Question of the Day-Which smartphone video stabilizer/gimbal are you using?14116

Originally Posted by @Dataventurer
Yeah, I got opinions about gimbals!

The most important feature for me (and I would suggest for anyone shooting real estate) is the ability of the gimbal to support a wide-angle phone lens without showing the gimbal arm in the frame. I know for sure that two gimbals in this list have that feature: DJI Osmo 3 and the Hohem iSteady. The other two gimbals can also work to support a wide angle lens, but the handle would need to held like a flashlight horizontally instead of vertically. So you could shoot wide angle with a Zhiyun but you'd be somewhat limited to the angle you can hold the gimbal and not catch the gimbal arm in the frame. For me, that was a show-stopper.

I tried the iSteady first because it was less expensive than the DJI. It is smaller than the DJI, can be put easily in your jacket pocket. I decided to send it back mainly because the DJI supports the Android camera app FilmicPro so the gimbal buttons can start/stop the video filming. This becomes an important feature when shooting short clips in a house. Instead of needing to touch the phone screen to start/stop, and risk jiggling or jerking the phone on the gimbal, touching the button on the gimbal to start/stop filming avoids any shaking. The DJI 3 is the previous generation to the current DJI 4, so the DJI 3 is so close in price now to the iSteady, that the difference of $20 makes more sense to purchase the DJI. The DJI has a decent native camera app, too. It comes with a nice case and short tri-leg stand.

I found a very comprehensive review of four gimbals back in the summer. The DJI 3 and iSteady were among that group, so it's a useful source of more information if you are interested. There is also a follow-up second gimbal video on that channel looking at the native software for the gimbals. Link to the first review is here: clickable text

Video: DJI Osmo Mobile 3 vs Moza Mini S & Mini MX vs Zhiyun Smooth 4 and Q2 vs Hohem iSteady X Part1 | Video courtesy of Zdenka Darula YouTube Channel | 24 July 2020

During my search for my optimal gimbal, I came across a great source on YouTube for how to shoot cinegraphic gimbal moves. One just came out yesterday, there are several other very good ones on this guy's channel: clickable text

Video: How To Shoot Hollywood Camera Moves WITH A PHONE! | Cinematic Filmmaking Tips For Beginners | Video courtesy of Learn Online Video YouTube Channel | 13 February 2021

There has been some attention on this board in the past couple weeks on the Momenzo app (a WGAN-Live TV review from last Friday, Feb. 12). That particular app could easily be used without a gimbal because it's geared around short clips (up to 5 seconds in Beginner mode) that are simple scans of a room. In that case, you could simply stand still and move your hands holding the camera in an upward scan or swinging to the right or left and get a decent view of a room. A gimbal becomes useful when you are moving your feet because the gimbal can smooth out the shot. The gimbal enables capturing some more cinegraphic shots, especially when you attach the gimbal to a monopod stand that extends the potential movement in a shot. The second link I posted above has some good examples of those kinds of shots that go beyond a simple scan of a room.