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Zhiyun has an in depth vary of gimbal types throughout its complete catalog. The whole lot from smartphone-specific fashions just like the Easy 5 to the mid-range Crane M3 to the skilled market with the Weebill 2.

For its newest launch, the Weebill 3, Zhiyun continues to be pitching the gimbal at professionals who must movie with DSLRs and mirrorless cameras. Nevertheless, it’s also introducing a number of quality-of-life adjustments to make it extra user-friendly.

These options are mainly in ergonomics and in additional options to make it extra of an all-rounder in different areas than simply video stabilization.

An overhauled design

Like its predecessor, the Weebill 3 is a compact gimbal that packs small for transportation. Folded down, the three-axis gimbal measures 13.4 inches lengthy by 8.1 inches extensive and a couple of.85 inches thick, making it very compact.

It is also fairly gentle at 2.4 kilos for the gimbal alone, with objects like the fast launch plate and different equipment bringing your entire bundle to not a lot past 3.2 kilos. That is virtually the identical weight as its predecessor, which itself was a small and easily-carried gimbal.

It additionally has the identical core design cues as the unique for its building, with matte black steel arms hooked up to an equally sturdy rubberized deal with.

The vital departure for the Weebill 3 is its foremost physique design, because the earlier inverted L has been flipped round into extra of an L-shaped deal with, with the primary additional mass beneath the hand as a substitute of above it. It is a good transfer because it creates a big flat pommel-style part beneath the place the person grips their proper hand.

In observe, this ends in a gimbal that will not as simply slip out of the person’s grip when moved rapidly or held at awkward angles.

The prolonged base has some rubberized toes, so it will probably stand by itself if balanced good. Fortunately, Zhiyun features a low-profile TransMount Handheld Tripod to connect to the bottom and to face it upright securely.

Made for consolation

Together with making the Weebill 3 much less more likely to slip from the person’s grasp with the pommel part, Zhiyun additionally gives a pair of equipment for the mannequin.

An attachable wrist relaxation might be acquired that attaches to one of many two attachment factors close to the gimbal’s base. Padded with a thick rubberized cushion, the wrist relaxation cushions the underside of the wrist and just a little little bit of the forearm.

The burden of a gimbal and digicam meeting might be tiring to carry for lengthy intervals and might trigger ache to the wrist in some circumstances. As a substitute of stressing the wrist, the wrist relaxation pressures the grip and pushes upwards beneath the wrist.

This alteration in the way it impacts the wrist means you can use it for much longer earlier than needing to relaxation your arm.

The opposite accent is the Sling Grip, a deal with that attaches to the identical attachment factors within the base. Whereas the Weebill 2 enabled a deal with to be hooked up to the again, this attaches to the facet, and much decrease down the gimbal.

Whereas this offers you a second deal with to carry onto the gimbal with as a substitute of the folded-up tripod, it additionally gives a number of choices concerning angles, relying on the way you wish to grip it. It is also extendable, fastened in place by a rigidity ring, so it may be rapidly lengthened and shortened relying on what you want for a shot.

Not like the wrist relaxation, the Sling Grip’s cushioned deal with is extra foam-like in texture than the rubber used elsewhere, which makes it just a little misplaced within the design. It is nonetheless comfy to make use of, and it will be unsurprising if severe customers will find yourself including their very own grip materials to the arm.

Mounting and motion

On the highest of the Weebill 3 is a sequence of three rotating joints and arms which are fairly near what was supplied with the Weebill 2. Every joint handles the mounted digicam’s roll, tilt, and pan axis when in use.

Just like the earlier mannequin, it’s designed to take a heavy load within the type of a DSLR or mirrorless digicam and an accompanying heavy lens. Whereas there is no such thing as a official phrase on what weight of digicam meeting it will probably in the end take, it was comfortably capable of handle an enormous digicam and lens combo that weighed in at just below 3 kilos.

Locking switches for every motor are included as soon as once more, although this time, they’re chunkier switches that appear to match the aesthetic of the gimbal greater than the earlier model.

An extended slide-out mounting plate is used to connect the digicam to the gimbal. To assist flip the screw within the plate, Zhiyun has included a magnetically-attached flat attachment close to the place it slides into the gimbal’s arms, which can be utilized as a substitute for a screwdriver, allen key, or coin.

To make issues even simpler for digicam administration, a smaller quick-release plate might be hooked up to the digicam as a substitute, which may then be hooked up to the slide-out mounting plate. That is helpful, as as a substitute of getting to slip out your entire mounting plate every time, you may take away the smaller one.

The change saves the operator from rebalancing the mounting plate each time because the quick-release plate is reattached to the identical place.

The vary of motion for the gimbal mechanism may be very excessive, with 360 levels of panning, as much as 330 levels of tilt, and 340 levels of roll.

Audio and light-weight

Two adjustments to the system have seemingly been borrowed from the Crane M3 to unravel two components the earlier mannequin could not deal with: gentle and sound.

There’s a built-in gentle on the right-hand facet of the digicam, which the person can activate and off by way of a protracted press of the clickable wheel on the right-hand facet of the deal with. The wheel can management the brightness of the sunshine, with a most of 1,000 lumens, which will help brighten up a dim or darkish location.

That gentle works at coloration temperatures between 2,600k and 5,400k, however there are a number of snap-on filters you may connect for extra wild coloration choices.

It might not essentially substitute a full skilled lighting setup, however it’ll do in a pinch.

Sound is all the time an issue for gimbal customers, as you have to depend on wi-fi audio programs or separate audio recordings to seize speech and environmental sounds. You do not normally have the luxurious of putting a mic on the digicam straight, particularly in case you have a gimbal like this that works in an underslung mode because the mic would intervene with the movement of the arms at some factors.

Utilizing a digicam’s built-in mic normally is not a good suggestion attributable to the potential for low-quality audio and selecting up all sound, together with the videographer.

Zhiyun has included a built-in mic in the identical place as the sunshine, a cardioid model aimed wherever the digicam is pointed and boasting a noise-cancellation perform. A brief cable connects that mic to the digicam’s microphone port.

In testing, the standard of the mic is best than that of the digicam’s built-in microphone, making it a worthwhile addition. Once more, this is not the perfect resolution, and a wi-fi mic setup would nonetheless provide greater audio high quality for video initiatives.

Management adjustments and energy

The important thing time period for Weebill’s management system is accessibility, with nearly all of important controls wanted throughout recording operable by the person’s proper hand when that very same hand holds the gimbal.

Within the center is a compact monochrome show that gives important data to the person, such because the mode they’re utilizing and the remaining battery life. On the left, controllable by the thumb, is a joystick for shifting the place the digicam is pointed at, a file button and a mode button.

That mode button switches between a number of gimbal modes by way of single and double presses. Single presses cycle between Pan Observe, Lock, and Observe modes, with double presses going into POV, Vortex, and Portrait modes.

The Vortex and Portrait modes level the digicam straight upwards, so customers have to carry the gimbal at a 90-degree angle. That is very helpful for the Vortex mode, since it will probably roll the digicam round for a novel and inventive shot.

A seventh mode, Go, is triggered by a protracted press of the entrance set off. That very same button additionally makes use of a number of presses for actions, with a double faucet recentering the gimbal and a triple press shifting to Selfie mode.

A management wheel can also be on the entrance, which may handle the digicam’s roll, although it can be configured to carry out different actions.

The Menu button is close to the sunshine wheel on the fitting, which is not simply pressed when the gimbal is used one-handed. This opens up the menu system on the compact 0.96-inch show, navigated utilizing the sunshine wheel, and handles numerous capabilities.

The menu manages the motor settings, motion speeds, lifeless banding, wheel and set off controls, and different choices and options.

Battery life for the gimbal is as much as 21 hours from a single cost, making it able to dealing with a full day and virtually a complete evening of filming in a single go. Charging happens by way of the USB-C port within the base, which might be quick charged to 100% inside two hours.

App management

Like earlier fashions within the vary, the Weebill 3 might be managed by a companion app. ZY Play for iOS connects to the gimbal over Bluetooth, supplying you with management over the digicam’s movement out of your iPhone or iPad.

There are sliders, a software program joystick, choices for switching between the totally different modes, a motion-control system, and battery indicators, together with telling the digicam to begin and cease recording.

Deeper exploration gives choices for scene modes, choosing the digicam model, calibration options, and different priceless options.

Increasing the bundle

Whereas it’s solely usable as a gimbal for filmmaking in its personal proper, extra adventurous customers can spend extra on equipment to go along with the Weebill 3. The TransMount Picture Transmitter and MasterEye Visible Controller are equipment that add extra of knowledgeable edge to the gimbal.

The TransMount Picture Transmitter, which might be hooked up to the Weebill 3 discretely, can ship a stay video picture from the digicam to the companion app. This offers a second operator a transparent view of what’s being filmed and the chance to handle the digicam and the gimbal’s actions whereas the Weebill 3 is being moved by another person.

It’s also possible to transmit the footage to the MasterEye Visible Controller, which gives the identical skill to view footage and regulate the digicam and gimbal remotely, however in an much more skilled bundle.

Zhiyun additionally produces a spotlight motor that you could connect to the meeting, permitting for distant adjustments of focus and zoom by turning the rings on a lens.

There may be all the time a chance to construct past what Zhiyun gives, however the place you go along with it is dependent upon your wants.

Pricing

The usual bundle consists of the Weebill 3, the tripod, a quick-release plate, fill gentle filters, lens assist, assorted cables, and an EPP storage case, priced at $449.

If you would like the wrist relaxation, the extendable Sling Grip deal with, and a backpack, that can value you $529.

A YouTuber-friendly gimbal possibility

The Weebill 3 builds upon a legacy of spectacular cinematography gimbals with options that may assist professionals get the shot they want. Making it simpler to deal with and with a particularly lengthy battery life has resulted in a superb handheld accent able to getting used for extensively lengthy shoots.

The usefulness of the wrist relaxation can’t be underestimated.

On the similar time, Zhiyun has additionally made adjustments to make the Weebill 3 bundle much more helpful for smaller videography groups and people who wish to make it large on YouTube. It has a really easy-to-understand interface, coupled with a extra strong design.

Including within the gentle and microphone might not be that helpful for high-level artistic professionals, however for these producing for YouTube, it is an amazing assist.

The Weebill 3 is a radical rethink of what a gimbal must be and the way it could possibly be used. Doing so whereas additionally making it much less tiring for customers to wield is even higher.

Execs

• Skilled-quality gimbal
• Compact measurement for storage and journey
• Handles heavy cameras
• App management
• Gentle and microphone additions

Cons

• Sling Grip deal with foam
• Small inch-wide show

Score: 4.5 out of 5

The place to purchase

The Zhiyun Weebill 3 retails for $449 and is offered to order straight from Zhiyun, in addition to at B&H Photograph, Adorama.com and Amazon.

It’s also possible to decide up the Combo Equipment for $529 on the retailers above.