GH4 Top gimbal choices for the GH5...

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Dave Draper

Well-known member
Just as the title says.

What are your top gimbal choices for the GH5, and why?

With so many out there, it's hard to make a decision.
 
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Right now it seems like the most popular gimbal is the Zhiyun-Tech Crane, but it's 2.65 Lb weight limit doesn't allow for very large lenses.



The other gimbal I am very curious about is the new MOZA Air, which has more than double the weight limit. Still waiting for proper reviews of the Moza Air gimbal...


 
I have the Feiyu MG Lite V2 for the GH4 and really like it. Supports up to 4.4lbs. I was able to get a Rokinon Cine 16mm with speedbooster mounted on it, albeit with a limited tilt axis. I also had to use a cheese plate to mount it so the LCD can flip out. Comes with Bluetooth and an iPhone app to change various motor settings, and remote control. Battery life is really good too, around six hours.
 
What sets the Crane apart is the simplicity of it's software as there's no need to learn the (not simple) SimpleBGC program. But things change fast in the Single Handle Gimbal market, & a better option could appear anytime.

I've flown the GH4 on the Crane quite extensively, & been very happy with the performance, but only briefly tested it with the GH5. Had to swap out the quick release system due to the GH5's wider body, & so far everything seems fine. Haven't tried attaching the GH5 directly to the Crane, but think that might not balance. Will try later.

There's very long thread about the Crane in the Industry News forum.

http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?348892-Zhiyun-Crane
 
Bern which QR system were you using with the Crane/GH? What are you mounting the GH5 with now?
EDIT: NM Bern, just saw your other post in the main Crane thread :)

I found that my manfrotto quick release system that worked well with the GH4 didn't play well with the GH5. It forced me to mount the camera on the most outward spot to accommodate the wider GH5, which made it too heavy to balance (it would keep tilting left and the gimbal couldn't adjust far enough to balance it out). Unideal, but I gaff taped an old counterweight on the base plate of the gimbal on the inner/right side to allow it to all properly balance. I couldn't bring myself to nix the manfrotto QR plate as *all* of my gear and cameras are setup on that and I rely on the quick swap speed to work efficiently.
 
TheDingo said:
Right now it seems like the most popular gimbal is the Zhiyun-Tech Crane, but it's 2.65 Lb weight limit doesn't allow for very large lenses.
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FYI, the Crane has had a new firmware that supports up to 1800g (4lbs) for a few months now. The original 1200g specification was apparently very conservative for what the motors could do.

The issue most people seem to be running into with the GH5 on the Crane is that the GH5 is a bit too wide to balance on the roll axis properly- the Crane runs out of adjustment range before you can get it far enough to the right, so the camera droops to the left. You can counterbalance this with some weights though, if you have the room before hitting your 1800g limit.
 
Yeap. The crane's adjustment range is limited and when you add a heavier lens on your gh5 you would barely can do much.
 
aldolega said:
The issue most people seem to be running into with the GH5 on the Crane is that the GH5 is a bit too wide to balance on the roll axis properly- the Crane runs out of adjustment range before you can get it far enough to the right, so the camera droops to the left. You can counterbalance this with some weights though, if you have the room before hitting your 1800g limit.
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I switched quick release systems & can perfectly balance the GH5, even with the LCD extended, & wrapped by one of those leather Sun hoods.

http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?348892-Zhiyun-Crane&p=1986694193&viewfull=1#post1986694193
 
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So you guys would say they're all *almost* there -- in terms of specs, payload capacity, ease of use, etc -- just not quite?
 
In "what not to buy" I would recommend against the Helix Jr.

I own one myself, but prefer others over it (including the Ronin-M). I also prefer the significantly cheaper Ikan Beholders as long as I'm using a lightweight lens.
 
Bern Caughey said:
I switched quick release systems & can perfectly balance the GH5, even with the LCD extended, & wrapped by one of those leather Sun hoods.

http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?348892-Zhiyun-Crane&p=1986694193&viewfull=1#post1986694193
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That's a great solution if you don't mind swapping your QR plate just to use the Crane (or all your other support gear has been converted to Arca-Swiss, and losing the ability to slide the camera front-to-back for balancing doesn't affect your other setups).
 
I love my Letus Helix! I used to own the JR MG but wanted to fly my ursa mini. I recently picked up a ZCrane and it's nice and light but no comparison to the Helix.
 
soarprod said:
I love my Letus Helix! I used to own the JR MG but wanted to fly my ursa mini. I recently picked up a ZCrane and it's nice and light but no comparison to the Helix.
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I would like to hear more about the difference between a simple single handed gimbal versus a higher end one. I have been debating whether to get the Ronin M or ZCrane.
 
aldolega said:
That's a great solution if you don't mind swapping your QR plate just to use the Crane (or all your other support gear has been converted to Arca-Swiss, and losing the ability to slide the camera front-to-back for balancing doesn't affect your other setups).
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Valid points, & I'd be willing to upgrade to another Gimbal if they were as simple to setup as the Crane, but was compatible with my primary QR system. As is any heavy QR seems to cause the Crane to perform a bit more sluggish so I'll live with dual systems. I typically have two GH bodies with me, one wrapped in a cage for use on sticks, & another stripped down for running thru the grassy fields with my hair let down, so two QR systems is not so impractical, & I usually have an adapter plate available so they can be used together when needed.
 
Be careful who you take gimbal advice from, few people have used several different gimbals from the same generation... and these days many gimbal owners are first time gimbal owners so they are blown away by gimbals no matter what faults they have. I'm really amazed how many youtube gimbal reviews I've seen where the gimbal clearly has tilt jiggle in all their sample footage but they give it a glowing review.

Personally the Moza Air looks like it could be a winner, but it really depends on the software which remains to be seen. The Zhiyun Crane I tested very briefly had the jiggle/wobble/lag issue similar to the EC1. I assume the Crane can be fixed in software, and the EC1 definitely can. I'm on my 3rd generation of gimbal and they clearly get better and better, but still none of the single handed gimbals work all that great without some software adjustments. Maybe Moza will have great software to do this easily, and I haven't tried Zhiyun's, but otherwise I would not really recommend any gimbal I've used for someone who doesn't know SimpleBGC well. The Beholder DS1 and Pilotfly H2 are completely useable without tweaking in software but you get so much more out of them if you fix their control curves and tune more carefully for your payload. Frankly if you have never used a carefully tuned gimbal you might not notice the difference, but having to use other people's gimbals with their factory settings really makes me frustrated sometimes. I just couldn't get some of the shots I wanted today with an H2 because the standard control curve is too linear and too slow.
 
nyvz said:
I'm really amazed how many youtube gimbal reviews I've seen where the gimbal clearly has tilt jiggle in all their sample footage but they give it a glowing review.
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I've been following Dave Dugdale's YT channel for a few years, and over this time he has gone through at least 3 or 4 single hand gimbals. Checking his review of the Zhiyun Crane gimbal, I thought that overall his footage looked pretty good, especially given the Zhiyun's price range. Is there something better at this price point ?

 
Bern Caughey said:
Valid points, & I'd be willing to upgrade to another Gimbal if they were as simple to setup as the Crane, but was compatible with my primary QR system. As is any heavy QR seems to cause the Crane to perform a bit more sluggish so I'll live with dual systems. I typically have two GH bodies with me, one wrapped in a cage for use on sticks, & another stripped down for running thru the grassy fields with my hair let down, so two QR systems is not so impractical, & I usually have an adapter plate available so they can be used together when needed.
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TheDingo said:
I've been following Dave Dugdale's YT channel for a few years, and over this time he has gone through at least 3 or 4 single hand gimbals. Checking his review of the Zhiyun Crane gimbal, I thought that overall his footage looked pretty good, especially given the Zhiyun's price range. Is there something better at this price point ?

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You can see the issue I mentioned in his footage when he turns the IBIS off, it's not quite as bad as it was on the EC1 out of the box. Every step he takes the camera is allowed to jiggle a bit before the stabilzer powers the tilt motor enough to compensate. I know this is fixable in the EC1 with simpleBGC and you really have to or else you get this effect pretty badly, but I haven't tried Zhiyun's software to know how fixable it is, and I would worry that if it's oversimplified software it may not be easy/possible to fix, perhaps a Crane owner could give further detail. Not sure how the Moza Air will be but that's in the price range. Only other gimbal I've used in the price range is the DS1 which I owned for a while and is reasonably good out of the box in that the tuning should work fine for medium weight mirrorless setups and doesn't have any huge downsides if I recall correctly (no jiggle etc).

As with any equipment really most of these have issues you can work around and may not notice if you don't know better, but all of them need an operator who can operate and fully understand and adjust their own equipment to work best, and that means understanding the software controls. No one learns that immediately but everyone can if they have the time and interest in doing so, but don't expect the gimbal to work magic without the right input and technique or you will be disappointed. It'd be like getting a steadicam to work without understanding dynamic balance or inertia.
 
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