Zoom's series of hand held recorders have become a must have for anyone who works in videography, music, foley and more. Anyone who needs to record audio could use on of these recorders. The latest model the H5 takes all the upgrades from the flagship H6 and brings it down in size to a much more manageable size and affordable price. Multiple Capsules Much like its big brother the H5 can use any of Zoom's portable capsules so you can change your recorder to fit your needs. It comes with an improved X/Y stereo microphone in the box that has a pair of high quality capsules set up in a perfectly matched stereo configuration. If that is not exactly what you need however you can purchase any of the optional capsules that are easy to get up and running. Mid Side, Shotgun, Stereo XLR, and Large X/Y Stereo capsules are all available for a very reasonable price so you can use this microphone for a wide range of different scenarios. Ins and Outs The H5 is a 4 track recorder so not only do you have access to a stereo microphone on the top but also 2 XLR inputs on the bottom of the microphone. All of these tracks record onto separate channels so you can take them out later and edit on your favourite DAW or even on the H5 itself. All of these inputs can be sent out either through the inbuilt line out for direct connection to a camera or headphone out for constant monitoring. The best part however is that all of these inputs and outputs can be individually controlled for pan, level and more. Power! A portable recorder isn't any good if the batteries can't last. That is why Zoom have spent a lot of time making sure that this microphone is as energy efficient as possible. So with that the H5 will run on a set of AA batteries for over 15 hours! With this much power you can do two full days of work with this microphone without having to change batteries once. USB Audio Interface If its abilities as a portable recorder were not already enough to convince you of the handiness of the H5 you can also use it as a high quality USB interface. Via USB 2.0 you can use the H5 for 96kHz / 24-bit recording straight into your favourite DAW. If you need a portable system to edit and record with on the go, match this up with a laptop for the ultimate portable studio.