Zoom F8: A Hands On Preview2 min read
Reading Time: 2 minutesRecently, our friends at City Music invited us to take the Zoom F8 field recorder out for a spin. We then turned to a few of our friends from the industry to demo the product and here are some of our initial thoughts about it.
The Zoom F8 is a recorder targeted for “filmmaking and sound design”, as they claim. It is an 8-input, 10-track recorder capable of recording a stereo (or 2-track) mix plus 8 isolated tracks, one for each input. Additionally, unlike its H-series siblings, it advertises 8 low-noise pre-amps, high accuracy timecode, multiple file formats, bit-depth and sample rates, dual SD card recording, metadata capabilities, Bluetooth application capabilities, and many more, for a very low cost of S$1520 (MSRP). This is groundbreaking considering that the only recorders capable of providing similar feature-sets cost at least three to four times as much.
At first glance, the F8 looks like it is well built for location use; it feels very durable. It features an aluminium body, reminiscent of that of Zaxcom Maxx. It’s very small; smaller than the Sound Devices 633 and Zaxcom Maxx. What’s impressive is considering that it has a lot more mic inputs than the above mentioned recorders. A LCD screen on the front allows users to get access to all the settings on the recorder. There’s also a slate / tone switch like Sound Devices; a scroll and selection wheel knob and button combo, menu button, headphone volume knob; dedicated transport controls on membrane buttons which seem a tad small, and 8 sets of trim knobs and buttons for each input.
Lo and behold, how does it compare to the more expensive products out there? Does it meet the expectations of the location sound professional? What about the options available for the post production sound professional? Stay tuned to find out more on our full review.
Image Credit: Sinema.sg
