Re: Flash equipment question from a science reporter

["Dan Dugan" dandugan_1999]

Danny Meltzer wrote:

>The Ares M is the super small one...right, I've never heard anything
>about that one.  It may be good for interviews though.

I'm using the first-edition ARES-M as an always-in-my-pack "sound
camera". It's the first Nagra that's not Swiss, it's Chinese.

Pluses:
Small and handy.
2-AA battery power, 10 hours.
Preamp good enough for quiet ambiences with quiet PIP mics (by others).

Minuses:
Supplied stereo mic too noisy for quiet ambiences.
Memory non-removable.
Difficult to hand-hold quietly.
2-second pre-record buffer useless since record slider button makes noise.
About double the price of equivalent Asian brands of flash recorders.
Operating controls non-intuitive.
Menu system difficult to understand--designed to have presets set up by
   an engineer, then a reporter just chooses preset.

-Dan Dugan