The Zoom Q3 is a handheld video recorder with a difference. The Q3 has two high quality condenser microphones. Each condenser microphone is positioned to give you perfect stereo recording.With two modes you can either record just audio or audio and video together like a standard video recorder.
There are three microphone recording settings, a low mic gain, high mic gain and for unpredictable and dynamic settings there is also the Auto mic gain setting. In the final mode the microphone adjustes itself accortingly to prevent any clipping (distortion on the recording)
If your a vocalist, musician or any kind of performer there is nothing more valuable than a true reprisentation of your live performance. I.E. A live recording for your act.
The Q3 is also great for high quality video blogging. If you run a blog such as a ‘learn the guitar’ blog, this device will give you high quality audio for your viewer, making them think they are sat right infront of you. It’s also brilliant for musicians looking to promote themselves or to just improve. Take it to your practices, record yourself, this way you can hear what you need to improve on and also you can get your stuff onto a Youtube Channel.
The sound is great and really gives a brilliant representation of the original performance. The video quality it OK (see below) it’s perfect for you tube however the quality suffers in the dark.
The Q3 is light and extremely portable. Although the device is made of plastic it is sturdy and can withstand the occassional knock. The battery life is good (lasting around an hour and a half on two AA batteries)
The Zoom Q3 comes with a carry pouch, RCA Phono cable, foam microphone guard and instructions. I also purchased a tripod for my Zoom and an extra SD memory card so that I could get the most out of the recorder.
Check out the quality
Zoom Q3 Specifications
| Recording Media | SD memory card (16MB-2GB), SDHC memory card (4GB-32GB) |
| Image Sensor | VGA CMOS sensor |
| Focal Length | 0.8m to infinity |
| Video Compression | MPEG4-SP |
| Video Resolution | 640 ｘ 480 pixels (VGA) |
| Video Format | MOV |
| Frame Rate | 30 frames/sec |
| Audio Format | PCM (Quantization : 16/24bit, Sampling Frequency : 44.1/48/96kHz) MP3 (Bit Rate : 48/56/64/80/96/112/128/160/192/224/256/320kbps) *96kHz sampling is not available in Movie mode. |
| Functions | Lo-cut filter, Auto REC level, 2x digital zoom |
| LCD Screen | 2.4-inch QVGA |
| Built-in Mic | 120-degree X/Y stereo (Maximum Sound Pressure Level: 130dB SPL) |
| Built-in Speaker | Monaural, 400mW 8Ω |
| Phones / Line Out: put | 1/8″ Stereo phone jack |
| TV Out | NTSC/PAL compatible, Stereo audio |
| USB | USB2.0 High speed compatible, Mass storage class operation |
| Power Requirements | 2 x AA battery (Alkaline / Ni-MH), AC adaptor (DC5V/1A/center positive) |
| Battery Life | 2 hours (Movie mode), 4 hours (Audio mode) |
| Dimensions | 55(W) x 132.5(D) x 32(H)mm |
| Weight | 130g (without batteries) |