Review: Zhiyun Smooth Q Gopro & Smartphone Gimbal

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As smartphone cameras continue to get better, it’s easier than ever to take great video with your phone.

When taking action video, though, it’s pretty tough to keep the image stabilized. This results in a jumpy video that can be hard to watch. To solve this problem, you can use a gimbal.

In this post, I’ll be reviewing a great gimbal that can be used for both smartphones and GoPros is the Zhiyun Smooth Q GoPro & Smartphone Gimbal.

Stabilization

Even if you’ve got steady hands, it’s hard to shoot handheld video that is smooth.

The Zhiyun Smooth Q gimbal takes care of that and lets you shoot professional-quality video that is always smooth and stable. Even when you move the gimbal all around, the picture will remain stabilized when you are in the gimbal’s default pan follow mode.

Video by MumboVlogs

There is also a tracking mode, where the camera will follow you around as you move while keeping the video stable and smooth. The gimbal supports 360 degrees of rotation and provides 3-axis stabilization.

In the lock mode, the easy-to-use joystick control lets you adjust the camera angle or pan in any direction.

This movement will always be incredibly smooth and stabilized, just like in the other modes.

Unlike some other gimbals, there is no need for a counterweight to keep the phone balanced and to keep the video stabilized.

Zhiyun gimbal motors

It is important, though, to make sure you set the balance correctly when you first secure the phone or GoPro to the gimbal. This is easy to do but if it’s not done correctly, your stabilization capabilities will be off and the video quality won’t be as good.

Compatibility

This gimbal can handle most smartphones, even the largest ones on the market like those in the 6-inch range.

It definitely won’t fit a tablet, but phones as large as the iPhone 7 Plus, for example, will fit just fine.

If you have a larger phone in a large case like an Otterbox, it might be a tight fit or you might need to take the case off.

This has a maximum payload of 220g, so as long as your phone isn’t heavier than that, you should be good to go.

A great feature of this gimbal is that it can also work with a GoPro. It comes with a special plate that will fit the GoPro 5, 4, and 3. Once you attach the plate to the gimbal, it’s easy to attach your GoPro and use it just like you would a smartphone.

The Smooth Q is also compatible with add-on accessories like lenses, external microphones or soft lights.

It can handle a total weight of 220g, which is more than enough for most phones even with the addition of accessories.

Customer reviews & scores

Reception for this gimbal has been overwhelmingly positive.

Tech vlogger Karl Conrad called it the best gimbal of the year. Many people are really happy with the price of this model because it offers so much value for a lower price tag than similar models on the market.

Tech vlogger iPhonedo compared it to a much more expensive gimbal in a head-to-head test and the Smooth Q came out quite well.

It didn’t come out on top for every metric but for most metrics, it did at least equally as well and for some metrics, it easily outperformed the more expensive model.

Other features people are talking about include the comfortable grip and the bonus of being able to charge your smartphone right from the gimbal.

Some people do report that it can be hard to figure out how to use the different modes at first and that the joy stick is quite sensitive.

Once you get used to it, though, it’s very user-friendly.

Some people online are complaining that the plastic construction feels a little cheap.

The high molecular compound construction was made to be lightweight and durable and it definitely performs in that regard.

Overall, the scores for the Zhiyun Smooth Q GoPro and Smartphone Gimbal are very high.

Is it worth your money?

Without question, this gimbal is an incredible value.

It has a much lower price tag than comparable gimbals on the market.

In addition to offering great image stabilization and being compatible with both smartphones and GoPros, it has a number of great features that give it a lot of bang for your buck:

  • Has a comfortable ergonomic design.
  • It is very lightweight.
  • Lets you charge your phone and the battery power lasts for 12 hours.
  • Can handle extremes of temperature and different weather conditions.
  • Exclusive app that lets you apply some interesting filters and other effects as well as tools like a time-lapse mode.
  • It comes with a nice carrying case and a shoulder strap.
  • Can be mounted to a tripod if desired.

At the end of the day, this gimbal will let you make movies as good as those made with really expensive professional camera equipment. If you’re just looking to try gimbal videography for the first time, the Zhiyun Smooth Q is an affordable way to try it out.

Woman handling a zhiyun smooth q gimbal

Despite the low price, it offers everything that more expensive models do and more. Once you see the amazing video quality you can get with this gimbal, you’re going to want to be filming nonstop.

 

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