OT: Zoom Q3 Handy Video Recorder

thouston · **Posted:** Mon Jul 20, 2009 1:41 pm

Brad - Please delete this post if not kosher.

Zoom has announce a new video recorder with stereo mic http://www.samash.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_Q3%20Handy%20Video%20Recorder_-1_10052_10002_-49954498?cm_mmc=Email-_-072009-_-ZOOM-_-Newsletter.

I think this is a great device for musicians. I know that there HD camcorders, and the such, on the market, but if the Q3 is as easy to operate as the H2 digital recorder this will be of great use.

I have a H2 http://www.samash.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_H2%20Portable%20Digital%20Recorder%20Warehouse%20Resealed_-1_10052_10002_571104_cmCategorySA-10001 and use it quite a lot. I have a cheap digital camcorder (that I paid $39 for) that will only record 1hr of video and has a crappy internal mic, so I might get a Q3.

nikininja · **Posted:** Mon Jul 20, 2009 2:39 pm

It no doubt will be great, but how practical will it be? What will the battery life be like? How many times will you use it? Cant you just use the H2 as a mike for the camcorder?

I too have the H2 and agree its a brilliant bit of kit, thats no guarantee on the practicality of the Q3. Let it go for 6 months and review the decision in 6 months or so. A few people will have used it by then and given detailed reviews on it.

thouston · **Posted:** Mon Jul 20, 2009 5:19 pm

Quote:

It no doubt will be great, but how practical will it be? What will the battery life be like? How many times will you use it? Cant you just use the H2 as a mike for the camcorder?

How practical can it be? I feel it will be extremely practical, but it depends on how one uses it, like anything else.

I use H2 quite a bit, and no, my crappy camcorder doesn't have a external mic-in so I couldn't use on with the camcorder. But, if the Q3 performs as well as it sounds, it will work for many people, not just musicians.

nikininja · **Posted:** Mon Jul 20, 2009 6:06 pm

So what will you use it for? Surely theres a cheaper better option from a more reliable source.

thouston · **Posted:** Mon Jul 20, 2009 6:23 pm

Quote:

So what will you use it for? Surely theres a cheaper better option from a more reliable source.

I think the question should be, what could I use it for, and the answer is for anything I wanted to film.

I think the small size, the feature of being able to to record 16hrs of footage, the ease of converting footage with the software, and than uploading to Youtubes, and the kicker, are the internal stereo mics. If they are anything like the H2, you will have great audio with the video footage.

Cheaper, maybe the Flip series, but they only record 60mins of video, and yes there are HD camcorders, but they won't fit in your jacket pocket.

nikininja · **Posted:** Mon Jul 20, 2009 6:37 pm

Well in that case go buy it. The idea of filming anything i want has never appealed to me. I want to forget over half of what I see.

Considering the H2, buy plenty of AA's cos that Q3 will eat them. You may get 16hours of record time with a 32gig card. Its highly unlikely that the batteries will last that long though.

thouston · **Posted:** Tue Jul 21, 2009 1:56 pm

Quote:

Well in that case go buy it. The idea of filming anything i want has never appealed to me.

Perhaps my reply was too vague, I used my camcorder to record a series of tutorial videos on the BR-600 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CkSQ5xlaPps for a friend, but now have over 6,000 views, and over 100 subscribers. I feel that the Q3 could do a better job with the footage.

My friend Shane Nicholas, and Sr Marketing Director of Fender gave me a private demo of the Princeton Reverb RI at NAMM http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CltKYF7UzdU, as you can hear the mic on the camcorder was distorted. This wouldn't have happened with Q3, because of the built-in gain control.

Quote:

I want to forget over half of what I see.

Wow, you must live a crappy life. I have grandkids, and would love to have better video footage with them.

Quote:

Considering the H2, buy plenty of AA's cos that Q3 will eat them. You may get 16hours of record time with a 32gig card. Its highly unlikely that the batteries will last that long though.

You know that they make rechargeable batteries now? I always carry a extra set of batteries with me

.

Strat0Blues · **Joined:** Sun Jun 14, 2009 10:04 am **Posts:** 292

Thanks for the link, I am assuming that the price is in USD. Can you please recommend something around 80-120USD or maybe a little more that can record video/audio for the purpose of uploading to YouTube. I am no musician, but I am currently using a webcam that was not purchased to record videos of me playing guitar but I thought I would record some videos anyway.

I just want something that will record smooth with audio that does not sound harsh with the natural breakup in a valve amp, or am I expecting to much for around 80-120USD? Well I am sure that anything will be as good as my 15USD or so webcam, but at the same time I would like something that I can use for a while and it easy to record/upload to YouTube. Cheers.

thouston · **Posted:** Tue Jul 21, 2009 2:25 pm

Quote:

Thanks for the link, I am assuming that the price is in USD. Can you please recommend something around 80-120USD or maybe a little more that can record video/audio for the purpose of uploading to YouTube.

I don't know, the Flip camcorders http://www.theflip.com/ are fairly inexpensive, but only have a single mic. CNet http://reviews.cnet.com/digital-camcorders/zoom-q3-handy-video/4505-6500_7-33725622.html?tag=mncol;lst has a article on the Q3 and it stresses the fact about the superior audio quality of the Q3.

The only 'con' is that Q3 doesn't record in HD (720i), but that's not a big deal in my book.

nikininja · **Posted:** Tue Jul 21, 2009 4:29 pm

thouston wrote:

Quote:

I want to forget over half of what I see.

Wow, you must live a crappy life. I have grandkids, and would love to have better video footage with them.

Are you kidding. Have you looked at the state of the planet recently. Having kids (3 exceptional daughters, eldest of which taking high school graduation exams at the age of 12) is what depresses me the most. Are you really happy with whats being left for our descendants to inherit. A world of polution starvation and suffering.

Theres nothing crap about my life mate. Not so crap that i need resort to name dropping anyway. I just look at things with a realists eye.

thouston · **Posted:** Tue Jul 21, 2009 5:27 pm

Jezz, I'm sorry if I touched a nerve.

Have a nice life :roll:

.

thouston · **Posted:** Wed Jul 22, 2009 3:04 pm

ZOOM has their Q3 site up http://www.samsontech.com/products/productpage.cfm?prodID=2020&brandID=4, it shows a guitar student filming a lesson.

IMO this could be great learning resource for a student of any musical style.

I'm going to pre-order one, I'm not going to wait for 'reviews'. I'm the type of person who likes to make their own opinion on any device.

thouston · **Posted:** Thu Jul 23, 2009 9:59 am

Gizmag has a feature on the Q3http://www.gizmag.com/q3-audio-video-recorder/12280/, one feature mentioned is that the Q3 has the same X/Y stereo condenser microphones as the award-winning H4n http://www.samsontech.com/products/productpage.cfm?prodID=1994.

Strat0Blues · **Joined:** Sun Jun 14, 2009 10:04 am **Posts:** 292

Well I like the features of the Q3 and I will definately consider one when I have the finances, seems like a great device to upload videos on YouTube.

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OT: Zoom Q3 Handy Video Recorder

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