October 15th, 2009
Zoom Q3 Handy Video Recorder brings high-quality audio to pocket camcorder
One of the drawbacks of those ubiquitous pocket camcorders — like the Flip Mino HD — is the lackluster audio that gets captured by tiny built-in microphones. The new Zoom Q3 Handy Video Recorder aims to change all that, by bringing high-quality HD audio recording to a pocket-friendly camcorder. In fact, Zoom’s parent company, Samson Technologies, is a pioneering audio technology company that makes professional recording equipment.
The Zoom Q3 includes two directional stereo condenser microphones that can capture 24-bit/48kHz audio. Since sites like YouTube allow files with CD-quality (i.e., 44.1kHz) audio, you’ll still see a benefit even if all you do is upload videos to the Web.
Unfortunately, though, only the audio is HD quality, since the camcorder itself only records at 640×480, 30fps. The large 2.4-inch, 320×240 LCD is a nice touch, as is its ability to accept up to 32GB SDHC cards for up to 16 hours of video (a 2GB SD card comes bundled for 1 hour of video). The 2-inch LCD and 8GB maximums of the Flip Video camcorders, for example, don’t measure up. Still, at a retail price of $249, I’d like to see 720p video recording.
[Via Engadget]
Janice Chen has been covering technology for almost two decades. She got her hands on a Nikon Coolpix 900 back in 1998 and has been a digital camera enthusiast ever since. See her full profile and disclosure of her industry affiliations.
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