Zoom mounting options

[tonydvcoste]

from what i understand the H4n can be used as an audio interface, you can plug a 1/4" guitar jack into it, not only an XLR audio input, and that's important if you need/want to record your own soundtrack, you get a field recorder as well as a home studio in one little package. using a sound guy is a luxury to a lot of people in here i'm sure, so being able to downsize a crew is important, i definitely need to mount my zoom and haven't found a solid solution yet, though the manfrotto looks interesting.

 

[Eddy Robinson]

Use a shotgun plugged into the H4n (or via preamp into a line input or whatever). For the fixed microphones. Pop the thing on a mic stand either beside the camera or above the talent. Mounting it on the camera and trying to use it like a directional microphone is silly. Besides the practical issues (see below) your audio is going to sound like it has a hole in the middle because an X-Y configuration is designed to provide a wide stereo field. This is not at all what you want for film dialog, although mixing it with a mono signal from a boom will sound awesome.

You can put it on a boom, but even that is a bit silly, plus the various models are really too heavy to be at the end of a boom - the longer the pool, the greater the effective weight on the end of it (because a boom pole is like a lever) and the more handling noise you are going to get from your unfortunate boom operator.

 

[J Davis]

Mounting it on the camera and trying to use it like a directional microphone is silly.

@Eddy.
Most of us are using the GH1 for two purposes. One is to make narrative drama short films and the like. And for that no one in their right mind would dream of using an on camera mic. Booms, shotguns, lavs and preamps make much more sense.
But the second use of the GH1 is for 1 man work and in some of these situations you do want sound to go along with your image. Whether its running about town, filming the kids or doing a paid gig where you are simply recording talking heads at a location. In all these situations you want sound and the only solution is to mount the damn thing on the camera. Hence the purpose of this thread.