Here is a great place to start your research. Elaborate tests of every significant hardware option:
http://forums.oreilly.com/content/Audio-Community/20/Portable-Digital-Recorders/ The recent unit from Zoom looks good on the low end. _____________________________________________________________ For myself, I have managed to replace, with one inexpensive pocketable device, a minidisc audio recorder + powered Sony mic, a Canon Optura Pi MiniDV camcorder, and a Canon SD600 ELPH still camera. The magical device is the Canon TX1, which does everything adequately and in some cases, superbly: It's a 7.1 megapixel camera with optical image stabilization and a 10x optical zoom lens. It's a Hi-Def camcorder (1280x720, 30 frames/sec + 16-bit, 44.1 WAV sound). Also does 640x480 at 30 frames/sec and 320x240 at 60 frames/sec. The zoom is available during video recording. And it can be used just as an audio recorder (16/44.1 WAV is the only option). Unfortunately there's no provision for an external mic, but the built-in mics are pretty good, considering their tiny size. For field recordings, podcasting, voice recording, and even some music applications, it works well. There are certainly better dedicated devices for each task, but the TX1 is TINY and it cost me $325. (the price at Amazon has fluctuated between $265 and $399 in the past few months). More importantly, it's small enough to take with me everywhere I go (it's the same size as the ELPH series cameras, but about twice as thick). So no matter what kind of recording situation might pop up, I'm always ready in seconds without having to drag bags of equipment with me or worry about wires, adapters, tapes, etc. I have recently done the video for a full wedding and reception with it (extra SD cards and batteries were required), and just returned from a vacation where it performed superbly. The only real caveats: the M-JPEG video format tends to gobble flash memory. An 8GB card is good for 28 minutes of hi-def video, or about an hour of VGA. In fairness, the format is easy to edit with a modest PC and a years-old editing program. Each frame is actually an individual JPEG image; there's no between-frame compression. (The new HD video formats feature heavy between-frame compression that requires a powerhouse PC and recent, expensive editing software). Also, the low-light performance is pretty grainy. Outdoors or in adequate indoor light, you can get incredibly sharp and detailed photos and video. This baby is the Swiss Army Knife of recording devices, the one you'll have with you when the unexpected happens. I'm not sure of its status with Canon. Somebody said it is being discontinued and may not be replaced by a newer model. Others are hoping for a TX2 that offers even better performance. For myself, I'm very happy with it. I'm not a professional but with the TX1 I can often be mistaken for one. Check it out if you're considering a new audio, video, or still image recorder. -- Pale Blue Ego ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Pale Blue Ego's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=110 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=31175 _______________________________________________ audiophiles mailing list [email protected] http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
