IronFilm

There is also all the differences between the F4 and original F8, of course the F8n keeps the benefits as well. One drawback the the F8 had vs the F4 that the F8n loses, is that the F8n now can power the FRC-8 itself (the F4 could, but the original F8 couldn't). I feel a few key points you need to ask yourself are: How often will I record more than 4 channels of audio? (thus will need the EXH-6) How often will I record more than 5/6 channels? (thus even the EXH-6 will not be enough) How many days a year am I getting use from my audio recorder? (as I assume you view this question more from a financial business decision than a hobbyist's question, so if you're working a hundred days a year then of course F4 vs F8n is no difference at all! On a per day basis. But if you're only doing 10 days of paid jobs a year then it becomes trickier as to if the extra cost of a F8n is worth it on a per day basis, I'd say it is, but on the flip side the F8n isn't gain you any extra work over what a F4 would) All the extra points like improved headphone amp, automix, new hybrid limiters, etc are all just extra gravy on the top for the F8n (but I want that gravy! And I'm constantly working, so the cost for the F8n seems very very small to me. Arguably, I should be getting a 633 instead). Because at its core the F4/F8/F8n are more similar than they are different, and any of them are a rock solid recorder packed with features that makes an excellent heart to have at the center of a low budget recording kit setup. btw, on the point of the F4 vs F8 screen, I suspect the F4 screen is one the factors which helps the F4 get better battery life than the F8, and in my limited experience working with the F8 my gut feeling is the F4 screen has the edge in terms of sunlight visibility. So yes, while the F4 has the "worse screen", it isn't all bad news. (however, I'm still looking forward to that higher resolution screen of the F8n when I upgrade from F4)

Yeah I wish Aputure made a 5" screen, I'd use that for sure. Ah yes, of course I forgot about the Feelworld monitors. D'oh Let's see: Feelworld F450: over a hundred bucks more, lower resolution screen, but 0.5" smaller screen. Feelworld F550: over double the price, keeps the same 1920x1080 resolution screen, but 0.5" bigger screen. Feelworld F570: less than fifty bucks more expensive, keeps the same 1920x1080 resolution screen, but 0.7" bigger screen. Of course there is more to these monitors than that, is there something someone can point to specifically as to why it is worth spending more on a Feelworld monitor than a Liliput A5? I do like a lot the mounting bracket the AndyCine A6 comes with (reminds me of the SmallHD Focus), but maybe I can buy this as a third party accessory for the Liliput A5 from somewhere else: Ah ha! The AndyCine A6 is identical to the Feelworld F6, which I can find with free shipping on Aliexpress (the Andycine doesn't exist on Aliexpress): https://www.aliexpress.com/wholesale?SearchText=feelworld+f6&opensearch=true I guess I've narrowed this down now to two monitors, F6/A6 vs A5! He left off the SmallHD 502! That would be my dream to own. But I don't do enough camera work to justify that. Nah, I don't think I'd want to spend that much or buy a recorder that lacks SDI. That is an extra hundred bucks, and resolution of the screen is only 800 x 480, same as the old Atmos Ninja 2. No thanks!

Read the one million zillion billion thousand threads on the internet about "what lens to use with my GH5S" (or GH5, or GH4, or GH3, or GH2.... if you think I'm going to say next "or GH1", you're right! These discussions have been going on for a long time. And they're still relevant even today! Although yes, new lenses do come out over time. For instance the Sigma 18-35mm f1.8 didn't exist back when I purchased my GH1. But broadly speaking the conversations about what lens to use for a GH2 vs a GH5 are not really that different).

I wrote up quite a long comment on YT, and thought I'd share my thoughts here as well for wider consumption as it is relevant to this thread as to why I feel the F8n is the best choice in the marketplace right now for this niche (beating out the MixPre competitors): Something I didn't touch on is price, as it was fairly irrelevant to my points above (except how the MixPre10T creeps up near in price to what a 633 costs), but worthwhile considering if price matters to you: MixPre3: more expensive than a Zoom F4 (but the MixPre3 records half as many inputs, and has less features). MixPre3 + TC: more expensive than a Zoom F8 MixPre6: more expensive than a Zoom F8 MixPre6 + TC: more expensive than the new Zoom F8n MixPre10T: more expensive than the new Zoom F8n + Zoom FRC-8 + iPad Mini!!

Liliput A5 is quite appealing at under US$150 with free shipping, with a 1920x1080 screen and 5" size (most other monitors at this price point are bigger, and most other 5" monitors are more expensive). Oh, and it supports 4K input as well (not that this matters to me). But am I missing out on any other options to consider that I should be aware of? https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Lilliput-A5-5-1920x1200-IPS-HD-LCD-Peaking-Camera-Video-Monitor-Display-4K-HDMI-Input-Loop/32841401936.html

Spotted this comment and video shared by Dennis Hingsberg over on RedUser:

Why was that, did they run out time/money during the later stages of shooting? (if it was shot chronologically)

Different league. Is like a 600D vs a C300 There are not only the better pre amps (and with the F8n, better limiters as well, hopefully on par with a 10T), but the timecode, extra outputs, accessories (tablet/phone/control surface), and metadata control lifts the F8n (and F8/F4) up into another league beyond all the consumer grade recorders like the DR70D etc.

Zoom F8 original is US$629, lowest price I've ever seen it go new: https://www.adorama.com/zozf8.html Clearing out stock before the new F8n arrives!

If it can, that is news to me. If you want 6x 48V phantom powered inputs then it is your only option at that price point, other than getting very lucky on a secondhand F8. (which who knows, maaaaaaybe night happen once the F8n ships?) When a Behringer U-PHORIA UM2 2x2 USB Audio Interface costs less than thirty bucks, and Behringer U-PHORIA UMC22 2x2 USB Audio Interface (which has MIDAS designed pre amps) is ten bucks more (and even cheaper secondhand), then I think having a USB interface or not shouldn't be a deal breaker.

Can you buy a 633/688 in your country at all? Could be there is no Sound Devices dealer in the whole country (the few people who need it would just be sourcing it overseas, which when you are in europe almost already that is not too hard at all), which is why the MixPre10T is not being brought in. As for the F8n, well there is nowhere in the whole galaxy that it is being sold yet! Patience. :-)

Weird, seems half pointless to me. You want safeties of the ISOs, not the mix!

His entire channel is great! I also highly recommend Luke Seerveld:

Have you seen the trailer? Is bad, it LOOKS LIKE it is was shot on a cellphone. No surprises there. However, due to the nature of the story the cellphone style kinda sort of works for the film in a way. Not such a bad choice selecting a cellphone for it as this might have been for some other styles of films. (like if you tried doing a traditional Western or a Victoria period piece in London, then it would be much tougher to make a smartphone work for that type of film)

Unless the schematics of the H1n specifically shows a different path for line in, then most likely it it just attenuating the signal down before the mic pre amp (which is how low budget recorders usually do it).

Personally I'd much rather have nice orderly files ("S7" is my own shorthand for "Scene 7") like this (one per take) at the end of each day's recording than the mess Zoom's handheld recorders would create, it will make life a lot easier for post dealing with these files than something from an H6/H5/H4n:

175 euros is a minuscule leap forward for what the F4 is giving you extra, as only 3yrs ago prior to the F8/F4 you'd have to have spent not hundreds but thousands more pounds to get the same leap forward in features and performance. Holland is part of the EU, so couldn't you buy from say Germany or elsewhere in the EU without excessive import charges?! Not me personally, haven't used it, just I've been following it carefully since it was announced. At a guess I think the DR70D might have a small edge in performance, but the Marantz PMD-706 wins in terms of having six powered phantom inputs (something which doesn't exist under the F8) and wins for being the most "baggable" six channel recorder that is priced under the F4. Aye?!?! What does a safety track of the L/R mix?! And yes, the EXH-6 doesn't supply phantom power, if that is what you're saying? Watch the videos of the Marantz, you'll see how they talk about supplying XLR to 1/4 cables with the purchase of the recorder. Thus you're getting a "six" XLR recorder with phantom power (but with 1/4 used to saved space, because it is so small).

I feel it would need to get to be £200 cheaper before we can start talking about it being an attractive alternative to the Zoom F4. No it doesn't rule out the F4. As I've used my F4 as a USB interface before. So I think I'd know ? Beside, he just wants a single channel one, and those are easy enough to pick up for even less than fifty bucks. So I wouldn't rate it is a critical feature the field recorder must have. Exactly.

E X A C T L Y ....the same as the F4!

No you don't, you have only four dials on the H6. You get the extra two dials on the EXH-6, which is exactly the same way it works with the F4. I'd rather use BWAV and have a single file per take (which you have the option of choosing instead with the F4/F8/F8n). And creating an entire new folder for each take seems a bit ugly indeed. Plus the H6 has absolutely none of the degrees of customization the F series has for naming files/tracks/notes/etc, which is very powerful for projects and especially for long running ones.

Lose what? They're both six channel recorders. Separate tracks? Yes. Separate files? No. Even worse, you have almost no control over the naming structure. And no other control over metadata either. That seems overpriced. I'm not even a local, and I found a Zoom F4 in the UK for £455.98 in just seconds: https://www.musicstore.de/en_GB/GBP/Zoom-F4-4-Spur-Field-Recorder/art-REC0012751-000V000071204 Also, another option to consider is a secondhand Zoom F8, especially if you can wait a couple of months then I bet we'll see plenty more secondhand ones for sale from people who got the itch to buy a new F8n. If you want to go dirt cheap instead, another option to consider is the Marantz PMD-706 for under £250: https://www.musicstore.de/en_GB/GBP/Marantz-PMD-706-Multi-Track-Recorder/art-REC0013499-000V000074440 Marantz PMD-706 has safety track recording which the Zoom H6 doesn't have, and can give phantom power to all 6 inputs which also the H6 can't do.

The Zoom F4 is only marginally more expensive (a hundred bucks more) than the H6 and is a much much much better field recorder. And of course the F8n just got announced, and if you can splurge to buy that then it is a total no brainer choice. The DR701D costs more than the Zoom F4, and I can't understand at all why a person would want the DR701D (unless you really really want that HDMI input). I feel a case can be made for the DR70D if you're on an ultra tight budget, but not the DR701D. I feel similar about the Marantz PMD-706 as I do about the DR70D, kinda appealing for its price point, but when you look at the wider context of the F4 only being a teeny bit more than it makes no sense at all. That is what nightmares are made out of, compared to the ease and depth of control you get with the Zoom F4/F8/F8n (or really any semi-pro/pro field recorder out there). Worth checking out this for the F8n (well, kinda for the F4 as well, but only functions with the first four of the six channels of the F4, which I found out to my annoyance when I purchased the FRC-8 myself. But never mind, am getting the F8n very soon!): https://www.adorama.com/zozfrc8.html

What are those two block boxes to the right of the RodeLink receiver?

People use the term "line" very casually, rather than keeping to the strict technical definition. Oh true, but it probably is not skipping the mic pre amp at all is my guess.