Gadget Review: Zoom Q3HD

A sound buy


Gadget Review: Zoom Q3HD

by Hazwan Norly

Updated 01:00 PM Mar 18, 2011

THE Zoom Q3HD ($495) is built for concert-goers.

Zoom Q3HD with 1x Optical Zoom 2.4 LCD Screen, Gray

When I first got my hands on the Q3HD, I noticed the range of jacks on the sides of its silver-gray body and was impressed. It's just 51x133x23mm, yet Zoom has found space for a line-in jack for external microphones, a line-out jack for earphones, a DC5v1a jack for power input, a output jack for standard-definition TV sets, a HDMI jack so you can hook it up with an HD-enabled TV and a USB 2.0 port on one side. On the other, there is an SD card slot.

Only about half of the 2.4-inch LCD screen shows what you're shooting, the rest is dedicated to monitoring sound levels, which will help you get the best audio.

The audio this gadget produces (saved in AAC or PCM format) is of unsurprisingly good quality, thanks in part to its in-built stereo microphones, angled for best stereo reproduction. I tried shooting a clip in a restaurant, and on playback I could even make out the sound from a television at the back of the room. If you don't want to hear too much background noise, a switch on the left side of the device lets you control the audio gain.

The Zoom Q3HD is more or less idiot-proof to use. Complete videography newbies can simply point and shoot using the default settings. It even has dedicated record, play, and delete buttons so you don't have to scroll down a list of options just to delete or play a video.

When you're feeling more confident with the device, delving into the menu will let you play with the settings. You can shoot videos in High-Definition 1080p at 30 frames per second, 720p (HD) at 30 or 60fps or WVGA at 30 or 60fps, in MPEG-4 AVC and H.264 formats.

The video recorder runs off a pair of AA batteries, which I have mixed feelings about. Sure, when you run out of juice, you can simply replace them on the go, but this means you need to extra batteries on hand all the time.

Thankfully, the Q3HD doesn't use too much power, supporting up to seven hours of HD recording on a pair of batteries. It lasted me just about to the end of the recent Laneway Festival, a whole-day event. It helps that power automatically cuts off after it's been idle for two minutes.

So far so good. But I was quite disappointed when it was time to watch a clip I'd recorded in HD 1080p.

First, when I connected the Q3HD to my laptop and wanted to play it straight from the device, it suffered from a pretty bad lag - I had to transfer the file to my desktop first before I could watch the video without interruptions. Thankfully, transferring files is really easy, as it works like a thumb drive. Simply connect the Q3HD through the USB 2.0 cable, open the folder, and drag the file you want to your desktop.

The video quality wasn't great, either. Some of the faces in the foreground were quite blur, possibly because the Q3HD lacks a manual focus option. Despite its 4x digital zoom, it doesn't do well on closeups. And with the lighting set to "auto", I wouldn't recommend taking videos against bright backdrops - its not too adept at balancing out the light between subjects in the foreground and the background, so you could end up with black silhouettes against washed-out backdrops.

In sum, the Zoom Q3HD is a really good buy if you're into concerts and gigs because of its powerful audio features - but if you're into making, say, a short film, you might want to look elsewhere.

Source: www.todayonline.com