The Best Camera for Musicians and Teachers!? - Zoom Q8n-4K Handy Video Recorder FIRST LOOK!

[@diversekcox]

SOLD!!!!!! I didnt even go past 5mins in this video and I already KNOW I want and NEED this! I was going to get a Canon or Sony something but NOPE!! From drum covers, to vloging, to gathering sounds from outside. This is SUPER up my alley!!! I love this company!

[@jwpepper1876]

Hope you enjoy it!

[@acedia4453]

ZOOM needs to understand that the bar starts at low light capability with any new camera. We can pay a little more, but have no use for something like this in bar, club or any other low light venue. Our eyes can no longer tolerate grainy noisy footage. That being said, this is perfect for any daylight outdoor sessions.

[@timwilderspin]

Can you now recommend a good low-light camera for streaming, say, playing an acoustic guitar to camera at night?

[@AndySaenz]

Wow, I’m amazed that it recorded all of the different instruments in that orchestra so well! You can hear them all very clearly!

[@andylaoda2495]

finally I found a review of a product which I have looked for a long time, thank you very much!

[@RobertNeaguOfficial]

Best review for this product, and in general. Good job!

[@educapro]

Best video demo'ing a product w/this type of quality has me completely sold. Wow. The XLR ports sold me. I do think it's priced too high (by $50), but other than that, I'm sold that this is the camera to have hands down. Extremely feature-rich. I've honestly never sat through any product vid's like this without swiping to look at something else with a few seconds. Quality, no fluff presentation, right to the point. Impressed. I'm liking & subscribing at 4:47am CST. Thank you.

[@Megacaw]

This video came in at the perfect time! I was just looking at writing a grant for a couple of these for my HS program and MS feeder.

[@jwpepper1876]

That's great, Chris - glad it was helpful! We hope you get them for your schools - we think they'll come in very handy.

[@ChrisDeJuanMusic]

Not for me... I just bought a Q8 about a month ago! :-/

[@MissMeowsic]

@@ChrisDeJuanMusic I just bought the q8 as well, about 2 months ago. Too bad we can’t trade up where we bought it.

[@johnny-tv]

One of the best product reviews I've watched!!! Very helpful.... Will get one soon.... Also...Instant fan here...

[@novapangeamusic6725]

Great review. Congratulations. I would love to see a video where you can focus on recording live rock shows and go through the right audio/video settings. Specially with the constant stage lights changing. Thank you in advance.

[@ndguardian]

I actually managed to get my hands on one of these a week ago, and it is phenomenal so far. I had tried the Q8, and its video quality was terrible. While the video quality of the Q8n-4K suffers a bit in low-light, it is a substantial improvement. I also wish the XLR inputs were combo-jacks instead, since it would make my synth gear easier to hook up. Instead I hook it up directly to my mixer, and use the mic capsule to talk about whatever. It is fantastic!

[@donferguson3007]

Do you know if it's better in low light than the Q2N 4K? I have one of those, and am not happy with performance in low light environments (like jazz clubs).

[@HedgehogY2K]

7:08 oh yeah, just like how I took the widescreen segments of the 4:3 Samurai Jack cartoon and made it 16:9 with the widescreen sections actually touching the sides of the 16:9 screen while the 4:3 parts are left with letterboxing. In the same way, I could just record in 1080p60 and when I want it converted to 24fps, the slow motion parts will remain smooth in post processing. I think LTT already does this.

[@Akziis]

Audio was the clear goal on the camera. Very nice.

[@anthonyroberts9232]

Excellent demonstration of the canara unit. Thanks I will look into buying one as a personal gift to myself.

[@StvnRon]

Perfect no words to say. .just perfect loving the audio and video quality. .thank you zoom and to you sir for the awsome review. .

[@jwpepper1876]

Thanks for watching!

[@RicoTracks24]

This camera is awesome, and bro that drum demonstration was so dang funky 🔥

[@jwpepper1876]

Thanks for commenting on the funky drumming!

[@SimplicityForGood]

Can it be useful to connect ones sound card to the usb c, like an audient id 14 mkll between your personal microphone that makes hour voice sound the best and to the sound card and then into the camera? And then connect the youtube streamer hub to your ipad and stream directly this way from singing on a more professional level live by the mic best specifically for you?

[@gospeljohn413]

I am using the Lewitt pure 440 XLR of course to shoot myself on original songs. Should I just leave settings alone out of the box? Thx Happy Nee Year

[@jerzboybeats]

Wow this is perfect timing for this. Having the access to the options is a big bonus.

[@jwpepper1876]

Thanks for watching!

[@rihki0kennebrew]

A very fine job sir!

[@jwpepper1876]

Thanks for watching!

[@glenguldbeckmusic3410]

Mine is arriving today. Thanks for the informative review and demo. You have a new sub. Cheers!!

[@jwpepper1876]

Thanks for watching!

[@digitaldiezel5870]

Does this record headphone audio, from a headset mic, plugged into the camera's headphone jack?

[@jorgemiro1613]

Very good review. Professionally produced covering all aspects. Well done.

[@jwpepper1876]

Thank you!

[@jimmeskimen7779]

Thanks for taking the time to make this so understandable.

[@mannycepeda1]

Great camera, I'm getting one right away!!!

[@baddriddimworkshop]

Now that's what i call a demo vid. I cant imagine how much time one person alone should spend to do this kind of work... For recording audio and vid if your not moving around and the cam stays in a fixed location with proper lighting taken care of, these are perfect. I got two of these for the task, this gives me two different vue angles, that would be a great way to do the work for interviews aswell (any knid of podcast needing several fixed vues rather than camera men in fact). Now i wouldnt go for these if i needed a whole lot of motion, but if you're filming a scene and sound quality is important, in a room or the in studio, where you can take care of light settings with various types of lamps; well for the price (and we electronic musicians have a bunch of things we want to spend big bux on already), it's hard to go wrong...

[@nekkenek12]

Looks and sounds great. I am looking for a line in signal directly from my mixer to the camera. Are the xlr input’s correctly usable for this? Who can tell? Thanks in advance.

[@orchiddoug]

Thank you for the thorough demo of this amazing camera. I'm going to probably buy it! :)

[@jwpepper1876]

Thanks for watching, Doug!

[@pixpusher]

Excellent demo. This is how it should be done. Get to the point and don't be cute :) You really helped me make my decision.

[@CameronJay]

Looks like a killer bit of kit...Great video, thank you!

[@jwpepper1876]

Thank you for watching!

[@jas_bataille]

As a sound engineer who is now pivoting into setting up streaming concerts for clients, I cannot think of a better product! Also - the image quality itself is really excellent for the price as well! I've also been a pro cameraman, and using DSLR while getting a shallow dept of field for a blurry background might sounds cool, but it's *not* something you want when broadcasting (or streaming, which is the same thing, only to the internet instead of a satellite network and everyone can do it). Actually, if you compare the video quality to your average broadcast concert you can see on TV, you'd see that they are *scarily* similar :O

[@radek1cihak]

Agree that it's great, but if I want to use it for green screen video, I have to get very close with the camera - the angle of view is wide as if it were an action camera and it can only be changed at the cost of a loss of resolution quality. And everything that is not completely in 4K, KZbin simply converts to FullHD.

[@t0nyxgq]

For the audio integration with the video, it's fantastic. Knowing zoom, their audio should be the quality we expect. The video seems to need a lot more light to reduce the noise grain. The drumming video looks great along with the ensemble video. The vlogging outdoors seems to display the lack of dynamic range but seems pretty usable. If $400 is your budget, this is probably the best value out there. If you're budget is $1000, having separates can give you similar audio quality and audio flexibility with much better video performance but they all have to be used gear and you'll need to know a lot of technical stuff about the devices.

[@crisvizueta]

what is the camera that you'd recommend if the buget was $1000?

[@limbubasantakumar9572]

@@crisvizueta none I guess

[@chrisw5742]

@@crisvizueta EOS-M with Magic Lantern I would recommend.

[@carstenhm]

I'm curious too, t0nyxgq

[@williestyle2345]

Thanks !! I’m going to buy one now. Nice camera, and nice video of you explaining how to use this camera. Thanks !!

[@jwpepper1876]

Glad you enjoyed the video! Thanks for watching, and let us know what you think of the camera.

[@juBwise7]

I was wondering if you could run a beat machine directly into it instead of an external mic?

[@marknettles]

Zoom is my go to for everything audio and video. I have used three units by Zoom, and I am excited to aquire and use this beast very soon! Do not overlook this company's abilities.

[@thefullsetup]

Love all the audio options but that video noise on the webcam test is rough. I’d be more than happy to pay twice the price for this setup with a larger sensor.

[@tompurvis1261]

I am thinking that proper lighting is going to be important.

[@HuyConWargaming]

I've also been interested but it sadly seems that producer level camcorders are far more than just twice the price.

[@ChavaPerezSPR]

I’ve waiting for this camera for almost half a decade… AWESOME!

[@JimBlack89]

Hey man! Its so good to see you I was literally looking at this as a broadcast cam! Hope the insinkerator is doing well!

[@robertclary8774]

I'm also curious why they didn't include the 1/4 inch center in the XLR jacks.

[@AnthonyCarrier]

Can I wire/send that camera's screen to my desktop to have a larger display...?

[@dertrickwinn7982]

What are you shooting with to make this Video??? Awesome

[@reread2549]

Thank you for an end-up review of the product. Very well done

[@SpunckyJew6969]

Been looking forward to this camera coming out for months. SO excited for this. Also great video, super thorough.

[@jwpepper1876]

Thanks for watching!

[@AndySaenz]

I’m glad that he illustrated how to use the camera as well. Thank you!

[@vincehammond4081]

Great video, thanks for the review! I have two Q8 and now I will buy the Q8-N.

[@jwpepper1876]

Enjoy it! Thanks for watching!

[@DisruptiveHarmony]

Best review for this device so far.

[@jwpepper1876]

Thank you!

[@walkingthroughghosts]

Can you plug in a guitar? I''ve never seen a guitar that uses an XLR port.

[@longshotasmr]

Probably the most thorough Zoom Q8n-4K handy video recorder review/ overlook that I've seen. Thanks, good stuff!

[@jwpepper1876]

Thanks so much for your comment!

[@MarcEandfriends]

O.K, so now that I own one of these based on this review here's my two cents in. The audio and video quality on this camera is very decent for the price. However, there are two major flaws with this camera. Number one: it's ironic that the maker of this camera is "Zoom" but, there's not a zoom in/out button on the camera. Number 2: the screen on the camera can be set in 2 positions only and the screen does not swivel 360. The best use for this camera is honestly for the webcam. If you shoot a music video with this camera you'll have to have good software for editing.

[@HedgehogY2K]

I can't look up the difference between the XYH-6 and the XYQ-8N. I'm getting nothing here, it seems this format of microphones give the best surround sound despite the SSH-6 trying to do so using it's side mic, it just doesn't work out.

[@jwpepper1876]

Thanks for watching! and commenting! There is not much difference between the XYH-6 vs. the XY stereo mic that comes with the Q8n4k other then I would say build quality. They most likely offer the same mic capabilities. They would both be better for an overall surround vs. SSH-6 despite it being stereo since it is still a shotgun and very directional - it adds more ambience vs. actual surround capabilities of the XY patterns. Hope that helps!

[@DawahDigital]

So right, audio is the main draw. Well said man

[@joa5739]

Excellent video on the Zoom Q8n-4K. The only webcam I've ever had is a $30 webcam someone gave to me. I've been researching the Zoom Q8, and I was hoping for an updated version, and my wish came true. The resolution on the Q8n is much improved, and the Zoom Q8n-4K is the webcam I will buy. Perfect for me as I'm in the never ending process of improving my fingerstyle, and music ability with my acoustic guitars. Recording myself on guitar is something I've never done, but I've heard doing that is a great learning tool. I'm impressed with the Zoom Q8n-4K, and I think and know Zoom listened to the comments online about the Zoom Q8. So they improved the webcam.

[@yamansitar6153]

What’s the best microSD card to buy. Thanks 🙏

[@wahidanwary2015]

Very impressive and useful information about q84k.

[@MichelDomingue7]

Very interesting camera! Thanks for this great presentation!

[@jwpepper1876]

Thanks, Michel! Glad you liked it!

[@PinkCollar]

What are your video settings? When l tried using as a webcam it was grainy on my monitor but look great on the camera screen. My settings 4k/30fps

[@thomasgoforth]

What camera are you using to record this video?

[@rogervmantovani]

Pls. Could you make a video using the Q8n-4K as a webcam but with an external camera capture card see if the video quality is better. Thks

[@mancaverepair]

Hi ,is there some app on 🖥 so you can zoom, focus, ,,, start, stop change settings ?

[@anthonyroberts9232]

Thanks for the review I like the camara and will definitely buy one in the near future

[@jwpepper1876]

Let us know what you think once you get it. Thanks for your comment!

[@fergoy2365]

Gracias por esta review tan completa. Entonces por las entradas xlr puedo conectar directamente mi multiefectos de guitarra para que grabe directamente el sonido de éste? Es una line 6 Helix...un saludo

[@DrShawnMiller]

What about overlays, filters. and lends option. Are there options for Facebook live, youtube etc.

[@babbay]

Thanks for the wonderful explanation on Zoom Q8n, I know audio is exceptional , the video quality especially in low light conditions, is a bit pixelated! is there a way to improve it by adding a an attachment lens or something? appreciate your advice.

[@JoseRamos-pd1kj]

¡Excelente! Fantastic! I am currently writing a grant for my orchestra students. This would be perfect for their presentations. Gracias for the review!

[@jwpepper1876]

You're welcome! Best of luck with your grant.

[@Stopinvadingmyhardware]

Would prefer if it could mount some decent glass on the front and had an IR sensor. Just a suggestion Indonesia

[@BurninSven1]

Thanks for sharing, a Behringer mixer and OBS or similar program will work just as good though. Or you could get an Atem Mini and record directly to the internet on the places that allow that.

[@pallbryin9572]

In the day of online conferencing, I've been looking for a way to practice with other musicians from home. Now l know what I'll need to get make that happen. Thanks for the demonstration.

[@jwpepper1876]

Thanks for watching!

[@mobilechaosyt]

Everything looked really good except the webcam was very grainy and the color was more saturated than the video captured to microSD. This would most likely be due to low light and ISO being bumped up, however some of the other video seemed to be in low light too, so I almost think it is compression on the HDMI out or an issue with the QuickTime settings. Having such a large depth of field works well for instances where you need everything in focus, but not as good when you need to bring just a single subject into focus while making the background blurred out like when vlogging. This could also be a very good interview camera especially for remote live streams. I wonder how well it would handle two SM7Bs in that situation and if there would be any overheating issues. I'm intrigued especially since it only costs a little more than a H4n.

[@IncarnateParanormal]

I am going to be getting this camera for the paranormal. can't wait for the ambiosonic attachment.......great video, thank you!!!!!

[@DaGretschguy]

This looks to be exactly what I am looking for. I want to record live performances as well as my live stream series with good audio and video. I really loved the in-depth review and especially liked the part of you playing Gretsch Drums ha ha! Thank you very much for this great video, it certainly looks like great value for the money.

[@jwpepper1876]

Thanks for watching! We're glad it was helpful.

[@johnmac8084]

Great summary of the features, thanks

[@smarter_in_5_mins]

Thanks for showcasing this device in various environments. The ensemble recording shows how important is the room acoustics; you can then use almost any good mic. That windscreen was not enough for wind suppression 🙀 And one thing spoils a bit the quality of your video: there is too much distortion in your voice recording.

[@DrRoberto]

Sooo cool!!! Blows my mind this quality!

[@dimitargadzhev3800]

Thank you for the perfect presentation!!!

[@craigdrummer13204]

Once again a great video with great information, I was looking a the last model and saw this one so its on the way!! Thanks again for putting in the work, now if I can just find a 49” monitor for my drum room, any suggestions???

[@BeniRoseMusic]

I was excited to see this just dropped, I had my eye on the Q8 since it supports embedding multi-track audio, but wanted 4k. But WHY did they change the combo jacks to XLR only?? Why would you make something worse in an product revision than it was before???

[@HuyConWargaming]

I think it must have to do with the relative placement since the jacks are now going width wise. Could replace the capsule on top with the combo jack capsule though so not a total lost cause

[@MissMeowsic]

I’m not pleased I had to buy all new cables and memory card just to upgrade from the Q8. I loved being able to have my 2 digital pianos in conjunction with the mic capsule for zoom piano lessons. Someone mentioned the xlrs cant be used at the same time as the mic capsule for webcam. The remote component being purchased separate is greedy on the part of zoom.

[@yeesenchai]

this is great news, i have the Q2n4K and that didn't disappoint so this one will be good.

[@daedalusjones4228]

Good info about no phantom power to mic capsule.

[@jwpepper1876]

Glad it was helpful - thanks for watching!

[@dennisbushmitch8416]

So 2 years passed. Is there anything better out there for 4 channel XLR audio and video capture? thank you!

[@Jeremy-su3xy]

Definitely number 1 wish list.

[@tylerw8216]

Nice review. Just purchased it.

[@davespin9034]

I’m thinking I can run my 2 SM57 Mics directly into the XLR ports and adjust the gain. Yes?

[@WhoaRude]

It looks like they downgraded from the XLR/TRS combo jacks on the q8 to only having XLR on this one. I wonder why they would make that change...

[@janniswildermuth1499]

Maybe because the ports are on the side of the camera this time around and a large TRS is really long? I'm not sure about this, but the space needed to fully push in the TRS is probably most of the way through the camera from side to side. Since in the last version the ports were in the back, there might have been more space since the space was needed along the long axis of the camera. That's just a theory though, A CAMERA THEORY!!! (excuse the small reference in the end)

[@tossedpenny]

Easy fix... you can pick up 1/4 female to XLR Male adapters for several bucks and you're back to the same flexibility with the original Q8.

[@patricklundquist9869]

The Power Bank idea is brilliant. Last night my battery died after 1 1/4 hours of recording. It took hours to recharge in-camera. As a result, I just ordered a spare battery, external battery charger plus AC power adapter. With the power banks I completely forgot about, I have all bases covered. The angle of the built-in mics is pretty drastic. For anyone recording a single instrument using just those mics, you'll want to get the Q8n-4K as close as possible.

[@ArthurRobinsonII]

I’m a piano player and a music teacher. I’m also starting a podcast. I’ve been wondering what kind of video camera I’d need and this might be it. I’m always weary of getting the best out of my equipment. Do you know of any classes or videos to go in depth on camera recording?

[@DiconmigoJesus]

awesome review God bless!!! buying it!!

[@M1keSpade]

so here's an idea... theoretically for a 4 man video podcast using 2 of these you would not need a separate recorder and just have all 4 mics connected to 2 q8n-4k right and still be able to get video and audio?

[@bishimatsu]

Can this camera edit a video recording? For example, if the recording is too long, can the camera shorten the recording?

[@DaLoveDonkey69420]

why would they remove the 1/4 port IN the middle of the xlr's? that's super handy on the zoom q8.....

[@Pabula]

Thanks for the Zoom Q8n-4K review. Wondering if it will be like Zoom Q2n-4K, great with audio... not so great with video, seems it had the same or similar lens, but not sure if you compare them side by side to see if there are improvements on the video side, specially as a webcam?

[@rickdeaguiar-musicreflecti7692]

What a fantastic demo. I will be purchasing this camera for recording live band performances 😊🤛

[@jwpepper1876]

Thank you!

[@chrisrdunn]

Definitely could see buying one of these soon. Great overview. Thanks!

[@jwpepper1876]

Glad it was helpful!

[@zseeley]

Ahh, the lack of a TRS port with the xlr port is more than likely a nogo for me. I don't have a mixer or a di port.. Also the more wires and boxes the more trouble. So zoom down grade the inputs?

[@JohnDedo-f7k]

While zooming on line for the past year with Q8, I've been able to hear everything...voices, organ, singing, applause. I'm changing from Q8 to Q8n - 4k. Now, with the Q8n-4k, I can only hear when someone talks. I'm not able to hear any other sounds. I'm failing on figuring out what the settings need to be on or off to hear music, applause and talking. I've reached out to Zoom camera tech support, but they're closed for the weekend...Hoping you can help...please...thank you!

[@davespin9034]

I am assuming the audio preamp can be set between 0 and -20? This is what DSLR people need to do for external preamps

[@leehill5185]

If you are just doing interviews on this camra only what setting would you suggest and podcasting

[@FritoBoy30]

Thanks for the review. I'm looking at this camera to film our marching band. Looks like it will pick up great audio but I still wonder about the video quality compared to modern phones.

[@upstairstudio371]

Was literally expecting this to be double the price. I’m legitimately confused. SO much value for $400!!!

[@bvmheart]

Put music video in motion behind you for audio visual aid...Comparison vs GoPro stabilization?

[@michaelsstatement]

Is it possible to use it with a mixer like the Behringer X32 to get even better sound quality? Great video!

[@jwpepper1876]

You can definitely use an external mixer with this device. Thanks for watching!

[@lokologico]

This is a great cam for musicians on you tube. Certainly more budget than a DSLR, and the audio recording options are superb. The video quality is a bit questionable however.... or is it just me. Tempted to pick this, or a mirror-less 4k cam at the same price (but then not have the audio recording capabilities, which I can do with a separate Zoom audio only I have).... hmm ,..choices...

[@floriansimon2578]

Take a cheap DSLR body, a good lense & a real audio interface. You will be more flexible down the road.