I've been a lurking subscriber for a couple of weeks now and
a lurking browser of the archives for a couple of weeks
before that. My interest in nature recording is not deep
but is a side-line interest to my photography.
My real interest is in stereo photography and specifically
medium-format stereo. I won't bore you with the full
details but it involves capturing and displaying distinct
left/right visual information on big pieces of film. I live
in Juneau, Alaska so my images involve my fantastic
location. Because of the film/camera/viewer combinations
available, medium-format stereo images are able to deliver a
real "sense of place". I want to further that "sense of
place" by making binaural recordings of the scene as I am
photographing it. The viewing experience would then include
a little mp3 player and headphones. Your eyes and ears
would all be taken back to the location and time where the
image was made.
To do this, I need portable recording equipment that I can
afford, carry, understand and use. It needs to be light and
robust enough to be carried in my pack and inexpensive
enough that I can get it through the House Finance Committee
(HFC). I'm pretty sure that minidisc is the correct
recording technology and that my
single-signature-purchase-authority extends to $200.
With that in mind, I recently purchased a MD recorder via
ebay and a set of Core clip-on mics from Core. The two
items came in under $200 but I just discovered that I made a
serious blunder. The recorder I purchased is an MZ-R500
which has no mic input :( I *knew* this, but
accidentally bid on the wrong darned item. It has shipped
but hasn't arrived yet so I need to decide my next step.
Step one is sure. The R500 will go back to ebay as I will
have no use for it.
Step two could be
A) shop ebay for a different recorder
B) shop retail for a different recorder
($250 for an NHF800?)
C) cut my losses, admit that I don't know what I'm doing,
and put my money towards a pair of swing-lens panoramic
cameras instead
Option (A) puts me back in the ebay mixer where I can make
the same mistake again, burn up some more money on shipping
and get something that might work without getting in trouble
with the HFC.
Option (B) puts me at double my budget (after shipping and
losses on the R500) which isn't going to go over well with
the HFC (considering that this is a proof-of-concept
project).
Option (C) is unattractive because I really want to see and
hear what this can do :)
With all of that behind us, my questions are two. As a
total newbie:
A) do I have a chance of pulling something like this off?
B) should I keep reaching into the ebay pot or just spend
the money on new/retail gear?
John Thurston
Juneau, Alaska (GMT -9)
See the world in 3D at http://stereo.thurstons.org
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