09Apr Tascam DR-05 v.s. the Zoom H1, test and review.
I was able to spend a day messing around the Tascam DR-05. It’s definitely built better then the Zoom H1. The controls deliver a satisfying click when pressed, and there are no loose parts. The Tascam DR-05 also has a number of features that the Zoom H1 is missing including power for an external mic, the ability to edit audio tracks, and instrument tuner. Two batteries in the DR-05 also gave me a little more battery life then the H1, although the battery life wasn’t double as I would have hoped.
I miss spoke in the video, the Zoom H1 does have a built in speaker. It’s just so small I never noticed it. Some have also glued a peace of rubber to the Zoom H1′s battery door to fix the rattle.
I don’t know if any of these features will be a must have option for filming, but if any of them are important to you, that might be a good enough reason to choose the Tascam over the Zoom. The Tascam DR-05 also includes a 2gb micro sd card as apposed to 1gb card that comes with the Zoom.
All these features make the Tascam DR-05 a better value then the Zoom H1. So why go with the H1 over the DR-05? The biggest issue is size. The Zoom H1 is almost half the size of the DR-05 which could be enough for many people to choose the H1. The other lesser issues are the microphone pickup pattern and finding a windscreen.
After running a few audio tests, I don’t think the microphone pickup pattern will cause you much of a problem. As of today, I was able to find for $23, and I’m sure in a few months some more windscreen manufactures will come along.
I don’t think most of the features on the Tascam DR-05 will be something I need or use very often. On the other hand the size of the Zoom H1 is still very handy. I think I’ll have to hold on to both for awhile longer before I can really decide which one I’ll be holding on to. I have more pictures of the two units side by side in this earlier post.
April 10th, 2011 at 12:23 pm
The DR-05 appears to be superior in every way except one: size and weight (technically I guess that’s 2 ways). Weight and size are not that big an issue to me but build quality and features are.
Also, the DR-07 is the same unit but with moveable mics and $50 more.
April 10th, 2011 at 5:56 pm
That’s about right. I might have to pick up the DR-07 mark II and give it a test run. It looks like the only difference between the DR-05 and DR-07 is the swivel microphone setup. I’ll have to spend a little more time looking at the spec sheet.
April 12th, 2011 at 6:05 am
[...] Full video review posted with audio [...]
April 13th, 2011 at 12:46 am
hej dude – you said that the zoom has no speaker output – I have allready a Zoom H1 and it has a little speaker on bottom. it’s ok for checking the sound but not more.
greetings from berlin
benNO!
April 13th, 2011 at 5:59 am
Yea, I had to make that correction in the text. I didn’t catch the error tell after I published the video.
May 14th, 2011 at 2:23 pm
[...] to stiffen up the shock mount a little more. I hadn’t really planed on using this with the Tascam DR-05, but it seems to work fine for that as well. Once I get done with a few more adjustments [...]
May 26th, 2011 at 6:49 pm
thanks for this review, i was about to buy the H1 but now i will wait a week to see this new thing that just popped up!! keep it up man!!! Your Knowlege is changing my Moves!!
July 7th, 2011 at 6:06 pm
[...] Does the camera have on-board audio inputs without AGC? This can spare you the cost of a field recorder. [...]
August 5th, 2011 at 2:23 pm
but the zoom h1 can also juice out 1,5v from its 3,5mm jack input…
so tascam dr-05 wins only in build quality & clicky button?
zoom h1 wins form factor & longer operation duration?
after you tested a while, which one is more convenience to use with DSRL filming (sound quality wise)?
thanks!
PS: your review has given me enlightenment and really helps me set my path! great work!!
August 9th, 2011 at 9:19 pm
Yes the Zoom H1 can provide power to a 3.5mm jack. The Tascam does feel a lot better in my hand. So fare I’ve kept both of them. The Zoom h1 works best for camera mounting and the Tascam works better when I’m recording podcasts or voice over clips. More and more I’ve been leaving my Zoom h4n at home and in it’s place taking with me the Zoom h1 and tascam DR-05.
August 14th, 2011 at 3:52 pm
What about the Tascam DR-07 MKII? I thinking on buying it against H1 or H2 mostly to use with my dslr. Any comments or opinions?
August 16th, 2011 at 6:49 pm
The Tascam DR-07 and DR-05 don’t sound much different audio quality wise. The only real change is the adjustable mic. I don’t know if that’s worth the bump in price.
September 6th, 2011 at 8:40 pm
[...] both versions are still $149. I know $149 seems like a lot, especially when many people are using sub $100 field recorders, but once you’ve spent 3 painful days syncing audio the price doesn’t seem so [...]
September 15th, 2011 at 6:55 pm
[...] Tascam released the DR-05 which seemed to be a direct competitor to the Zoom h1 field recorder, I compared the two units side by side and it did seem like the over all build quality of the DR-05 was better then the Zoom h1, though [...]
September 30th, 2011 at 12:57 pm
[...] I pitted the Zoom h1 against the Tascam DR-05, I had planned to sell one of them off, but as of yet I haven’t taken the time to do it. [...]
October 5th, 2011 at 9:46 am
Just bought my Tascam DR-05 but the built-in speaker is really weak.. is it normal? or I have a defective unit?
October 22nd, 2011 at 2:28 pm
Ernie, the speaker is real weak. There is nothing wrong with your DR-05. Mine is the same way. I recommend an inexpensive set of headphones or ear buds to monitor playback.
October 21st, 2011 at 10:44 am
DeeJay, I posted this question somewhere on your site, but can’t find it now. Sorry. I purchased a Tascam DR-05 and love it. I wanted to extend the record times above the ones set using the included 2G micro card. I purchased and 8G card and installed it. The available record times did not increase. They still show the same as if I still had the 2G card installed. I would have thought they would have tripled. But my current settings indicate they did not. Is there something that has to be reset or changed in the settings to facilitate this? Thanks. Jeff
January 6th, 2012 at 4:04 pm
Did you remember to reformat the new memory card? It was the first thing I did when I inserted my new 8 Gb card. It spent 20 minutes or so reformatting, but once it was done, my capacity zoomed to 4x the original 2 Gb card. It has worked nicely from the start.
November 9th, 2011 at 3:45 am
How long the Tascam operates on batteries?
Thanks
November 20th, 2011 at 8:38 pm
I haven’t done a proper test, but I’ve gone more then 10 hours without change batteries.
January 2nd, 2012 at 4:58 am
Hey DeeJay, I know it’s been quite a while since you made this review, but have you ever checked the Tascam DR-07 Mark II? Seems to basically be the DR-05 with the option to move the mics to XY pattern. Will probably be getting it soon…
February 9th, 2012 at 8:27 pm
I have seen the Dr-07 it’s a carbon copy of the Dr-05 withe the added bonus of adjustable mics. Not sure if that’s worth the extra money.
January 6th, 2012 at 4:07 pm
Has anyone tried the mic input with external (stereo) microphones? I don’t know if I’ll ever go that route, but would like to know about it. Can’t seem to find anything specific to the DR-05 or what could work when plugged into it.
February 9th, 2012 at 8:23 pm
I’ve tried it with a few of the lapel mic’s I have laying around and the phantom power worked well. Haven’t had a chance to try it with any other mics.
January 21st, 2012 at 11:50 pm
Just picked up the H1, and it came with a 2gb card. Sound is good. I got it to use as an everyday recorder. I got to film school, and if I need a better recorder, I can just go to the rental office and pick up a nice recorder and mic. But this will def get me through school no problem. Thanks for the comparo
February 13th, 2012 at 7:27 am
[...] audio is then recorded through the output of the receiver into the Tascam DR-05. For this audio test I’ve recorded the Rode VideoMic through the Airline Micro and directly [...]