First thoughts on the new Zoom F1 Field Recorder

Zoom recently released the new F1 Field Recorder, an ultra-compact device that can handle a variety of audio tasks. It can be used as an on-camera microphone and recorder, it can placed on a person’s belt and be used as a clip-on mic recorder, it can even be used to record music, ambient environmental sounds, and for recording a two-person podcast. That’s an impressive array of solutions for such an inexpensive device!

What is the F1, exactly?

The Zoom F1 is a portable audio recorder that runs on two AA batteries. It doesn’t have any built-in microphones, but it does have a 3.5mm stereo input for microphones, and it features Zoom’s proprietary multi-pin port for attaching their microphone modules, or the EXH-6 (which features two XLR/TRS inputs). Another great thing is that it has a 3.5mm stereo headphone output, because monitoring your sound is always important.

What makes the F1 so clever is that it convincingly transforms into an on-camera microphone/recorder, and a belt-pack recorder with a clip-on lav mic. This is a pretty neat trick!

Why would you clip it to someone’s jeans?

Well, if you don’t have a wireless microphone system (or if you prefer not to use one), a small recorder like the F1 can be used to record a single person’s audio. You plug in a small lav mic, and clip the F1 to the person’s clothing. After the video shoot, you need to sync the externally recorded audio files with the video in your video editing software.

This is a popular solution for wedding videographers. It’s a pretty common practice to put a recorder like the F1 on the groom, and to clip a lav mic to their suit (or maybe hide it in their tie). What’s nice about using a recorder as opposed to a wireless mic system is that you don’t need to worry about wireless interference.

For many years the old Zoom H1 was a popular device to use for this purpose. It was compact, easy to slide into a pocket on the groom’s suit, it had a 3.5mm mic input for a clip-on lav mic, and you could easily set it to record and then lock the controls so it wouldn’t accidentally stop recording.

However, Zoom recently updated this model to the H1n, which now features a physical dial to control the input level (learn more about it in my dedicated post about the H1n). You can still lock the controls after you start recording, but, the physical input dial does not lock, so it can accidentally be adjusted. So, the H1n is not a good choice for the task of recording the groom, but the new Zoom F1 is a much better device for this purpose.

Why would you attach it to your camera?

Since you can attach a shotgun microphone capsule to the Zoom F1, it makes sense to mount it to a camera. Instead of using an on-camera microphone like the Rode VideoMic Pro, you can use the F1 in its place. You can record a high-resolution copy of the audio on the F1, and connect the headphone output of the F1 to the mic input on your camera. This way you will have two copies of the audio, one recorded in the camera, and the other recorded in the F1.

You can also use the EXH-6 module when attached to a camera. This enables you to connect two XLR microphones to the camera. For example, you could have two wireless systems attached, or a single wireless receiver and an external shotgun microphone, like the Sennheiser MKE 600. One limitation here is that the EXH-6 module cannot supply phantom power. But, it does transform the F1 into a Beachtek or juicedLink XLR adapter box.

Oversimplified to the point of confusion

Zoom made a design decision with the F1 that I find questionable. When you set the input level using a microphone module (such as the SGH-6 shotgun capsule), you simply adjust the dial on the module. However, when you need to set the input level of a microphone that’s plugged into its 3.5mm input, you can only do it with a single button on the face of the device.

I think this is unintuitive. You press the REC LEVEL button on the F1, and these are the options you are given:

• Lo-
• Lo
• Mid-
• Mid
• Mid+
• Hi-
• Hi
• Hi+
• Hi++

This is just odd. Instead of letting you choose a level between 0 and 10, Zoom has chosen this. People don’t think in terms of “Mid Minus” or “Hi Plus Plus.” I wish they put an input level rocker switch on it instead, like the one on the old Zoom H1. This is definitely the least appealing aspect of the F1.

Be aware of the bundles

The Zoom F1 is sold in two different bundles. One is called the F1-LP and it comes with a clip-on lav mic and a belt clip accessory. The other is called the F1-SP and it comes with an SGH-6 shotgun mic module, a special shockmount accessory, and a short mini-plug cable. The F1-LP costs $199 USD, the F1-SP costs $249 USD.

The accessories in these bundles are unique (the belt clip and the shockmount), are they’re not sold separately. So, if you buy the lav-mic bundle and later decide you want to mount it to a camera, you’re out of luck. The shockmount sold in the bundle has an unusual set of clips that attach to the metal bars on the F1. This isn’t the kind of thing you would want to try to attach to a standard shockmount.

Between the two bundles that are available, I recommend getting the shotgun mic version. Why? The Zoom SGH-6 shotgun module that comes with it costs $130 alone. The shockmount that comes with this bundle cannot be purchased any other way. You can buy relatively inexpensive 3.5mm clip-on lav mics that will work with the F1, like the Polsen OLM-10, which costs $23 USD at B&H Photo.

The only thing you can’t get if you buy the shotgun bundle is the belt-clip accessory. But, you can easily stick the F1 into a pocket. You can also loop it onto a belt using the metal bars on the F1 (however, this would require your subject to take off their belt to set up, which is kind of a drag). If you wanted to be a real pro, you could buy a Remote Audio URSA, which is a soft waist strap with a built-in pouch that holds the F1.

Closing thoughts…

The new Zoom F1 may not be perfect, but I think it’s very interesting and appealing. It’s great that you can use it as an on-camera mic, and as a belt-pack recorder. It doesn’t end there, though. You could attach the EXH-6 to it, set up a couple of Shure SM58 mics on desk stands, and use it to record a two-person podcast. (I use an SM58 to record my co-host’s voice on our podcast).

There’s even more it can do. You can connect it to an iOS device (an iPhone or an iPad), or to a computer, and use it as a USB 2 audio interface. It’s limited to recording 16-bit audio in this mode (which is a bummer), but still, this is a cool feature to have. You can even set it to playback audio on an endless loop, and power it through its USB port. The F1 is an ultra-compact, ultra-lightweight, totally cool audio Swiss Army knife, and it’s affordable. I want one.