Zoom has recently announced a new addition to its lineup of field recorders: the Zoom F3. This very compact and lightweight audio recorder only has two XLR inputs, two outputs, it runs on two AA batteries for up to eight hours, and you don’t need to adjust gain during the take as it records 32-bit float files at up to 96 kHz. Let’s take a closer look at it! Japanese manufacturer Zoom is back with a compact field recorder for content creators: the Zoom F3. Lately, the company has launched a couple of more significant podcasting/live stream products like the Zoom R20, which are not precisely designed for independent/one-man-band filmmakers. Some competitors like Tascam with their Portacapture X8 saw the opportunity to release innovative audio field recorders with 32-bit float recording capabilities. image credit: Zoom We can say without much doubt that 32-bit float audio recording is the future of audio recording for content creators. Indeed, 32-bit float is pretty much “RAW” but for audio, which means you can adjust the gain in post without any clipping risks (except if your microphone itself clips). If you want to learn more about it, you can look at our review of the Tentacle TRACK E 32-bit float audio recorder here. Image credit: Zoom Zoom F3 features The Zoom F3 is a compact 75 x 77.3 x 47.8mm audio field recorder with a weight of only 242g/0.53lbs with two AA batteries inside. You got it; the F3 is powered by replaceable AA batteries...
Published By: CineD - Monday, 24 January, 2022