**Note**: 1) I was recovering from the flu when I recorded this and my voice was still rather raw and affected by the illness. 2) In the majority of the review I used a lavalier. If you'd like to compare the sound here with another video for reference, be sure to listen to an episode where I used the same mic: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/b8lnZ7Ok2NLHf58.html

I love your reviews. I'm always about a year behind when the products are released and when your reviews come up in my feed, but luckily its always before I buy one! lol. Love this!

Great review as always Curtis. Thank you! I may be getting that soon.

Again, as always, a really great overview! Thanks Curtis and keep up the good work

Excellent review yet again! Always love the attention paid to lesser-known gear you show on your channel. I've always thought the form factor of the H1 was a little too difficult for my needs, but the F1 looks like a solid budget option for lavalier microphones.

WoW amazing sound, lighting and video quality, great job, super clean pro work :)

Love that you put the summary right up front - very helpful!

Chris, your audio equipment reviews are among the best on the Interwebs. Great job

Thank you so much for the review on the zoom F1. This product makes so much sense when compared with the ridiculously expensive Lectrosonics PDR you recently reviewed. The Zoom F1 has great features and amazing quality at a price (not cheap) that is realistic for amateurs and aspiring pros.

Another one of your great review. Love how you explain things. Thank you Curtis.

Dude, you are amazing at these reviews. Fantastic work! Also what a great product.

Thanks to the mention in your vid about the H1n, I learned about the F1- which is EXACTLY what I needed. Almost mistakenly bought the H1n. I really appreciate the overview.

Best video review of THE recorder a found. Good job!

Thanks, Curtis. ☘️ I still watch your videos even if I am not intrested in the product. there is so much useful information in your reviews.

Thanks Curtis, super informative. I've been eyeing this recorder also thanks for mentioning the Lav mic VT500 I wasn't familiar with it.

Always nice and pleasnt review! Thanks! I already have the H4N, but no cheap thing to attach it on the trouser. This F1 looks more convenient.

Curtis, Your work is fantastic! Just binge watched a few of your videos.

Excelente revision de un magnifico producto como el zoom f1. I used the zoom f1 for recording my sermons and the quality is superb. Thank you for your explanation, very detailed and well presented.

as always, a thoughtful review. thank you for the effort and the sharing. i am a satisfied subscriber. thumbs up.

Great review as always Curtis, Thank you! Cheers, Pete

Super helpful review, Curtis! Thanks so much. I’ll pick up one of these for my church as they’re currently in the market right now for an affordable lav system.

IT JUST KEEPS GETTING BETTER. I LOVE THE TECH STUFF AS YOU DO. KEITH KUHN

Curtis, this review was excellent. Thank you.

Awesome. Thank you for the info. Currently have a Tascam DR-10L, but switching to the Zoom F1. Keep up the good work!

please don't stop making videos

A pleasure to whatch your videos, as usual.

Yet another great video Curtis.

love your summaries... !!

Curtis Absolutely amazing and yes I have been paying attention.Learned so much from watching.Can't Thank You enough.I definitely recommend anyone watching to start from the beginning because Curtis is Amazing.Again Thank You.And glad I watched from the Start.Deb.👌👍

Nice work for putting the summary at the start, and not trying to string us along for ages to work the youtube algorithm.

Have good Sunday Curtis great video

Another great review of what looks like an excellent recorder to have.

Another great review. I contacted Zoom and asked if they would be selling the shock mount separately and when. I was told that in several weeks I should be able to get it directly from them... that was back at the beginning of March. As of today it's not available. I already own the Zoom H6 with the shotgun mic so I went with the F1 lavaliere version so I could use shotgun I already own from my H6 with the F1. I'm sure eventually the shock mount will be available and I'll be glad when it is. Note: I own both of the Zoom shot gun mics and I have to say I really like the way the F1 works with the Zoom SSH-6. The F1 has good control of the side mics.

That was an incredible review. I'm sold on the F1-SP bundle, I'm getting into video work and was absolutely disappointed reading all the negative reviews on RODE videomic products nowadays. This is a clean sounding, excellent alternative that also records into it's own SD card as a backup. I can appreciate that alot.

your videos are so so helpful. keep making em!

Thank you! I like my Tascam DR 10L. It also has the safety track and it’s smaller. But if you want the microphones on it then Zoom is the way to go. It’s great to have do many options now. Just a couple years ago this space was sorely missing this type of run and gun recorder. :)

Thank you! Great review.

Hey Curtis! thanks again for your videos, you rock man.

Excellent review. Just bought the F1 and searched to see if you had made a review😀

Solid review, as always!

Nice review I'm going to pick up one. Thanks.

Thanks for nice reviews

I like it Curtis I can see its use in special situations

FUNNY story: My first experience with this recorder came at a wedding. The photographer put one on my as I was the officiant. I assumed it was a wireless microphone that would be switched on later via a sound board. I wore it for 30+ before the wedding not realizing I was actually being recorded. I took phone calls, told jokes and even went to the BATHROOM. I noticed after the wedding she said “let me grab your RECORDER” I immediately realized and was quite embarrassed. Fast forward after hearing the audio in the edited video later I immediately bought one and love it.

Thanks very much. It's larger than I imagined, but the versatility looks good. The H1n includes some of the same display and control layout improvements over the H1. Thanks for underscoring that boom mounting a shotgun mic is far superior to mounting one on camera.

I've been using this unit for corporate video, and occasionally as a VO interface for LogicProX for about 18 months. It's an incredibly versatile little unit. My H5 is largely gathering dust now.

Love to hear your review of the new F2.

Great stuff as always.

Curtis you are a true Jedi Master of Audio!!

Great review. Looks like a nice little recorder.

That thing sounds amazing as a boom!

Thanks for the great video review. Just saw that some other article review says there are 'micro USB port for data exchange to and from computer and use as an audio interface with computer or iOS device' Wonder if anyone tried the audio interface feature ... Believe in this little device can work very nicely in a run-and-gun situation with Raspberry Pi3 ... (with some sort of DIY Python scripts regarding real-time voice processing ) Thanks Curtis for the review :)

Thanks for the review of the F1 and thanks for referring me to this review from the H1n. After watching both videos and a couple videos comparing the H1n and the H4n I think for the money the H4n is the ticket although I definitely don't like the weight of the H4n. However, I like the all-in-one features it offers. I will be using it with a Manfrotto FigRig and still deciding how to do the mount, wherein the H1n would be much preferred except for the safety track matter. I definitely want that feature just in case. Oh, I also despise using Micro SD cards. I love SD Cards.

It's awesome to see that you keep responding to questions in your channel. Just shows how much dedication you have :) I'll throw in my question as we are in the process of setting up our own small studio for our own product review and intro. So we don't want to go too crazy on the budget but still want to produce decent audio results. What would you recommend would be a good start for us if we plan to use it in studio recording and maybe some outdoor recordings? Looking at the F1 and H1N but not sure if this is what's going to get us a solid start. Thanks

I've recently purchased a Zoom H5. I was looking for something that has very low self-noise. Most of what I record is me talking softly (I record guided meditations). I was reasonably happy with my Zoom H4n Pro which I upgraded to a while ago from my Zoom H2n (I was generally happy with the sound quality of the H2n for most uses, but had some issues with it for recording meditations and so would plug in a lapel mic to record them, which generally worked well. I upgraded to the H4n Pro because I also teach and demonstrate meditation and hypnosis in front of audiences and wanted to mic up myself and potentially a demonstration subject and have this audio recorded for videos etc, not something I could do with the H2n and the Pro has reduced noise over the original H4n). Now my KZfaq channel is becoming more popular and companies are wanting to licence my meditations for apps etc I want to improve the quality further, so although everything I read said that the H5 had the same self-noise as the H4n Pro, it has the option to change mics, so I could use the shotgun mic to reduce pickup of other noises and hopefully have the focus on my voice, and maybe not have to be quite as close to the mic as I have to be when using the H4n Pro's XY mics. I saw a self-noise test (although I have watched so many videos etc before making my decision between the H5 or H6 and also possibly considering the Sony PCM- D100) that had the self noise about -40dB which was very high, but recordings I found online for what I would use it for seemed okay (the other thing I record is nature, often of quiet things, so I know apparently the Sony is best for this, but that doesn't have so much on board options, like XLR and is over twice the price and I couldn't find a clear self-noise comparison test). What I was thinking, and how I found this video, was that the F1 might have better sound, so buying and H5 and later an F1 where I can then use the same interchangeable mics, might be a good option, then I would have a lapel mic on something which could replace my H1 for when I give talks etc (where I don't want to be connected to a static recorder like with XLR mics into Zoom H4n Pro or H5), but also then perhaps a device that is easy to carry around for recording nature. In your video it seems the self-noise with this is below -60dB (unlike the test I saw for the H5 at about -40dB). I searched your channel to see if you have done the same test on the H5 with the same shotgun mic. Obviously if the F1 is essentially the same quality sound as the H5 and that maybe it was differences in testing (as one was done by you, the other by someone else) then it may not be worth getting the F1 when I have the H5, but if the F1 has something about it that makes it have lower self-noise (perhaps a change in how Zoom do things given it is a much more recent product) then it could be worth having the F1 for recording quiet nature sounds. I have really struggled to find comparisons or comparison charts etc giving this kind of information for different devices so that they can be compared. I read somewhere that the Sony PCM D100 is -127dB EIN, H4n Pro, H5 and H6 are -120 dB EIN, but I don't know what this difference between the two numbers means in practical terms. Also what I am more interested in is how loud is the self-noise when mics are compared at equal levels (I have heard that on the dial for the Sony, turning it to 4 gives the same level as a Zoom set to 7, so I would want a test of these devices set so that they are picking up the sound at the same level, which could mean, although I don't know, that when the Zoom reaches 10, the Sony may be at 7 and may have the same or lower noise, but still have room to turn up sensitivity for quieter noises, but I don't know what the noise would be like as the Sony passes 7 for example and whether it remains usable etc). So really the questions (following this long message) are, do you know whether the F1 and the H5 essentially sound the same with the same levels of self-noise and how does the F1/H5/H6 compare to the Sony PCM D100 for recording quiet things, not speech or towns or music etc, but bird song, rustling leaves, etc, and what advice would you give for how to find this kind of information out if you don't have access to the recorders to do your own tests and what, in real terms do the different numbers quoted as selling points mean (like is there a significantly noticeable difference between -127dB EIN and -120 dB EIN and how does (or does it?) this number relate to real-world use and what numbers or information should we be looking for. I just want the quietest recorder for nature and if I have to then I will save for getting the Sony in the future (which reviews etc seem to point to that being the best non-professional/under £600 recorder on the market for that kind of recording. Thank you for any help you can give...

Curtis, I've been a big fan of your since I started exploring audio/video recording a couple of years ago. I recently purchased the F1 for use with the SSH-1 (and other capsules). It serves as my shotgun mic for video recording with a Sony a6500. I have encountered 2 problems I didn't anticipate and I hope you can shed some light on those. First, it seems that the a5600 doesn't do well with the F1's line level headphone output. I really didn't predict that this would be a problem since Zoom sells a 3.5mm cable for the purpose of connecting a recorder to a camera and it is NOT an attenuation cable. Moreover, I have not seen you or any of the reviewers mention that this could be a problem. I purchased a 3.5mm 35dB attenuation cable and that did help, though I think perhaps it might work better with even more attenuation. Second, even when the 1st problem is addressed, there is a pronounced buzz on the camera recording that really makes the camera recording of the F1 output fairly unusable. Much to my disappointment, I will certainly have to record separate audio and synch it up in post for anything I try to record and publish. Moreover, I have been using this setup to do Zoom meetings and Skype calls. I can avoid problems with the synching up of audio and video if both the audio and video are transmitted over the same HDMI line from the camera. But with this problem, I'll have to have separate inputs into my computer for audio and video and will therefore have a synchronization problem. Perhaps that is a limitation of the camera. But again, I have not seen yourself or any other reviewers mention that as a potential issue. Usually, the reviewers focus on the quality and proximity of the microphone to the source. Noone ever says you can't get usable audio recorded to your camera without solving little known problems... What do you think???

Much love Curtis man

Hey Curtis, nice review! I would be very grateful to see a comparison of the zoom f1 vs zoom h5 and zoom f1 mounted on camera with shotgun vs videomic pro + mounted on camera. Thanks a lot!

initially I wasn't sure what the bars were for aside from the shockmount, but seeing the belt application in your video I was pretty happy. That might be very useful on set. It would be nice if they shipped it with a fanny pack strap or watch/ankle band to be used in lieu of a belt, quicker on/off. & as ankle it could double as set prop ankle monitor for house arrest.

No matter the equipment, if it's audio, I know I can Google Curtis Judd and get an immaculate review.

Fantastic video as always Sir. I do have one question... what if I attach the shotgun mic capsule and plug in an external mic simultaneously. What would happen in that case? Thanks for everything Curtis and keep up the awesome work. Best reviews on KZfaq by far 😁

Great review. I like the hat also!

Great review! I've used both the F1 and the TASCAM DR10, and I prefer the F1 over the DR10 because: it's a little bigger, so the buttons are more solid and easier to manipulate; the screen is WAY easier to read; and the way the DR10 operates is not very intuitive, so I kept getting lost in terms of the current vs. most recent track. Also, for those of us who need reading glasses for pretty much everything, the F1 is far easier to read than the DR10. (People rarely have much to say about the UI design, but with more and more features getting jammed into these things, the UI is becoming increasingly important. Just going through a run-down of the buttons isn't sufficient IMHO. Rather, you need to actually go through some normal usage steps. The DR10 just confused the heck out of me for quite a while, but the F1 was much quicker to learn.)

THANK YOU!!! I just saw this review by you and it is the EXACT product I wanted Zoom to make. I am concerned that they made it double the cost of the H1? Do you think it deserves to be double the cost? Do you think they will ever make this a WiFi enable device? Yes I asked a few questions I was trying to keep it to just one. Thanks again for all your videos they really help me out.

I've bought my F1 about 2 years ago (2020), used it a lot when shooting outdoors until about 1 year ago. I really liked it. After a break of about a year, I used it today again. In between two recordings, the battery lid chose to break while I was outdoor, somewhere in the woods. Of course I had no backup system. (who on earth carries emergency backup systems, that's so …) That was most inconvenient. I could continue to record with holding the f1 in one hand, pressing the lid down with my thumb, and holding the camera in the other hand. Not too easy when the camera has 1.4kg and you can't switch hands. I always wondered how long the lid would live. For me it was about a year of use. Not too long.

OK. That is one beautiful light you're using in the car. Looks like sunlight? Do tell please.

Thank you :)

Great review. I too have the DR 10L and really like it. A safety track on the zoom and you would have a very attractive option there.............Oh and I'm still waiting for a $100 price drop on the Panasonic DMW-XLR1 XLR Microphone Adapter. Panasonic are you listening - "big grin". I still like my Sennheiser ME66 for a shot gun, its the only legitimate mic that you can use directly connected to a GH5 or iPhone with no other pre-amp.

Thanks so much for all your videos, Curtis, I've learned a lot and I'm especially grateful for this review because I thinking about paying it. Could you tell me what mic boompole and stand you use so I can attach the F1? Thanks again.

Zoom just makes great stuff in general

Video is awesome

Thank you Curtis, I would like to know how did you setup for 'Stereo' record on Zoom F1? There are some different menu there that make me confused.

Just a note; I have just reviewed the Zoom F1, and didn’t get any of the RF interference in my testing. Also, shockingly, the limiter did not add to the noise floor in my testing, my test got the same -60db noise floor (mostly likely room tone) with the limiter on and off. I’m extremely impressed with this little unit.

Thanks for this nice content ! What studio lights are you using please ? Is it soft boxes ? If yes, could you give some references or link ? Cheers

great review Curtis thank you! so many comments already so I doubt you will see this but do you know if the f1 uses drop frame timecode? or can this be set as an option?

You have great reviews, especially for someone like me who is just getting into film making. I did have a question though. I am starting a new channel which is all filmed outdoors and was wondering if the Zoom F1 or the H1n with Rode Smartlav would be better in your opinion. Mostly the recordings would be dialog and environment/nature sounds.

Dude! I was just looking at this and thinking "I wonder if Curits has reviewed this yet".

Great video Curt. I'd love to hear your thoughts on comparing the zoom F1 with shotgun capsule against the GH5 XLR adapter with a mid-level shotgun mic? Save a little money going the zoom route, you also get a separate audio recording along with sending audio to the camera. Audio quality wise what do you think?

Thanks for all your great videos! So much, so good information! Just one question: since it's a 2- track recorder, is there any way I can connect two lavaliers to the F1? Thanks!

Great job Curtis!!! Thing I hated about the H1 was that you need a "dongle" of sorts to use the Rode Lav. Which I tend to lose a lot. Is the lav that comes with this the only one that will work with it or will my Sennheiser and other lavs work with it?

Great review Curtis. I am headed to Antarctica in the Amazon and have big gear / size challenges, so the F1 was recommended with its compact shotgun for my GH5. I saw on your video at DC 5V USB input, but I don't think you mentioned it in your video. How effective it is that? Any comments on the Lab included with the F1? Finally, shotgun was a bit mid range heavy. Any other recommendations for a cost-effective mini shotgun for my GH5 (Rode VideoMic GO, Rode VideoMic Pro / Plus, or another compact shotgun that can connect directly to GH5 and can also be mounted on a mic-stand / boom like you did in your video). Thanks again for such great work!

Excellent review! I just got one. Is it true I can record to my dslr and the F1 at the same time to have a safety track?

Coooooooooooooooool stuff. Thx.

Thanks for the review. Well... that battery door will break. My school's h4 only works with tape on the door now.

Great review; looking forward to what you'll think about the forthcoming Roland R-07.

​ @Curtis Judd Would you say the F1 is better suited to record telephone dialog over the h1? Or dialog in general? Thanks!

Good and thorough review; I have the F1 myself and love it. Unfortunately, I chose the "LP" version and it seems Zoom is still not selling the shock mount by itself which really renders the benefits of multiple capsules somewhat useless. I even emailed their support and got a "maybe we will sell it by itself." Poor customer service on that part in my opinion.

Great review, can you also review the new Zoom H1n?

Hey Chris, thank you for the review. How do you like the preamps in the F1 compared to the older H4n? Do you think they are the same preamps? I currently own a F1 and am not very satisfied with the noise floor I get with with the included F1-SP

Your reviews are extremely helpful, thanks a lot! I’m looking for “wearable” recording for lav mic. I thought to buy Zoom h1n, but you in your review told that F1 is more suitable for this task. I’d like to ask is there some record/preamp quality between this two? It’s to hard to compare them from reviews because you used different mics and recorded on H1N in the studio. F1 was recorded in a car, which makes sound worse (in my opinion). I’d like to get best quality out of lav mics.

great video , if you had a choice between this one of the zoom h8, what would you go for ? 😁

Mesmerising to listen to all the numbers being delivered as if it was plain english. :-) Really enjoy your reviews. I got a small youtube channel, adventures in the wild, and I like the idea to record the ambient noice for background more that ranting or use music, but what recorder would you recommend? I have an old and fading Zoom H1, been looking at the Zoom H1n and now at the F1. But in doing so I have opened Pandoras box, there are SOOO many interesting recorders to choose from.

Definitely like the sound of the mic when boomed over your head. How do you like this compared with the Rode Videomic Pro? I recently ran into a situation where this would have been perfect; I was shooting a series of audio only interviews in an airport cafe with background noise. I was using an Olympus WAV recorder, but there was a fair bit of ambient noise. A shotgun/cardioid with mini recorder would have helped a lot.

Looking at getting one, Wondering how effective the foam windshield is or invest in a Fur shield

Hey Curtis - Great test and video. I have subscribed to your channel. I have just purchase F1-SP version, but will probably order the lav mic at a later date. I have a question. In Video when people shoot in RAW, in post they talk about having their favourite LUT's etc. So do you have an audio enhancer plug in that you would recommend? - I have Final Cut Pro X for editing. Cheers, Peter.

how much better is it over cheaper and lighter setups like the videogo or the takstar sgc598? i'm thinking of getting this and then adding on the xyh-6 stereo mic for my travel videos where i'm mostly interested in recording ambient sounds.

Interesting product. For nano budget production seems ideal.

Some times i need shotgun mic and sometimes i need to capture ambience sound and considering this zoom..can i used another accesories from zoom h6/h5 such as XY mic in this zoom f1?

Have you tried the line input? I have a Zoom F1, and I tried to use the line input and with the Zoom set to Lo-, and the mic input hooked up straight to the line output of my receiver, and it is super distorted. It works fine if I use an attenuator, but without the attenuator, it is all distorted, with everything set to the lowest setting. Give the line input a try and see if it works. I looked for a setting in the menus to set the mic input to line input, but could not find one.

Can I know what 's the model you are using pin microphone at 4:41 in Video? I have used zoom F1-LP but bundle pin microphone have poor performance I want better microphone but I dont know what should I buy for better sound could you tell me it?