Coming in at $270 the Zoom H5 Handy Recorder will sell and sell well. But can it perform?
Zoom H5 Features at a glance
Uses a system of interchangeable input capsules that can be swapped out as easily as the lens of a camera
Includes detachable X/Y capsule (XYH-5) with extended signal capacity and shockmounted mics for reduced handling noise
Compatible with all Zoom input capsules
Four-track simultaneous recording
Large backlit LCD display
Records directly to SD and SDHC cards up to 32GB
Up to 24-bit/96kHz audio in BWF-compliant WAV or a variety of MP3 formats
Two mic/line inputs with XLR/TRS combo connectors each with selectable phantom power and -20dB pad
Analog-style gain controls for each input
Protective “roll-bar” type covers prevent accidental movement of gain controls
Plug-in power (2.5 volts)
Built-in effects, including low-cut filtering, compression and limiting
Chromatic tuner and metronome
Auto-record, Pre-record and Backup-record functions mean that you’ll never miss that perfect take
MS decoding
Multitrack to stereo internal mixdown
Normalize, Divide and Trim editing
Voice memo and up to 99 marks per recording
A/B loop playback
Variable playback speed and variable pitch without affecting playback speed
Multichannel and stereo USB audio interface for PC/Mac/iPad with loop back function
Mountable directly to DSLR or camcorder with optional HS-01 Hot Shoe Mount adapter
Uses two standard AA alkaline or NiMH rechargeable batteries
Over 15 hours of operation with alkaline batteries
Please see Zoom for the full details about their Zoom H5 Handy Recorder.