[first post!]
Using Google and Youtube, I have attempted to give myself a crash course on=
portable digital audio recorders for the purposes of recording nature soun=
ds. Many hours later, I have a little info on equipment, but almost none o=
n its use :)
I have also not yet run into any sort of FAQ or tutorial on this whole new =
world of nature audio recording, especially re: internal/external mics, etc=
.. I would love this!
Since I had to start *somewhere*, I decided to check out the equipment offe=
rings in Canada for some of the more recent/popular recorders, and here is =
what I have found so far:
Low End
-------
- Zoom H1 =3D $90
- Tascam DR-05 =3D $105
Mid Range
---------
- Tascam DR-07M2 =3D $170
High End (for me!)
------------------
- Olympus LS-7 =3D $185 (+)
- Olympus LS-10 =3D $290 (-)
- Olympus LS-11 =3D $380 (-)
Two things jumped out at me when I did this research:
- The very competitive price (in Canadian $) for the LS-7
- The horrible distorted price (in Canadian $) for the LS-10/LS-11
For a good laugh, check the price of the LS-10 on Amazon.com vs Amazon.ca (=
$200 vs $400). Note that the Canadian dollar is currently *higher* than th=
e US dollar. Of all the online US stores that sell to Canada, only B&H pho=
to seems to offer the Olympus line at all -- and at so-so pricing. I have =
no idea about customs/duty hits...
OK, as with any piece of electronic equipment (including computers, TVs, et=
c) there is the age-old dilemma of a 'newbie' deciding whether to 'go cheap=
' at the start (just in case it all doesn't pan out), or to do the 'go big =
or go home' route so avoid disappointments and limitations later. With thi=
s in mind, I ask for your advise!
- are all of these choices reasonable?
- are there any I should disqualify for the purposes of nature recording (e=
.g. internal mic orientation, external mic futures)?
- anything else you might want to say?
The sound-recording ability of the H1 is apparently super, but my assumptio=
n would have to be that the 'battery drain' problem is no longer in effect =
-- otherwise I would disqualify it. The DR-05 looks like a better choice *=
except* for bulkiness. The DR-07M2 looks like a great compromise between l=
ow and high end stuff -- but still works out to be *twice* that of the H1.
Ack!
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