Zoom Q8 Reviews

Very useful bit of kit

I have used this for recording live solo acoustic/vocals and also live bands. Excellent quality sound and good video quality

Best gig camera by a HUGE margin IMO!

I bought the Zoom Q8 to enable me to record footage of live comedy shows and of gigs. With it's versatility it has become my main camera for EVERYTHING. Plus, the extra XLR inputs are super useful for capturing sound from a mixing desk too, so I can do all my recording on a single device!

Super!

Quick and professional, best price ever thanks

My Zoom Q8

I ordered this Zoom Q8 for our online worship service. This proved to be useful since we are using this zoom camera for our online video streaming through Facebook live and the results were amazing with clarity of the audio and video signal. This Zoom Q8 is highly recommended if you want to stream your video and audio online.

Basically a great recording suite with a lense

This camera has a lot of features that I like and some that I dislike. The audio recording capabilities are absolutely fantastic, the on board mics are crisp and clear and the option of having another two audio input sources has proved invaluable. This coupled with the ability to record all tracks separately (need an extremely fast, high grade memory card to do this) makes post production that much easier. I will however say that the overall video recording quality is a touch lack luster. On wider shots the 160 lense can, as expected, cause warping in the video. Also I found that the zoom function is not worth using as when engaged the video quickly becomes pixilated. Unfortunately the 160 lense is not detachable and there are no settings within the camera itself to get round it. That all being said this is still a nifty piece of kit and would definitely reccomend it to anyone starting off making their own videos. The cameras ability to automatically sync up reasonable quality video with high quality audio combined with the option to export in various file types makes making and uploading videos very easy however if you are wanting to do a lot of post production on the video (close ups, ken burns etc) you may find the video quality can hinder somewhat.

CAMERA FOR CULTURAL EVENTS

Very good camera for Cultural events.

Good for sound recording

Good sound quality and ability for additional microphones with phantom power. However, internal microphones are making humming noise if device is connected to USB power supply. External microphones doesn't have any noise at the same case.

I used it for streaming live and setup is very simple and user friendly, however, This camera is great for recording audio, but video quality is very bad. If you are a musician who just needs good audio and video quality is not as important for you then this could work. I am not a musician I give livestream speeches so video quality is as important for me as audio quality. Avoid this camera if you want good video quality.

Great

Great camera and sound recorder for what it is intended for.

Very good camera with OK video

This is an excellent option for musicians, drummer in my case, that want a good solution for their live recording needs.

The sound quality is top of the line, specially in very noisy scenarios. I can mount it next to the hi-hat! and still does not clip, provided you set up correctly.

The video is OK, nothing spectacular, but is good and the lens is pretty wide.

The battery life is around 4 hours of continuous recording and the X-Y microphones are just a beauty.

Its small and super portable.

Little bit pricey but I think it pays for itself in terms of usability, portability and quality.

Recommend it fully with all my heart.

Outstanding little camera

This is a great camera, super practical and easy to use.

I have loads of samples here if anyone is interested: small pieces of criticism:

- I record via XLR DI and it's sometimes hard to control peaks without loosing recording volume

- A remote control would be great

great tool

worth the money you spend it , great recordings and top quality of sound

The camera is terrible,poor quality pictures even in good lighting.

very good product

The audio quality is exceptional, but the video leaves a little disappointed, especially when the lighting is low.

Overall it's a great product

Incredible product for home and on site audio and video,

I use this for most of my videos/ pro and amateur ones. The video quality is great and the audio is pro level for studio work and live movie production. I have used this on many professional paid gigs and productions and behind scene use. Can't recommend it enough for portability, sturdy, quality and ease of use. Plus, you can purchase additional alternate microphones and accessories that make this an all time video and sound workhouse in a small package.

Excelent audio recording oriented camera

I bought this camera mainly for it's good audio recording capabilities.

My main usage is recording my drum rehearsals, and the built in microphones do a good job of capturing all of the drums.

The option to plug in two additional microphones is a great feature.

The interface is nothing fancy, but it is pretty easy to navigate.

Amazing machine

The best choice for me. I am very happy with this purchase. The camera image is stunning and the sound is shocking. Unbelievable features. I am a musician and singer, and in my live performances I use two audio channels. The stereo of the camera and an external microphone near my voice so later I can mix as I want. If the camera had extra features like ISO and shutter speed, it would be unrivaled. I recommend it to everyone, musicians and non-musicians. George from Thessaloniki - Greece.

Good for recording youtube vid's, rehearsals, gigs,..

I'm using this to rcord gear demo's for my youtube channel.

The onboard mic's are very good, but the option to send your D.I. signal and/or mic. signal into the back really gives the Q8 a big advantage over the cheaper versions.

Perfect device if you know what you want

I am using Zoom Q8 already some month and I have used it for recording dialogues from distance of 3-4 meters, but also lectures from 10+ meters. I am always using a shotgun mic SGH6 (optional, sold separately) and I am very satisfied with the part of the recording that is most important in my context - sound. Gain is adjustable, there is possibility to monitor sound input, also use low pass and some other filters. Very good option is also a possibility to add different exteranl mics and adjust them separately.

Sony cams what I was using earlier Sony HDR PJ810 gave perfect video quality but sound was always poor. Here are some issues with video, but no messing with sound.

Cons:

Video zoom is adjustable in 5 steps,

If you want really good video quality, you have to use at least 1080/30 24 Mbps then have large memory card really well (max capacity accepted by cam is 128GB)

If you record backlit profile 1080/30 16Mbps then sometimes half your nose or lips will disappear:)

Since lens are really wide, then even with smallest zoom level there is remarkable distortion at edges

But if you need good sound quality, and you are not so demanding about video, then Zoom Q8 is the best choice!

Good camera for "in the field" video recording

I'm a drummer, so I mainly used camera to make videos for myself. On some occasions I took it to shoot the concerts. The camera works perfectly! Well-made, really good quality. Battery time is enough to shoot over 2 hours in the best quality (32GB SD card), touch screen is handy and adjusting mic to the noise level is easy with blinking indicator.

However, by no means this is a camera to make music videos, because it has only wide angle lens without any possibility to change it. The quality of picture even on the best possible setting is poorer than of DSLR cameras (lenses again). We were using several cameras to shoot music videos in the field in the morning. In the end footage from this camera could only be used for bloopers.

Therefore, use this camera for: videoblogging (it also works as a webcam), short overview videos and other draft/in the field work (like going around the shop and checking out cymbal sounds). Do not use for any serious production (like music vids or interviews), the picture quality is good, but not up to the standard. Although it can be used for recording audio and later mixing it together with video, but you don't need Q8 for that, can just use H6.