CONCLUSION: Overall, I don't like this lens-sensor combination. WITHOUT this speedbooster, this lens both has a lot of character AND a lot of integrity, but WITH this (Pixco) speedbooster, it feels like one of the cheap vintage lenses that nobody likes. I do like this speedbooster on other lenses though, so it's just this lens-sensor combination that is uninspiring. ORIGINAL NOTES: So, after testing the original (non-BOOSTED) settings with the speedbooster ON, I can certainly say that they DO NOT WORK, so I'm starting this test from scratch. (Sometimes starting with the non-BOOST settings works, but in this case, it isn't working too well). NON-BOOST NOTES: This was a VERY difficult lens to come up with the set of recommended settings for. My goal is simply to make it easy to get the best original capture as possible (at all aperture settings) and that was difficult because of how inconsistent this lens is at different apertures (in terms of how it renders light, etc.) Any links below are affiliate links. FILTER: None Pentax Super-Takumar 50 1.4 ii ADAPTER: Pixco Focal Reducer Panasonic GH4 Natural "PHOTO STYLE" LENS-SENSOR LUT CONTRAST -0 SHARPNESS -0 NOISE +4 SATURATION -1 HIGHLIGHT SHADOW -3+3 iDYNAMIC OFF LUMINANCE LEVEL 16-255 Unsharp Mask* ADOBE POST-PRODUCTION AMOUNT RADIUS THRESHOLD Blur / Sharpen DAVINCI RESOLVE POST-PRODUCTION LENS @FULL WIDE LENS @MID-ZOOM LENS @FULL TELE REAL RATINGS After testing each lens-sensor combo, I like to know if the rendering is going to look realistic SOOC (S traight O ut o f C amera) or if it will need a LUT (to match the shots to other lenses and cameras). CONTRAST B IS THE CONTRAST "REAL"? SHARPNESS C IS THE SHARPNESS "REAL"? NOISE B IS THE NOISE "REAL"? COLOR C IS THE COLOR "REAL"? *Click here to learn more about "REAL" Ratings . These ratings are AFTER my custom settings are applied (most combos don't look real good with default settings). NOTES: CONCLUSION: Overall, I don't like this lens-sensor combination. WITHOUT this speedbooster, this lens both has a lot of character AND a lot of integrity, but WITH this (Pixco) speedbooster, it feels like one of the cheap vintage lenses that nobody likes. I do like this speedbooster on other lenses though, so it's just this lens-sensor combination that is uninspiring. ORIGINAL NOTES: So, after testing the original (non-BOOSTED) settings with the speedbooster ON, I can certainly say that they DO NOT WORK, so I'm starting this test from scratch. (Sometimes starting with the non-BOOST settings works, but in this case, it isn't working too well). NON-BOOST NOTES: This was a VERY difficult lens to come up with the set of recommended settings for. My goal is simply to make it easy to get the best original capture as possible (at all aperture settings) and that was difficult because of how inconsistent this lens is at different apertures (in terms of how it renders light, etc.) The goal of our camera settings is to improve what we call the "lens-sensor relationship" by adjusting the contrast, sharpness, noise reduction and color to create an image that looks less digital and more organic (more like film, etc). Therefore, the first step is to apply the custom settings while shooting, and the second is to add a lens-sensor LUT, to finalize the image.

Tests shot. Needs LUT Any links below are affiliate links. FILTER: None Minolta AF 50 1.7 ii ADAPTER: Minolta AF (Sony A) to M43 Panasonic G7 Natural "PHOTO STYLE" LENS-SENSOR LUT CONTRAST -5 SHARPNESS -2 NOISE +5 SATURATION -1 HIGHLIGHT SHADOW -0-0 iDYNAMIC OFF LUMINANCE LEVEL Unsharp Mask* ADOBE POST-PRODUCTION AMOUNT RADIUS THRESHOLD Blur / Sharpen DAVINCI RESOLVE POST-PRODUCTION LENS @FULL WIDE LENS @MID-ZOOM LENS @FULL TELE REAL RATINGS After testing each lens-sensor combo, I like to know if the rendering is going to look realistic SOOC (S traight O ut o f C amera) or if it will need a LUT (to match the shots to other lenses and cameras). CONTRAST ? IS THE CONTRAST "REAL"? SHARPNESS ? IS THE SHARPNESS "REAL"? NOISE IS THE NOISE "REAL"? COLOR ? IS THE COLOR "REAL"? *Click here to learn more about "REAL" Ratings . These ratings are AFTER my custom settings are applied (most combos don't look real good with default settings). NOTES: Tests shot. Needs LUT The goal of our camera settings is to improve what we call the "lens-sensor relationship" by adjusting the contrast, sharpness, noise reduction and color to create an image that looks less digital and more organic (more like film, etc). Therefore, the first step is to apply the custom settings while shooting, and the second is to add a lens-sensor LUT, to finalize the image.

This test has been a real struggle, because this lens isn't that sharp when used with this sensor (Panasonic G7). The reason is that it's from the time period when the Panasonic sensors still had anti-aliasing filters over them, and that makes them less sharp than those without them. One of the problems it causes is that I usually turn the SHARPNESS down, both to reduce the contrast to help smooth the transition from shadows to highlights, and to remove the look of digital aliasing (the pixels seen in angled lines). I also turn UP the NOISE REDUCTION to reduce the sharpness more yet doing this with this lens-sensor combination doesn't create a super sharp image. So, in the end what I had to do is to err on the side of having less sharpness VIA in-camera settings, and then recommending settings for sharpening in Davinci Resolve (in post-production). Any links below are affiliate links. FILTER: None Tokina 11-16 2.8 ii ADAPTER: Nikon F/G-M43 Panasonic G7 Natural "PHOTO STYLE" LENS-SENSOR LUT CONTRAST -1 SHARPNESS -2 NOISE +4 SATURATION -2 HIGHLIGHT SHADOW -4+3 iDYNAMIC OFF LUMINANCE LEVEL 16-255 Unsharp Mask* ADOBE POST-PRODUCTION AMOUNT ? RADIUS ? THRESHOLD ? Blur / Sharpen DAVINCI RESOLVE POST-PRODUCTION LENS @FULL WIDE LENS @MID-ZOOM LENS @FULL TELE CUSTOM Tokina 11-16 2.8 ii Panasonic G7 NATURAL -1-2+4-2 HS -4+3 REAL RATINGS After testing each lens-sensor combo, I like to know if the rendering is going to look realistic SOOC (S traight O ut o f C amera) or if it will need a LUT (to match the shots to other lenses and cameras). CONTRAST A IS THE CONTRAST "REAL"? SHARPNESS B IS THE SHARPNESS "REAL"? NOISE C IS THE NOISE "REAL"? COLOR B IS THE COLOR "REAL"? *Click here to learn more about "REAL" Ratings . These ratings are AFTER my custom settings are applied (most combos don't look real good with default settings). NOTES: This test has been a real struggle, because this lens isn't that sharp when used with this sensor (Panasonic G7). The reason is that it's from the time period when the Panasonic sensors still had anti-aliasing filters over them, and that makes them less sharp than those without them. One of the problems it causes is that I usually turn the SHARPNESS down, both to reduce the contrast to help smooth the transition from shadows to highlights, and to remove the look of digital aliasing (the pixels seen in angled lines). I also turn UP the NOISE REDUCTION to reduce the sharpness more yet doing this with this lens-sensor combination doesn't create a super sharp image. So, in the end what I had to do is to err on the side of having less sharpness VIA in-camera settings, and then recommending settings for sharpening in Davinci Resolve (in post-production). The goal of our camera settings is to improve what we call the "lens-sensor relationship" by adjusting the contrast, sharpness, noise reduction and color to create an image that looks less digital and more organic (more like film, etc). Therefore, the first step is to apply the custom settings while shooting, and the second is to add a lens-sensor LUT, to finalize the image.

This lens is AMAZING...it delivers so much contrast and color that I had to tone those down (to get a "REAL" image) and the SHARPNESS is almost a perfect match for this sensor (not to sharp, etc.) though I had to use some NOISE REDUCTION to keep things looking real. Any links below are affiliate links. FILTER: None Sigma 75-300 4.5-5.6 ADAPTER: Nikon F/G-M43 Panasonic G7 Natural "PHOTO STYLE" LENS-SENSOR LUT CONTRAST SHARPNESS NOISE SATURATION HIGHLIGHT SHADOW OFF iDYNAMIC OFF LUMINANCE LEVEL Unsharp Mask* ADOBE POST-PRODUCTION AMOUNT RADIUS THRESHOLD Blur / Sharpen DAVINCI RESOLVE POST-PRODUCTION LENS @FULL WIDE LENS @MID-ZOOM LENS @FULL TELE REAL RATINGS After testing each lens-sensor combo, I like to know if the rendering is going to look realistic SOOC (S traight O ut o f C amera) or if it will need a LUT (to match the shots to other lenses and cameras). CONTRAST B IS THE CONTRAST "REAL"? SHARPNESS B IS THE SHARPNESS "REAL"? NOISE A IS THE NOISE "REAL"? COLOR C IS THE COLOR "REAL"? *Click here to learn more about "REAL" Ratings . These ratings are AFTER my custom settings are applied (most combos don't look real good with default settings). NOTES: This lens is AMAZING...it delivers so much contrast and color that I had to tone those down (to get a "REAL" image) and the SHARPNESS is almost a perfect match for this sensor (not to sharp, etc.) though I had to use some NOISE REDUCTION to keep things looking real. The goal of our camera settings is to improve what we call the "lens-sensor relationship" by adjusting the contrast, sharpness, noise reduction and color to create an image that looks less digital and more organic (more like film, etc). Therefore, the first step is to apply the custom settings while shooting, and the second is to add a lens-sensor LUT, to finalize the image.

Strange, super sharp lens, but it also has a strong bias toward making the shadow regions stay dark (my final, corrected settings even include a -0+4 Highlight Shadow correction, something I have never done before. I will need to create a LUT to finish these settings, and I'm not looking forward to it, due to the complexity its issues)! Any links below are affiliate links. FILTER: None Nikon 50 1.8 G ADAPTER: Viltrox NF-M43x (.71x) Panasonic GX85 Natural "PHOTO STYLE" LENS-SENSOR LUT CONTRAST -4 SHARPNESS -4 NOISE +4 SATURATION -1 HIGHLIGHT SHADOW -0+4 iDYNAMIC OFF LUMINANCE LEVEL Unsharp Mask* ADOBE POST-PRODUCTION AMOUNT RADIUS THRESHOLD Blur / Sharpen DAVINCI RESOLVE POST-PRODUCTION LENS @FULL WIDE LENS @MID-ZOOM LENS @FULL TELE REAL RATINGS After testing each lens-sensor combo, I like to know if the rendering is going to look realistic SOOC (S traight O ut o f C amera) or if it will need a LUT (to match the shots to other lenses and cameras). CONTRAST IS THE CONTRAST "REAL"? SHARPNESS IS THE SHARPNESS "REAL"? NOISE IS THE NOISE "REAL"? COLOR IS THE COLOR "REAL"? *Click here to learn more about "REAL" Ratings . These ratings are AFTER my custom settings are applied (most combos don't look real good with default settings). NOTES: Strange, super sharp lens, but it also has a strong bias toward making the shadow regions stay dark (my final, corrected settings even include a -0+4 Highlight Shadow correction, something I have never done before. I will need to create a LUT to finish these settings, and I'm not looking forward to it, due to the complexity its issues)! The goal of our camera settings is to improve what we call the "lens-sensor relationship" by adjusting the contrast, sharpness, noise reduction and color to create an image that looks less digital and more organic (more like film, etc). Therefore, the first step is to apply the custom settings while shooting, and the second is to add a lens-sensor LUT, to finalize the image.

Adjusted settings are much better than -0-0-0-0. Any links below are affiliate links. FILTER: None Tokina 11-16 2.8 ii ADAPTER: Nikon F/G to M43 (SHIFT) Panasonic GX85 Natural "PHOTO STYLE" LENS-SENSOR LUT CONTRAST -5 SHARPNESS -3 NOISE +5 SATURATION -1 HIGHLIGHT SHADOW -0-0 iDYNAMIC OFF LUMINANCE LEVEL Unsharp Mask* ADOBE POST-PRODUCTION AMOUNT RADIUS THRESHOLD Blur / Sharpen DAVINCI RESOLVE POST-PRODUCTION LENS @FULL WIDE LENS @MID-ZOOM LENS @FULL TELE REAL RATINGS After testing each lens-sensor combo, I like to know if the rendering is going to look realistic SOOC (S traight O ut o f C amera) or if it will need a LUT (to match the shots to other lenses and cameras). CONTRAST B IS THE CONTRAST "REAL"? SHARPNESS B IS THE SHARPNESS "REAL"? NOISE B IS THE NOISE "REAL"? COLOR B IS THE COLOR "REAL"? *Click here to learn more about "REAL" Ratings . These ratings are AFTER my custom settings are applied (most combos don't look real good with default settings). NOTES: Adjusted settings are much better than -0-0-0-0. The goal of our camera settings is to improve what we call the "lens-sensor relationship" by adjusting the contrast, sharpness, noise reduction and color to create an image that looks less digital and more organic (more like film, etc). Therefore, the first step is to apply the custom settings while shooting, and the second is to add a lens-sensor LUT, to finalize the image.

Wow! Except for adding the -2+2 "Highlight Shadow" compensation, this is looking pretty good at -0-0-0-0 in the Natural color profile! Any links below are affiliate links. FILTER: None Nikon 50 1.4 D ADAPTER: Nikon F/G-M43 Panasonic G85 Natural "PHOTO STYLE" LENS-SENSOR LUT CONTRAST -0 SHARPNESS -0 NOISE -0 SATURATION -0 HIGHLIGHT SHADOW -2+2 iDYNAMIC OFF LUMINANCE LEVEL 16-255 Unsharp Mask* ADOBE POST-PRODUCTION AMOUNT RADIUS THRESHOLD Blur / Sharpen DAVINCI RESOLVE POST-PRODUCTION LENS @FULL WIDE LENS @MID-ZOOM LENS @FULL TELE REAL RATINGS After testing each lens-sensor combo, I like to know if the rendering is going to look realistic SOOC (S traight O ut o f C amera) or if it will need a LUT (to match the shots to other lenses and cameras). CONTRAST A IS THE CONTRAST "REAL"? SHARPNESS A IS THE SHARPNESS "REAL"? NOISE A IS THE NOISE "REAL"? COLOR B IS THE COLOR "REAL"? *Click here to learn more about "REAL" Ratings . These ratings are AFTER my custom settings are applied (most combos don't look real good with default settings). NOTES: Wow! Except for adding the -2+2 "Highlight Shadow" compensation, this is looking pretty good at -0-0-0-0 in the Natural color profile! The goal of our camera settings is to improve what we call the "lens-sensor relationship" by adjusting the contrast, sharpness, noise reduction and color to create an image that looks less digital and more organic (more like film, etc). Therefore, the first step is to apply the custom settings while shooting, and the second is to add a lens-sensor LUT, to finalize the image.

-1 HUE (was -0 but need -1 because there is the characteristic GH5 too much magenta (in shadows) stuff going on) FOR STILLS (SOOC Real Estate): Tamron 10-24 3.5-4.5 LD Panasonic GH5 NATURAL -4+2+4+1-1 HS -3+3 (and UNSHARP MASK at 22 2.2 2) Any links below are affiliate links. FILTER: None Tamron 10-24 3.5-4.5 LD ADAPTER: Nikon F/G-M43 Panasonic GH5 Natural "PHOTO STYLE" LENS-SENSOR LUT CONTRAST -1 SHARPNESS +3 NOISE +5 SATURATION +3 HIGHLIGHT SHADOW -3+3 iDYNAMIC OFF LUMINANCE LEVEL 0-255 Unsharp Mask* ADOBE POST-PRODUCTION AMOUNT RADIUS THRESHOLD Blur / Sharpen DAVINCI RESOLVE POST-PRODUCTION LENS @FULL WIDE LENS @MID-ZOOM LENS @FULL TELE REAL RATINGS After testing each lens-sensor combo, I like to know if the rendering is going to look realistic SOOC (S traight O ut o f C amera) or if it will need a LUT (to match the shots to other lenses and cameras). CONTRAST C IS THE CONTRAST "REAL"? SHARPNESS D IS THE SHARPNESS "REAL"? NOISE F IS THE NOISE "REAL"? COLOR C IS THE COLOR "REAL"? *Click here to learn more about "REAL" Ratings . These ratings are AFTER my custom settings are applied (most combos don't look real good with default settings). NOTES: -1 HUE (was -0 but need -1 because there is the characteristic GH5 too much magenta (in shadows) stuff going on) FOR STILLS (SOOC Real Estate): Tamron 10-24 3.5-4.5 LD Panasonic GH5 NATURAL -4+2+4+1-1 HS -3+3 (and UNSHARP MASK at 22 2.2 2) The goal of our camera settings is to improve what we call the "lens-sensor relationship" by adjusting the contrast, sharpness, noise reduction and color to create an image that looks less digital and more organic (more like film, etc). Therefore, the first step is to apply the custom settings while shooting, and the second is to add a lens-sensor LUT, to finalize the image.

Wow...the final results on this lens-sensor (and speed booster) combo are great! All of the properties of contrast, sharpness, noise and color all look REALLY good (even though they're not perfectly realistic). Since the color from this camera is almost always more saturated than my other cameras (currently testing GH4, G85, GX85) I knew it would be a bit on the vivid side and turning it down any more can leave too much work for the LUT to do accurately (in post-production). Another thing I'm considering, is that while the Panasonic G7 seems to produce a lot of color saturation, it may be good to leave my settings a bit on the colorful side if you're going to upload straight to YouTube. However, most of the time I would have to run these through Davinci Resolve (to assemble multiple clips) anyway, so I could easily just add a LUT (or my "YouTube color bump" settings) to deal with the color saturation. Any links below are affiliate links. FILTER: None Nikon 50 1.8 D + Vivitar 2x MACRO ADAPTER: Nikon F/G-M43 Panasonic G7 Natural "PHOTO STYLE" LENS-SENSOR LUT CONTRAST -0 SHARPNESS +2 NOISE +3 SATURATION -1 HIGHLIGHT SHADOW -4+2 iDYNAMIC OFF LUMINANCE LEVEL 16-255 Unsharp Mask* ADOBE POST-PRODUCTION AMOUNT RADIUS THRESHOLD Blur / Sharpen DAVINCI RESOLVE POST-PRODUCTION LENS @FULL WIDE LENS @MID-ZOOM LENS @FULL TELE DEFAULT Nikon 50 1.8 D VIVITAR 2X Panasonic G7 NATURAL -0-0-0-0 HS -0-0 CUSTOM Nikon 50 1.8 D VIVITAR 2X Panasonic G7 NATURAL -0+2+3-1 HS -4+2 REAL RATINGS After testing each lens-sensor combo, I like to know if the rendering is going to look realistic SOOC (S traight O ut o f C amera) or if it will need a LUT (to match the shots to other lenses and cameras). CONTRAST IS THE CONTRAST "REAL"? SHARPNESS IS THE SHARPNESS "REAL"? NOISE IS THE NOISE "REAL"? COLOR IS THE COLOR "REAL"? *Click here to learn more about "REAL" Ratings . These ratings are AFTER my custom settings are applied (most combos don't look real good with default settings). NOTES: Wow...the final results on this lens-sensor (and speed booster) combo are great! All of the properties of contrast, sharpness, noise and color all look REALLY good (even though they're not perfectly realistic). Since the color from this camera is almost always more saturated than my other cameras (currently testing GH4, G85, GX85) I knew it would be a bit on the vivid side and turning it down any more can leave too much work for the LUT to do accurately (in post-production). Another thing I'm considering, is that while the Panasonic G7 seems to produce a lot of color saturation, it may be good to leave my settings a bit on the colorful side if you're going to upload straight to YouTube. However, most of the time I would have to run these through Davinci Resolve (to assemble multiple clips) anyway, so I could easily just add a LUT (or my "YouTube color bump" settings) to deal with the color saturation. The goal of our camera settings is to improve what we call the "lens-sensor relationship" by adjusting the contrast, sharpness, noise reduction and color to create an image that looks less digital and more organic (more like film, etc). Therefore, the first step is to apply the custom settings while shooting, and the second is to add a lens-sensor LUT, to finalize the image.

It is really strange how these settings are similar to the settings for the native mount Panasonic 45-150. Any links below are affiliate links. FILTER: None Promaster 70-300 4-5.6 ADAPTER: Viltrox NF-M43x (.71x) Panasonic G85 Natural "PHOTO STYLE" LENS-SENSOR LUT CONTRAST -4 SHARPNESS -5 NOISE +3 SATURATION -0 HIGHLIGHT SHADOW -0-0 iDYNAMIC OFF LUMINANCE LEVEL 16-255 Unsharp Mask* ADOBE POST-PRODUCTION AMOUNT RADIUS THRESHOLD Blur / Sharpen DAVINCI RESOLVE POST-PRODUCTION LENS @FULL WIDE LENS @MID-ZOOM LENS @FULL TELE REAL RATINGS After testing each lens-sensor combo, I like to know if the rendering is going to look realistic SOOC (S traight O ut o f C amera) or if it will need a LUT (to match the shots to other lenses and cameras). CONTRAST ? IS THE CONTRAST "REAL"? SHARPNESS ? IS THE SHARPNESS "REAL"? NOISE ? IS THE NOISE "REAL"? COLOR ? IS THE COLOR "REAL"? *Click here to learn more about "REAL" Ratings . These ratings are AFTER my custom settings are applied (most combos don't look real good with default settings). NOTES: It is really strange how these settings are similar to the settings for the native mount Panasonic 45-150. The goal of our camera settings is to improve what we call the "lens-sensor relationship" by adjusting the contrast, sharpness, noise reduction and color to create an image that looks less digital and more organic (more like film, etc). Therefore, the first step is to apply the custom settings while shooting, and the second is to add a lens-sensor LUT, to finalize the image.

MICROPHONE SPECIFIC: So, there are a lot of little problems with this microphone/audio recorder combination, though I still think it's good enough to use for vlogging, etc. The first thing is, there were a few times during my tests where you can hear a strange sort of liquidy-sounding RF interference (like the sound of squishing something with a tiny amount of liquid in it) and while it's not noticeable when you're talking, it shows up when there's a quiet spot in the recording. I have noticed this when using other microphones with this transmitter/recorder, and I think it has something to do with the fact that it's a wireless TRANSMITTER, and it constantly looks for the RECEIVER while it's on. The second thing that is really interesting about this device, is that when you open the file that's created with this microphone/audio recorder combination (in an audio editing application) the level starts out really, REALLY low. However, it's kind of amazing how much you can boost the level in post and not introduce a lot of self-noise (I talk more about this in the general description of this transmitter/audio recorder below). If you can ignore this faint "squishy" RFI sound, this microphone sounds really good and natural with this recorder, yet it does with almost every recorder I've tested it with...so I just really love this mic. Another interesting thing is that this Zoom LMF-2 (Lavalier) mic plugs in fairly securely, even though it has a locking plug that doesn't lock onto this device. AUDIO RECORDER SPECIFIC: As you might already know, this system is more than just a wireless audio system; each transmitter also has onboard recording. This is the feature I'm focusing on here, and so there are a number of quirks to be aware of when it comes to using this system as an audio recorder. The first is that I don't see a way to change the REC. LEVEL on the transmitter/recorder. There is a way to change the OUTPUT LEVEL on the receiver (RX) but no way to change the REC. LEVEL. What this might mean is that, if this thing isn't a 32-bit float recorder (and I'll talk about why I say IF in a second) it would seem like it's kind of limited in terms of being able to make sure the audio doesn't "clip". However, as I started testing, I realized a couple of things: 1. The record level is pretty low (so it has lots of headroom) and 2. The level indicator on the display of each transmitter says the level is higher than it really is (based on looking at the file in an audio editor). This is good, because I'm less concerned that the recording (on the transmitter) will clip, even though it doesn't seem to be adjustable. The last thing I'll say is that when I amplify the level using an audio editor such as Audacity, I'm super surprised at how clean the audio sounds...it's almost like working with a 32-bit float file on my Zoom F2 (but I haven't pushed it very far in testing yet, so I'll update this after more testing). UPDATE: I was baffled regarding how clean the audio sounds after boosting it in post-production...and then I remembered I read that it is applying some kind of noise reduction WHILE RECORDING! I looked up the specifications, and they call it "intelligent denoise". So, while I still don't know for sure if there isn't a way to change the REC. LEVEL while recording (to the internal memory of the transmitter) I am really liking what the audio sounds like after boosting the low audio levels it seems to record at. "LAV" Proximity [7 inches /17.78 cm] 7RYMS iRAY DW30 (Recorder) [NO AUX. BOOST] Zoom LMF-2 (Lavalier) WINDSCREEN: FURRY (Comica) 48k 24-bit REC. SETTINGS ? REC. LOWCUT N/A REC. LIMITER N/A REC. LEVEL AUX. SETTINGS N/A AUX. BASS N/A AUX. HIGH-LOW N/A AUX. OUTPUT MIC. SETTINGS N/A MIC. LOWCUT N/A MIC. HIGH PASS N/A MIC. BOOST (RFI) RADIO FREQUENCY INTERFERENCE ? LESS THAN 1.1ft / 0.34m ? BETWEEN 1.1ft / 0.34m -2.2ft / 0.67m ? BETWEEN 2.2ft / 0.67m -3.3ft / 1m BETWEEN 3.3ft / 1m -4.4ft / 1.34m Published: March 13, 2023 at 2:51:09 PM REAL RATINGS After testing each microphone, I like to know if it sounds realistic (accurate lows/bass, mids, highs/treble) in combination with the recorder and/or AUX. amplifier, to see if it needs EQ. LOWS/BASS ? DO THE "LOWS" SOUND REAL? MIDS ? DO THE "MIDS" SOUND REAL? HIGHS/TREBLE ? DO THE "HIGHS" SOUND REAL? NOTES: MICROPHONE SPECIFIC: So, there are a lot of little problems with this microphone/audio recorder combination, though I still think it's good enough to use for vlogging, etc. The first thing is, there were a few times during my tests where you can hear a strange sort of liquidy-sounding RF interference (like the sound of squishing something with a tiny amount of liquid in it) and while it's not noticeable when you're talking, it shows up when there's a quiet spot in the recording. I have noticed this when using other microphones with this transmitter/recorder, and I think it has something to do with the fact that it's a wireless TRANSMITTER, and it constantly looks for the RECEIVER while it's on. The second thing that is really interesting about this device, is that when you open the file that's created with this microphone/audio recorder combination (in an audio editing application) the level starts out really, REALLY low. However, it's kind of amazing how much you can boost the level in post and not introduce a lot of self-noise (I talk more about this in the general description of this transmitter/audio recorder below). If you can ignore this faint "squishy" RFI sound, this microphone sounds really good and natural with this recorder, yet it does with almost every recorder I've tested it with...so I just really love this mic. Another interesting thing is that this Zoom LMF-2 (Lavalier) mic plugs in fairly securely, even though it has a locking plug that doesn't lock onto this device. AUDIO RECORDER SPECIFIC: As you might already know, this system is more than just a wireless audio system; each transmitter also has onboard recording. This is the feature I'm focusing on here, and so there are a number of quirks to be aware of when it comes to using this system as an audio recorder. The first is that I don't see a way to change the REC. LEVEL on the transmitter/recorder. There is a way to change the OUTPUT LEVEL on the receiver (RX) but no way to change the REC. LEVEL. What this might mean is that, if this thing isn't a 32-bit float recorder (and I'll talk about why I say IF in a second) it would seem like it's kind of limited in terms of being able to make sure the audio doesn't "clip". However, as I started testing, I realized a couple of things: 1. The record level is pretty low (so it has lots of headroom) and 2. The level indicator on the display of each transmitter says the level is higher than it really is (based on looking at the file in an audio editor). This is good, because I'm less concerned that the recording (on the transmitter) will clip, even though it doesn't seem to be adjustable. The last thing I'll say is that when I amplify the level using an audio editor such as Audacity, I'm super surprised at how clean the audio sounds...it's almost like working with a 32-bit float file on my Zoom F2 (but I haven't pushed it very far in testing yet, so I'll update this after more testing). UPDATE: I was baffled regarding how clean the audio sounds after boosting it in post-production...and then I remembered I read that it is applying some kind of noise reduction WHILE RECORDING! I looked up the specifications, and they call it "intelligent denoise". So, while I still don't know for sure if there isn't a way to change the REC. LEVEL while recording (to the internal memory of the transmitter) I am really liking what the audio sounds like after boosting the low audio levels it seems to record at. Remember to always monitor your audio while you're recording (using accurate headphones) because good settings can't fix bad audio. Also, these settings will not establish the exact level you'll need for every scene, but the goal is to provide a good starting point that will become clean, after adjusting in post. Additionally, these "custom settings" are used to make the Microphone-Specific EQ files work (as they won't work as intended if any of they aren't used). The EQ files were created to correct any imperfections of the microphone and/or wind protection (FOAM and/or FURRY) and were made in Audacity (the free audio editor) to make them as affordable & universal as possible.