Category: FocusPulling Original Video

Zoom has almost singularly started a revolution in audio recording for productions, especially at concerts and events when you don’t have time to worry about audio levels because you’ve got enough to worry about in the camera department.  When I bought the Zoom F6, their 32-bit float six-channel audio recorder, everything changed.  It’s solidly built in a metal chassis, has versatile power options, performs well with high-quality pre-amps, and best of all lets you set-and-forget audio levels because of its 32-bit float recording (no peak clipping, no hiss when boosting attenuated sources) onto up to six discrete tracks.

Now I want 32-bit float audio recording in everything, and when RØDE eventually gets into the game (e.g., when their Wireless GO series finally natively records 32-bit float instead of merely upscaling at output), I’m all-in.  So with that enthusiasm, when Zoom itself announced its M2, M3 and M4 MicTrak series of products, I ordered without hesitation the one that I estimated would suit my needs best:  the M3, which is a camera-mounted stereo shotgun microphone that can record internally in 32-bit float besides also outputting conventionally to a camera’s stereo microphone input.

You can see it here mounted on top of my Sony FX30, a great pairing in scale and application.  From the top view, you can see a three-position stereo mode selector:  besides choosing OFF to maximize hypercardioid directionality in monaural sound, you can choose 90° for a narrow stereo image, or 180° for an expansive stereo image.  Even better, this in-the-field decision can also be decided later using Zoom’s proprietary desktop computer software that lets you select between combinations of multiple tracks recorded onto the inserted micro-SD card in 32-bit float multichannel format.  You’ll see that besides a power button, there’s also a high-pass filter (cuts lowest frequencies such as rumbles as some wind noise), as well as a red button to start/stop recording, and a playback control to start/stop only the most recent clip recorded.

On one side of the M3, you can see a 1/8″ stereo headphone jack, with an associated volume rocker, and on the other side, there’s an 1/8″ stereo output for the included coiled cable to plug into your camera’s 1/8″ stereo microphone input, if you want to record the microphone’s pickup into your camera’s video recording.  Ironically, even if that quality would improve upon any camera’s internal microphones, I actually choose to leave the M3 unplugged, forcing the camera to record audio using its internal microphones as a foolproof scratch audio backup, ensuring something to sync with.  After all, the differentiating point of this product is to record better, 32-bit float audio onto a micro-SD card inside the microphone, and that will later need to sync with (but also replace) lower-quality audio from somewhere.  If something goes wrong with that coiled cable connection running in parallel from the same source (such as settings buried deep in cryptic camera menus), better to have something to sync to, than nothing at all.  Note that there’s also a USB-C port:  you can offload files from the micro-SD card this way (slower than a card reader), but it also accepts a power source for longer recording time (beyond an already generous 12 hours from a pair of AA alkalines).

The Zoom M3 comes with a just-alright typical foam windscreen, but you can buy a deadcat already designed for, e.g., the RØDE VideoMic NTG, that will fight hardest against severe wind.  Overall, the product seemed like another winner to me, until…

Yikes indeed.  Despite being the earliest adopter, before trying out my M3, I started seeing reports like the above of really big flaws, and the common theme was:  Zoom’s simply going cheap on us.  Whether it’s their big “boo-hoo” about pandemic inflation/supply chain issues, or just arrogance, I should have known from the moment I got the package:  for the first time, it arrived in plain cardboard with simple black lettering and no pictures.  The above “YouTuber” (ugh) notes the severe/abnormal handling noise afflicting the M2 and M4 that are literally built for hand-holding (oopsie!), as well as incredibly vulnerable RF shielding:  basically, these damn things pick up every possible amount of radio frequency interference from stuff you don’t even own or have nearby.  And this is not a case of “exceptions make the rule.”

But for my own tests, let’s start with the shock mount.  Simply put, it’s a far cry from Rycote.  Embedded at the top of this post, you’ll find my audio-only upload to YouTube that speaks for itself.  In quick summary here, basically this mic will pick up on any buttons and dials that you lightly touch on your camera.  Not good.

And worst of all, there’s the stunningly poor RF shielding.  Another bad sign, yet it seems like a good thing at first:  the M3 is ultra-lightweight plastic.  That makes it easier to carry around, but without proper shielding, it means you’ll be severely compromising the reliability of your recordings with random interference in very many typical recording environments.  Granted, my recording was in busy downtown Manhattan, but:  isn’t that a fairly typical production environment?  And notably, I’ve never had any shotgun microphone pick up on noise like this, ranging from my similar plastic RØDE VideoMic NTG, to my reference-standard Senn MKH 416.  Bear in mind, the target market for people to buy this product, are those who want higher-quality, higher-performing sound quality at 32-bit float compared to the poor performance of low-grade 16-bit stereo pre-amps built into typical cameras at their microphone inputs.

In my recording here, I demonstrate how with absolutely no devices turned on in my studio, and just by wandering over to my window, I’m picking up on AM or FM broadcast radio that rises to a stunningly high noise floor.  Basically, it’s some pop music station with shock jock DJs squealing over whatever else you’re recording through the microphone (in the case of my test, total silence around the microphone).  Great!

Zoom is too gigantic and foreign of a corporation to meaningfully address this gigantic blunder.  They will deflect if at all, declaring that “this product is designed for entry-level filmmakers who want all the latest features at a price they can afford,” but let’s not be fooled.  Zoom’s engineers were completely aware of this worst-in-class severe interference, but their company estimated that you’re too stupid to care (or, enough of an impulse buyer to compromise).  In hindsight, I’m not surprised:  for two years or so, I’ve been back and forth with Zoom about a flimsy plastic washer on the top-mount bracket of their F6 that constantly gets stuck after tightening into the 1/4″-20 screw-hole on a camera base.  The solution was simple:  just use a metal washer, dummies!  They’ve repeatedly deflected and waffled on their promises to fix it — so simple, and so dumb.

In all matters of creative enterprise, the credo prevails:  never assume your audience is stupid.  Let’s stay away from Zoom until they literally (and figuratively) clean up their noise.

I’ll never forget sitting a few rows from Norm Macdonald, almost exactly five years ago on September 22, 2016 at Sixth & I in Washington, D.C., when he read from his memoir Based on a True Story. Now that we know he had cancer back then too, his reading of “The Final Chapter” might be the best way for us to understand what he went through, to celebrate his wit, melancholy, and kind heart.

He’s sitting next to journalist Geoff Edgers, who wrote the best-ever piece on Norm, then one more “final chapter” at The Washington Post.

Here, I’ve edited and upscaled from a low-resolution copy-of-a-copy-of-a-copy into 4K using Topaz Video Enhance AI (Artemis Medium Quality v13 from 720p to 2160p), then I color graded using FilmConvert (FJ SuperX 400 emulsion simulation with 35mm film grain), and cleaned up the audio using iZotope RX 8 Advanced (Vocal Noise Reduction and Loudness Control). There are no cuts or edits to his original reading, just me leveraging the 4K upscale to occasionally punch in for shot diversity. It felt important to get this right, and it’s shared here in a spirit of fair use and tribute, in memoriam.

When grids of LED lights started showing up on affordable panels a few years ago, I figured that’s what I’d be using for everything, and I even bought one of those crazy flex panels when they hit the market. You might have seen a guest review posted here, showing some really small lights that can do the job too. But with this new Sokani X60 RGB product, I think I’m ready to move into the world of more theatrical fresnel lighting, and this review (and associated video) will show you how to pull together the most cost-effective kit on the market including a stand, a diffuser, and a bag for everything.

This Sokani light is an expansion of their X60 product into full-color RGB, and it comes with a reflector that magnifies the output from its LED elements. They’ve added a glass protector that you can see screwed down over the light-emitting diodes, since these often get roughed around and the elements are fragile. It outputs 6,820 lux at 1 meter with the reflector on, which is a lot lower than its new close competitor, the Aputure Amaran 200x with 42,300 lux at indoor color temperature, but this is an RGB light that trades off lux for a full range of color, and I rarely turn up the output past 50% anyway. The Aputure costs 1-1/2 times more, too.

Another thing that Sokani added to their lineup with their version 2 X60, is a more secure mounting bracket. If you look closely, you’ll see ARRI rosette-like teeth that prevent the housing from pivoting down when you’re loading it with weight up front, like the diffuser you’ll see below.

The mounting bracket attaches to any standard light pole, with sockets for both horizontal and vertical positions. For powering up, you also get an AC adapter that plugs into the bottom of the light, but that side of the cabling is really short so it can’t reach the ground. For now, I’ve just set the power brick on top of the light, and its cables hold it in place, but I’ll need to use a clamp in the field, and I wish they made the cable longer on the delivery side since it’s much easier to extend an AC cable.

Sokani does sell an optional battery sled that takes two Sony L-series batteries, and it has a C-clamp so you can just fix it onto your light stand pole. It has a few more ports to power other accessory devices, too.

The back control panel display is bright enough for daytime and it shows you everything you need. At the end of the video associated with this post, I take you through every feature, showing you smartphone control on the same screen too.

Everything packs into an included carrying case with good padding. Since portability and low cost is what distinguishes this $200 product, I found a match in the perfect lighting stand for it, manufactured by Impact and sold for as little as $100. Its best feature is that it combines light stand and boom, with a mounting hole at the end so you can attach a counterweight. Impact includes a saddle bag that you can throw anything into for adding weight, like other batteries you brought with you, or bottles of water that you’ll be drinking when you pack up anyway.

The stand has a big knob to tighten the angle that doesn’t slip, and its magic trick is that the boom arm telescopes down into the vertical light stand! So you can skip the boom part if you don’t need it, and the stand adapter at the end can point straight up.

It’s reasonably small at 45 inches collapsed, but it can get up to 13 feet. For packing everything up but keeping to a low budget, there’s also a great padded bag that fits the stand perfectly from Ruggard costing under $60, way below anything else I could find. It’s perfect for holding the light stand, and also the diffuser that we’re adding to this kit.

For that, a light like this almost always has a standard so-called Bowen mount, and it’s just one latch with three sort of teeth that you insert and twist in to lock. What I’ve hooked on is the Aputure Lantern; at under $90, it’s the perfect pairing with this light. Acting like a so-called “China ball” or paper lantern, it provides very soft light with wide diffusion, and it’s often used overhead which makes that combo boom stand come in handy. My favorite feature is how it instantly sets up and breaks down: you just latch one center support loop into a hook that you can see peeking down into the bottom below, and those pre-installed “ribs” on the sides just warp into position. It literally takes about 5 seconds, and when collapsed, it’s nice and small, so we can fit it into that same Impact bag, even though it comes with its own.

You can see more uses of the light in Aputure’s own advertising video towards the end of mine, often overhead and often using black skirts that are also included to narrow down the light radius. But you can still mount it facing forward like a typical soft box for interviews too.

Finally, for those situations when you can’t plug into AC wall power, there’s a great battery by an offshoot of Sokani called ZGCINE. V-mount batteries used to be big bricks that would bog down your rig, but in the past few years, they have gotten increasingly smaller while maintaining or even exceeding the capacities of older products. The ZGCINE ZG-V99 is competitive with the new crop of portable V-mount batteries, but it leads the pack because of a few extra (and really important) features.

My favorite feature is the option to charge the battery using a now-standard USB-C PD (Power Delivery) source, such as a wall charger for mobile phones, or a power supply for some laptop computers. PD is a really important new technology because it uses a communication protocol to safely adjust the voltage sent to charge a device, after “handshaking” what the exact amount should be. So, this means that if it’s a typical mobile phone with a USB port, it’s 5V just like any other USB accessory. But if it’s this battery, PD sends 14.8V for correct charging speed and capacity. It’s about time! But if you want to charge via PD, you need to ensure that your charger is rated in the neighborhood of 45 to 65 watts.

ZGCINE needs to improve its documentation and labeling, however. The actual ports on the battery itself are faint on the orange rubber flaps, and you need to be careful to use one USB-C port for charging (on the long side), and the other for providing power to an accessory device (on the short side). Also, the D-tap port is labeled “out” but actually is ALSO an input charging port, so that you can charge the battery fastest and most conventionally using a D-tap charger via AC wall power (not included). The included instruction sheet does not help, either.

Another great feature is a colorful OLED display showing the actual numerical percentage of battery power left, once you “turn on” the battery using a momentary circular orange inset switch. (Notably, I hear a physical clicking noise inside the battery upon pressing it, for a few seconds — is this safe?) In reality, the battery only needs to “power on” for charging via the USB Type A or Type C ports. The D-tap port is active at all times, anyway, regardless of whether you see the OLED display illuminated.

This is a great next step in the evolution of large batteries getting smaller! There are lots of inexpensive options for mounting this onto camera cages and light stands and tripods, treating the V-mount itself as a dummy connection (i.e., not using the standard V-mount bus pins which are unnecessary because of the battery’s other ports), and an adapter plate with clamp should cost you well under $20, making this product convenient for powering several devices on a camera rig at the same time, from one place.