Peter, for short runs the Tascam should be fine.
The other issue I had with it was a write fail to an SD card. I had set it up to write a new file every 1gb automatically, but the first time it tried to save the file it said something like "Write Error - Press Enter." When I checked later there was a file name but no data, so I lost about an hour of the recording. (Details here:
http://wp.me/p2gorK-17)
After that fiasco I would use a card that is certified by Tascam, and test it a lot. You can get a pdf of their Tested Media List here:
http://tascam.com/product/dr-40/downloads/
I now routinely use XLR Y-cables and simultaneously record to the camera as a backup, even with the Zoom H4n.
Best of luck with your projects.
--Paul Kagawa
Website:
http://www.paulkagawa.com
Blog:
http://www.paulkagawa.com/blog
twitter:
@paulkagawa
