... I am also wondering if anyone has any feedback from actual field recording experience with the A10? ...
Hi Peter,
I actually use it mostly for field recording, I am not into taping shows so much and I use the build in mics mostly. So the same way I use my PCM D100. And I compared it to the M10 too. (here are to Samples from the Beginning
http://www.luzz.de/sub/audio/a10/index.html ) I own it now for over a month and I can tell you, the key feature of the A10 is size and weight!
From day one on I carry it with me in my pocket and I also started to use it as a dictaphone as well. Its great to have the feeling of beeing "prepared" if some interesting sounds appear.
I also considered the R-07 and the A10 looks much better and is even smaller. Beside the better usability in terms of leveling, display and startup. Also it is fun to adjust the mic angles (doesn't change much
). Additionally the guy in the shop told me the R-07 has a delay when monitoring the recording via headphones and this turned me off.
Another big point for the Sonys (D M A) is Battery Life. As long as the A10 charges via USB it is pretty hard to bring it near 50% power till you reconnect it to get the files from the device.
So the Pros are:
- Great mobility! (Size and Weight)
- Display
- Usability
- Design (I love the Design!
)
- Battery life
In my Opinion I see some big cons using it for Field Recording too. First of all, the build in Mic quality is not impressive. Its good and it might be even better than the R-07 or the Zoom H1/H2 (I don't know) build-ins. Second, the Headphone amp is weak, again this can be equal to others in this range, like the Zooms or the R-07. I can only compare to the Zoom H5 and I didn't like the Headphone amp either
. The D100 is in both points on another planet. Also the M10s build in Omnis are better for Ambience Sounds and have a lower noise floor.
Cons:
- Build in Mics are mediocre (In the Field I think it's great if you use some good PiP Mics)
- Handling noise is an issue
- Weak headphone amp
Best
Lutz