DV Info Net - NAB 2018 sneak peak: Zoom F8n

I've only used the F4 but I am impressed as heck with the F4, F8 and F8N. Unfortunately for me, they lack the HDMI TC input that the Mix Pres have for shooting with mirrorless cameras so I ended up with a Mix Pre-3 instead. I could have bought a Zoom but then I would have needed to have also dropped at least $600.00 for a pair of Tentacles or something comparable, negating the Zoom cost savings.

Neither of my cameras have BNC TC i/o (Fujifilm XT-3 and Canon C200) so the Mix Pre 3 was a better move for my needs. But I think the Zooms were a better deal and had much more comprehensive feature sets. If I was a sound mixer and couldn't afford the higher end SD recorders, the Zoom F8N would be my choice.
But yes, there definitely still is the Zoom stigma, especially here in LA. Too many DSLR users running the H4Ns for too many years. Saying you are using Sound Devices, even the cheap Mix Pre 3, usually gets a good nod from producers. I've used the Mix Pre 3 for one audio only recording gig at a big NBC TV show backstage and it worked really well for what we were recording, stand up interviews with a bunch of high profile bands and singers. The Kashmir pre-amps sound really nice. But the Zoom feature sets blow away the Mix Pre.