Neewer Crane V2 DSLR Gimbal: Review – Worth Its Price Tag?

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You probably know that to really maximize what you can do with your DSLR, you need a gimbal. This is yet another piece of expensive camera equipment but there some options that are a bit more affordable and worth looking at. The Neewer Crane V2 DSLR Stabilizer is one such gimbal.

Setting up the neewer crane V2 gimbal

Stabilization & Gimbal Features

If you have a DSLR, then getting the perfect shot is probably pretty important to you. There’s no way to do that without stabilization.

This is where the Neewer Crane V2 gimbal comes in. With 3-axis stability, advanced slip rings, and a number of useful modes, you’ll be able to get the perfect shot you’re looking for.

This is even true when your shooting requirements are more challenging like positive grip, upright shooting, low angle, or even high flight photography. Check out some of the Neewer Crane V2’s features below:

Unlimited Rotation

There is a 360-degree brushless motor that provides unlimited rotation on each of the 3 axes. The automotive-grade magnetic encoders get you precision within 0.02 degrees! This means that you can handle an unprecedented level of shot. Inverted shooting and low angle shooting are no problem.

Accuracy & Control

The combination of powerful 32-bit microcontroller units running in parallel and highly efficient Attitude Control Algorithms give you unparalleled accuracy and control. Even with 4K shooting, the Neewer Crane will sense, compute, and control the camera to a precise 0.01-degree accuracy, all within 0.25 milliseconds!

3 Useful Shooting Modes

The three basic modes are Locking Mode, Pan Following Mode, Pan and Tilt Following Mode. You can also choose to control the gimbal on your own and not use one of the modes. There are shooting situations that will call for each of these modes. You can always make manual adjustments no matter what mode you are using.

Neewer 3 Axis Gimbal AD

Top-Down Mode and Bottom-Up Mode

These two modes are for shooting with different height requirements. With top-down mode, the camera hangs down below the gimbal while with the bottom-up mode, it rides above. These two positioning modes can be very helpful for unique situations where you’re filming or shooting something far above or below eye-level.

5-way Joystick

The intuitive joystick controls let you adjust the pitch, roll or yaw. This is true even if you’re using one of the modes that locks down one of the axes. The joystick is a great way to make small adjustments.

Wireless Control

An app gives you full remote control functionality via Bluetooth. You can control the shutter button and adjust the camera focus. You can also remotely pan/tilt/roll the gimbal, update firmware, and make calibrations. This adds a really valuable level of convenience, especially in tricky shooting situations.

Accessory-Friendly

There is a 1/4″ screw thread at the bottom of the gimbal, allowing for use of accessories. It will be compatible with a number of accessories, including both tripods and extension rods. This gives you even more versatility.

Compatibility

This gimbal is compatible with DSLR and mirrorless cameras from all the major manufacturers, including Nikon, Sony, Canon, and Lumix. What really matters is the camera’s weight.

The camera must weight between 0.77lb/350g and 3.96 lbs/1800g. You need to take the weight of the camera and the lens and any other accessories into account when weighing the camera to make sure it is compatible.

It doesn’t matter if you have a really long lens, as an attachable lens support is included for long lenses.

Although this will work with the majority of cameras, it is important to check the weight just to make sure. Both the minimum and maximum weight are important, as being too light or too heavy will throw off the balance in a bad way.

When determining compatibility, the payload really is key. If you can’t get a good balance, then a DSLR gimbal isn’t going to be worth using. And you definitely wouldn’t want to risk damaging your expensive equipment!

Customer Reviews & Scores

Several reviewers positively compare this gimbal to the Zhiyun Crane V2. According to these buyers, this makes the Neewer Crane V2 a great value.

The joke on these reviewers is that technically, Zhiyun and Neewer are the same company.

Packaging for the neewer crane v2 gimbal

The names are fairly interchangeable. However, this gimbal is not the same one you’ll see listed as the Zhiyun Crane V2. They are very similar but not exactly the same so the reviewers are accurate in their assessment.

One Amazon reviewer claimed that it was impossible to balance with a Panasonic G7 and all of its lenses but that seems unlikely since even with the heavier lenses, the G7 still should fit within the payload parameters.

This reviewer did bring up a worthwhile criticism, though. Support and customer service can be difficult to get or even nonexistent. There aren’t really all that many reviews of this gimbal yet as it is still relatively new.

My Opinion: Is it worth your money?

Because this gimbal is still relatively new on the market, it’s hard to say if it’s a great fit for everybody. That said, the initial signs are very promising. This gimbal offers tremendous value because it has the same features as much pricier gimbals.

Because of this, it’s a good option for someone who needs a gimbal but just can’t afford too much. Of course, this also comes with a certain degree of risk as the product is newer and the customer service recording isn’t stellar.

Have you tried the Neewer Crane V2 DSLR Stabilizer? What did you think? For the money, is there a better gimbal out there? I think it’s a great value and it’s worth considering.

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