Zaxcom ZFR100 Available????

P

ptalsky

Veteran
Looks like B&H is now selling this item via special order. Anyone know if it's really shipping yet? Or even better, has anyone actually used it yet.

With 12 hours of recording and TC built in, I could see it potentially replacing wireless mics - Jam the time code, wire up the actor and let it rip. Should be able to synch the timecodes back up pretty easily, and then you have no worries about drop outs and such. The only problem is adjusting the levels, but I think that could be worked out. Hmmmm...I'd love to get a chance to try it out for a bit and see...wire a B6 to it and go.

And, it's only $995 for mono (and probably no SD card).

What do you think?

Phil
 
You won't be able to get it from B&H. They are not Zaxcom dealers. They did this type of thing before with the Deva. They advertise that they sell it, with the hopes that they will get enough interest that they might be able to two step it from a real dealer.

Zaxcom is very exclusive when it comes to who they let sell their products. I talked with Glenn Sanders, the president of Zaxcom, about this, and he said he would never make B&H a dealer of their products. Zaxcom products require a certain amount of support that B&H just doesn't, or can't, give. If you want to buy a Zaxcom product, here are the places you can get them:

Coffey Sound
Gotham Sound
Trew Audio


As far as the product itself goes. It's very very cool. I don't think they are shipping yet. When I checked two weeks ago, they still weren't out yet. I think it's something everyone will want to have.

-Dave
 
Hey Dave,

Thanks for the info. I certainly wasn't planning on buying it from B&H...I just thought it was cool to see that it might actually be shipping.

In your opinion, what do you think the primary use is going to be? Backup recorder? Wireless replacement? Something even better?

Thanks,

Phil
 
how would one go about jamming this with tc? would you just strap on a wireless link onto it and use it??
 
You jam it through the mic connector. You would jam it first, and then plug in your mic.

I was thinking of it as a unit just to strap on somone and record right on them. I was also trying to talk glenn into makingn a stereo unit as a small backup recorder, and I think he's going to make a stereo unit.

-Dave
 
Quick update:

Talked with Coffey today and they "think" it's shipping...Glenn is supposed to stop by on his way home from AES to talk with them about it. Coffey does not have a manual for it yet - hoping to have one next week.

The Tx version of it is shipping, and they have sold a few already (though their remaining stock went back to Zaxcom for a ROM update (already!) and should be back in stock this coming week.

I really like the idea of the Tx version, except for the price - ~$4,000 (2k per Tx, 2k per Rx) vs. $995 for the non-Tx version.

Oh well...we'll just have to see.

Phil
 
i was more thinking about the phantom power version as 2 channel recorder +transmitter with if b return . for small eng gigs when you dont need more then 2 mics - it becomes wonderful toy , you dont carry anything except the tx .
the only ***** if you want go hard wire from some reason the headphone out is the only option , if i wasn't short on cash ( because my production intrigue and family vacation ) , this was my next best buy ( the receiver i have already)
 
The recorder was talked about awhile back and my feelings remain the same. A great little recorder but too damn rich for most people's wallet for what it does. Single channel with stereo costing something like $600 extra? Too damn expensive for a backup recorder and too lacking in features and interface to be a primary recorder. Not really sure who they are targeting with this.

I wish more companies (Lectro I am looking at you) would explore the wireless TC recorder idea. Having a backup recorder in our wireless seems the best solution to our ever dwindling bandwidth. I would love to get one of the TRX9xx transmitters but their price point is just not in my budget now or in the foreseeable future. I just hope the competition catches on before it becomes a necessity.

Cheers
 
Im with you there, Wabbit.

My main problem with all this mini on-talent recorder stuff is how we are increasingly going to be leaving our eggs in little baskets all over the set. What REALLY needs to happen is a tx/recorder that has the ability to detect errors in wireless transmission and (much like personal video recorders and, i think, teevo in the states?) send the uncorrupted data it has recorded (post roll) to our primary non-linear recorder/storage device - sort of like a digital buffer. This would eliminate the need for the mixer, recordist or even editor to complete a difficult conform in post from heaps of different sources.

I think, in fact, that the current "linear" nature of wireless technology for film and television sound is its biggest weakness, not the fact that it is wireless. Look at 802.11 - its now pretty much a standard in most home PC/mac networks. If we could get a form of digital, non-linear recording integrated to our current workflows, we would have a winning, unbreakable solution...
 
I think for the smaller miniDV market, it's a little much, but not for the big boys who do 100 million dollar features.
 
completely wrong , the most of the stereo zaxcom went to news guys
just matter of how much you like to suffer ,
very individual - i see people put 20k for ps technics for 3000 camera and say - wow .
so why not zaxcom - these who do doco straight to the camera whith sound person , just dont get what a realise for every one this is
 
Actually, I'm not completely wrong. Some of the first units sold, actually the VERY first unit of the ultimate wireless that sold, was to someone working on a very established TV show. Most of the guys in L.A. that are interested in them are working on bigger budget stuff, not low to no budget DV stuff. That's not to say that it's an exclusive product. Not at all. I think it's great for everyone, but most of the response has come from the folks working on the larger things.

-Dave
 
Personally, and I know Ill probably be alone on this, I think the ZFR 100 is a total waste of money - there are more versatile products out there that, while they wont do exactly the same thing as the Zax, will put you close and give you more functionality.

I dont see a mono recorder as being particularly useful at this price. If you're close enough to use wireless, use it. If its something like a car or plane or train rig, make a stereo or M/track recorder work. Its more cost efficient for us little guys.
 
this one has tc , what make a hudge difference .



the mono track is really not usable , but the stereo thing with mixer ahead might be more then usable in every bag ,
i just unloaded my bag from today gig the extra 2 kg i could save were making me very happy .( i had about 6.5 kg at all today)

and Dave iam not talking about the new line , that might be over kill , but about stereo line which is i think now is the best what you have in eng bag .

i dont say that every dv maker need one of these , but from the production point of view , to have wierless that also record for one person crew , may be the difference to have a movie or have nothing .
 
the only person i know with the zaxcom stereo link thing is a guy who does just eng.

he loves it. untethering from the camera is a big deal for him.

zaxcom has some nice outside the box thinking, i have been having fun playing with the deva V but i still prefer my sd 442 and sd 744t.

the big plus with the deva V is no worrying about the levels between the mixer and the recorder. it is easier to get the levels with one box, at least that is what i noticed when i first used the deva V.

the deva mix-12 is interesting...i just got back from an advanced location sound recording workshop taught by a hollywood feature film mixer and he had a 744t but for him it is all about working out of a cart with a board mixer.

i think the future is all about having many separate tracks so that you aren't mixing anything, you are just focused on recording great clean audio on all channels and then maybe feeding a mix to the camera but giving the post people all of the mics on separate tracks so they can do the mix.

it just seems dangerous to have a location sound mixer limiting the options of the director/post people by choosing what mics get combined onto the two track recording.

the location sound guy doesn't even ever talk to the post sound people so as soon as he delivers anything that can't be brought back to the point of each mic being on its own channel he has limited their options.

i like the concept of the device on the actor recording a backup track of the audio but the high end wireless devices are already expensive enough without adding a quality recorder!

matthew
 
Oh believe me a TC stereo backup recorder for bag work would be awesome but again very high priced for ENG recordist. I am not seeing why a Hollywood cart mixer would get value out of the Zaxcom that they couldn't get from one of the laptop recorders.

All of of Zaxcom's other products are expensive too but they all perform tasks way better or at least different then anything else out there. The zfr100 is not exactly new under the sun except being very small. Which again appeals more to ENG bag work then big Hollywood movie work.

If nothing else it's not on my shopping list...yet (maybe I missed something)

The Ultimate Wireless OTOH I am drool city over. :)
 
very high priced:-) - you carry 20k us $ in your bag of equip ( mixer , 4 wireless (2 +2 for camera) , few good lavalieres ,2 boom mics , zeppelin , cables boom stick, batteries and dc distributor ) and you say tht 1250 is expencive?
its less then 10% over whale eng value - thats not expencive .
it expencive if you compare it to non tc 300$ device which is pain in the ass when it comes to normal work .
i still think that the phantom power version with transmitter is the best bang for the buck as wireless transmitter , recorder and ifb return or tc return .
the problem on this board and every other half armature place , people dont really know what is a normal way of doing films or working in the field , so every thing that cost them more then 10% of their presses camera looks as expencive .- making films is expencive , making good sound is expencive , **** the gig for lousy gear is even more expencive .
very cheap solution from my point of view - one who pay bills with that profession .
 
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