ZoomF1 Field Recorder Lavalier Package

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 :)

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 👍!!!!

Excellent overall. I use it to capture spoken lectures for editing while minimizing room acoustics and external noise. The auto level function works well enough, and the limiter, which is quite good, has saved a few recordings for me. The belt clip is a nuisance and should be made removable, it's easy to lose the wind screen (although the kit comes with several spares); and the menus are a bit tedious to navigate because of the tiny size of the device. Well-built, solid and study. It delivers what it promises and has been a reliable tool.

I love the ease and audio of the unit. I need three units for my typical video shoots. Unfortunately, I have had to purchase five because the doors break and there are no replacement doors.I need to count on the equipment when I am in the field. This last weekend, a host fumbled the Zoom F1 on Astro Turf from less than 30 inches and the door broke.The units are great otherwise; I will keep buying them because they are perfect.I wish they would sell replacement doors. Of course, then I would have only bought three instead of five -- so far.

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.

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.