After reading all the reviews on Amazon we decided to go ahead and order the H4 Recorder. We are not experienced recorders, but found the Zoom easy to use. Read the "fast setup" and you know enough to record. Take 10 minutes with the manual and you can record well. Take another 10 minutes and you can get what you recorded off the SD card. The zoom achieves a high quality recording without additional mikes and no bulk. The buttons are easy to use and the screen is large considering the size of the recorder. Only thing we did find annoying is when you remove the SD card the power supply is interrupted to the recorder and sound settings have to be reset (takes about 10 seconds). I would recommend this to anyone with the need for a GOOD digital recorder.