I'm still waiting for an email response from Zoom about the official release date, since it's just a day short and there's always different emails about when this thing is going to hit the streets. The actual 'Zoom' store on Amazon has a posted release date of Sept 8th, so we'll see what happens. The good news is that the official 'Zoom' store on Amazon is accepting those Pre-Orders, while other website including BHPHOTOVideo.com are not. So if you haven't placed a jump on it yet, here's the link to the Zoom store on Amazon.
Ok, before posting up this blog article I made sure to place my pre-order for the new Zoom H1 portable audio recorder expected to ship on July 30th. It appears from several blogs they are very confident in this release date. If you're at all interested in this super portable audio recorder, you can jump over to BHPhotoVideo.com and get on that waiting list to get notified.
Well personally, I'm not taking any chances being the last to pick one up in case they go quickly, so i've already pre-ordered my item(s) from an eBay seller accepting pre-order payments. I'm not suggesting that any of you follow in my footsteps, since this is a pre-order item still 23 days away from shipping, but just in case you might be as bold as I am, here's more information.
The eBay seller is actually a huge retail store, and feedback shows they ship several hundred items daily. Yeah, that's alot of shipping. Feedback is great for the amount of volume they pump out, so i'm not too worried. At only $99 dollars + Free Shipping, it's not much of a risk and I always say, Paypal's got my back! There's already been 4 other purchases before mine, hopefully they don't have a limited amount they are accepting.
Features:
* Stereo X/Y mic configuration captures perfect stereo images
* Same frequency and SPL handling as popular Zoom H2
* Records Broadcast WAV (BWF) at 96kHz/48kHz/44.1kHz at 16-bit or 24-bit
* Records MP3 from 48 to 320kbps for maximum recording time
* Hi-Speed USB 2.0 port
* Built-in reference speaker
* Includes 2GB microSD card and one AA battery
* One AA size battery allows 10 hours operation
* Accommodates up to 32GB microSDHC memory cards
* Track marker function
* Low cut filter
* Built-in tripod mount * 1/8" external mic input <<<< Yes it does have a Mic input people....
* Stereo 1/8" line output
* Auto record level
* Optional accessory package (APH-1) includes windscreen, AC adapter (USB type), USB cable, adjustable tripod stand, padded-shell case and mic clip adapter
So just in case any of you out there might be as brave as I am, i've sorta jumped the gun here. I expect these things to sell out early much like the Canon T2i, and be fairly hard to obtain in the first few weeks of it's release. Here's the pre-order link for the Zoom H1 portable audio recorder.
What's going to be the hottest selling item in the DSLR world come July 30th? Well It's not going to be a DSLR. I predict the hottest selling item is going to be the new Zoom H1 portable audio recorder. C'mon for $99 dollars, and it's portable size, it's the perfect recorder for DSLR shooters. It's not going to match the many inputs of the H4n, or have as high quality, but it'll do the job where the H4n can't. One of the things i'm already thinking about is using these instead of wireless receivers on a Bride or Groom. Given the right lav microphone attached, these will run much much cheaper than any wireless set and guarantee to provide a high quality recording capture. More information can be found on the Samson Tech website.
David Richards (Above) throws up this cool little video that explains a bit about Audio on DSLR's. He's using the Panasonic GH1 in this video.
It's no secret that DSLR's with it's built in microphones don't do much for quality audio. Even with special microphones connected to the input of the camera, the DSLR's lack the ability to manually adjust Gain levels. (until new firmware). Now if you're working with long lenses to get that awesome Depth Of Field, you're really putting yourself further from the subject and the audio will really suffer. Here's two of my personal favorite items that go with me on every shoot.
