H4n connected to 5d3

C

chjoly

New member
So it was advised to use a -25dB attenuator when connecting the line out of the Zoom H4n audio recorder to the mic-level input of the 5D mark II.
I'm assuming this should still be true when using the H4n with the 5D mark III. Another option I've read is to adjust down the audio output level on the H4n so its level is closer to that of a mic.
Anyone has experimented with this new combo?
 
Curious about this as well...never thought to do that to be honest. Is it worth it?

Kegan
 
The H4n pre-amps are quite noisy. I use a juicedlink as a pre-amp/XLR input which is a lot quieter.
 
Owning already an H4n, I'm not planning on buying another piece of equipment yet, despite the shortcomings the H4n may have. For $25, I will buy the attenuator cable and report soon to this thread. I will mostly use it for situations where it's not worth going through the hassle of the usual post-production video-audio sync.
 
Yeah but honestly the h4n preamps are just SOO noisy. I could see doing this with a tascam MAYBE if I was in a bind but the JL is way cleaner.
 
Best option would be to sell the H4n and buy something like a rode video mic if money is tight or just sell the H4n and get a juicedlink.
 
I just received the cable yesterday and it works well. $25 for two connectors and a couple of resistors for the attenuation is a bit high, but the connectors are metal, not plastic :)
I'm not an audio expert. Some people in this thread mentioned that the H4n pre-amp isn't good. Could you elaborate on this? I'm curious what the impact/difference is between let's say using the H4n-to-5D versus a Juicedlink...
 
i'm newborn to audio. after a bunch of research, decided to use the h4n for my 7d and 1d4 audio input control.
seems like the audio is kinda noisy, tho. there is this low background (hiss? tone?) noise that overshadows quiet passages.
is this normal? seems like others on this thread have the same issue. just testing the on-board mics as of now.

not looking for miracles here: $300 is just too little for real pro work. but do i expect this much noise?

chjoly: i ditto your question: h4n vs juicedlink would be great.
 
Doesn't matter what you run it through before it hits the camera, if the camera acts as the recorder it never really be "clean", there will always be a high noise floor of hiss. You can take it from unusable to just kinda bad, but to get better than that you have to come off camera.
 
It's possible to get excellent, low noise recordings straight into the camera if the in-camera gain is set very low (I use +1), provided you have a clean preamp.
From a post I made on Cinema5D:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulWOV0WujuQ (See comments (DR100MK2 with variable attenuator) into 5D2).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qh1HRjtihwc (OST 802 mic and G3 receiver into 5D2).


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAJ4DV5BsAI (all digital after USBPre2).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ke0K4fXFzpQ (same setup, no post processing).


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1a-CvjYxus (G3 into a Panasonic TM700 camcorder, various mics).


I don't use Magic Lantern. In all cases with the 5D2/5D3, set input so that camera can be set to a gain of +1 and still hit -12dB. This will produce a reasonably clean recording (good enough for youtube as shown above).

I have an H4N- the DR100MK2 is quieter. However, neither is in the same league as the Sound Devices USBPre2. The G3 receiver works surprisingly well straight into the camera.
 
gonzo_entertainment said:
Doesn't matter what you run it through before it hits the camera, if the camera acts as the recorder it never really be "clean", there will always be a high noise floor of hiss. You can take it from unusable to just kinda bad, but to get better than that you have to come off camera.
Click to expand...

i expect as much. so i got me an h4n. however, it seems to have this background noise (hum? hiss?) that is just the device itself.
i want to have cleaner sound than the camera can produce. but the h4n seems a bit noisy (to me). what am i missing?
 
just got the tascam dr100-mk2. much much quieter than the h4n. though bigger (1 ounce heavier).
one drawback: the dr100-mk2 only records on one channel at a time. i can live with it.
 
horace said:
i expect as much. so i got me an h4n. however, it seems to have this background noise (hum? hiss?) that is just the device itself.
i want to have cleaner sound than the camera can produce. but the h4n seems a bit noisy (to me). what am i missing?
Click to expand...

It's a bottom end recorder. It's OK, it's better than the camera for sure, but it's "entry level" at best. For reference my sound guy has $1300 in his recorder alone, forget if he brings the whole shooting match of racks and mixers and pre-amps, etc...

It is what it is. Do some reading for best settings, make sure you're using all the right cables, decent mic, good technique, etc... and you should be able to get "good enough" sound out of it.
 
gonzo_entertainment said:
It's a bottom end recorder. It's OK, it's better than the camera for sure, but it's "entry level" at best. ...
Click to expand...

well, i think the h4n is a bit higher than bottom-end digi-corders @ <$100. but ok, point taken: i'm a pro photographer, would i distinguish between a $300 and a $100 digicam? no. they're both bottom end. ;-)

but i suppose my real point is that the h4n sound is *worse* than the on-camera audio for the 7d in quiet situations. the 7d sound was weak, but the *self-noise* was nil. the self noise (sound floor?) for the h4n is just far far too high. this is clear from recording any kind of voice (no background music or other, just voice).

the tascam dr100-mk2 is much cleaner: self-noise is almost nil. tested it today for an instructional event at 8 feet away from the main speaker. surprisingly clean, nice gain. again: clearly not 'pro', but i'm not looking for magic at <$300. just looking for 'nice'. h4n ain't. dr100-2 is. .. me thinks.
 
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