Emanuel Posted July 5 Share Posted July 5 Who here? BTW what about these universal options? https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1245016-REG/triton_audio_fethead_phantom_fethead_in_line_preamp_for.html https://www.thomann.de/intl/jts_ma_123.htm I mean this is not exclusively a single camera model issue but crosses all over this particular camera segment at least... any users here? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IronFilm Posted July 9 Share Posted July 9 On 7/5/2024 at 12:31 PM, Emanuel said: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1245016-REG/triton_audio_fethead_phantom_fethead_in_line_preamp_for.html https://www.thomann.de/intl/jts_ma_123.htm Nah, get a Sound Devices MixPre3 or Sound Devices MM1. https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/292989-REG/Sound_Devices_MM_1_MM_1_Single_Channel_Portable.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emanuel Posted July 9 Author Share Posted July 9 1 hour ago, IronFilm said: Nah, get a Sound Devices MixPre3 or Sound Devices MM1. https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/292989-REG/Sound_Devices_MM_1_MM_1_Single_Channel_Portable.html I appreciate your care but that's bulky to add there in that setup... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ac6000cw Posted July 9 Share Posted July 9 On 7/5/2024 at 1:31 AM, Emanuel said: BTW what about these universal options? https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1245016-REG/triton_audio_fethead_phantom_fethead_in_line_preamp_for.html https://www.thomann.de/intl/jts_ma_123.htm I mean this is not exclusively a single camera model issue but crosses all over this particular camera segment at least... any users here? The second link is to an in-line attenuator, the opposite of a pre-amp... Another option is to use a decent hand-held recorder with XLR inputs as the mic amp then feed the output of that into the camera. if you use one of the latest Zoom models (e.g. the H4essential) you can have a 32-bit float backup recording as well. Emanuel 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IronFilm Posted July 9 Share Posted July 9 1 hour ago, Emanuel said: I appreciate your care but that's bulky to add there in that setup... MixPre3 is super compact and small, the size of a small lunch sandwich Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emanuel Posted July 9 Author Share Posted July 9 49 minutes ago, ac6000cw said: The second link is to an in-line attenuator, the opposite of a pre-amp... Another option is to use a decent hand-held recorder with XLR inputs as the mic amp then feed the output of that into the camera. if you use one of the latest Zoom models (e.g. the H4essential) you can have a 32-bit float backup recording as well. Yes, the reviewer hinted it there. F3 from his tip. I bet less bulky than H4essential anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emanuel Posted July 9 Author Share Posted July 9 39 minutes ago, IronFilm said: MixPre3 is super compact and small, the size of a small lunch sandwich The XLR handle unit without mention has incorporated an extra feature as camera handle not requiring one by itself as happens with auxiliar sound gear, let's not ignore it... Weighs less than a half, isn't it? ;- ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ac6000cw Posted July 9 Share Posted July 9 4 hours ago, Emanuel said: Yes, the reviewer hinted it there. F3 from his tip. I bet less bulky than H4essential anyway. Yes, good point, I'd forgotten about the F3 - https://zoomcorp.com/en/gb/handheld-video-recorders/field-recorders/f3/ Less than half the size of the H4e but about the same weight (but you get 4-channel recording capability with the H4e). Now there are some decent mics around with built-in A-D converters and a USB-C connection (and all the recorders that can operate as a USB mic), I think it's time that video-orientated mirrorless cameras dropped the 3.5mm jack input and supported USB digital audio input devices instead... Emanuel 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IronFilm Posted July 13 Share Posted July 13 The Zoom F3 also has much better preamps than the H4essential Emanuel 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Members BTM_Pix Posted July 15 Super Members Share Posted July 15 For anyone looking to a roll your own version of these top handles, here is my S5ii and F3 handle. Advantages are cost, 32 bit float, wireless sync with the UltraBlue and flexibility in mounting orientation and position (XLRs up and mounted forward in my case). Downside is that the F3 has a pair of mounting bars to enable it to be strapped to a pole or a wrist and they make it awkward to mount with a regular 1/20 to 1/20 screw from the handle to it base so I need to get a longer one at some point. Downside is presuming Zoom might have been silly enough to not make the mounting bars removable. bjohn and IronFilm 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eatstoomuchjam Posted July 15 Share Posted July 15 Looks like you can remove the rods based on what I can see from skipping around this video. IronFilm and BTM_Pix 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Members BTM_Pix Posted July 15 Super Members Share Posted July 15 Take away that downside and put down that hacksaw for me then. eatstoomuchjam and IronFilm 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bjohn Posted July 15 Share Posted July 15 It's very expensive, but the Sonosax M2D2 is a small, extremely high-quality preamp that has two mini-XLR inputs. It outputs line-level stereo analog to a camera; it also outputs a digital signal via USB or AES. It has some of the best preamps and converters available anywhere. It's powered by one battery and can run for hours even with phantom power on both inputs. Sonosax doesn't sell a camera mount for it but you can download a 3D-printable file for one from their website. I use it mainly for music recording (I recorded our last album with it) but might use it for video one day. IronFilm 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KnightsFan Posted July 15 Share Posted July 15 @BTM_Pix how do you deal with the f3's short battery life? I have my f3 attached to an npf battery sled, but it's bulky. I wouldn't mind changing AA's every few hours, but the battery door isn't accessible when mounted like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Members BTM_Pix Posted July 15 Super Members Share Posted July 15 Loosen it one turn from this original orientation (XLRs up) Gets you to this (XLRs down) Then the battery tray is accessible on the other side like this, so you the don’t have to remove the F3 from the handle to change batterries. KnightsFan 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eatstoomuchjam Posted July 15 Share Posted July 15 Is the F3 better with batteries than a lot of other Zooms? My old F4 will go through multiple packs with like 8 AA's in a day of shooting. Now I just power it from a V-mount that's clipped to its shoulder pouch thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ty Harper Posted July 15 Share Posted July 15 2 hours ago, KnightsFan said: @BTM_Pix how do you deal with the f3's short battery life? I have my f3 attached to an npf battery sled, but it's bulky. I wouldn't mind changing AA's every few hours, but the battery door isn't accessible when mounted like that. Curious what you consider short battery life. I use the F3 almost exclusively now rigged to my R5C. I use Eneloop rechargeables and don't recall ever worrying about the batt life. One definite downside is if you power the F3 with a V-mount, you'll introduce some hum into your recording so avoid at all costs. Aside from that I love the Zoom F3! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eatstoomuchjam Posted July 15 Share Posted July 15 Battery life can be impacted by settings, keep in mind. If you don't need phantom power, you could be getting up to 2x the battery life of someone who does need it. On a fresh set of 8 AA batteries, the F4 is estimated to get 4-6 hours. However, turn on phantom power? 2-3 hours. That's why I power mine from V-mount. I haven't noticed a hum on the F4 yet when doing that - would be a surprise since the d-tap is going directly into the DC power in port, just like it would be when using the wall adapter. The F3 could be a whole different thing, of course. Though Zoom do advertise power by USB as one of its features. Ty Harper 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KnightsFan Posted July 15 Share Posted July 15 3 hours ago, Ty Harper said: Curious what you consider short battery life. I use the F3 almost exclusively now rigged to my R5C. I use Eneloop rechargeables and don't recall ever worrying about the batt life. One definite downside is if you power the F3 with a V-mount, you'll introduce some hum into your recording so avoid at all costs. Aside from that I love the Zoom F3! I get a couple hours on the F3, max. Not enough to get through an 8-hour shoot without changing them. I mean it would be okay to use AA's exclusively, but considering the placement of the battery door, and my preference for completely solid rigging, it's sort of a pain to change them at all. I think I would be annoyed having to move things like @BTM_Pixshowed, and then tighten it back down and all (not to say it's worse, just that it's not for me). This is my setup now. The F3 and battery plate are bolted onto a bracket with a NATO clamp on the other side. For all-in-one setups, I slide it onto the camera cage. For separate audio, I also have a NATO rail on the boom pole, so we can quickly move the whole unit from camera to boom. It would be nice to shave the NPF's weight but the ease of use wins out for me at the moment. Ty Harper 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ty Harper Posted July 16 Share Posted July 16 1 hour ago, eatstoomuchjam said: The F3 could be a whole different thing, of course. Though Zoom do advertise power by USB as one of its features. Yes basically the F3 is a different thing. I should have clarified that it only affects the line out. So if ur like me and use that to record into your cam them it is definitely a reason to not use V-mount batts. But again, rechargeable batts have been great for me! Also, here's a reddit discussing the line out/v-mount/hum issue: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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