Zoom F1 Field Recorder with Lavalier Microphone

I’ve created hundreds of YouTube and Vimeo videos and I’ve almost every small pocket sized field recorders on the market! And each and every one had glaring issues for me. Most of the issues stemmed from the plug in, and even with expensive field recorders such as the ZOOM H4N the 3.5 port would pop out half way through my recording and I would have to reshoot because the audio would not record. My main setup as a presenter and one man crew is a lav mic plugged directly into the device. And as someone who works all over the world with no crew completely by myself, there are moments that only come once and if you miss it.... you missed it. So having a reliable device that ensures you get the job done correctly the first time, look no further than this guy. The 3.5 jack screws into my Senheiser ME2 lav and I know that if I tug on the chord or bump the port it won’t pop off and destroy the moment. So for anyone new to video or someone who is a veteran out there, please consider this essential tool. The only downside to this is it does go through AAA batteries quickly so always have a pack on hand to replace them. Also the battery door is a bit odd to deal with. But those are very small things because this tool has saved my audio recording life :)

Bought this recorder to use almost as a wireless mic (even though it isn’t wireless). You can just stick the recorder in the persons back pocket, or it even has a belt clip that comes with it. Easily set it up, hit record and let it run for as long as you need audio. As long as you have a big enough microSD card, you can record for hours. Audio quality is very good for what it is.

I love it for its size. but i don't use it as much as i should. Need to fix that. Wished if we used the accessories to get the top part to have 2 mics. That is would record in stereo. Instead of Mono

I love the device. Married it to a high end RODE Lav and get very nice results with this device BUT....... I purchased the unit in May and store the batteries outside of the unit when not in use. Today, I replaced the batteries in the unit and went to lock the battery compartment shut. There is a very small plastic slider switch that holds the locking panel in place which bent back on itself when I tried to seal the unit. So, now the unit is unusable until I can get a new tiny battery door to replace the one that failed. That seems ridiculous to me. I would highly recommend getting either the extended product warranty on purchase or picking a different unit. The lost opportunity to use the unit is actually worth more than the unit itself. I've contacted the vendor directly and will update this once I am informed of how they can help with this issue.... OK...So I said I would update this review when I got a response from ZOOM. They replied to my request to repair the device and acted on this immediately. They were prompt and professional.... I returned my device and they replaced it....with an F! that looks to have a more robust battery compartment cover. I'm super happy with how I was treated and their prompt resolution to my issue. The product does a great job, as I previously stated.

I bought this recorder primarily to use for recording the audio portion of videos for my YouTube channel. I've long had a love affair with my venerable Zoom H6 multitrack recorder, and all the various mic attachments I already own for the H6 fit the F1, as well. Most of the time I use the lavalier mic which came with the F1, but I have also used my SSH-6 shotgun mic, and the EXH-6 XLR expansion module to use a low-impedance XLR mic with the F1. Using the EXH-6, you can use any low impedance mic, as long as it doesn't require phantom power. The Auto setting on the Rec Level works great, and I've never been able to overload the input signal, so no distortion is evident. I'm not a big fan of the metal bars which constitute the belt loop, as I think a) they add unnecessary bulk to the unit, which would otherwise fit even more easily into one's pocket, and b) the bars really get in the way of both the battery compartment door and the micro SD slot door, making it very difficult to remove the tiny, micro SD card from its slot. The F1 has a great form factor otherwise, though. The audio quality is great. Miles above the audio you'll get from any camera's built-in mic. And don't stress over syncing the audio in post. Almost all video editing programs have a function to sync the external audio with the camera audio in a single click. Just make sure you're camera's mic is on so the software has the two signals to compare and sync. If your camera has a mic input, you can connect the F1's headphone output to the camera's input, and then you don't even have to worry about syncing audio in post. The F1 is tiny and easily pocketable, with enough buttons that you don't have to do too much menu diving to do what you need. The F1 works almost perfectly for its intended use, and I'd definitely buy it again.

This thing is amazing, you can take it anywhere. You can put it on your belt and secretly record conversations with your boss, hiding the lab mic under your shirt. And it's handy with the mic capsule for quickly capturing sounds you hear around you. Very convenient, wish mine still worked. But one day it never powered on again. Don't let that stop you though, you should still purchase this over any similar items. As I've had it for probably over 3 years regardless. And it has wav 96 at 32bits I think. Whatever it was, was good 👍!!!!

I’ve had this unit for a few months now, mainly for audio capture for a video podcast I shoot for a friend, it’s worked well, until I dropped the unit and it hit at the right angle to break the battery door cover. After contacting the company (Originally to see if I could purchase a replacement part) they had me ship my broken unit to them and they replaced it with a new unit. Great customer experience so far!

Es, sin duda, la mejor opción en Lavalier. Con este te olvidas de comprar un receptor, un transmisor y andar cargando con una grabadora o interfaz para grabar, simplemente dejas este dispositivo con la persona a quien le colocas el micro y se queda guardado en el dispositivo. Sumamente útil para entrevistas, cine o para uso personal. Antes usaba los tradicionales transmisores pero con este dispositivo te ahorras algunos pasos y hasta equipo.

A wonderful product from zoom. It’s amazing. Only that the battery cover should be treated with care. Otherwise it will be broken. On the other hand, it’s a fantastic product for Vloggers and location-sound technicians.

Forget about these reviews complaining about the lav and bad battery. The lav is great and even superior to my Diety Lav I own. Those who complain about the static sound when it moves don't know how to properly wire somone. The battery door is good so long as you are not reckless when closing it. Just use it the way it's meant to be used and it's good. Great sound. Way better than zoom h1. Solid device. I'll be buying another one, probably the one with the shotgun mic so I can try that out next.

This is a great little sound recorder. The sound is good. The lavalier is good. I lost the clip which sucks. Would be nice if they gave extra. Also found I needed to buy cat tails for it to cut down wind noise even from regular speaking indoors. No complaints. It’s a nice unit

Perfecto para testimonios y entrevistas. Un sonido limpio y con un rango amplio. Práctica y fácil de usar