Zoom Q8n 4K PART 3 - Video Quality - What’s the Picture Like?

[@fransv1398]

Thank you Ian, a very nice positive and valuable representation of your research into the possibilities and impossibilities of this camera. I am very impressed with your work and curious about the next video.

[@iancraig]

It’s a slightly ‘strange’ camera in my opinion because it’s aimed at music/sound people and as such, has excellent sound. They are quite right to try and simplify the camera for music people because many wouldn’t be so savvy with picture, but this has been simplified to the point of being not far away from just using a phone. The white balance thing really surprised me. No way of fixing it which means the colour changes with different gels. Also, auto gain means curtain up/down might be very interesting with the iso gaining up and down. It’s capable of a sharp picture though as long as you have strong lighting. Trouble is, many theatres don’t go that bright a lot of the time. My guess is that it is aimed at musicians who want to use bright lighting in a studio or on a stage and that’s about it. I was going to use it in the intro and outro of this video, but my background lighting completely throws the white balance all over the place, so in spite of Zoom saying that this could be a KZbin camera….. it could be as long as you have very bright lights and a plain background!

[@fransv1398]

@@iancraig For Zoom, your findings will undoubtedly be very valuable. With new equipment, it is always good to know what the weak points are and how you can best work around them if possible.

[@eduardocorreaserrano2479]

The best video about this cam

[@iancraig]

Thank you Eduardo.

[@iceberg220]

Thanks for the awesome video! I'm 1 year late, but I wish I would've seen your video, before I bought the Q8n; I have several Zoom products (mixers, effect pedals, etc) and I'm very happy with them, so I just relied on Zoom's reputation, but they definitely shouldn't be in the camera business; I love the stereo audio I can get, but the video is definitely of very poor quality, indoors

[@iancraig]

Yes, it’s an odd thing that they’ve done. Almost like an audio recorder with a camera added on as an afterthought!

[@BasicFilmmaker]

Nice. Agreed, need more control.

[@iancraig]

Great pity because the audio is great.

[@nortru]

Thank you I really appreciate your honest review.

[@iancraig]

Thanks Norman

[@AlOne-xg6dv]

Interesting and useful informations. Thank you.

[@jerrykelley9266]

Thank you.

[@iancraig]

Thanks for watching it Jerry.

[@artemorbid]

Hi Ian, I was shopping around for something like this, thanks for the great review

[@iancraig]

I’m glad that it was useful to you. Thanks for watching.

[@gary7851]

As a videographer, one thing that prevents me from not buying this cool recorder is the low light censor, Seriously Zoom, what does it take to make this camera much better in a low light environment, what's the point of using this camera which is terrible at the most concerts, that is my main thing, me and the wife we love attending concerts and I thought that this would be iconic and useful, but no, Zoom is just being Zoom again, it's all about the Audio, OK we get it Zoom and get it together, they better off not to make any cameras.

[@iancraig]

That’s how I feel Gary. This is designed to record concerts/shows and has fantastic audio, but no zoom lens, poor low light and it reacts to coloured gels. Can’t use it easily in a theatre ……

[@exit61]

Since Zoom is primarily and audio company, I think if great audio is the focus of your production, this is a decent hybrid they've made. I hope their next version adds more exposure and color control. If soz the audio superiority in small, hand held mobile production would make it a hands down winner. One thing I simply can't tolerate in KZbin videos/vlogging is bad audio.

[@iancraig]

If they added colour balance plus shutter and aperture controls, it would be really worthwhile. In its current state, the camera almost works against the conditions it was designed for. (Stage lighting, gels, spots etc) The camera gets fooled by stage lighting and you can’t do a great deal about it.

[@exit61]

@@iancraig especially, in such cases that you can't introduce more light. I wonder if infrared light would be an interim fix even as peripheral equipment. We can only hope that their next rendition addresses the shortfalls because other than external audio equipment, it's hard to beat that package. Are you in touch with Zoom for change recommendations?

[@exit61]

@@iancraig I almost bought one for KZbin videos, vlogging, etc., but for similar reasons decided on an action camera.

[@WayneRECs]

Thanks Ian for this video! I want to love the Q8n-4K so badly... but some of its shortcomings are hard to justify the price. The audio quality IMO is above average (though potentially not as good as their dedicated recorders) and definitely better than your prosumer DSLR or mirrorless. But the video quality feels closer to a budget 4K action cam. I guess Zoom is going all in with Audio is more important that Video...

[@iancraig]

I wanted to love it too Wayne, but after the testing (where I had to dump a lot of footage) I can’t justify its price either if I’m honest. The only use I would have for it is to use it as a portable xlr recorder for outdoors. I think you’d get very similar quality with a Zoom H1n and a phone! For me, the lack of video control is its Achille’s heel.

[@frankluo230]

@@iancraig no any modern phone from last 3yr is miles better in video quality. Thanks for the honest review Ian. Top notch as always.

[@iancraig]

That’s how I feel Frank. A phone and a Zoom H1n would be just as good. I was hoping that at least the picture profiles would have adjusted the colour but absolutely everything video related is automatic so you have no control at all.

[@TheBinoyVudi]

You can get a DJI osmo pocket (first version) for $250. Much better camera with amazing manual video controls shutter speed, exposure, WB, frame rate, audio amplification settings with mic, iso controls, cinema look, and not to mention -- a built in gimbal that does an amazing job !!

[@JegErAlan]

Appreciate the level-headed review Ian. Sub’d.

[@iancraig]

Thank you, Alan. The Q8 is a strange camera in that it is entirely focused on sound and not video!

[@krishnansrinivasan830]

Awesome & Thanks :)

[@BadKarma714]

Basic filmmaker sent me Kevin likes to take the piss out of you You can ask him why does he look like Gandolf the gray From lord of the rings lol I know he’ll read my comment that’s for you Kevin love you bro

[@iancraig]

What? Kevin takes the piss out of me? I don’t even know the guy. ;) He doesn’t need to. I do it pretty well myself on here just by appearing!!

[@BadKarma714]

@@iancraig lol good video mate if your ever in California near Disneyland I would like to be your unofficial tour guide. Me and my wife will take you out for dinner.

[@iancraig]

I’ve been on the other side of USA. Orlando, Kissimmee, Miami, West Keys. Miami was hilarious. A) My wife saw these huge cops with guns and said to me, ‘Seeing those guys makes you feel really safe’. I said to her, yeah, no crime here then ….. B) I was stood outside a shop in the Latin area of Miami while the wife was inside. Literally, in minutes, cops turned up in a car. Ran up the sidewalk. Got out and ran into another shop and pulled out this guy who was ranting. They had him in cuffs and drove off with him. Then, the wife came out and asked me if I was bored. C) 45 degrees in Key West. Air conditioned bar with music …… the air conditioning was the front window taken out with hot air blowing in. D) had to run from Miami. A hurricane hit and I drove out on the edge of it. Cars galore left in swamps. E) driving that long bridge and road to Key West … nearly had an accident avoiding a massive ‘gator Sunning itself on the road. F) took a walk in Orlando. Sudden noise in a bush. Looked down and a gator was trying to hypnotise me. Face to face. G) on a bus going to NASA. Everyone was going nuts talking about the possibility of this new president. Trump!! H) I head butted a shark while snorkelling. G) A barracuda kept circling me. When I got out and told the guy on the boat, he saw my gold chain and told me I was lucky…. It was probably attracted to it and would have taken my throat out. H) while snorkelling a tiny blue fish got annoyed with me. It looked like Dory and got right in my face. I must have been near its home. You gotta love the USA. Great people. Very friendly. Would absolutely love to visit California!!

[@BadKarma714]

@@iancraig wow That sounded like an adventure one thing for sure we don’t have alligators

[@iancraig]

The Florida countryside is a bit on the wild side compared to the UK. I once got attacked by a robin here!

[@SDPickups]

Its sad that Zoom just doesn't understand what we WANT. 4K? Sure. 4K low quality video, no thanks.

[@iancraig]

It is a bit weird. To be honest, I think it’s quite an odd camera. Sound is brilliant, but to leave us in fully auto, no white balance at 4k was a very strange design decision. Also, a camera that is aimed at musicians who work in unlit rooms, on stage with gels etc…. and it’s low light performance is pretty poor. Makes me wonder who would use it other than a beginner who might not use xlr mics anyway. Very strange.

[@Kevngodfrey]

The fish eye thing really bothers me. If it was an effect I’m looking for ok but I would prefer to add that effect

[@iancraig]

Yes, it bothered me as well. It’s just not a great camera. Sound is super though.

[@lensmanonline]

Hi Ian, hope you are well, The audio on the camera is very good, but the picture quality is fair, Zoom need to look at adding more comtrols etc. i think they have missed a great oppertunity to give gopro a run for their money. do think i'll be ordering 1 anytime soon. Best wishes Stay safe Jon

[@iancraig]

It’s a bit rough and ready with video Jon. With no controls, there’s nothing you can do other than fix things in post. Great pity because sound is superb.

[@Aristedes_Mr.Melody_TM]

Picky, picky, picky. This Camera and Audio reproduction is astounding!

[@iancraig]

Glad that you like it. Horses for courses I guess.

[@rllatewood1850]

Too bad that you don't understand that Zoom is focused on audio excellence as opposed to video quality, although they have upgraded the video quality. Zoom audio/video cameras are definitely made for musicians, but actually does a great job for a proper podcast in a room or studio settings. U have used a Q4 for years and the video is fine, because I wanted the best quality audio and I got it. The Q8 here is arguably the best audio available and transferrable to AW, as well as being only 339.00 bucks, U.S..

[@iancraig]

Too bad that you don’t know that I’m a retired pro musician who likes decent video with good sound. Also too bad that it’s sold as a camera, not audio recorder. This is more more like a plastic audio recorder with a cheap camera bolted on, worse than a phone. I’d rather use my phone with a separate audio recorder. The camera has no white balance so you’re stuffed when it comes to gels used in many shows. The field of view is extremely wide. Great for the whole stage, except that it warps the edges but not great for closer shots. Zoom is digital only so quality drops rapidly if you use them. Video noise in lower stage light can be very obvious. No stabilisation so tracking on stage is impossible without a tripod. No control for exposure so with lighting going up and down …… Sound is great though. H4n is better with a mobile phone. Around $200 plus the phone in your pocket and use any xlr mic you want. Then save up for a decent camera.

[@ericmolinengo2245]

Apparently, this camcorder is far more of a sound recorder than anything else. It seems that video recording quality is mediocre, and there not even possibility to make photos with this device. For the price of it, I think I'm going to transfer my choice to another camcorder.

[@iancraig]

That’s exactly how I felt about it. It’s a camera aimed at music people who don’t have video skills so that side of it is totally automated. The sound is tremendous so musicians would appreciate that and picture will be ok in bright situations although it has an extreme wide angle view which isn’t really flattering close up!

[@ericmolinengo2245]

@@iancraig Thank you for your prompt reply. Have a good weekend.

[@DavidGridley]

very instructive.. camera seems a bit pricey for all the settings it "doesn't" have.. but picture quality is very acceptable.

[@iancraig]

Picture quality is great, as long as conditions suit it. With no aperture or shutter control though, what you get is what you get! Sound is brilliant but shooting video feels more like using a mobile phone tbh.

[@DavidGridley]

@@iancraig those missing features are concerning given the price but cool device.

[@michaelspencer4152]

I'm thinking of buying this camera for filming our marching band. I'm just concerned about the video quality. I'm currently using a Fujifilm finepix s9900w and the Pixel 5a.

[@iancraig]

Hi Michael. Outdoors, the quality is fine. The biggest problem might be the lack of zoom and no stabilisation. It’s dead easy to use and the auto functions well in daylight.

[@bearlyphased]

I can't seem to find a use for this product over a GoPro, and DJI Pocket

[@iancraig]

Actually, both the GoPro and Pocket give far superior results as well! Pocket 2 is one of my favourite runaround cameras for use when people are around. It doesn’t attract attention and gives a great picture.

[@bearlyphased]

@@iancraig I agree. I've always been a big fan of using the Pocket. I've taken it on trips and captured some very memorable moments without any hiccups or corrupted files

[@COURTESAN_BAND_UK]

i have the Zoom Q2n and the picture always looks a little bit grainy?

[@iancraig]

I guess small sensor doesn’t help. Also, you can’t fix the iso so that it stays low. The lack of manual overrides makes it difficult to get good quality on these cameras other than in really good light.

[@COURTESAN_BAND_UK]

@@iancraig cheers for info,.. im looking for a good phone camera or camcorder with great picture and sound,.. i thought with the zoom products the sound would be great,... but not impressed with the grainy picture,.. i would imagine its the same for the zoom q8n-4k video camera,..

[@iancraig]

Yes. Q8 is the very same. I loved the form factor and sound, but hated the picture quality when light was less than ideal. Mine’s long gone. All they needed to do was get it to work in manual mode, so that we could get iso under control. Trouble is that in low light, the iso is possible going up too quickly rather than shutter. I’m not sure, but low light is really poor which is quite funny for a camera designed for musicians who often work in low light environments. Also the fov was too wide for my tastes.

[@jlouismancia]

Can you do a review in bright conditions?? That’d be great!

[@joseArgentina]

Great info & review! I think zoom needs to work on the "low light" situation, wich is normal for all musicians on rehearsals, concerts, etc

[@iancraig]

Yes, that can be a problem with the Zoom. It gets noisy quite quickly. Also, the white balance is totally auto so if there are any coloured gels on stage, the the white balance can wander.

[@joseArgentina]

@@iancraig Wich camera will you recomend for recording music? rehearsals, live or at home? Thank you and congrats for your channel!

[@iancraig]

For recording music, I resort to a separate recorder Jose. Stage work is really iffy with lighting so I use either a Canon m50 or M6, or now, a Sony E10 because they all have a Sigma f1.4 lens on them. For long shots and for getting closer, I have a zoom lens which isn’t so fast but copes in average stage lighting. Then for recording the sound I use either a Tascam DR60e or DR70e. Problem is that so many cameras don’t sound great. If I am going to use the mic into camera, then I think the Sony E10 is pretty good. It works better than the ZV1 in low light and has a reasonable preamp. At home, the ZV1 works nicely. Canon preamps are noisy.

[@PaulAshley]

I'd use this for indoor recording of me playing guitar and singing. It would be a replacement for my old ZOOM Q3 HD. When I look at what you say is grainy video, it looks good to my layman's eyes and definitely better than my Q3. I do post-processing and do like this product's giving me separate vocal and guitar audio files. Do you think for my limited use this would be a good solution. I suppose the only other solution is separate audio and video recorders and then you have to sync them. For my needs that seems far too complicated.

[@iancraig]

For indoor recording, make sure it’s pretty bright or else it will turn grainy. How much you see depends on what you’re using to watch. To me, this is like a sound recorder with video as a second thought because there is a lack of control over picture. Basically auto video with great audio!

[@andrejohnson6102]

would you recommend this device for podcasting?

[@iancraig]

I wouldn’t use it because of lack of controls. It could do it as long as lighting was consistent. As soon as you have a coloured background, the auto white balance tries to ‘correct’ it.

[@Dahrenhorst]

I actually think that audio is more important than picture quality for videos. But of course, this has its limits - the image quality of this device is so bad, that it has overstepped the threshold to intolerable. Great sound, but unacceptably bad image quality. Sadly, and I can't really understand this. Even middle class smartphones manage an acceptable quality of video nowadays? Where does Zoom buy the video components for this camera? African smartphone recycle markets?

[@iancraig]

Haha! It does make you wonder what was in their heads!! A concert hall or live event are some of the worst places for lighting and sound. They provide great audio and then a camera that lets itself down in low light or when there are gels/spots going on because there are literally no adjustments that you can make. You are probably right ….. a phone might be better! Yet there are still fans out there that seem to love this device. They’ve already found me! ; )

[@cherrypitstudios]

What kind of camera do you use to shoot this in the talking parts?

[@iancraig]

I really can’t remember Eric tbh. It’s likely to have been straight into a Tascam DR5 using the included mic.

[@cherrypitstudios]

@@iancraig If you happened to remember what you used to record the video let me know.

[@iancraig]

Eric, I’ve worked it out! It was a Synco E10 direct into a Tascam DR05. I watched the video on computer and recorded the audio at home. It’s a dead cheap mic too … kzbin.info/www/bejne/h4O0eaOvn91_rdE

[@satransitvideos]

What is the mic 'that you're speaking into?

[@iancraig]

Shure SM57

[@realMartinHamilton]

Don't think I will get one. What's a camera with XLR and internal preamps?

[@iancraig]

It is a slightly odd camera. It seems like an audio recorder with a lens.

[@BrandonAgee-xn4cg]

Do you recommend any other cameras around this price point and size that is better at video? I was experimenting with this to live stream billiards and I just can't get over the grainy image in low light.

[@iancraig]

Not really at a similar price. Problem is the low light. All cameras go downhill fast in low light. This one perhaps worse though. You don’t really need the sound on this for billiards and really the sound system is where most of the money goes. Do you want to actually stream video live or send out videos? I wasn’t aware that the Q8 streams. At this price, there are camcorders like the Sony CX range. Again, not great at low light levels but better than this. For low light, I use a mirrorless camera with a lens that opens up to F1.4, but you have to pay a lot of money for that. Believe it or not, a Sony ZV-1 is ok in low light because it has a lens that is wider, but again, you pay more. Not as wide angle as the Q8 though to take in the whole table. It’s a difficult ask at this price and unfortunately, you get high grain levels in low light as you have seen. For billiards, you really need a very clean image to be able to see clearly. The only real answer is to set up a light so the camera doesn’t struggle as much. But I guess players would object to that ….

[@BrandonAgee-xn4cg]

@@iancraig Yes, I do live stream and I will make videos for marketing as well. I have a much better Video Camera for my main camera. What I’m trying to do is make an affordable kit that’s easy for a player to setup and take down that doesn’t break the bank. As a Billiard streaming platform I’m all about a much better camera but this is designed more in mind with the players who pop their phone up and live stream and giving them a more dedicated solution other than their phone.

[@stevenaustin4591]

just got this cam this week and after recording for a bit Ive noted there is a TON of noise in the picture when recording video. Got any tips to clean up the noise in the videos?

[@iancraig]

It needs a lot of light. This is why I feel that it’s not great for theatre because it doesn’t cope well in low light situations. All the design and money seems to have been spent on audio, not video quality.

[@stevenaustin4591]

@@iancraig bummer, I only wanted to use it for tutorials and guitar covers at home. Is there nothing in post that could clean up the amount of noise in the picture? :/

[@iancraig]

There are cleanup programmes but the results can be a bit dodgy! Sit right by a window or put up bright lights and it’ll work, but as you rightly say, the results are full of video noise in lower lighting. Basically because it has a tiny sensor. Try a really bright daylight bulb in your house lighting when filming? They’re not too expensive.

[@nicoagapitus659]

Does it have zoom feature?

[@iancraig]

Only digital cut in. No optical zoom.

[@yamansitar6153]

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

[@iancraig]

Sandisk Extreme - amzn.to/3PklepX

[@dwihermawan2780]

@@iancraig How long you can recording 4k video without error or sudenly stop in this zoom q8n-k with sandisc exreme pro ?

[@iancraig]

I don’t know dwi. Never used it that long. I’m not keen on it as a camera if I’m honest and rarely use it. Everything is auto and there is no stabilisation, so for me, it’s a pretty useless camera.

[@yamansitar6153]

@@iancraig your right. It’s no that good , It will have to do ,thanks

[@dwihermawan2780]

@@iancraig Thank you for the respond & information, and yes, you're right, this camera is more concern in audio quality. recording.

[@theoversouls]

This thing looks like it's made for live band videos. I can find zero demos of it in that context. Can anyone direct me to any? Thanks.

[@iancraig]

The sound is superb and ideal for recording concerts. The biggest problem is the auto colour balance which will counteract stage gels and is poor low light performance, which means the stage lights need to be bright. Possibly why there aren’t that many videos around. There are a couple. I searched and found a drummer and another guy recording an orchestra. Both very good. However, in demanding stage things, I don’t think that this would be great. This one of a guy playing guitar looks and sounds fine. Probably well lit. kzbin.info/www/bejne/fmLZda2tjN10a8U

[@theoversouls]

@@iancraig Thank you!

[@molotulo8808]

I bought the q8n4k, but i cant transfer videos to my youtube account. It is useless. I guess you can only access an iPhone. Also, the app on the phone doesn't work either. I am returning my q8n4k and using my Samsung S22 phone. Actually, my phone is easy o use and cheaper and makes better videos. Dont buy this camera.

[@iancraig]

It’s the lack of video control that does it for me! I just took the card out of the camera and loaded direct onto my computer, but mine has long gone now.

[@mariusmocan8491]

This camera is useless