Zoom F3 Professional Field Recorder for Filmmakers & Musicians

I’ve been using the Zoom F3 for a few months now, and it’s been a total game-changer compared to my old Zoom recorder. The 32-bit float recording is incredible — no more worrying about clipping or having to constantly ride gain levels. It’s just set it and forget it, which saves so much stress during shoots. It’s also surprisingly simple to use. The interface is super clean, the menu makes sense, and the build feels tough enough for wedding days and outdoor sessions. Battery life has been solid, and it pairs easily with lavs or shotgun mics depending on what I’m doing. If you’re on the fence about upgrading, this is the one. It’s small, reliable, and produces studio-quality audio in the field. Couldn’t be happier with it.

I recently connected my Zoom F3 to my Xone 92 mixer, and from the moment I powered it up, I knew this recorder was something special. Setup was incredibly easy — literally plug and play. Within minutes, I was ready to record, which isn’t something I can say for most recording devices I’ve tried over the years. I’m extremely particular when it comes to audio quality. Over time, I’ve experimented with many different recorders, interfaces, and setups trying to achieve that clean, dynamic, professional sound you hear on mastered tracks. The Zoom F3 completely exceeded my expectations. The 32-bit float recording is a total game changer. You don’t have to stress about gain levels or clipping — it captures everything perfectly, from the quietest moment to the loudest peak, with flawless headroom. It’s honestly hard to believe the difference until you hear it. After recording my DJ mix through the F3, I simply removed the microSD card, transferred the files to my computer, and listened back. The quality blew me away — full, rich, and crystal clear. It sounded just like a professionally mastered track straight from Beatport. The low end was tight, the highs were sharp without distortion, and the overall sound had incredible depth and balance. For me, the Zoom F3 has taken all the guesswork and frustration out of recording. It’s compact, solidly built, and produces results that rival high-end studio equipment. If you’re serious about your sound — whether you’re recording DJ sets, live performances, podcasts, or field audio — the Zoom F3 is absolutely worth it. I was genuinely excited listening back to my first recording. It’s rare to find a piece of gear that delivers exactly what it promises, but this one does. The Zoom F3 has instantly become a permanent part of my setup.

My primary use for this recorder is for capturing dialog or ambient sounds while video recording. For my purposes it works fine. The 1/4 20 mounting options gives some flexibility for mounting with my rig or separately on a stand via magic arm or cold shoe, etc. Its a little tricky to mount on a boom pole just given the flat sides and back - it tends to want to slide around unless it is really locked down - but that can be challenging given the location of the controls and the xlr jacks. Not a big deal, just mentioning it in case someone is thinking about strapping it on to a boom pole. The menus are easy enough to use. The memory card is easy enough to get to. Battery life has been fine - doesn’t seem to be too power hungry. The sound quality is great! Love being able to just start recording without having to worry about the levels being too hot…that is super helpful. I’ve had no problems syncing up with audio recorded from the cameras just using a good clap (or three claps) at each take. Davinci Resolve syncs the clips perfectly…as expected. Having external 48v power has come in handy also…love that feature for when it is needed. In summary…Small size, nice features, great sound, ease of use, make this one a winner in my book.

The Zoom F3 Professional Field Recorder is an excellent choice for those looking for high-quality sound in a compact package. With two XLR inputs and very low self-noise, it delivers clear and professional audio. The standout feature is its 32-bit float recording, which handles a wide range of sound levels, making post-production a breeze. The build quality is solid with a mix of metal and plastic, ensuring durability without adding extra weight. Power efficiency is another plus; it runs for over six hours on just two AA batteries. However, be aware that it doesn't have traditional gain controls and lacks 3.5mm inputs, which might be a downside for some. Overall, it's a fantastic tool for solo operators and those needing a portable yet powerful audio recorder.

Absolutely works as expected! I used it at my first wedding to capture audio coming out of the DJ soundboard. Super easy to setup, battery indicator easy to understand, recording time left on the SD card is always on the screen. Being 32-bit audio, it was a simply record, activate the HOLD, and forget the rest!

I don't throw 5 star reviews around unless the product truly deserves it. The Zoom F3 deserves it. I use it mainly to record thunderstorms and as an audio interface when I livestream stuff. Since you can't predict how loud thunder is going to be, this recorder makes it fool proof. No matter what, you wont clip...unless you overload the mic, of course, but that's not the recorder's fault. This takes all the guesswork out of recording audio. You still need proper mic placement to get good sound, but with the F3, you just hit record and never have to worry about levels. It's awesome. Don't listen to the hipsters who claim that not knowing how to manually set gain is somehow going to ruin your ability to record good clean audio. I say use the technology that makes your life easier. One less thing to worry about makes my life easier. The audio is crystal clear. The battery life is pretty good using rechargeable lithium batteries. I had both inputs using phantom power, with the screen light permanently on, recording at 48kHz, and the batteries lasted 5 hours and 45 minutes. If you need to continuously record for longer than that and can't for some reason stop recording to change the batteries, use a power bank.

I was an early adopter of this little gem, so I've had plenty of time to become familiar with it. The sound quality is impeccable and the 32-bit float feature avoids any need to set or monitor levels during a recording session - a huge benefit - and also matches the native format of some popular post-processing software. The unit is super-portable, seems rugged, and has what I would consider an ideal set of features for its intended use - nothing superfluous to take up extra space or drive up the price. Its main limitation is, of course, it offers only two inputs (no Decca trees allowed). Also need to be aware of its 10mA phantom max, both channels combined - many mics draw less than 5mA each, but some require as much as 10mA. I wondered initially whether the dual A/D converters would cause audible artifacts when transitioning between loud and soft, but so far have noticed no such problems. We need to be careful when picking it up, because the door over the memory card pops open when accidentally touched, ejecting the card - especially bad if the unit is on at the time. It can be mounted right on the mic stand using the handy little clamp at https://smile.amazon.com/ChromLives-Photography-Converter-Umbrellas-Shelves/dp/B07F72MS8Y/ref=sr_1_18?crid=C6N6J6278DHN&keywords=camera%2Bclamp%2Bmount&qid=1648163240&refinements=p_36%3A-1500&rnid=386442011&sprefix=camera%2Bclamp%2Bmount%2Caps%2C115&sr=8-18&th=1 which permits short mic cables. Highly recommended, if you don't need extra channels!

Wicked, wicked, wicked filmmakers tool. Almost the perfect product, simple to use and superior quality. You’re at the mercy of your mic too but this gizmo is a set it and forget it tool. A must for those who need a minimal crew footprint.

Ya la use en dos eventos y funciona increible, que pueda grabara de 2 fuentes distintas es más que suficiente para mi, que no tenga auxiliar no es problema, con un adpatador lo resuelves, que puedas monitorear el audio con audifonos esta bien, el factor tamaño, porstabilidad y material de construcción lo hacen ideal para la mayoria de las situaciones, la pantalla es excelente para condiciones de exterior, los menús son snecillos y la curva de aprendizaje es corta, es 32 bits. Ya salió la competencia de Tasam, pero por precio me voy por esta. Así que no lo duden.

When my Zoom H5 finally starting showing signs of dying after many years of sterling service, I upgraded to this F3, having read great things about 32 bit recording. And it's all true, you can set and forget the level. Some would say you don't even need to set, but you can set a ballpark to tweak level. I prefer to set it a little hot then bring it down after the fact, as my environment isn't perfectly sound treated, and while the device has an incredibly low noise floor, my room does not. The form factor takes getting used to after using an H5 which fits nicely in the hand, while this is a little cube type thing that would be awkward if it was bigger. But it isn't, so you can handle it however. It's small enough to attach to a camera with a coldshoe if you like, or screw on to a magic arm, or it's own tripod, it has belt loops, you can attach it that way. Or just drop it a big jacket pocket. Whatever works for you. Battery life seems longer than the H5, and if it isn't long enough, you can run it off one of those portable usb power banks. Pricewise it seems competitive, though keep in mind that it doesn't have built in mics or a mic capsule like the H5. I've seen images of field recordists sticking a pair of small tubular mics into the xlr jacks, but if you don't have the mics already, the cost of a complete solution around the f3 could be significantly more than for an H5 using its stereo capsule mics. My only real disappointment with it is that it doesn't display the file name when recording. I used to include that in the slate. Not much to complain about. At the end of the day it's a question of shopping around and getting the best price. I'm happy buying from amazon as I've found it very easy to return things if I'm not satisfied, and that being the case, you can buy it, check it out yourself, and if it doesn't knock your socks off, send it back -- they pay shipping. Doesn't get any fairer than that. Edit: Also consider the H4essential, a 32 bit version of the old H4. It has the mic capsule, though I've read its preamps are not as good as the F3. But if you're on a budget, a field recorder that comes with mics for a similar price might be worth considering.

I'm an event videographer. This Zoom is start and forget. With my other recorders i always had to pay attention to levels when the band or DJs play with the levels. This is very forgiving in the edit where yu can adjust the gain up or down with no distortion or floor noise. GREAT BUY.

Excelente grabadora y muy compacta, con sus 32bits hace que sea muy fácil su uso, sólo encender y grabar y te olvidas de preocupaciones

You already know it but premium recorder in micro package. Preamp quality is superb, user interface is ok. I recommend this over anything else in its price bracket.