Using a Zoom H4n or H4n Recorder with your DSLR camera helps you to get clearer audio and excellent recording. But what if you need to be mobile when filming with the camera, will carrying the Zoom H4n be a big burden for you? You need to find a way of mounting the recorder to the DSLR camera safely and conveniently, and here is how.
The Easily Way – Hot Shoe Mount
If your hot shoe mount is available to use, you can mount the Zoom H4n recorder to the hot shoe of your DSLR easily with a hot shoe mount adapter.
Screw the Zoom H4n to one end of the hot shoe mount adapter and slide the base into your camera’s hot shoe that is on the top of your DSLR. Connect the mic/line-out jack on the Zoom H4n audio recorder with your DSLR camera by using a 3.5mm male cable, and you are good to go.
However, the hot shoe mount adapter is not included in the box of Zoom H4n. So you need to purchase one separately. and you can get the Zoom HS-1 hot shoe mount adapter designed for Zoom recorders working with cameras.
What If You Have Multiple Devices Working with Your DSLR?
Hot/Cold Shoe Extension Bracket
Using the hot shoe adapter sometimes can’t fully get the job done. Besides an H4n audio recorder, you may have multiple devices including external microphones, LED lights, and field monitors when recording with your DSLR camera. A hot shoe base is certainly not enough for all these devices.
A hot/cold shoe extension bracket allows you to have extra mounts and mount multiple devices on the camera without making things complicated. But there is a con of this kind of bracket – You should not mount heavy and bulky devices to it. Otherwise, you will find it is hard to operate the DSLR camera since the weight on top is not balanced. And too much weight on the bracket may damage your camera’s built-in hot shoe.
Clamp Mount + Camera Rig
For people who use DSLR camera support systems like shoulder rigs, a clamp mount is a great choice for mounting the Zoom H4n Pro recorder to your camera without causing too much pressure to the hot shoe.
Although using a camera rig with a clamp mount is not portable and costs extra money, it ensures the best user experience and excellent image, audio quality as you can adjust the angle and height of your Zoom H4n Pro freely and flexibly. Also, a clamp mount for Zoom H4n Pro is can be used on tripods, which lets you deliver the premium recording quality to your DSLR camera without holding any devices.
