Zoom F3 2-Input 32-Bit Float Field Recorder with Dual A/D Converters

Zoom F3: Two XLR Inputs, Zero Gain to Ride

The Zoom F3 is a 2-input, 2-track 32-bit float field recorder that pairs professional XLR preamps with dual A/D converters in a body the size of a deck of cards. Because each channel is captured across the full dynamic range at once, you connect a boom or a lav and record without ever setting or riding gain, and a whisper and a gunshot both survive on the same take. The two discrete inputs use locking XLR connectors and the same low-noise (-127 dBu EIN) preamps found in Zoom's larger F-Series recorders. A real-time waveform display lets you confirm you are getting signal at a glance. For anyone who has lost audio to a clipped peak, it removes the single most common failure on set.

Zoom F3: Small Enough to Hide in the Scene

Sound designers describe strapping the F3 to a motorcycle, dropping it into a potted plant, or clipping it to a wrist, and the hardware is built for exactly that. A sturdy metal casing, protective side bars, a standard tripod thread, and slide-resistant feet let it mount on a rig or vanish into a set. At 242 grams it adds almost nothing to a boom pole or a camera cage. The locking XLRs stay put through movement and vibration. This is the two-channel recorder you place where a full mixer bag cannot go.

Zoom F3: High-Resolution Files and Interface Duty

Recording runs up to 192 kHz in 32-bit float as mono or stereo WAV with BWF and iXML metadata, written to microSDHC or microSDXC cards up to 1 TB, which is enough for well over a hundred hours at high resolution. Connected to a computer or iOS device over USB-C, the F3 becomes a 2-in/2-out audio interface at up to 32-bit float/96 kHz, and a loopback function folds computer audio into a stream. Phantom power at +24 or +48 V drives condenser mics. Two AA batteries deliver about eight hours, with AD-17 or USB power available for longer sessions.

Zoom F3: Control, Timecode, and Who It Is For

Add the optional BTA-1 adapter and the F3 Control app manages recording wirelessly from up to 30 feet away, keeping an operator out of the shot, while the optional TCA-1 adds precision timecode for video sync. Videographers, location recordists, and musicians use the F3 as a compact two-mic rig, running a boom plus a lav or a stereo pair for ambience and performance. It sits between the single-input F2 and the six-input F6, more flexible than a lav recorder and far smaller than a mixer bag. When you need two clean channels and want to place the recorder anywhere, the F3 is the pick.