Today at JW Pepper,
we're going in-depth with what is now the new
king for audio, video production for music,
teachers and musicians.
And we're going to make some comparisons to other video
camera options musicians and teachers
might be interested in as well.
This is our exclusive first look at the brand new
Zoom Q8n4K handy video recorder. Let's get started.
Last year,
JW Pepper put out a video on what we thought
at the time was the best sounding and most affordable
video camera for musicians and music teachers featuring
the Q8 handy video recorder. Well,
that camera debuted in 2015,
and it's held its weight since then.
But now we're very excited to announce the long
awaited successor to the Q8.
The Zoom Q8n4K handy video recorder,
and I'm even more excited to get to see this next part.
Zoom was kind enough to send us a pre-production unit
to try out for 30 days just to make this video,
so we're very thankful to them for sending this along
and giving us this exclusive first look.
Just know they did not ask us to make a video for this.
We wanted to, because like the Q8 before it,
this camera is tailor made for musicians
and music teachers,
and the new version is even more equipped.
So we wanted to go in-depth with this and compare it head
to head with some other models,
including the previous Q8 and the smaller option that Zoom
offers the Q2n4K.
So let's dive into all the details of this brand
new camera. And remember,
all the links to the items that we're talking about today
are in the description below. First off, out of the box,
we get the camera itself, which has a sleek new design,
an all black color scheme included in the box
are the battery,
which is the same battery from the previous model.
The BT-03B lithium ion battery. Next,
we get a detachable lens cover and lens hood.
Great for keeping on the camera and not losing.
We get a USB-C data power cable to charge the battery
and a foam windscreen that attaches to the stereo
x-y mic. And finally, the paperwork.
The biggest improvement of this camera is that it now
has a half inch 4K sensor equipped with a wide
angle lens that is f2.8 at about a fifteen point two
mm full frame equivalent,
which is very much improved from the 2K sensor on the Q8.
This is great for musicians. And again,
Zoom is really delivering here,
providing 4K video along with professional audio
that they already are well known for.
We'll get back to image quality and examples
later on in the video,
taking a look at the camera itself.
It's a little heavier than the previous Q model,
but the wait is a good thing in this area.
it makes the camera feel a little bit more substantial
and professional in the hands when folded up.
The camera is extremely compact and easy
to put in any bag.
Folding up the stereo x y microphone,
the Q8n4K is equipped with new microphone modules,
and Zoom will be coming out with more very soon,
which includes a stereo x y a/b mic that can also be used
with multiple stereo configurations,
as well as a really cool ambisonic microphone
that can deliver immersive 360 audio.
That is something we will definitely be
showcasing when it comes out,
so definitely hit that subscribe button and ring the notification bell
so you can be notified about that video
The built in stereo mike is one of the best
features of this camera.
As we said in the previous Q8 video
audio is where this camera shines.
And while we continue to think that this is the best camera
solution for musicians and teachers
like the previous model,
the Q8n4K can swap these Zoom microphone capsules
for different variants like a shotgun mic
or a side stereo,
or even adding two more SLR channels. And again,
the Q8n4K already has two built in XLR ports,
with game knobs right on the outside of the camera.
The XLR ports are on the side of the camera,
this time along with the stereo headphone port,
which has its own volume adjustment located here.
There's a micro HDMI port to use an external monitor.
And finally,
the long awaited USB-C power data port.
Thank you Zoom for making this port a USB-C port.
Going to the back of the camera,
the screen is located here when closed. First,
let's open the screen and check out the layout on the back.
Here is the main power button along with our channel select
buttons with red LED lights indicating
which channel is selected. Right here,
we also have convenient access to a pad
to bring the level down negative 20 DB if needed,
as well as a hard switch for Phantom Power on and off.
Also located on the back is the Micro SDXC slot,
which is a major change from the previous Q8.
The Q8n4K takes micro SDXC cards and can accept
cards up to 512 gigabytes,
which allows for a lot of recording and high
quality audio. It Should be noted,
it does not come with a memory card,
so you will need to buy one separately.
Moving on to the screen,
which is a little different than the Q8,
it can still flip directly out for a selfie mode,
but it does not fully articulate like the Q8
screen did. Also,
the screen on this model is not a touch screen,
which in my opinion, is a good thing.
The camera has all the menu options from real
buttons available all the time,
and they're very easy to go through after
powering on the device.
Your screen options starting with the top left are:
The MODE Button which allows you to choose which recording mode you want.
The options are:
MOV: which is the video file with audio sync'd.
Right out of camera or
MOV + WAV which is the video file with audio sync'd.
But you also get audio captured separately
in individual channels in high quality WAV format
WAV(STEREO) which turns the device into an audio only unit
recording all audio from the channels
down to a stereo mix. Again, this is an audio only option.
And then we have WAV (multi),
which again is audio only.
But this time providing all channels in separate tracks
for more editing flexibility.
Personally, I recommend using MOV+WAV,
which allows an audio sync for quick video options,
but still gives me the audio channels to use for editing later
Next, we have the RES button.
This allows you to choose our video resolution either
4K, 1080p or 720p - 4K will be the highest quality image,
but we'll also use the most battery life and memory card space.
The next button FPS works Along with the resolution,
you might have different options depending
on your resolution.
This camera can shoot 4K in 30 FPS,
24 or 25 FPS. It can also shoot at
1080 and 720 in 24, 30, 50 and 60 FPS.
The FPS is the frames per second, and without going too technical.
With this,
the frames per second will determine the "look" of the video.
A lot of news and sports coverage is shot
in 30 frames per second or 60 frames per second,
and a lot of movies and closer to what your eyes see is
24 frames per second. In certain parts of the world,
that could be 25 frames per second
for their standard. In the U.S.,
we use 25 per second or 30
frames per second most common.
You can also slow the footage down that shot
at 60 frames per second to give a slow motion look as well.
Moving along the next button is AUDIO,
and this is where you'll select your audio,
bitrate and hertz.
I typically leave this at the highest setting,
which is 48 kilohertz and 24 bit recording
on the right side of the screen.
We have the FOV button or field of view,
which will allow you to put a digital crop
on the image and zoom in a bit. You can go from the super wide,
almost fisheye look to a more normal frame,
followed by closer and then even a telephoto.
Keep in mind that you will lose a little
quality when cropping in.
I recommend staying at the wide angles down from here.
We have the SCENE button,
which allows us to give some additional effects to our image,
either for low light or bright light settings.
You can also choose Auto to let the camera decide,
but this will change if the light changes.
So you want to keep that in mind while you're recording,
the bright button will brighten or darken your image depending
on which scene you have chosen.
This can help in low light situations or in bright
light situations.
The mixer is the option for the digital mixer
if you want more control of each audio channel,
either adding a built in effect or panning.
This can be done here on the bottom.
The DISPLAY button allows you to cycle on and off
the screen display text.
It will always keep the audio meters at
the bottom because audio is always important.
The play button will playback any recorded media,
and the Settings button will go into the additional settings.
This is where you can select to use the camera as a webcam.
I think one of the best use cases for this camera
for teachers, students or musicians is to use it as a webcam
to allow for better making and better
images on those calls. In the settings,
you can choose USB - note - while you're in the settings,
the buttons are next to the things
you want to select. So for USB,
I'll choose the button next to it labeled audio,
but this is to get the USB option while I'm
in settings after choosing USB.
You have options to use as a Card reader / USB MIC ONLY
or Webcam for PC Mac choosing webcam for PC Mac
then asks if you want to use USB bus power or camera battery.
If you're on a video call, I would choose USB Bus Power,
which will allow you to power the camera
while also providing the data. After that is selected,
you'll see the USB icon and webcam on the screen,
showing that you're broadcasting to your PC.
You also have the option to adjust the delay
by milliseconds if you see that the image is a little laggy.
What's great about this is that this is allows
you to have a stereo x y mike or any other capsule
along with two XLR ports.
Maybe you want to plug in a keyboard or a guitar
along with a better microphone like the Samson CO2,
which is great for broadcasting, by the way,
and we have a video for right up here.
Here is the setup at my home office to see what it can
look and sound like.
So this is what the Zoom Q8n4K
looks and sounds like as a webcam. Right now,
I'm going right from the USB-C port of the camera,
right into the USB port of my computer,
and I'm actually recording this via QuickTime.
So you're seeing exactly what you would see via
a Zoom call or a teams call or something like that.
This is also what you would hear if you were
using an additional microphone. In this case,
I'm using the Samson CO2 microphone,
and that's going right into one of the XLR ports.
And what's great here is this. Is a very easy setup.
I've got the camera just sitting on top of a speaker,
and because of the wide angle lens,
I'm able to get pretty close to it to make any of my fine
adjustments or things like that.
Here's an example of me playing the drums at my home,
which is currently untreated for audio at all.
So a great use for this camera would be
for a drum set teacher to use with lessons
with their students.
I've got the built in stereo X-Y mic to pick up the drum set,
and I've got a lavaliere microphone going into Channel
one to pick up my voice.
I'm also recording this in WAV+MOV.
So this way,
when I play it back for you from the edit,
I can turn off my voice when I'm playing the drum set,
or I can turn off the drum set so you can hear my voice.
So here's an example of what this looks
and sounds like.
So for the last shot,
we have the camera positioned a little high.
And that's because I was using the built
in stereo x-y mic to pick up the drum set for this shot.
I'm using the EX-H6 Mic capsule,
which allows me to get two more XLR ports into the camera.
Now I can run one of my Lavalier or microphones
into that port,
and I can have the Samson CO2 stereo microphones,
which I'm using as x-y mikes above the drum set
to go into the built in XLR ports of the camera.
And this is great because now I can position the camera
wherever I want to and I can put the mics
wherever I want to as well.
So here's an example of what this looks
and sounds like.
So here's an example using
the Q8n4k as a Vlogging Camera
I'm using the SGH-6
mic capsule on top the shotgun mic along with a windscreen
so that you can hear it right now.
It's kind of cold outside and the wind's blowing.
It's gives you an example of that audio quality. Also,
some other facts that I learned while using the camera.
You can power the camera using a USB power bank
that you would normally use to charge like a smartphone
via the USB-C port.
I was able to power the camera doing that while I was recording
the drum set segments as well. Also,
while doing that drum set segment while using
the EXH-6 capsule.
That capsule does not provide phantom power
to the microphones,
so you will need to provide some type of power
for your microphones if you're using them in that capsule.
Now I'm here with the Westchester University Wind Ensemble
under the direction of Andrew Yozviak,
and we're going to capture some wind ensemble rehearsal using
the Q8n4K and a lavaliere mic.
I miked up the director using a Lavaliere for his voice,
and the XY built in mic is picking up the group.
We've got the moving notes here at eighty six. Up, up, up, up,
up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up.
That's the motor. All right, that's the motor.
The main idea is in the clarinets.
Low woodwinds bah ya Bud a yup up ap,
bud a de da do de da da de, OK. It's very fantasy adventure,
isn't it?
Cool.
Zoom does offer a little brother option to this camera.
And they actually have a lot of the same video features.
This is the Zoom Q2n4k,
and the main difference is besides the cost
are the audio options.
The Q2n4K only has this set of stereo built in mics
and no additional mic ports.
And you also don't have the ability to swap out
these mics with other capsules.
This is a good option if you're on the go,
but if you're looking to add microphones,
you will need to step up to the Q8n4K.
So we've gone through the camera and we've shown
some real world examples.
But now I want to stress the point
and the strength of this camera,
which is value for audio quality,
mainly for musicians, music teachers,
students or people who want to start their
own YouTube channel, either vlogging or gaming.
I can say with experience in this area,
having tried all of those things,
audio is more important in these areas.
Audio is the main thing you should be worried
about getting at a high level for any of that stuff,
and the Zoom Q8n4K delivers high grade
professional audio options. And now,
with 4K video for a great value,
the best in the business in my experience.
So that's our overview of the
Zoom Q8n4k Handy Video Recorder.
Again, we're so very excited to have had this chance
to get an early look and give you guys an early
review of this amazing camera,
and that would not have been possible without the great
folks at Zoom. Again,
they just believe in their product and let us
make this review.
No money changed hands and I do have to send it back,
but we will be getting one of our own.
But really,
we could not have had this opportunity
without the continued support from our viewers and customers
watching our channel and liking and commenting on these videos.
Your support is why companies like Zoom want
to give us early access, so keep it coming.
If you found this video helpful, give us a thumbs up.
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