I’ve had Zoom F3 recorders for a few years and I own 5 of them. I’ve used them in deserts, rainforests, on mountains and at sea in any extreme condition imaginable. Are they worth getting? I think so, but there are catches. Read on to find out more.
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Working with the Zoom F3
Disclaimer
I bought the two F3s with my own money. I have an ongoing relationship with Zoom but that does not cover reviews. Zoom do not get a say in what I write and have not seen this review prior to publishing. There are respected sound designers and recordists who write reviews in exchange for money, but I’m not one of them. These are my honest opinions, and as you will see they’re not 100% positive.
I’ve used Zoom kit in the past. I was never too happy with the H series recorders but I’ve used the F6 on countless projects including AAA games and Hollywood films. Zoom started out as a low cost, mediocre manufacturer but have been upping their game for many years. More importantly, they have vision and they’ve been continuously innovating, which is refreshing to see from a rather big corporation.
Lastly, I work as a field recordist and sound designer so my opinions will be specific to my use cases. I take sound recording kit into unforgiving, sometimes extreme conditions and not everything makes it back in one piece. Build quality and ease of use are of utmost importance for me, but things like audio interface function or bluetooth apps not so much. Check out other reviews if you plan to use the F3 in studio settings.
Physically
The F3 is a small beast. It’s very well built for the most part, with an interesting, almost cubic form factor. It’s been ok with bumps and hits in dry bags so far, showing no signs of damage. The metal and hard plastic build make it feel solid and reliable in the hand, with weight that feels reassuring instead of heavy. It looks and feels a bit unconventional but I got used to that pretty fast.
The front screen is ok, although refresh rate seems a bit low. The scrolling waveform looks great for photos and marketing but I don’t find it particularly useful. The buttons are solid but I still haven’t been able to get used to the user interface yet. More on this in a sec.
The only complaint I have here is about the microSD card. It is a bit fiddly to put in and take out, especially with fat fingers like mine. The little spring that pushes it back out seems a bit soft on one of my devices, although the other one seems fine. I will update this review if I encounter any issues with it.
Zoom F3 with Lom mikroUsi Pro microphones
Features
The Zoom F3 offers 32 bit recording only. That has been a deliberate design choice, since it allowed Zoom to sidestep traditional gain pots. “You don’t need to set up your gain anymore” sounds great for marketing, but I would have preferred that option nevertheless. I might sound like an old person, but I hope that’s not where things are headed. Automating some aspects of field recording might be ok, but setting gain correctly is something everyone should learn at the beginning of their sound recording journey.
Understanding gain is important not only in the field, but also when you bring the recordings back to the studio and start thinking about sharing them. If this process is automated you may think it's fine to just post the recordings as they are. Or you may do crazy compression/limiting without understanding what it does and why it sounds like rubbish. I'm privileged in that I started my journey in field recording by working as a sound designer, which taught me invaluable lessons about digital audio, signal chain, processing etc. It's easy to dismiss the studio side of field recording but this will inevitably become apparent in the results - the recordings themselves. Learning later is much easier said than done, especially when you become frustrated because you don't know what you don't know. Read the following blog post for more on the studio side of field recording: https://mindful-audio.com/blog/how-to-edit-master-field-recordings
The sounds of rainforests on the China-Myanmar border, recorded with the Zoom F3
The positive thing about 32 bit recording is that it is much harder to clip a recording. I’ve used the Zoom F6 in 32 bit mode previously and it was very useful in select few circumstances. Thunderstorms are the easiest example, and I managed to record one with the F3 last month here in the UK. It would have been much more complicated to get a good recording in 24 bit, but 32 bit allowed me to capture excellent recordings of rain, and loud thunder cracks at the same time without having to choose between the two.
Arguably the best thing about this small recorder is that it offers phantom power. This makes it perfect for drop rigs but does not force you to use plug-in-power microphones. There’s nothing wrong with those and I’ve made lots of excellent recordings with them, but compare them side by side and phantom powered mics will generally have lower self-noise. There are also many more options for mics that take phantom power so you aren’t stuck with Clippy or mikroUsi mics anymore.
Speaking of minijack inputs, the F3 does not have one. This is a little disappointing and further specialises the unit. I would have loved the option to record with PIP mics in situations where phantom power mics would not be required, would attract too much attention or would be too difficult/risky to use. I guess I will keep using my Sony A10s in those situations.
Recording flowing water with the Zoom F3 and Sennheiser MKH8090
A surprising feature is the optional Bluetooth dongle you can buy. I have no idea why Zoom did not simply put this inside the device. I wouldn’t use it myself, but it does extend the UI capabilities of the device greatly. Unfortunately it’s an extra bit you need to buy that you can easily lose, makes the device more complicated and might even allow humidity to get into the F3 easier. As you may have guessed, I will not bother to get it and I don’t think it’s a deal breaker, but it’s still an odd choice.
Power options
The Zoom F3 can be powered with two AA batteries for an advertised 8 hours of recording time. In my tests I was never able to get more than 4-5 hours with Eneloop Pros, but AAs have never been a great option for recorders that offer phantom power. Instead, I use powerbanks via the USB-C connection and I get much more recording time: 14 hours with a small 10000 mAh Anker Redux and more than 40 hours with a 26800 mAh Powercore+ - both with phantom-powered Sennheiser MKH8090 microphones.
It looks like the F3 has much better and more efficient power consumption than both the F6 and Sound Devices Mixpre recorders. This could be improved further if it was possible to turn off the screen completely instead of just lowering contrast. Maybe Zoom can add this feature with a firmware update? They’ve been pretty good at updating device functionality this way.
Zoom F6 and F3 recorders
Audio quality
The F3 yields decent recordings. It’s on par with recorders like the Zoom F6 or Sound Devices Mixpre. The preamps are nice and clean and you won’t notice their self-noise unless you’re recording subtle soundscapes with quiet microphones.
In recent years sound recording has become more democratised by a much lower barrier to entry. Some 10 years ago I had to spend around 10 times the price of an F3 to get a decent field recorder (a Sound Devices 633). The 633 is arguably better than Mixpre and F series recorders, but not by a whole lot. If I’m going on a very ambitious and extreme expedition I’ll make sure to bring the 633 along, but for day to day use the F3 will be just fine. You’re gaining little by spending thousands more dollars, euros or pounds - the definition of diminishing returns.
Don’t just take my word for it. The soundscape in the video at the top of this article was recorded with the F3. Youtube compression isn’t great though so I uploaded a bunch more recordings to Dropbox. Feel free to download and examine them, they’re unedited and unprocessed, exactly as recorded with the F3. These recordings are copyrighted though so don’t distribute or use them commercially please: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/1yvihd8d3w85utv/AABi1Xt45XYR-0wj3YsqlmuHa?dl=0
Field recording with the Zoom F3 in Italy
User interface
The Zoom F3 features a peculiar set of buttons and controls. The F6 took me a while to get used to, and I still find it difficult to operate at times. An excellent example of UI and UX is the Mixpre series from Sound Devices. You pick those recorders up and you instantly know how to work with them. At the opposite end of the spectrum is the F3. I have no idea why Zoom decided to reinvent the wheel while perfectly usable button setups exist. What’s wrong with a set of arrows, enter, back and selection buttons?
It’s true that you eventually get used to any kind of user interface or menu, so this isn’t as bad as it seems. It is annoying though, especially in situations where you want to be quick setting up because of wildlife, extreme weather, sand etc. The tools you’re using need to be as transparent and easy to operate as possible so that you can focus on your task. Sadly the F3 does a very poor job at this, and it didn’t have to.
One thing I do like about the interface is that the record button is actually a sliding toggle that doubles as a lock button. The record function becomes pretty deliberate this way, and the locking function is incredibly useful in a variety of situations, drop rigs included.
Other annoyances
Since we’re talking frustrating aspects, how about microSD cards? I’ve never liked them, possibly because of my big blunt fingers. I once managed to break one by pressing it too hard in the foam insert I was keeping it in. I always have trouble putting them in and out of devices and I wish they’d used a full size SD card instead.
File size limitation is also very annoying. You can record files up to 2GB with the F3 which means you will end up with tens of these when recording long drop rig sessions. Sony and Sound Devices have been offering the option to record files up to 4GB on their recorders which makes a pretty big difference.
Zoom F3 vs Sony PCM D100
Should you buy it?
I see the F3 as an excellent but specialised field recorder. It’s perfect for mono or stereo drop rigs that require phantom powered microphones. It’s great for run and gun situations that don’t require more than two mics. It’s good for one-person operations where mobility is key. It can be very useful for interview or journalism situations in the field.
It’s a decent backup recorder since you can buy a bunch of these and take them along on expeditions or keep them in your studio. It’s also a great recorder to use in situations where it might be destroyed, since it’s not very expensive. More generally, it’s a great recorder for high dynamic range situations like thunderstorms etc. if coupled with the appropriate microphones.
It is not, however, a great main recorder because it’s limited to 32 bit, does not offer gain control and doesn’t have a minijack input. It should not be used as a first recorder for someone who’s just starting out, because gain is automated. This might make things easier at first, but learning proper gain setting is a step that shouldn’t be skipped if you plan to take field recording seriously. I would suggest getting a Zoom F6 or Mixpre 2nd generation as a main recorder. A good handheld would be perfect as a first recorder to start learning with.
Setting up the Zoom F3 in an olive tree
The Zoom F3 is no doubt an excellent addition to the current lineup of field recording equipment. With Tascam’s disappointing launch of the Portacapture X8, it may have seemed like innovation in this field is doomed to fail. Zoom is here to prove that you can come up with new products that don’t completely suck.
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Sounds of the largest wetland on Earth, recorded with the Zoom F3