Zoom Releases Their Portable F1 Field recorder
Zoom just released a new addition to their sound recording device arsenal, the F1 Field Recorder. The portable device is aimed towards run and gun video creators who need to record professional sounding audio, but might not have the luxury of hiring a sound recordist or having an entire video crew available on set.
Assembly seems to be pretty straight forward and comes with a dedicated shock mount that can be easily mounted to a DSLR camera’s hot shoe. It can be used with a lavalier microphone (Zoom F1-LP package - $199 USD) or in combination with their SGH-6 shotgun mic capsule (F1-SP package $249 USD).
The Zoom F1 is small enough to be used as a belt pack, making it easy to hide when used in combination with a lav mic. Zoom claims a 10-hour battery life, which is definitely a great plus for run and gun video creators, one less thing to worry about while filming.
The F1 field recorder captures audio up to 24 bit/96 kHz (in .wav format) and there are various other .mp3 formats available to chose from. While recording audio to your camera, it can also record directly into a micro SD card and SDHC cards up to 32 GB.
The field recorder can be powered using two AAA batteries or the AC adaptor; and with its proprietary 10-pin connector, the F1 is compatible with all of Zoom’s mic capsules. Making it extremely easy for one-man band style videographers or camera operators to interchange on the fly during their video shoots.
Features Overview:
Two-channel audio recorder
Compatible with Zoom microphone capsules
Supports up to 24-bit/96 kHz audio in BWF-compliant WAV or a variety of MP3 formats
One-touch button controls
1.25” monochrome LCD display
Rec Hold function to avoid accidental operation of buttons
Stereo ⅛" Mic/Line In mini phone jack with Plug-in power (2.5V)
Stereo ⅛" Phone/Line Output jack with dedicated volume control
Built in limiter and auto level control to avoid clipping
Pre-Record function
Tone generator for calibrating audio levels between the F1 and a DSLR or video camera without the need for an attenuator cable
Sound marker function that outputs quick tone to make syncing audio and video easy
Records directly to micro SD and SDHC cards up to 32 GB
Micro USB port for data exchange to and from computer and use as an audio interface with computer or iOS device
Runs on only 2 standard AAA alkaline, Lithium, or NiMH rechargeable batteries, or AC adapter (AD-17)
Up to 10 hours of operation with alkaline batteries (when using lavalier)
