Choosing a microphone is a big deal when you are doing video of any kind. It doesn’t matter if you are using an iPhone, a DSLR or even just recording a screen capture on your computer, having good quality audio makes a big difference in quality and professionalism on your videos. I have bought and used several microphones over the last couple of years. One thing I have never done is used the “Stock” microphone, whether with my iPhone, DSLR or laptop. I started out just using a headset which is still better than the internal microphone on your laptop. I then bought a Blue Snowball, another upgrade in quality.

As I started doing more video outside of screen captures, I had to look at new microphones. I started out with a $20 wired lapel mic that worked decent. But I hate uni-taskers. I hated buying something that I could use for one purpose, or, after I used it for a month realized, it was not up to the quality I was looking for. That is when I discovered the Zoom voice recorders. These things are amazing. I started out with the Zoom H4N which to me gave me the best balance of flexibility, cost and growth. I can use it as a shotgun microphone, I can plug a cheap wireless lapel into it, or, I can plug it in to my laptop and use it as a USB microphone with better quality than the Blue Snowball. When I bought my wireless lapel system, it had XLR inputs to plug it in, allowing me to grow with it even further.

If there was anything that was difficult, was its size. I am going to be traveling to Europe this year and traveling very minimalist. I wanted something that doesn’t take up to much room. Plus, I would be upset if I broke my Zoom H4n and had to replace it. This is why I spent the $99 and bought a Zoom H1. While not as flexible as the H4n, it is a great size. In the videos below I go through my unboxing of the Zoom H1. Then underneath that I show you the video quality compared to a $200 shotgun microphone and my $600 Sennheiser wireless system.

Zoom H1 Unboxing

So if you are just getting into iPhone videography or even screen captures, take a look at the Zoom h1, at $99 it’s cheaper than a Blue Yeti and a Zoom H4n, but gives you a ton of flexibility to grow your video making skills.

I need to test  these microphones outside because one issue in the office, its very hard surfaces and it creates a lot of echo. Let me know if you are using this or any other microphone you like that gives you a ton of flexibility.

Buy the Zoom H1

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