My Favourite Audio Tool. Zoom H6 field recorder review. Why buy the zoom H6

[@TymekStolarz]

Who else gets this excited about new gear that drastically improves your work flow?

[@darcy4143]

Im a sound designer and the H6 is amazing for setting up quickly when you need to grab a field recording, or if you are too far away from your computer in the studio and your sampling accustic instruments using the XY mics as well as other condenser mics all at the same time, what can I say its the Swiss army knife of hand held recorders.

[@utubewillyman]

I have had all kinds of good experiences with this device. I've recorded performances from my seat in the audience and have done 5 track recordings where I individually mic'd each performer. It had never failed me.

[@Cotictimmy]

Really excellent and informative video. I've just bought a used N4n Pro (it's August 2024) and I'm very pleased with it. I notice that with my Podmic I can only get the meter up to -24dB and I suspect the H5 would do better. I've found I can boost the H4n Pro/Podmic audio tracks up by about 10-12dB and they still sounds pretty clean in Audacity - so that's okay for me. Had I seen this particular video before buying, I would have chosen a used H5 instead - but for my current needs the H4n Pro does fine. Having said that, the H6 looks really fantastic and that's what I would upgrade to (rather and worrying about newer 32-bit float models.) Tim (a Brit)

[@TheCompleteGuitarist]

I bought the H5 about 6 years and it has worked really well for me. I considered the H6 but I thought I would never need the extra mic inputs. I did regret that, but not enough at the time to do an upgrade. I did however notice that even though it is supposed to work as a audio interface that their is a phasing distortion effect that makes the audio sound like it was recording through jelly (I am english) so now that the H6 can be found for less than 200 dollars I am doing the upgrade. The H5 is great but I am looking forward to my new toy.

[@ATLDRUMACADEMY]

We purchased one to record our drumline because of this video.

[@TymekStolarz]

Awesome! I am glad i was able to help you make that decision. Is it working out for you?

[@Medievalfan94]

bought mine today to track my drumset in somewhat quick and dirty multitracks. although six channels open alot of posibilities on how to record drums. A contender was the Podtrack P4, but since the H6 has its own mics on board and is therefore more ready on the go, I decided to go in the 50 bucks extra. and I dont need 4 headphone outs...

[@olyalap]

Tymek! I am just setting up my podcast and your videos are invaluable! I already happen to have Rode Lav and Wireless Go and am excited to discover your setup - as it makes it so simple!

[@TymekStolarz]

Thats awesome to hear! i wish you luck in your creative endeavours :)

[@byronface]

Great video! Thank you for not only going through the major H6's features, but actually explaining what real-world uses those features are good for. Also, plus points for mentioning the Rode VXLR+, while I already knew this information, I google'd the interweb high and low to find out what I needed to get my 3.5TRRS to work on the XLR inputs (I wanted to keep the mic capsule available as a secondary ambient recorder. When something is plugged into the TRRS input of the mic capsule, the TRRS input takes priority). Hopefully someone finds your great video before spending time googling the information you already provided.

[@TymekStolarz]

Thank you :) I also hope they are able to find it haha. especially since i almost used a generic converter which could have potentially ruined my mic.

[@lincolnhuntermusic]

Solid video. Would you take a deeper dive into the menu and functionality?

[@smalltalk.productions9977]

fabulous YT vid. i am a big fan of the H6. it does many things well. two not so greats: 1-the XY capsule sounds great but you will need to crank up the input levels higher than you would think, even when the XY capsule is within 18 inches of the voice. 2-when using the XY capsule to self record, the angle of the screen points away from the voice thus making setting levels awkward. i used a hand mirror and all worked out. thanks for the effort and the sharing. thumbs up.

[@TymekStolarz]

thank you so mcuh :) yes the screen can be a little bit awkward at times. i almsot always use an external microphone so i can put it where i can see the screen, but i using the capsule and checking levels is difficult for sure.

[@xfactors2success845]

Thank you for your detailed info on this device! 👍🏼

[@TymekStolarz]

No problem :) glad i could help

[@loureiro2]

I got a H6 and for sure its has not exceptional pre-amps. It has just "ok" pre-amps. You cannot raise than up 5 or will bring lots of hissing noise. Its good enough to record loud sources but not good enough to record very quiet scenarios. I like my zoom h6, its compact and always ready to go but we need to ralk about those pre amps.

[@TymekStolarz]

which i think is far for such a compact and versatile solution. I use it on every single one of my videos and im OVERALL happy with the quality. could it be better in some scenarios definitely. but setting this up over other solutions is way easier and faster.

[@loureiro2]

@@TymekStolarz Yas. Thats for sure. Absolutly good equipment on the go. Its just grab it and record.

[@TymekStolarz]

the only other audio recording piece of equipment that i have is the Yamaha mg10xu. i did actually use it for my first couple videos before i purchased the H6. any chance you know anything about it and if it might have better audio recording capabilities? i personally dont remember hearing a big difference but i never compared them against eachother.

[@loureiro2]

@@TymekStolarz Sorry dude. I had never play one of these but i know yamahas fame and thats a good fame. In my home studio i had a yamaha once. a pretty old one 12 channels,nice good pres, vu metter, couple of groups e some aux busses. Was very nice. I should stick to it but i end up selling it hehe

[@TymekStolarz]

Haha no worries, just thought i would ask :) Maybe i should do a formal test - but the convenience would be hard to beat

[@BCClassic]

This was awesome Tymek, Thank you keep 'em coming please

[@TymekStolarz]

Thank you! I will sure do so haha! Take care :)

[@giannisozo7928]

The paneling falling off was a great touch! Ha!

[@Joldrath]

Have an old Roland R05, and considering upgrading to this. How does it handle loud volume before peaking? Recording in stereo through the same mixer MG10XU. Thank you though. Best video I have found of this unit, on youtube❤❤❤❤️ ❤

[@user-tx9pp7mk2p]

3:26 would’ve nice to had shown these extras

[@rydergw]

The H6 is pure bliss to use and it’s so versatile. Love it ! :-)

[@TymekStolarz]

It sure is. I use it on every single one of my videos. so much easier/ faster than what i used to do

[@dovklein7721]

Thank you Tymek! Just a note. I have the Rode VXLR+ converter > it creates a tone of noise

[@TymekStolarz]

ahhh well thats not good at all. i acvtually bought one a long time ago but never used it because my Diety D3 pro came with a converter which does not create any noise. i am sorry to hear that.

[@abanaemmanuel4191]

What's the best gain level for an interview in a noisey environment

[@blhtml]

using 2 Olympus voice recorder with a 3.5mm splitter so I can record 2 lavmic * 2 works ok but be more easy to have the .wav recording already synced (but not necessary) and I can't see the gain level but they setup to speech and I can adjust post production

[@fasttwitchmedia149]

New sub. Great chanel.

[@brosautochannel7787]

thanks for the info!

[@TymekStolarz]

No problem :) thank you for the comment

[@daveys]

Great recorder. I have one of these and a few of the modules too.

[@TymekStolarz]

Yes its fantastic! love it way more than recording in camera.

[@MohammadFarahmand-xl3zq]

Thanks for sharing valuable information. Could you please tell me it is better to buy zoom h5/6 or scarlett 2i2 4th gen? In fact I am a teacher, and I want to record educational videos at home office. Thanks in advanced.

[@mixflakesmultimedia2984]

this video convinced me to buy H6.. thanks Tymek! subs! :D

[@TymekStolarz]

Good evening :) Thats awesome! I am glad i could help. You wont regret it, its an amazing tool for capturing great audio :)

[@yuval6354]

Hi, I'm just entering the world of field recording and found your channel and this great video. I would love to have your opinion about mics to connect to the H6. I try to decide between Neewer 410, Samson c02 and Rode m5-mp. My goal is to record nature and city sound, do I need the Rode or can I have a good result with the cheaper ones? Thank you ever so much

[@TymekStolarz]

unfortunately i do not really know these mics very well, so i dont know first hand how they sound. i would maybe look at the reviews for each mic on a few different retailers and youtube to see how good the cheaper ones are. but i iwll say that the mic capsule that comes with the H6 is actually very good itself.

[@simonwilkinson2294]

It actually has very average preamps (EIN 120). Which is a shame, because the design is otherwise very nice.

[@SondreWingarElnes]

Hahah love when the wall thingy falls down!

[@TymekStolarz]

haha thank you. i thought it was comical enough to leave in :)

[@SondreWingarElnes]

@@TymekStolarz yeah, and im usualy annoyed by such things. Or when its to much outside the point. But this was geniunly nice and thorough all the way!

[@VISHNUPRODUCTIONS]

we want use h6 with dslr in our shortfilm can you plz tell us how much distance radius can it cover.

[@TymekStolarz]

What do you mean by range exactly? like how far can someone be from the H6 and it still pick up audio using the built in microphones on the H6?

[@VISHNUPRODUCTIONS]

@@TymekStolarz how far can someone be from the H6

[@TymekStolarz]

Hm, I wouldn’t say it’s the best tool for the job. It’ll do but it won’t be the cleanest. Picking up a super cardioid shotgun mic, Line in power or XLR powered through the H6 would probably be a better option.

[@VISHNUPRODUCTIONS]

@@TymekStolarz thank you ..will follow the same.👍

[@TymekStolarz]

sounds good, thanks again and good luck in your creative endeavours :)

[@naveedanjum9183]

Hay Tymek, Thanks for such great video. I was about to buy Rode AI-1 USB Audio Interface to use it with my Rode ntg3 but after looking at this video I feel Zoom H6 might be a better option to be able to record my audio directly into my camera. Please let me know your thoughts if you think I still should go with Rode AI-1 or Zoom H6 is better option to make my workflow smoother?

[@TymekStolarz]

I think a recorder will always be more versatile, you can take it anywhere and record any time. With the audio interfwnce you need to plug in to a computer and record into a program. Personally I like the h6 recorder a lot better for that reason.

[@8supermagic]

Subbed. Great video... I'd like to hear what you've got to say about that Deity mic. I've been hearing about them lately but they're so new so the more opinions the better.

[@TymekStolarz]

Good morning and thank you! i actually made a video directly comparing the audio between the Deity D3 Pro and the Rode Lavalier Go (kzbin.info/www/bejne/gn6mYpqmbLKBr5o) as well as the Deity D3 Pro vs. the Rode NT1 Studio Condenser microphone (kzbin.info/www/bejne/b4mUYpScf7Kkh5o). Both these videos should give you a really good idea of how the D3 sounds compared to some other options.

[@8supermagic]

@@TymekStolarz Oh dang. I must have searched too hastily that's the exact comparison I'm interested in.

[@TymekStolarz]

Awesome! well hopefully you find it of use :)

[@marlenapetryga1948]

The sound is really good quality.

[@TymekStolarz]

Its pretty crazy how well such a small device can perform.

[@kaushalsuvarna5156]

When connected to a PC, can you use the inbuilt mic and speaker for video calls?

[@asmr6773]

Can it be use as a 4 mono channels mixer???? Can you record on channel 2 while hearing (playing back) at the same time what you recorded on channel 1????, for example.

[@sunshinecultureandarts]

How do you resolve the challenge of running out of batteries quickly using multiple phantom powered microphones for recording? Other than that, it's a powerful little recorder!

[@TymekStolarz]

If you need a setup that can offer phantom power to multiple mics regularly i dont think the zoom h6 would be the best product. is perfect on the go, or for recording only 1 mic, but i can see how battery drain would be an issue over time

[@gary7851]

Thanks for mentioning for the other microphone that uses to come with the older version of H6, plus the USB power cable and the software, etc, so the buyers are aware that they're not getting the whole bundle for 349$ plus taxes, even though the discontinued version it uses to come with it's the original bag which your gonna have to purchase it separately for more additional 124$ or spend some 30 to 50$ to buy the aftermarket, this is a huge shame for the zoom company, the buyers now their gonna have to spend an extra 250$ to get the whole bundle that uses to come with the older version for only 300$, shame on you zoom!

[@TymekStolarz]

it is unfortunate but as far as a business move for the company i suppose they had to do what they had to do.

[@Rdn55]

have a "recorder" thats stand alone vs something that plugs into a computer, is one better than the other?

[@olyalap]

What do you think of F3 vs H6? I need to buy one soon, so would like to hear your opinion to choose!

[@TymekStolarz]

Personally, i think that the F3 is a little too bulky. the sound quality that comes out the h6 is already so crisp, and given how small the H6 is i would pick it over the F3 any time

[@skyace888]

Thanks for the video. I currently have a MixPre 3 II recorder which is higher overall quality than this unit (I use it for podcasts, voiceovers, etc) but I'm wondering if I should still pick up an H6 for traveling lighter and because it has the option for built-in mics whereas the MixPre does not and is a bigger setup. Hmm...

[@TymekStolarz]

its so insanely compact and easy to travel with. I think it would definitely be a great addition to your gear bag. Very versatile.

[@cromag31]

my sd card is new and is says its full? why?

[@shivammishra-nh5xr]

sir can we connect our external woofer to it so that voice comes from speaker what we speak on mic???

[@starkell5840]

Great review! What type of camera did you use to film this ?

[@TymekStolarz]

I shoot on the Sony A7S III and the Sony A7 IV

[@starkell5840]

@@TymekStolarz ok! Thank u! Really appreciate it!

[@bogdy0211]

can you input big jack cable?

[@JuanSanchez-go6zm]

Zoom H6 vs Zoom P4? Thnks!

[@newlifeeveryday1821]

I talked to you last week about using gimbals while hiking. I just found you talking about the Zoom h6 which is my new topic of interest. I am now looking for a way to record sounds under three different scenarios: 1) record bird sounds from a stationary position ( tripod ) 2) record river or stream sounds from a stationary position ( tripod ) 3) record ambient nature sounds while hiking ( in motion ). I was thinking of using the Sony D-100, Zoom h5 or Zoom h6 for stationary recording and the Rode Stereo VideoMic X for hiking. Obviously, I prefer the prices of the Zoom products over the Sony D-100. Do you have any advice on choosing the Zoom products over the Sony product ? Do you have any advice on using the h5 vs the h6 ? Do you know which one has the lower self-noise ? Do you think the self-noise is the most important data point to consider when selecting a recorder for bird sounds or nature sounds ? What do you think of the Rode Stereo VideoMic X ? I would appreciate any help you can offer. Thank you.

[@TymekStolarz]

Hey there, sorry I’m just seeing this now. For some reason I wasn’t getting email notifications today for comments, just about to head to bed but I will do some research on the Sony d100 and try to best answer all your questions in the morning :)

[@newlifeeveryday1821]

@@TymekStolarz thank you

[@TymekStolarz]

hoookay so. From what i recall from my own research the h5 and h6 have the same audio quality. the H6 just has more XLR imputs. but the price for the h6 is not very much so i think the H6 has better value. im not sure if the lowest noise floor is the most important over all, but yes the lower you go, the more sensitive you can make your recordings without getting any noise coming off the recorder. I think if you are making youtube videos the Zoom product will be good enough for recording nature sounds. but it from the couple articles i've found they said that the Sony PCM D-100 was the best overall (but wasn't this product discontinued? - i cant find it in stock anywhere). this is honestly the first time im looking at the Rode Stereo videomic X. just based off its price it obivously is a higher grade on-camera mic. - and from the reviews i've found, people seem to generally be happy with its performance. i wont pretend to know much about capturing nature sounds but i feel like that mic made be more than you need. you might be able to capture good qaulity sounds while you are walking with a cheaper on-cam mic like the Rode VideoMic Pro+ or the Diety D3 pro. i know these are shot gun mics with super cardioid polar patterns instead of just a regular cardioid polar pattern, but that might be good. this would pick up more of the nature sounds coming from infront of you and reduce the sounds of your footsteps a little more. its possible with a cardioid polar pattern it might pick up more of your footsteps than youd like and make hearing the nature sounds more difficult overall. but i will say that using an On-camera mic is always going to have far less audio quality than attaching that same type of mic into a dedicated audio recorder like the H6 or the PCM D100. the pre-amps in these devices will always be significantly better than whats in a camera. cameras are known to have quite bad preamps, and you normally have to turn the volume on them down significantly and increase the gain on your microphone, which might not be sensitive enough to capture the ambient nature sounds while you walk.

[@newlifeeveryday1821]

@@TymekStolarz thank you very much for your helpful advice. i am probably going to buy the h6 and try it out for a month then return it if it is not high enough quality

[@TymekStolarz]

Yea that’s probably the best way to go about it. Hopefully it’s good enough for your purposes!

[@ajmenanga1107]

Thankyou! 🙏🏽

[@TymekStolarz]

And thank you for commenting :D i hope you have a great day

[@cookie13lu]

I read that there is an issue with the sd-card. It was said not to use a card exceeding 4GB or it won't work. Another one said it would work but with a bigger sd-card the H6 needs much more time to start. Could you please let us know?

[@TymekStolarz]

I have never had any issues with the SD card, but i've only ever used 1 type in it - the 64 gb sandisk. so im not sure about other cards but yea, never had an issue with that one.

[@TrishaPrajnawirani]

Thank you for the explanation! I am considering this to record my piano audio. But I am wondering whether I can use the XY microphone combined with a matched pair of Rode M5 or will there be phase cancellation issues.

[@TymekStolarz]

Hm, that is a good question of which i dont totally know the answer to. I would assume there would be no issues as there are 4 XLR separate XLR inputs that all will record to a separate track so if you have the M5's taking 2 XLR inputs. and also recording XY mic, they all should just record what they are recording to separate tracks and i would assume there would be no issues.

[@TrishaPrajnawirani]

@@TymekStolarz I see! I'll try it out then. :)

[@TymekStolarz]

Best of luck, and let me know how it goes :)

[@michaznak2097]

I want one !!

[@TymekStolarz]

You won’t regret it if you do. Such a useful tool

[@tamingthebeastinme7555]

Thanks

[@TymekStolarz]

And thank you for the comment :) I hope you have a great day :)

[@michael86734]

cool is it professional how is the sound

[@TymekStolarz]

it seems to record very crisp audio !

[@OMGWTFLOLSMH]

Why didn't you record yourself with the included mics?

[@TymekStolarz]

thats a good question. i wanted the video to be more so information about the zoom H6 itself and its features - i created other videos specifically comparing the audio quality of other mics though.

[@kylachalmers3236]

Nice!

[@TymekStolarz]

Thank you very much :)

[@MorningCoffeeDaily]

So the H4n Pro Black Zoom isnt a option?

[@TymekStolarz]

You can definitely go for it, it is a cheaper option. but i it has less features, and i believe had worse preamps so worse audio quality.

[@microgrampy]

Can the 3.5mm input on the mic capsule be utilized without sending phantom power, to say record additional line in audio from an electronic instrument?

[@TymekStolarz]

so the capsule doesnt send phantom power, only the XLR inputs. but from what i recall, you need to turn on "power" what ever that means to use the 3.5mm jack with a mic. it might be different with an instrument, but given that it needs to be turned on for mic, i would assume it would also need to be turned on for other devices.

[@microgrampy]

Thank you for the detailed response.

[@TymekStolarz]

no problem, best of luck!

[@robertdeleno7143]

Can it be used to overdub ? And how many times Thanks

[@TymekStolarz]

Just to confirm, do you mean to record with the H6, and then rerecord over those tracks creating multiple layers of audio in 1 track?

[@newlifeeveryday1821]

Hello Again. I have a couple of more questions if you have time. I am trying to figure out which memory cards I need to buy. I found three guidelines which I believe are true 1) For UHD 4k H.265 XAVC HS, v60 UHS-II cards are fine 2) For UHD 4k H.264 XAVC S-I, you will need v90 UHS-II 3) For S&Q 120p you will need CFe Type A. What kind of card will I need for my bird videos ? Does this really depend on if my computer is fast enough to edit H.265 data ? What is the cheapest option you would chose for the bird videos but still maintaining quality ? ( For stable virtual hiking videos you previously mentioned the trick of recording in high frame rates and slowing the video down in post. Is S&Q mode at 120p the best option for this therefore requiring CFe Type A cards ? ( I watched a coupe of videos on S&Q mode and don't really understand it's use case ) If slowing down high frame rate videos to increase stabilization does not require the CFe Type A card then does selecting a v90 over a v60 card offer any benefit ? )) Thank you very much.

[@TymekStolarz]

if we are specifically talking about the A7S III then getting a V90 card will open up every single shooting mode but 2 on the A7S III (which i dont even use, S-i 4k 120fps, and S-i 1080 240fps). S-i is great for editing because its compression is very low, meaning the computer doesn't have to work so hard to work with the footage when you are editing. but the downside is the MASSIVE file sizes, so personally i never shoot S-i. you could still get away with a V60 card but then a lot of shooting options are unavailable. i think the V90 cards are just a little bit more expensive and worth the jump up, just to keep your shooting options open. If i was recording birds i shoot HS (H.265) 4:2:0, 10 Bit, which will give you a slightly smaller bitrate. for 24p its only 100mbps, 60p is 150mbps, and 120p is 200mbps, for all these shooting modes, a V60 card actually is good enough. when i am shooting my freelance videos i always shoot in this mode, and it will still give you the highest quality video. S and Q mode just creates the slow motion video in camera right away, but doesnt have audio. so when you bring it into your editing timeline, the clip will already ahve the slow applied (40% for 60fps, 20% for 120fps). the max i would record walking nature videos is 60 frames per second, you just wont need 120 fps 20% slow. you might even only want like 60 or 70% slow, which 60fps can do as like i said it can go down as slow as 40%. but the nature videos you showed me looked like they were playing in real time, 24fps.

[@newlifeeveryday1821]

@@TymekStolarz Thank you very much. I will probably buy the V90 cards but for the 256GB option the price is more than double the V60 option ( Prograde Digital V60 is $109.99 vs Prograde Digital V90 $249.99 ) Yikes.

[@TymekStolarz]

Honestly i would maybe just test out the v60 card first then. you might end up getting everything you need in that card. if you wanted to Shoot S-i 24 or 60 just to see if it helps computer editing performance, then yes you'll have to make that jump to v90. but you can also always transcode the media when your at your edit (which your software will covert your footage to an easier to edit type) which would save you from buying the more expensive v90, and honestly a few of them because S-i footage fills up EXTREMELY fast. S-i 4k at 60fps is 600mbps, or 75 mb/s, (270 GB/hr). meaning youd get less than an hour of footage on the V90 256 gb card. conversely HS 4k 60fps is 150mbps, or 18.75 mb/s, (67.5 GB/hour) so youd get 3.8 hours of footage on the same card.

[@newlifeeveryday1821]

@@TymekStolarz Thank you. I will try the v60 first. Good idea. Thanks for providing the data. It was very useful.

[@TymekStolarz]

Yea thats a good idea. i obviously have all the types, v30,60,90 and cfx as i had to make the memory card video but based off my shooting style i am always in the v60 range. the only time i've ever used the higher shooting mode that need the more expensive cards is for running tests for youtube videos lol. Also if you are shopping from Amazon, and live in Canada, US, Germany, Spain, Italy or UK using any one of my amazon affiliate links and purchasing anything while that same window is up, provides me with a small commission at no additional cost to you and ofcourse is very helpful for me.

[@newlifeeveryday1821]

Hi. I have talked to you a couple of times about photography and audio questions. I am a newbie and have a zillion questions. I hope I can ask you another question: I want to video birds eating from feeders in my backyard. I also want to record the sounds of the birds as they land, eat and fly away. I was guessing I would use an audio recorder like a Sony PCM A10 or Zoom F6 or MixPre 6ii then merge the audio with the video in post. Can you please tell me how the audio is matched to the video exactly so the sound matches the video perfectly ? Is the mechanism the same for cheap recorders like the Sony PCM A10 vs the more expensive recorders like the Zoom F6 or MixPre 6ii ? ( I sure do like the price point for the Sony PCM A10 so I was hoping to buy it rather than the more expensive options. )

[@TymekStolarz]

no worries friend, you can ask as many questions as youd like, i'll try to answer them all :) the merge of audio and video in post is super simple and it doesnt matter what type of device the audio is recorded on. i use final cut pro but i am pretty sure that all editors are the same, you can just highlight the video and audio clip, and there should be an option to synchronize the clips and the program will analyze the audio from the camera and the recorded and merge them automatically. you can also start the recorders and snap your fingers right at the very beginning which will show up as a spike in your wave form which you could also line up manually.

[@newlifeeveryday1821]

@@TymekStolarz thank you very much for the concise and helpful answer

[@TymekStolarz]

@@newlifeeveryday1821 No problem :) i wish you luck!

[@newlifeeveryday1821]

@@TymekStolarz Please let me ask you another question: If you attach a Sony A7C or Panasonic Lumix GH5 II to a DJI gimbal will the stabilization look almost as good as a Sony A7Siii without a gimbal or even possibly attached to a gimbal ?

[@newlifeeveryday1821]

@@TymekStolarz OK... one more question: I have read several places that Panasonic makes cameras with great stabilization and great endurance for not overheating but they have terrible autofocus ? Is that true ? ( I have three requirements for a camera that seems like only the very expensive sony cameras have: 1) do not overheat even after filming bird feeders for many hours 2) The ability to focus on birds landing, eating then flying away from feeders which would be helped by great autofoucs but some people have said this could be accomplished by manual focus 3) I would love to be able to take this camera with me on hikes and film stabilized video while I am walking. Can you think of a better solution to these requirements than buying a Sony A7siii or Sony FX3 that would cost less money ? ) THank you.

[@newlifeeveryday1821]

Hi. I talked to you about a month ago concerning audio equipment and video stabilization on hiking videos using gimbals. You mentioned that you had a very powerful mac book pro with 64 gb ram, ect but that video files from the Sony A7Siii were still hard to work with because they were so big. I am trying to get an idea of how hard it is to work with large files from a Sony A7Siii shot in 4k 60fps. Specifically, I want to create very long hiking videos ( up to 8 hours long ) and I dont really know what I am facing in terms or editing. Can you give me any feedback about editing very large files shot in 4k 60fps? Thank you very much. ( PS I am still brand new to cameras and audio equipment )

[@TymekStolarz]

So I have the 2020 iMac that is fully spec’d out. It cost around 5,500 Canadian and it’s probably similar performance to the new base 16 inch MacBook Pro which is 3,200 Canadian. My computer can handle the A7s iii footage just fine normally editing it quite well actually. It’s running it through catalyst browse that’s a little bit slow but I think it is for most machines, as well as when I’m in Final Cut Pro and I’m adding a lot of effects and stuff it can slow down. But that probably shouldn’t be an issue for you. I forgot exactly what you had. An older MacBook Pro I believe. I think some codecs on the A7s might edit okay on your current laptop. Transcoding it would probably make things go faster but that takes a while to process, especially if you have huge file sizes. But you really aren’t adding much more to the timeline besides 1 long file so it should be okay. The new MacBooks though are really good value for the performance though. Even the slightly older m1 chip, not the m1 pro or max would handle A7s iii footage without a lot of effects just fine. Ans I think that’s in the 2,000 dollar Canadian range

[@newlifeeveryday1821]

​@@TymekStolarz Thank you for responding. I have a 15" Dell XPS w i7-9750H CPU @ 2.60GHz 2.59 GHz, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650, 32 GB of RAM ( but could upgrade to 64GB ) and 1 TB SSD. My goal is to make virtual hiking videos and bird feeding videos like the following examples: ( kzbin.info/www/bejne/rpPWaHmKbMmLj8U ) ( kzbin.info/www/bejne/np3HZaiXhJaAeqc ). I want the videos to be as long as possible even up to eight hours per video. Do you think my computer is powerful enough to create/edit very long form videos generated by the Sony A7Siii ? Which codec would you suggest for my goal? I watched your very helpful video on the codecs for the Sony A7Siii but I don't know which one is the best for these tasks nor do I know if my laptop will be able to do the editing. Finally, do you have any idea how large the file sizes are per codec/frame rate/ect ? I havent found a decent video file calculator for the Sony A7Siii and all it's variables required to calculate file size. Thank you very much for your help. I know I am asking a lot of questions.

[@TymekStolarz]

its tough to say truly. i've always edited on mac computers and given how they make everything, the apps seem to just work more seamlessly together vs pc counterparts. i mean at the end of the day, it doesn't cost anything to try the A7S III footage on the computer you have already. if it cant take it, then you just have to upgrade - however i would suggest maybe looking into the A7 IV (i made a video recently) which is quite a bit cheaper then the A7S III and may be enough for the work you want to do. i personally shoot in XAVC HS which is more compressed than XAVC S (meaning its more difficult for a computer to process it because the info is packed into a smaller file size) - but its the only codec that lets you shoot 10 bit in 4:2:0. XAVC S, which is half as compressed as XAVC HS can only do 10 bit 4:2:2 (and only 8 bit 4:2:0. and 10 bit is much better than 8 bit) and thats where even my computer struggles is specifically 4:2:2. the newest machines have a hard time with this chroma sub sampling. so im not sure what is slower for a computer. using HS which is twice as compressed (hard to edit) but can use 4:2:0 (easier to edit), or using S which is less compressed (easy to edit) but use 4:2:2 (harder to edit). i havent tested this but it probably wouldnt be much help to anyone unless they had the specific computer specs that i have. each machine is different and you probably would just have to test it out and see what your computer can handle better. theres things you can do like i mentioned earlier such as using proxies, and reducing the resolution of your viewing screen to make editing easier. the thing about what you want to do is i think the timelines are going to be very easy to edit because you are just slapping down 1 video and 1 audio, with probably not very much else besides maybe in the beginning and end or something so it should be relatively easy to edit that kind of video. for calculating file sizes, if you watch my memory card buying guide for the A7S III i list every bitrate available for the camera (which the A7 4 has access to lots of them) all you have to do is then just do some maths. for instance i believe XAVC HS and S, in 24 frames per second, for their highest bitrate is 100 mbps. you take 100 mbps and divide by 8 to get mb/s which is 12.5 mb/s. so an 8 hour video in this bitrate would be 12.5 mb/s x 60seconds, to get 750 mb/ minute. x by 60 minutes to get 45,000 mb/ hour (or 45 gb/hour) and finally x 8 for 360 GB for 8 hours of recording (roughly in that ball park at the very least).

[@newlifeeveryday1821]

@@TymekStolarz Wow. Thank you very much for your very helpful and awesome response ! I started out this project just wanting to record birds eating at all my feeders in my backyard then wanted to add hiking videos. Now my expenditures is going to be about $8K-10K. This photography equipment is incredibly complex and expensive. Thank you very much for your help.

[@newlifeeveryday1821]

@@TymekStolarz I see that you created some videos on the DJI gimbals. Do you know if the DJI gimbals ( or any other gimbal ) work with the IBIS and Active Stabilization found in the Sony A7Siii ? ( I emailed DJI and asked them this question and I received this response: "After checking with our senior engineers, the 5-axis in-body image stabilization will automatically turn off, but the image stabilization of the lens will work normally as long as it is turned on. So the IBIS and Active Stabilization won't work, however, the OOS lens will not be affected." This directly contradicts other videos on KZbin which show the a gimbal is additive to the IBIS and Active Stabilization. Do you have any ideas on using the A7Siii with gimbals ? Are they additive ?

[@mattcero1]

"Ok, where was I at?" Freakin' hilarious! Hey, quick question, will the H6 do voice activated recording? I'd love to know. I need to record my neighbors dogs barking to get the complaint filed. Thank you.

[@TymekStolarz]

haha thank you! i was debating leaving that in or not. Yes it does and is under the setting auto record. you set the audio level that you want the h6 to start recording and once it registers above that level it starts recording

[@MichaelPopescu]

Is Zoom H6 still worth it in 2022 or should we wait for Zoom to release an upgrade? After seeing the H8, I'm thinking maybe Zoom will update H6 with a better display.

[@TymekStolarz]

i think the H6 is still a fantastic buy. i have no issues with the screen or interface. the quality will probably not be that much better and you might be able to find a good deal on the H6.

[@MichaelPopescu]

@@TymekStolarz Cool, thanks!

[@TymekStolarz]

No problem, best of luck!

[@madmattchicago]

So wait! I don’t need a focusrite scarlet 2i2 if I have one of these???

[@madmattchicago]

Do you have a cloud lifter?

[@madmattchicago]

Oh! And your reaction to that thing falling was HILARIOUS!!!

[@TymekStolarz]

That is correct. I would say this is much more powerful of a tool than just an interface.

[@TymekStolarz]

I do not, I've never even heard of that before lol. What does it do?

[@TymekStolarz]

Haha, I am glad you appreciated it. I had debated keeping it in the video, decided what the heck. turns out 14 percent of my viewers didn't appreciate it haha.

[@soundstructuremedia]

“AUDIO GHOST”

[@TymekStolarz]

Hey there :) Im not quite sure what you are referring to - Its been a while since i recorded this video.

[@MohammadFarahmand-xl3zq]

Thanks for sharing valuable information. Could you please tell me it is better to buy zoom h5/6 or scarlett 2i2 4th gen? In fact I am a teacher, and I want to record educational videos at home office. Thanks in advanced.

[@MohammadFarahmand-xl3zq]

Thanks for sharing valuable information. Could you please tell me it is better to buy zoom h5/6 or scarlett 2i2 4th gen? In fact I am a teacher, and I want to record educational videos at home office. Thanks in advanced.