Review: Hohem iSteady Pro 3-Axis Gimbal (PROS & CONS)

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To get the best stabilization with a gimbal, you need to spend a lot of money, right? Well, maybe not! Gimbals continue to get more affordable and a lower price tag does not necessarily mean lower quality.

The affordable iSteady Pro gimbal available on amazon from the Chinese company Hohem Tech is a great example. With the iSteady Pro, you can shoot stunning cinematic video with your GoPro action camera. It offers great stability and a number of useful shooting modes.

isteady packaging from hohem

Stabilization Modes

Unlike some other gimbals on the market, the iSteady Pro has a one-piece design and doesn’t require any assembly.

This design contributes to its superior stabilization capability and excellent anti-shake performance. The one-piece design plus the high-torque motor mean that footage will be steady and motion will be smooth.

That smooth and steady footage can be shot from several different stabilization modes. These modes each offer a different use of the three axes. The three axes offer different angle capabilities:

  • Pitching Angle: 320°
  • Rolling Angle: 320°
  • Panning Angle: 640°
  1. In the Pan Following mode, the tilt axis and the roll axis will be locked. This ensures the camera stays level. As you pan to the left and right, the gimbal makes sure the camera smoothly follows your motion.
  2. With the Pan & Tilt Following mode, the roll axis is locked. The camera will smoothly follow both your left/right movements and your up/down movements.
  3. In the All Locked mode, each axis is locked in place. This ensures that the camera continues to point in the same direction, no matter how you move.
  4. And lastly, the All Following mode, where the camera will follow your movement along all three axes.

Another valuable feature is the object tracking option. This will let you select a person or object you want the camera to stay focused on.

As the subject you’ve selected moves, the camera will follow to keep them in the shot. Other features worth using are the trail time-lapse photography mode and the scene memory set that will remember and repeat specific moving shots.

No matter which mode you are using, you always have the option to use the joystick controls as well to manually adjust the pan and tilt axes.

Like with the following motion, the joystick controls offer smooth and steady movement.

You can adjust the settings to control the speed of movement for the roll, pitch, and yaw. This can be helpful for minimizing any jerkiness, especially useful for action scenes with a lot of speed. You are also able to adjust the motor’s torsion for each axis if desired.

Battery Life & Ease of Use

The iSteady Pro has a built-in18650 4000mAh 3.7V rechargeable battery. It includes a very helpful 4000mah battery indicator. This lets you keep an eye on how much shooting time you have left before you need to recharge. On a full charge, this gimbal offers an impressive 12 hours of runtime.

A great feature is the 2-way charging capability. This allows you to charge the gimbal with a portable power source like a power bank while using it. In addition, you can use the gimbal’s power to charge your camera while shooting using the USB port.

Overall, the iSteady Pro is quite easy to use.

Setup is fast and the functionality is relatively straightforward.

The associated app allows for additional control of the gimbal’s settings and can serve as a remote control to control the operation of the gimbal while it’s set up on a tripod, for example.

The app does also include some detailed instructions about the gimbal’s operation. Unfortunately, as of this writing, those instructions are only in Chinese.

Compatibility

This gimbal will work with most action cameras. This includes the GoPro Hero 6/5/4/3+/3, the Yi 4K, the AEE, the Sony RX0, and the SJCAM. It should also work with other models of similar size and weight.

The corresponding Hohem Gimset app is available for both Android and iOS devices.

With two 1/4″ screw thread holes, this gimbal is also compatible with accessories. You can attach it to a monopod or tripod or extension pole if desired. You can also use the thread mounts to attach a microphone or light.

Customer Reviews & Scores

Overall, buyers seem very happy with the Hohem iSteady Pro. Reviewers often point out the great value. For the price, many buyers argue it’s impossible to find a better gimbal.

Several reviewers say that it easily performs as well as much more expensive gimbals. Something else many buyers comment on is the comfort of the design.

The ergonomic handle is comfortable and easy to hold, according to buyers. While several customers do point out how helpful the app can be, they also point out that it can be buggy.

YouTube reviewer Reha Alev describes the functionality as fairly basic but praises the iSteady Pro, calling it the best gimbal for the price.

He also makes particular note of the lack of motor noise. This is a major bonus, as motor noise from a gimbal can ruin otherwise good footage.

Is it worth your money?


For the average user, the Hohem iSteady Pro is definitely worth your money. If you just want a gimbal to improve the quality of your home movies, this gimbal will absolutely deliver.

That it is so affordable is a big bonus. If you’re curious about gimbals and not sure if you want to invest in something more expensive, the iSteady Pro is a low-cost way to see what this video stabilization thing is all about.

And it performs well enough that you may never feel the need to upgrade!

For the pros

For someone looking for a gimbal to improve footage for any kind of professional capacity, this affordable gimbal will do an at least adequate job. This gimbal is known for surprising people with its effectiveness so you may find it goes far beyond adequate.

For the YouTuber, it’s an affordable way to up your video game. It performs so well that it should more than meet your needs.

For the wannabe filmmaker, this gimbal is an okay entry-level model. It’s not quite as good as some more expensive models but it’s without question better than nothing.

As an entry-level model, it’s going to help improve your cinematography by making your footage much more stable and smooth. You can work on perfecting your technique with the iSteady Pro before upgrading.

A good gimbal doesn’t have to break the bank. The Hohem iSteady Pro gimbal is an affordable option for users of GoPro and other action cameras. With valuable features and helpful modes, this gimbal can help you create videos with stunning cinematography.

At the very least, it will add more stability and smoothness to your footage.

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7 Comments
  1. Matthew Hayes says

    Hi , would a Garmin Virb XE be comparable with this gimbal
    Thanks

  2. rick says

    nice but the motor noise is terrible making the footage unusable unless you are going to use music or something else.. or if you are recording continuous music playing on it. not good to record any sports because you hear a humming noise

  3. Ed Dewhurst says

    I always worry when i see an “i” on a product, not being an iPhone user – hence my question – will this work with the OnePlus 6T android ? Im hearing the app is poor, particularly for android and several features do not work.

  4. Neil Goodwill says

    Excellent and well produced review.
    I would like to know if the motion lapse can be programmed to pan back and forth between two points on a 180 degree angle?
    Thanks

  5. Ricardo says

    Well.. Houston we have a problem… When i put my action camera (Eken) into charging the problem is… It tries to connect like the Gimbal was a computer.. it seems to charge, but the camera becomes unusable… And it doesn’t make sense because it only charges if the Gimbal is on too.. wtf?

  6. Martin says

    yes, it can do up to 6 points!

  7. Vedika Badlani says

    How do I use a Rode mic with GoPro while using the hohem gimbal?

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