ACCESSORIES
Andy Westlake tests a compact, high-quality audio recorder
● £199 ● explore.omsystem.com/gb/en
When the Olympus camera division split off to form OM Digital Solutions, the firm’s audio recording business was part of the deal. Its first product under the OM System brand, the LS-P5, is a successor to the Olympus LS-P4, but with an updated microphone designed to cope with louder sounds. It also benefits from enhanced smartphone remote control, along with other tweaks that make it a more practical device for capturing video soundtracks or making high-quality field recordings.
Physically the new model looks much as before, with three microphones, a small square display, and the same button layout. Its Tresmic II system provides zoomable stereo output, ranging from a wide 180° soundstage to focusing narrowly in front of the device. You can record in qualities up to 96kHz / 24-bit using either the lossy MP3 format, lossless compressed FLAC, or uncompressed WAV.
In place of the LS-P4’s sliding USB-A plug, there’s now a micro-USB port for charging the batteries and connecting to a computer. You also get a conventional tripod socket, while the input and output sockets have moved onto the left side. The body is now plastic, rather than metal, but this helps keep the weight down to 78g, with the LS-P5 measuring a pocket-friendly 112x37x16mm. The onscreen menus and controls now look distinctly dated, but this is partially offset by the new app.
As well as recording with the built-in mic, you can plug in an external microphone such a Lavalier unit. You can also output audio to your camera via the headphone socket, while simultaneously recording on the device itself and monitoring via Bluetooth headphones. However the latter suffers from a distinct delay, which isn’t a problem for checking sound levels, but is disconcerting during recording.
Most importantly, audio quality is excellent. Voices are clear and distinct, while with ambient sounds, the device deals with noisy traffic or quiet birdsong with equal aplomb. However, wind noise can be picked up very easily outdoors, so
