Zoom F1-SP 2-Input / 2-Track Portable Field Recorder with Shotgun Microphone
UPC's:
MPN's:
Had high hopes, but just not up to tasks
I had high hopes. Tested preamps against H5, and the difference is glaring. Ran the XY pattern mic and shotgun mic, and the preamps on the F1 just do not have enough juice. The lav that could have been. I so want this to work, but I have a sennheiser mic going into my iphone, and it simply does a better job. Again, I think the preamps fall short. I have to turn the gain up too far for the lav to compete. Line out to GH5. Some folks have compla... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Very useful
For those who are satisfied with the level of quality and handling of the Zoom F line, the F1 will not disturb you, the only thing missing in the F1 is a safety track, due to limited mic gain steps. Last but not least, nice the LMF-1 Lavalier Microphone.
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Not what I had hoped for
I am probably expecting too much from something in this price range, but I had expected, from some of the reviews, a good clean pre-amp. This is not the case. When the gain is turned up to Hi or higher, there is a lot of noise in the signal. My H6 is much better. The included lavalier is, as one might expect, thin and tinny. Overall, this product was not useful to me.
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Love the power packed into such a small size
Easy to use and great support from both B&H and Zoom directly. We were up and running in one day and had more advanced features under our belt within the next three days. This product is not an end-all solution, but will solve portability issues for our company when we have to pack lite.
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Noise
Either I record to F1 itself or connect to gh5, I can hear its noise clearly specially in quiet environment. I expected to have great sound, but I felt very disappointed. I think H1 has better and cleaner sound with lav mic. I would use Zoom H1 instead.
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Liked it so much that I ordered a second one
I'm working on a trail running documentary where I'm literally chasing my subject with an a7s on a gimbal for hundreds of miles over the course of a few months in training and on race day. For a while, I just mounted a Rode VMP+ to the gimbal and that does a nice job for ambient audio but it was coming up short when I needed to capture the dialogue of my subject. I bought one of these F1's a few weeks ago and I just start recording before the ru... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Perfect for my needs
I bought this system for documentary work and its great. Ive been plugging the stereo cable into the input of my camera for syncing only and using the audio recorded to the SD card of the F1. Maybe its my cameras input, but I found this to be far better than using the audio recorder to my camera. The recorder itself is very compact and feels robust. The other capsules are a great option I plan on getting XY one for stereo recordings. Overall, Im very happy with this product and would recommend it to any videographer looking for an audio solution.
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Sounds great and easy to use with a camera
Awesome recorder. Im using it with a GH5 for interviews and documentaries, and it has been doing the job well. At first I thought it was noisy, but Zooms video on setting levels helped a ton. The tone generator is a great feature for this. Comes with the cable to plug it into the camera and a great shock mount. I tested with my Lavs as well and they sounded good. One criticism would be the battery door is difficult to close, but it is secure. All in all; great sound, easy to use, would recommend highly.
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
weird design
I bought the F1 because I need a good quality shotgun mic on my mirrorless system. But the F1 provides monitor output only, so it comes with a lot of noise while you recording the sound internal of camera. Although F1 internal recording is much better than output, its so big and long. Then there will be a really awkward situation. If you required really good quality audio and WAV format, and you could just use H6 or other production mixer. Or... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
ZOOM Nails It Again
OK, Almost nails it, couple minor tweaks I'd make but the quality, durability, sound and function all completely in line with other ZOOM Field recorders I've owned (H6, H2n, H4n). Size is amazing, can't wait to do some interviews to use the audio in post etc. The Lav is very usable, the screw in adapter is a nice touch. What tweaks? Not a fan of the belt clip as the side extensions make it near impossible to easily clip this anywhere as the clip... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Small, light versatile, high quality recordings
This is a small light recorder that easily fits on the flash shoe of a camera. The gun microphone is effective for birds or video in outdoors or large indoor spaces. It has lots of possible input connection options and the modular system with microphones is great for switching to another type of recording. The 1/8 inch (3.5mm) input with screw adapter allows for attaching a small (e.g. lavalier) microphone if you want to take the shotgun mic off ... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Where have you been all my life?
I've been using the H4n but have often just wanted something small to put on someone so I was ecstatic when they announced the F1 and after purchasing in I have not been disappointed. It is tiny, simple and super easy to use. One thing that always bugged me about the H4n was how long it took to turn on. The F1 comes on and is ready to record almost immediately. Also, the sound quality of the included lav is quite good. I have some high end lav mi... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
A lot of promise, but noise makes it hard to love.
I bought this for my GH5 to get better audio while doing fieldwork. The build qualityis good and it's very lightweight. The issues I have with this unit is the self-noise from the mic. It's not terrible when you're in a place withambientsound but in a quietenvironmentthe noise becomes an issue. Sure, it's easy enough to remove in post, but that's one more thing I have to add to my workflow. The next problem is the MASSIVE amountof noise from the ... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Weak
I shoot a lot of outdoor video with my Canon DSLR. I was hoping to get a better audio capture with the F1 and shotgun mic attachment but the audio is weak, especially when adding the wind screen. I needed to ramp up the gain and be careful not to clip. On the plus side, the unit is small and light and has a lot of features and great range of recording options. I found that the F1 works best indoors with minimal ambient noise.
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Great Lav!
This didnt not provide phantom power. Ive seen some questions online about adapting the 10 pin XLR to the top of this module. You can do so but make sure your microphone does not need phantom power. Other than that great so far. Super small so its got a tiny footprint in my bag. Powers off of AAA or USB power banks. With 32gb card at 48/24 I get about 61 hours of record time. Can loop directly into belt or with the clip onto pants or pocket. Hold button works great as well. The price point makes it worth it.
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
The best field recorder for the $$$!
I just received two of the F1 Field recorders and LOVE them so far. As someone who frequently shoots weddings, speeches and run and gun shoots, I do not always have the time to mess with wireless mics and worry about levels or interference. The built in limiter and auto levels on the F1 do wonders. I recorded a speech last week and the audio came out flawless (even without much of a sound check because everything was run and gun with the presente... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
