Topic: Olympus ls20m

[carpa]

I wonder if any of you has come across this recorder from Olympus. It records hd video also, and it's closest competitor is the zoom Q3 hd.  I know perfectly that a good video should need a good camera and separate audio, but the product I mentioned could be a good compromise for a pocket all-in-one solution to record concerts on the fly or for catchin rehearsals.

This Olympus claims to have a good sound and the video quality is not too bad (better than the Zoom I guess according to clips I watched on youtube). Rec level is adjustabe with a certain precision and it can accept external mikes via line-in.

 In terms of price it is somewhat comparable to the new audio recorders featuring xlr inputs and phantom power; with this Olympus you loose this feature but you  gain video.

If audio quality is comparable to other recorders like Edirol or Olympus (Ls 11 etc.) maybe it could prove to be a good product. Does any of you have some info?

The biggest downside seems to me the battery powering by a proprietor lithium battery which does not provide a large regording time, so you would want to change it often or power the device via the AC adaptor.
Maybe it can accept an external battery.....

Any opinion?

thanks

[John Willett]

I wonder if any of you has come across this recorder from Olympus. It records hd video also, and it's closest competitor is the zoom Q3 hd.  I know perfectly that a good video should need a good camera and separate audio, but the product I mentioned could be a good compromise for a pocket all-in-one solution to record concerts on the fly or for catchin rehearsals.

This Olympus claims to have a good sound and the video quality is not too bad (better than the Zoom I guess according to clips I watched on youtube). Rec level is adjustabe with a certain precision and it can accept external mikes via line-in.

 In terms of price it is somewhat comparable to the new audio recorders featuring xlr inputs and phantom power; with this Olympus you loose this feature but you  gain video.

If audio quality is comparable to other recorders like Edirol or Olympus (Ls 11 etc.) maybe it could prove to be a good product. Does any of you have some info?

The biggest downside seems to me the battery powering by a proprietor lithium battery which does not provide a large regording time, so you would want to change it often or power the device via the AC adaptor.
Maybe it can accept an external battery.....

Any opinion?

thanks

I bought one of these a week or two ago and now use it rather than my old LS-10.

I used it last night to record my wife (a language teacher) in MP3 so she could upload something to the internet.

Though mostly I record HD video and 24/96 audio.

It doesn't come with a case, but fits perfectly into the Olympus case designed for the LS-5/LS-10/LS-11.

So:- I bought the Olympus case from Amazon, I also bought a spare battery (the Energizer one, rather than risking an unknown Chinese make), a 32GB SanDisk SDHC card, a 7dayshop hard case that will hold 4 x SD cards and the spare battery and an E-Xpro charger that will charge the battery from the mains (includes UK, USA and Euro adaptors) and also from the car.  So that will give me a lot of flexibility - and if I find two batteries are not enough I will get another, the Energizer is only about £8.

I'm very happy with it so far.

It's reviewed in the latest issue of Resolution magazine.

 

[carpa]

Thanks a lot for the info.
I'd ask you some questions if you don't mind....
 1)How would you compare it  on the audio side to other audio recorders ( sony, edirol ecc.?).   

2) For what concerns battery, it seems you can use it while charging the battery via AC adapter. Or not?

3)  as I'd like to use it to record on-the -fly, but also to couple with my naiant littlebox to achieve a better sound, does this unit have the low frequency cut which affected other olympus recorders even in the line input?

4) and last....  do you have some info about the plug in power voltage provided by this unit?

thanks again

carlo

[rjp]

3)  as I'd like to use it to record on-the -fly, but also to couple with my naiant littlebox to achieve a better sound, does this unit have the low frequency cut which affected other olympus recorders even in the line input?

FWIW, I've never heard of the low cut affecting line in on other Olympus products (it certainly doesn't do so on my LS-10). On the other hand, the LS-10 mic input is definitely affected. Littlebox into an LS-10 line-in is a winning combo, and I use and love the setup myself.

As for the LS-20, I checked the manual, and unlike the LS-7, the input jack is switchable between LINE and MIC mode. However, there's no indication whether or not either (or both) modes have a low-cut problem, nor for that matter, whether the internal mics are affected.

[PtDragon]

+65
I just got one of these and used it  for the recent North Mississippi all stars show.  I have put up a raw vid on you tube of the first 2 songs.  Battery got me 37 minutes until it dropped to 1 bar.  I switched to aud only and got the rest of the show as sound only and still hand 1 bar.  I think the audio with the hd vid sounds better than the raw (my opinion),  For this show no external mics were used and all settings factory, Just set it on a tripod and let it tape.  Wanted a base line for any experimenting latter on.  Not sure if I can post links but I am so you can see and here for yourself,  If I shouldn't I will delete just let me know.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZUh4ocwjio

[John Willett]

I think the audio with the hd vid sounds better than the raw (my opinion),

Check the settings - on my LS 20M I have the audio set to 24/96 for both Video and Audio recording.

If your settings were different, it would account for why you thought one was better than the other.


Oh - and I just got the Rycote Windjmmer for mine as well - it has a central hole for the lens.

[Chimney Top]

any further reports on audio quality?  I owned an LS-10 and used it frequently stand-alone, and with a naiant little box.

[carpa]

John Willet kindly posted some interesting things about this unit. One thing is not yet clear to me; can this unit record while charging via the AC adaptor or not?
Does it have a file size limit for each recording?
thanks a lot