Field Recording, I believe is one of the pillars of sound design. As is the case for most budding audio professionals, getting into this can seem a little daunting, especially when the purse strings are tight. I've put together a shortlist of recommended kit, and where to source them in order to get the best bang for your buck, and to get you out recording as soon as possible. This list also applies for recording on-location audio for film or video.
The Recorder
By definition, one would correctly assume that the recording unit is the the most vital aspect of a Field Recording / On-location set up. There are a few routes to consider when buying a Portable Recorder. The two main ones are the handheld, dictaphone-esque recorders, with build-in microphones and usually featuring external source inputs, such as microphones; and Larger format recorders, formerly known as Hard Disk recorders (but now seldom featuring HDDs due to the rise of flash memory). These units tend to offer 4-8 microphone inputs, and often have a mixer built in. Handheld portable recorders are usually a little cheaper than Field Recorders, though usually as the cost of feature sets, mic preamp quality, input count and audio quality.
The often undisputed kings of hardware recording on a large budget are the company Sound Devices, who for many, many years have been at the forefront of portable audio technology with zero compromise on sound quality (Most handheld recorders can record at 96kHz max). However, for 90% of people this kind of gear is out of reach, and the real big names, in terms of marketshare in portable field recording hardware; especially in recent years is Japanese value brand ZOOM, as well as many products coming at various price ranges from the likes of TASCAM, Sony and Roland. TASCAM in particular have an exceedingly wide range of products in this sector, with the likes of their flagship field recorder, the HS-P82, to cheap and cheerful dictaphones, great for recording lectures, meetings and other such exchanges. The three latter companies release some fantastic equipment in their portable recording lines, but on a shoestring budget, it is ZOOM who lead the way with regards to value for money, with bang for your buck at all manner of price levels. The H5 and H6 models come recommended, with a great design, and nice tactile wheels to adjust gain, a subtle touch which eliminates contact noise when using the (switchable) onboard microphone(s), and the ability to record a multitude of different sources at once. However the H4n is also a great contender, with two microphone inputs alongside built-in X-Y condenser mics (only records two channels at once) and the loud clicky buttons and dials on the body of the recorder can be circumvented with the use of external microphones.
Microphone(s)
Microphones are an addictive piece of equipment to begin collecting, we all want that one last microphone. With field recording, shotgun microphones (highly directional microphones, most commonly used on film sets to effectively isolate actor's dialogue) are favoured, due to the somewhat intruding behaviour of many of natures sounds. This can both help and harm, due to the extremely tight polar patterns (usually super or hyper-cardioid). This is where microphones with more open polar patterns, or perhaps a stereo pair of condenser mics would be much more effective in capturing environmental and ambient sounds. Contact mics are another, very inexpensive tool which are really effective for use in Sound Design.
For shotgun microphones, Sennheiser own much of the consumer / prosumer market, along with Australian firm RODE. You can't go far wrong with the Sennheiser MKE 600, but if the price puts you off; the RODE NTG4 has a decent feature set at a more agreeable price, with a switchable 75Hz HPF, a presence boost at the top end, and a -10dB PAD, as well as coming with a windshield which will do it's job.
If you have extra money in your wallet, you may want to invest in a stereo pair of microphones, though with the Zoom Handy Recorder series, the built-in X-Y stereo microphones will perform amicably, especially if you can't afford any microphones after buying the unit. However I will cover small diaphragm condenser (SDC) microphones in another post, you can't go wrong with pairs of microphones from Oktava (MK012), sE Electronics (sE8), RODE (NT-5).
Microphones with more open polar patterns, or perhaps a stereo pair of condenser mics would be much more effective in capturing environmental and ambient sounds.
Accessories
The above is the (most) bare bones set up one might need to start recording out in the field. However, there are a few quality of life upgrades that one may buy, at really favourable prices to really get the most out of your equipment.
Monitoring is really a must, but seeing as most will already own headphones, it's not worth talking about, with countless articles talking about studio headphones, closed or open-backed so I will only touch on it. If you want to leave your expensive cans at home, any earbuds or standard headphones will work in the ZOOM Handy Recorder series, with their 3.5mm (1/8th") 'minijack' headphone input. Boom poles are another important part of your setup, if you are using external microphones, and will allow the user to access areas that are possibly unavailable on foot. I haven't previously recommended products indefinitely, but Thomann's own brand 'Millennium' brand have a range of fairly heavy duty and dependable hardware, and the 'Boompole L' comes in at less than £20, which is a bargain compared to hardware heavyweights K&M, and other brands. If you bought a pair of condensers, you will also want a stereo bar, to which I recommend the sturdy K&M 23550. Shock mounting your microphones is the best way of eradicating physical contact noise e.g. handling noise on your boom pole from your recordings. Consider swapping your microphone's standard holder with the Rycote Invision INV-7-HG-Mark III, which is cheaper than most brands proprietary holders, and it will continue to serve should you ever upgrade the shogun microphone in your field recording setup. Wind shielding is another vital part in optimising the performance of your recording sessions, and my advice would be to trawl the online stores of eBay or Amazon in order to get a fantastic deal on the ubiquitous 'roadkill' style of windshield, where you can get quality specimens at bargain prices, as long as you don't find issue in often long delivery times, as items will usually ship from China.