit for the zoom you will still hear IS (Image Stabilization motors in the lens).
Get your mics, zooms or whatever off the cam and onto a boom arm or stand or sound guy as close to the talent as possible.

The only purpose to mount a zoom on the cam is if you are operating solo, you need all the controls at your finger tips
and your mic is on a boom arm away from the cam. Most practical way I have found is to have the zoom on its own tripod waist high
and I use a beat up $30 velbon stills tripod for that.
 
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J Davis said:
If I am understanding the situation correctly,
you want the audio to go from the zoom into the 7d and be recorded by the 7d?

I think there is going to be a whole lot of people with a lot to say about how that's a no no!

edit:
I'm totally mystified why you would want to do that. For better quality sync audio? Sync audio is sync audio, its meant to be crap!
Or am I completely misunderstanding what you are asking?
Click to expand...

A couple months late to this party..... but I'll chip in.

OK.... I'm imagining this setup:
The ln2mic-zoomh4n cable from sescom (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/746645-REG/Sescom_LN2MIC_ZOOMH4N_LN2MIC_ZOOMH4N_Line_to.html) connects your Zoom H4n to your Canon 7D. Doesn't this bypass the 7D's AGC? Doesn't using the cable in turn disable the onboard mic....eliminating AGC?

If you look at Sam Mallery's You Tube video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AwPE6FQEuJ8) he explains this a bit. It sounds like that using this cable allows you to record straight from Zoom H4N into your DSLR and avoid any AGC (skip to about 3:08 in his video to hear the audio)

Now of course, you could sync in post (which is what I've been doing for a year-plus). Or you could have a sound guy working a boom.
BUT... some of us (myself included) are a one-man band.

Unless I've completely missed something, then this cable will do wonders for me. Yeah, it's really simple to sync. However, sometimes I'll have 2 audio files from the zoom and 4-5 video files from my 7D. Or 20 audio files and 35 video files. So the first thing I USALLY will do (after transcoding, of course) is sync the zoom audio to all of my clips. This... sometimes.... can take a few hours... especially if I have dozens of clips (think wedding or on-the-run interviews). If this $27 cable, coupled with the Zoom, actually acts like a pre-amp and records audio straight into the Canon.... then it saves me a HUGE chunk of time.

Is this how it works? Because that's my assumption after watching Sam's video....
 
Hello Chaps, London calling.

I've just shot a feature film using the Canon Mk2 and the Canon 550D. We used the Zoom H4 to record audio from a radio mic and we took general sound from the H4 stereo mics. In post production, in final cut pro, we took the guide audio from the built in camera microphones and matched it with the radio mic and general audio from the H4 using a cheap little programme called pluraleyes. Worked in minutes, perfect synch. Give it a try!

LORD
 
The best case for running audio FROM the H4n to the 7D is to plug earphones to the 7D to monitor audio. The 7D connection is just to monitor what the H4n is doing. A little over the top, but understandable.
 
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