Q8n-4K 4K Video Camera for Musicians – 4k UHD camcorder with 4-track audio, XLR/Line, professional picture and sound for film, music, live streaming, creative content, black

Light and small Very easy and quick to set up n start recording. Simple menu system, limited video options but great sound options with two xlr inputs along with interchangeable mic modules make this great for musicians. Video performance is not the best, plenty of light required. Battery life isn't very good so get some extras. I like this wee camera though.

I've received this camera a couple of weeks ago, and I took my time until I reviewed it, because it being so different, I had to put it through the paces and make sure it worked fine until I could properly review it. I still haven't field-tested it yet (i.e. taken it to shows), but I will share my experience while using it in my studio. It's a great little camera, and it certainly feels sturdy enough for its size. The body is a little bigger than the palm of your hand and the plastic feels nice, instead of cheap. The flip-out screen (a big bonus) handles well, but it does have a tendency to slouch JUST a touch. It's barely noticeable, but as you pop it out, you will see it. It doesn't prevent it from working however. On that topic, and being that it not only monitors the image, but it's also serves as a touch screen for the on board menus, I do wish it were more responsive, as it sometimes can be challenging just pressing that "X" button on the upper left corner. Not convenient if you're in any sort of live or working studio situation and you're changing settings. This handycam is comprised by a 160 degree camera, mimicking the GoPro look, which does fit a particular aesthetic and purpose, and will not please everybody. And if you're a serious user, the 5x digital zoom is basically just a gimmick, that no professional would ever use for anything other than to have with, as you can easily replicate whatever you're going for in post-production. This camera comes with an action prong to use with GoPro-like accessories, but because of its size and relative bulkiness, I wouldn't recommend it. The microphone is a beautifully crafted stereo microphone which is interchangeable with other Zoom mics from their audio recorders, which can be a huge plus if you need to have reference video in studio while aiming at a great sound recording. On the back, you have the XLR/jack inputs, which are a BIG plus on this handycam, since in music you never really know what's available. These work separately and the audio may be recorded onto a separate audio track synced with the video, or you may use the camera just as an audio recorder, which is equally great, if you "just" need to record that vocal or guitar part. For photographers/videographers, you also have the micro-HDMI output, which is awesome to monitor your image in a video studio, as well as a mini-jack output for whatever purpose you may need. (Mine is connected both to headphones and the stereo). The resolution you can record in goes well above Full HD, with around 2300 pixels in width, which sounds great. But despite the convenience, if your project is in Full HD or even 4K, you're stuck in the middle. 2300 pixels can be good for cropping out some of that fish-eye look, though. There are four ways to record audio and you can record it on four different tracks. The room microphone, which includes its own volume dial, will automatically take two, which will be split on a stereo track. Perfect for casually recording gigs. The other two are assigned to the XLR/jack inputs, and you can control the signal manually on the side dials, which really empowers you to record whatever you want, however you want it. And that brings me to the way you're recording your material. You can use a compressor, a leveler, a limiter, or no effect at all. The compressor will quickly adjust the volume of whatever it's recording to a certain decibel level. (If it's too loud, it will dampen the sound, if it's too low, it will increase the signal). The leveler will do pretty much the same, only slower. The limiter will only limit sounds that are too loud, or you can record with no effect at all. Similar analog systems will be more efficient in these tasks, but for the price, you can't really beat this sort of convenience. (I use the limiter for my podcasts, and it works great) This camera is USB-charged and packs a battery which allows for up to two hours of video recording, and it fits handily on the side, allowing you to replace it at a moment's notice. Just be advised: the camera will NOT charge if the USB is connected, as that connection will bypass the battery entirely. This is actually handy for when you need to continually use it as a webcam, as you can disconnect the battery altogether and save it from unnecessary repetitive charges which will ultimately drain it out. On previous iterations of this model, some users complained about the lens hood of the camera, and how it would very easily come off. I'm guessing Zoom worked on that, as on the date of this writing (December, 2016) I have no problem keeping it on. Be it because the camera is new or other factors, I can safely say that the only way the camera hood will come off is if you REALLY want it come off and give it a good pull. Other than that, you're good to go. And how do you start using this? Just by flipping out the screen and pressing that familiar-looking "power on/off" button. It takes about three seconds to load up and you're ready to go. Easy. I would just like to leave a word of caution, as this handycam inexplicably failed to boot up at one point under normal conditions despite my best efforts. Even when pressing the power-on button repeatedly, and at times for seconds at a time, even when I tried disconnecting the battery to then put it back again, for some reason that fails me, the camera took a long couple of minutes before it was able to boot up again. This left me with an uneasy feeling about using it professionally. Something similar happened again recently, but this time it took seconds, not minutes. So while I imagine that Zoom will be updating their firmware with some regularity, and although this only happened twice in my now frequent use of it, it's still useful to make it known that with the current firmware (Version 2.0), there may be room for error and then you may be all out of luck in a gig or in studio. On a minor note, while I find the design aspect of the foldable microphone cool, it can get in the way if you need a small overhead AND need to plug cables. When compacted, the microphone will come in the way of you connecting anything at all, so it's a small note to be mindful of. After all is said and done, I do recommend this if, above all else, you need an easy and compact way to record audio professionally, and if you're filming in a tight room (and don't mind the 160 degree angle), or just need scratch video to go along. There's a small compromise with this camera as far as the look of your shot goes, but it's worth it if you're mainly audio-oriented or just need a simple all-in-one solution. I'm pleased with it so far. I will update this review when I've field-tested it a couple of times.

I'm super impressed with this device. The Sound truly excellent. The Video is also extremely good. I don't understand why people are leaving such bad reviews for this product. The menu system is very easy to use and set up. Out of the box, without even looking at the instructions I had my recording set up and ready to go. Some file size Information that I found very hard to find online: Decive set at 720p, 30FPS, 44hz, recording for 10 mins produces a single .mov file, size 750MB. I emailed zoom corp and a few music stores and they couldn't tell me this information. For some odd reason nobody new this so thought I'd post it on my review. If you're a musician and need a reliable, quick method to record professional video with amazing audio, look no further and just buy this product.

Everything but the camera is superb what a shame it's grains in the dark which is where you want to use it at gigs connected to a mixing desk the sound is brilliant

It's a Zoom product and these guys know how to do quality audio. This doesn't come with memory card, only one small stand/clip attachment, no case or cover. I used it to record a couple of gigs which is why I bought it in the first place and the audio quality is excellent. The supplied X/Y microphone does a great job, and the two additional channels are really useful. The flip out display gives you a tiny digital mixer which is a neat touch although fiddly to use. You can record in uncompressed WAV format and record audio separately from video which is a cool thing. Battery life when filming at HD quality is a touch over two hours, best to buy a spare as it uses a specific battery type. Video - oh dear. It says it can record in HD 1080p. well that may be the resolution but the quality is frankly terrible. Don't assume like I did that HD capability will give you crystal clear video. A 5 year old basic GoPro is better. The 'scene' settings range from grainy through to blurry and unusable. Don't even think about using the digital zoom either! I'm sure if you're using this for webcam/youtube video in excellent lighting conditions then this would be ok, but for live music, just don't get your hopes up. Another thing worth knowing is that if you film on the highest video setting then a 1 hour continuous recording will give you a file of around 10GB. BUT, due to the limitations of recording to SD card, this 10GB file will be split in to chunks of around 4GB, so you will need some video editing software to piece the bits together. So in summary Excellent audio and exchangeable quality microphones (with other zoom products) Can supply phantom power Good mixing capability Clever flip out touchscreen. Awful video Terrible digital zoom Average battery life of two hours - three would have been better I'm returning mine and buying a Zoom H6 and the hotshoe attachment to connect it to a digital SLR instead.

The wife angle is capable of picking up everyone in a performance space and can be placed close to the stage. The sound quality is brilliant. No handle so a tripod/mono pod is essential. Simple to set up and use. I use it for recording BTEC performances for marking.

If you buy Zoom you get high quality audio no questions here but don't expect the same quality for video. Video is highly grainy even in during daylight conditions.

Bild und Tonqualität sind sehr gut. Das eingebaute Mikrofon ist auch gut. Die Sonnenschutzblende lässt sich etwas schwer einrasten, auch der Objektivdeckel.

Bene il servizio spedizione, sono un musicista di musica classica, oboista, avevo già un registratore digitale (Roland r09), dalle prove effettuate mi pare che la q8 abbia una risposta ottima anche per strumenti "difficili" da registrare come il mio. Ottima versatilità, può essere usato anche solo come registratore oltre che videocamera. La qualità del video è buona, certo chi acquista questo prodotto punta all'audio quindi molte funzioni di altre telecamere non ci sono, in ogni caso funzionali ed essenziali. Semplicità e maneggevolezza, trasportabilita, mi pare un ottimo rapporto qualità prezzo, lo consiglio vivamente.

When I started out on my adventure to make high quality recordings of my guitar playing, I was thinking to record video and audio in one take. Using 2 high quality XLR mics for audio. The advantage being that it would be easier in post. However, as soon as the mic is on I start making mistakes. It was practically impossible to record myself in one go and it was also highly stressful. So my workflow is now to record audio first using multiple takes and using audio software (reaper) to get a good audio track. For large pieces, Ik am also splitting up the piece in parts. The second step is to playback to the finished audio track. Then use video editing software to combine the codes with audio and do minor corrections to synchronize video (hand movements) with the audio. So I am not using the audio of the q8n anymore. For video, I found out that my mobile phone has a better quality. The q8n advantage for video is only that I can make it really easy to mount on a tripod and I don't risk damaging my phone. Even with additional lighting, the quality of indoor recordings is gari y, and not really acceptable. The quality of the audio is better than my mobile phone but pales in comparison to my XLR mics (at4020). The q8n is still a good fit for making recordings on the go, but only for that use case I found out that when recording 4k, it always uses the battery, even when connected to usb-c. So that means you can runnout of battery while recording. This does not happen with HD. I also have the Bluetooth module for remote control, but that requires manual work on the q8n to reenable Bluetooth every time the app on the phone is closed. All in all I am very disappointed in this device.

Leuk apparaat om opnames te maken waarbij je een externe audiobron (microfoon, (bas)gitaar etc.) wil aansluiten met XLR of om live opnames te maken bij een concert. De beeldkwaliteit is bij weinig licht wel wat korrelig. Voordeel is wel dat beeld en de audiokanalen naar wens separaat op de geheugenkaart worden opgeslagen, dus kun je achteraf nog veel tweaken in een video/audio editor.

Sono cantante e musicista (tastiere chitarra) e arrivo da una precedente zoom piu piccolina. Allora i vantaggi di questa zoom sono: il display video ruotando rende molto piu facile e sicure Le riprese. Gia questo per me è un grosso plus. Poi si puo impostare un conto di qualche secondo Per far partire la ripresa ( utile). Lo schermo touch è funzionale, poi non si usa ogni momento... Lo zoom comunque c’è e la possibilita di aumentare la definizione video. Piu tante cose come da manuale. Si puo alimentare con un power bank attaccato, cosa che risolve i problemi della durata batteria ( non piu di due ore, ma anche meno) il cavetto che usate è quello in dotazione. Con questo, dura una vita... per scaricare i file, su pc attaccato e messo da menu interno la scelta USB, Lo vede subito e si scaricano i file. Per finire, audio, come sempre buono gia nei microfoni in dotazione, immagino se si usano esterni Vada a migliorare. Semplicemente comodo, plug and play, non si puo fare meglio. Per il video, come Noto non è la videocamera con i risultati migliori, ci vuole luce, e insomma gli darei un 7 come voto Ma non di piu, ma ci si puo lavorare. Uso poi Camtasia per ridefinire un po i colori. Concludendo, un oggetto utilissimo per video con musica.