Using a Zoom H4n as an On-Camera DSLR Mic

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The microphones built into portable digital recorders typically sound pretty good, and if you use a recorder to capture the sound for a DSLR video shoot, you may be tempted to mount the recorder directly on top of your camera and use it as an on-camera mic. But here’s the problem…

The mic input on a DSLR camera needs a mic-level audio signal, and the headphone output on a portable digital recorder is line-level. Mic-level signals are very low, and line-level signals are very loud. If you just used a normal 1/8″ to 1/8″ mini-plug cable to connect the two, you’re likely going to get a nasty sounding distorted recording. What you need is an 1/8″ to 1/8″ cable with a built-in -25dB attenuator. And wouldn’t you know it… such a thing exists.

It’s called a Sescom LN2MIC-ZOOMH4N cable. I recently had the chance to test one out on a Nikon DSLR and a Zoom H4n recorder. This Sescom cable has been designed specifically so you can mount a portable digital recorder on top of a DSLR, and plug the headphone output of the recorder into the mic input on the camera.

I was impressed with the sound I was able to get using the Sescom cable. The full instructions are found in the YouTube video below. Check it out:

While using this Sescom cable is a nice solution, and more affordable than buying a good on-camera microphone, there are a number things you should consider before going this route. You need to understand how to set up the recorder, and be aware of the drawbacks of this workflow (both of which I discuss later in this post).

If you want to try this at home with your DSLR, you’ll need:

1) A portable digital recorder (the Zoom H4n, the Zoom H1, a Tascam DR-07, or any other recorder with a 1/4 20 tripod thread)

2) A VariZoom Shoe Mount (to mount the recorder to the camera)

3) An Ikan Production Slate (handy if you want to sync the file in the recorder)

3) …and the lovely Sescom LN2MIC-ZOOMH4N cable

To understand the simplicity of using the Sescom cable, just look at its official model name. The “LN2MIC-ZOOMH4N.” Pretty intimidating sounding, eh? If you break down the model name, the true simplicity reveals itself. LN2MIC, that just means Line-Level to Mic-Level. The model name is saying “Hey, I convert audio signals from Line to Mic.” ZOOMH4N, this just means that it’s targeted at Zoom H4n owners. Don’t let that scare you. It will work just as fine with the Zoom H1, the Tascam DR-07, and so on.

There are a few things you should be mindful of if you go this route. One downside is that because the Sescom cable occupies the headphone output of the recorder, you won’t be able to monitor the audio as you shoot. Another thing to take into consideration is battery life. A portable digital recorder requires a lot more juice to run than an on-camera microphone does. You also have to realize that the recorder adds weight to the camera, and (in the case of the Zoom H4n) the rear of the recorder juts out a bit (see the photo below).

The butt of the Zoom H4n sticks out the back of the DSLR a bit

Another thing to keep in mind is that having stereo mics mounted on top of your camera isn’t going to yield the best sounding results in many situations. Often times, you’d be better off using a dedicated shotgun microphone. It all depends on the kind of video you’re shooting. But, if you just need a quick improvement over the lousy built-in camera mics, then using this cable makes total sense.

I got good sounding results with the microphone level on the Zoom H4n set at 80, and the headphone output set at 50. If you’re using the XLR mic inputs with external microphones, these settings may differ.

Fans of the Panasonic GH2 (and GH1) should take note that Sescom also manufacturers a dedicated cable like this with a 2.5mm sub-mini connector, the LN2MIC-ZMH4-GH1. It’s really encouraging to see companies making dedicated accessories for these cameras!

Sescom also makes dedicated a cable like this for the Sony PCM-D50 (it’s called the LN2MIC-PCDM50). There’s one for the Tascam DR-100 called the LN2MIC-TASDR100. There’s even one for the Marantz PMD620 called the LN2MIC-PMD620. The only difference between these cables, as far as I can tell, is that the DR-100 cable and the PCM-D50 cable are -35dB, and the others are -25dB.

If you have any questions about this stuff, please post there in the Comments section below. If reading all of this has convinced you that getting an on-camera mic is the way to go, be sure to check out my on-camera mic shootout.

You should also make a point of checking out my follow up post on Sescom cables. Here’s the link:

http://www.sam-mallery.com/2011/02/using-a-zoom-h4n-as-an-on-camera-dslr-mic-part-2/

In Part 2 I test out special Sescom DSLR cables that have the same -25dB attenuation for connecting a portable audio recorder to use it as an external microphone, except that these cables also feature a headphone tap, so you can still listen to your recorder through headphones. Thanks for dropping by!

28 thoughts on “Using a Zoom H4n as an On-Camera DSLR Mic”

  1. Cool! that’s what I’m looking for. Unfortunately I cannot find this -25db cable in my place. Do you think I can find a similar one in my local audio equipment shop? By the way I’m using Zoom H2 with Nikon D7000. I suppose they combine well by this -25db cable. What do you think about this? Thank you very much for this excellent video and post! I’m very thankful!

  2. Hi Mark! Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I think the Sescom LN2MIC-ZOOMH4N cable would work fine between the Zoom H2 and theNikon D7000. As far as it being in stock, right now as I write this (5:38 PM Eastern Standard Time, 12/11/10) that cable is in stock at B&H. Here’s the link:

    http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/746645-REG/Sescom_LN2MIC_ZOOMH4N_LN2MIC_ZMH4N_3_5_LINE_MIC_ATN_ZOOM_H4N.html

    I’m glad you got something out of this post. Stick around because I plan on doing a lot more stuff like this.

  3. Hi Sam I already ordered one from B&H and ask my friend in USA to send it to my country. Can’t really find a local store selling something like that -25db cable. Thanks a lot for this info!

  4. Pingback: Gifts for Video Nerds (Obsessive DSLR Dork Edition) | Sam Mallery

  5. Mark, did you get your cable and have you tried it yet? I have a Canon 60D and the H2 and was wondering whether the cable is working with the H2 – there is nothing on the company’s website about that. I would very much appreciate some insight!

    Thanks, Barb

  6. Hello Sam…
    I have a Canon 5D M II, also have a Sennheiser MKH 418 and the Zoom H4. Plugin in my mic to the Zoom drains the battery very fast… Is there any other way to give power to this mic…
    Thank you.
    Al.

  8. Thank you for the information!! I do have a question though. I have an XLR input on my video camera (Panasonic HMC150). When you have an 1/8″ jack converting over to XLR, is it going to affect the audio quality?

  9. Hi Russ. In your situation, connecting the 3.5mm headphone output of the H4n to the inputs on the HMC150, you would not use one of these Sescom cables. For that application you would want to use a Y-cable, with a male stereo mini-plug on one end, and two male XLR jacks on the other, like this one:

    http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d.html/ref=redir_mdp_mobile/175-1323296-2468142?redirect=true&tag=wwwsammallery-20&linkCode=xm2&a=B000068OEO&camp=1789&creativeASIN=B000068OEO

    The reason is that your camera has the ability to accept a line-level signal, so there is no reason for attenuating the signal within the cable. I think in this situation there won’t be much signal degradation going from 3.5mm to XLR.

  10. Thanks Sam tht was great, top website.

    This seems like a good solution for stereo, hey what do you find yourself using more for stereo – your rode stereo videomic or this h4n setup ?
    Thanks

  11. Thanks, Chris! I actually don’t own the Rode VideoMic or even a DSLR camera right now. I usually borrow equipment for short periods of time. I did recently purchase a Sennheiser MKE 400 mini-shotgun mic and the MZW 400 accessory kit (which of course includes the all important softie windscreen). I plan on buying a Panasonic GH2 soon (they’re just hard to come by at the moment). I plan on using a Sescom cable in the near future too.

    I imagine I’ll use the shotgun mic more than the Sescom cable & portable recorder. The mic is lightweight, and the portable recorder burns through batteries a lot faster than the mic will. But, having the option to use the Sescom cable with the H4n is key. To be able to quickly and easily connect the H4n to the camera, and then plug in two XLR audio sources directly into the camera is just awesome.

  12. Hi Sam,
    Just discovered your great site recently. I plan on getting the Sescom cable for my Zoom H2 / D7000 setup soon. Have you heard any further feedback? I really want the new Rode VideoMic Pro too but a 50mm f1.4 is in the priority list first…hence the need to get the Zoom H2 running clean. Thanks for all the great “sound” advice…pretty complicated for a newbie.
    BdaSailor

  13. for all asking for the compatibility of H2 and this cable, there is no problem! I tested H2 on D7000 using this cable (mic gain set to LOW on D7000). Everything goes fine! Go get one :)

  15. Hi, i was thinking just now and it’s possible you know the answer.. is it possible to split the signal before the adapter to use a headphone with one output, whilst the other out gets the adapter and is put into the gh2. Would this degrade the signal if its split this way into two devices ie, one out gets adapter into the GH2 and the other out to the headphones, I am just talking crazy? I thought it maybe possible in order to monitor the sound and still get the (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/746644-REG/Sescom_LN2MIC_ZMH4_GH1_LN2MIC_ZMH4_GH1_2_5_LINE_MIC_ATN_Z_H4N.html) going at the same time.

  18. Thats fantastic! I was basically going to create the same thing but a dedicated version of this cable should offer consistent results rather than me using two adapters for a similar outcome. I didn’t know they made something for this, I’m very excited to try it out!

    I imagined ideally a cable like this would exist but had no luck finding it but in the processes stumbled onto this post. From which you forwarded me to the right cable, awesome how that worked out, THANK YOU! I was just reading about it on their site now (http://www.sescom.com/product.asp?item=LN2MIC-ZMGH-MON) Its perfect and Sescom is AWESOME for making this stuff =). Thanks again for your post and help!

  19. Hi Sam,

    This might be a silly question – but by using the H4N as a plugged in mic – are we not making all the recording abilities of the H4N redundant – and merely using the H4N mics as a mono mic – which is a shade or two better than the terrible on camera mics – but still you are losing the 4 channels of recording – you are losing the 24bit/96khz etc options – - you’re merely catching sound through the H4N and feeding it in to the levels and sound capability of the camera. Yes??

    Thanks

    AJ

  20. Hi AJ! Yes. By using a Sescom cable with a portable digital recorder, you will be making two nearly identical copies of the audio (one in the recorder, and the other in the camera). It’s total redundancy. But that’s a good thing. Having two copies of your audio is always better than only having one.

    And no… when using a Sescom cable you’re not using the H4n as a mono mic. You can use it as a stereo mic, or as a way to plug XLR mics or audio signals into the camera.

    Using a Sescom cable just gives you more options. If you want to shoot a video with the sound from the built-in mics on an H4n (or the XLR inputs), but you don’t want to bother having to sync externally recorded audio files with the video in post, a Sescom cable will let you do this.

    If you do bother to sync the externally recorded audio files with your video in post, you will have better quality audio. A good portable recorder will allow you to create recordings with higher resolutions and bit depths. If you make a four channel recording with the Zoom H4n, you would have four separate tracks. If you used a Sescom cable when the H4n had 4 channels of audio running, you would just get a stereo mix of the four channels in the camera.

  21. Dear Sam,

    It is a real pleasure to read your technical analysis and descriptions ….
    I have a serious question to ask:
    In a very dark situation … I did, mistakenly, plugged the Line to mic DSLR cable (Sescom LN2MICZMH4N) from the Zoom H4n stereo recorded, to the D7000 A/V out connector and ….. I took some video with the recorder on, to capture sound from that external source (stereo mic).
    Could this mistake have damaged the Camera? I noticed some “not so good sound” coming out … when I used the V/A out connector of the camera, to connect to a TV.

    Thank You very much for any help to understand if I damaged the D7000 or the Zoom H4n recorder … in fact, after shooting video, I tried as well to review it, with still the zoom attached to the video/audio out connector of the camera.

    Thank You Very much for your help!

  22. Hi Leopoldo! I’m glad you enjoy reading my blog.

    It doesn’t seem likely that mistakenly plugging a Sescom into the A/V output on your DSLR as opposed to the mic input would inflict any harm on the camera. Audio signals are pretty innocuous. It doesn’t matter if they’re mic-level or line-level, they’re pretty harmless.

    What you had mistakenly done was to connect a headphone output signal to an audio & video output on your camera. I don’t think that connecting an output to an output would damage either device.

    When you said you got some “not so good sound,” what did it sound like? Is everything that you play from the camera messed up sounding? Is it beyond just normal bad camera audio?

    I think it may just be that you have a new D7000, and that you’re just being a good owner and making sure that the camera doesn’t get damaged. If this actually did damage your camera, please post here and let us know if this is a potential issue that others should be aware of. Thanks!

  23. Thanks for the great blog post.
    I have a Canon 7D and was wondering if it would be possible to use two Sescom cables simultaneously….I want to use the attenuator cable with headphone monitor and also the AGC hack cable….all so I can get rid of AGC and record directly to the CF card. Do you know if it would be possible to use these two cables together?

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  25. Oh no! The link to Part 2 isn’t working!
    Too bad, because I love this blog. Exactly what I was looking for: simply put, precise, and knowledgeable!

  27. Hey Sam..I just had a question about the “special” 3.5mm cable..what will happen if a regular 3.5mm male to male is used?

    I am not using this to record along with a DSLR camera but I use it as overheads to record my drums.. I use a 3.5mm to dual XLR (right and left), which goes to my firewire recording device ..i don’t like doing this because there are 2 gain levels to adjust on the H4n, the mic gain and the volume; what is the default level for both gains? 50? I say 50 since it’s half of 100 (the max you can set on the H4n) …I’m trying to relate this to the numbers you see around the knobs on an audio recording device, where u can turn it to the left and have a negative gain, keep it in the middle and have default gain of 0 (same as 50 on the H4n?), and turn it to the right to the right to have a positive gain (amplify). I wish there was a way you could have a connection directly from the onboard mics so you could just adjust the gain on the recording device.

    So my second question is when you are recording at 24bits/94 KHz but using the headphone out put to record..are you getting the true 24/96 quality through the headphone jacks?

    Do you think I should use a cable like the Sescom LN2MIC-ZOOMH4N and then use an extension adapter to connect it with my 3.5mm to dual XLR cable?

    Sorry if this post is not related to the DSLR camera and H4n but I was just wondering if you knew anything about this since you seem to know some stuff about audio. Thank you!

    -Jim

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