Also familiar to us is the Zhiyun iOS and Android app, which enables additional control of the gimbal as well as offering templated creative options. We're not exactly power users of the app, but it's always there if you want or need it (e.g. firmware updates to the gimbal are done via the app). Its size is also less obtrusive than a bigger body pro gimbal, which makes the M3 a good choice for holidays, public spaces, reportage and street photography/videography days. It folds down neatly to fit into almost any day bag and doesn't weigh too much (around 700g), so it's comfortable enough to always have with you. Once you have the hang of the balancing process for your camera hardware, you should be able to whip the M3 out and start shooting in a matter of minutes. The Crane-M3 is one of the easiest gimbals to learn and use. As mentioned above, balancing is easy. The touchscreen is bright and it’s very responsive. This makes swiping through menus and selecting options a breeze. A small square touch screen lets you change settings, but the interface is kludgy. The main menu breaks down into four panes: Mode, Balance, Info, and Settings. Tapping any of them takes you to a longer text menu—straightforward enough. But the text is small enough that you can't always be sure which setting you selected. You also need to be deliberate with your swipe gestures to navigate as swipes often register as taps.

Crane M3 3-Axis Handheld Gimbal Stabilizer for Zhiyun Crane M3 3-Axis Handheld Gimbal Stabilizer for

Radiant Photo– Radiant Photo superior quality finished photos with perfect color rendition, delivered in record time.Your photos — simply RADIANT.The way they are meant to be. SHENZHEN, China, November 8t h , 2021 – ZHIYUN, the world’s leading gimbal manufacturer for cameras and smartphones introduces the CRANE M3, the latest in the highly-regarded CRANE series. Proving it’s more than just an upgrade, the M3 is a professional, 3-axis gimbal, claiming five industry firsts for looks, unmatched versatility, easy operability and trademark high-performance ZHIYUN design. The CRANE M3 is compatible with smartphones, action cameras, and full-frame mirrorless cameras with certain lenses.

The Zhiyun Crane M3 is compact gimbal with a lot of handy features – but balancing it is a nightmare

On the subject of long shoots, the M3 supports the 'PD Fast Charge' protocol, with two hours of charge giving you up to eight hours of runtime from the 1150mAh battery, depending of course on how many features you're using and how hard you're torquing those axis motors. Neatly, there's also a USB-C slot in the body, so the gimbal can be charged with a power bank whilst continuing to operate. Zhiyun keeps surging forward, releasing new gimbals and updating existing models at a dizzying pace, although to be fair the compact and DSLR camera market is equally fast-moving. Rather than pushing the limits of a gimbal, it makes more sense as a user to allow the setup more headroom so the motors can operate comfortably - you'll get better video footage that way, courtesy of greater overall stability. My experience with the iPhone 13 wasn't as positive. Despite my best efforts, I simply couldn't get the slim phone to balance along every axis. For the most part, the gimbal did a good job even though it was a little out of balance. But the motors struggled and stuttered when I tried certain types of camera moves, most noticeably when I transitioned from a high to low angle. If you are a full-time smartphone creator, a slimmer gimbal like the DJI OM 5 or Zhiyun Smooth 4 is a better match. There are a few quirks at the time of writing, direct camera control from the grip doesn’t work for the Sony cameras, and the mic input also has a few noise issues. I’m assured that these factors will be sorted out with firmware.

Crane M3 Handheld 3-Axis Stabilizer, Gimbal Stabilizer Zhiyun Crane M3 Handheld 3-Axis Stabilizer, Gimbal Stabilizer

It also benefits from a built-in light capable of 800-lumen output, which is perfect for those moments where you need just a little more light and don't want to add extra weight by using an external LED panel. You can turn it on by holding down the wheel on the side and then change the brightness by rolling it up or down. While this concept might seem alien to many of us, if you’re starting, this is a gimbal that will grow with you by using your phone to a mirrorless system. Modelling lightIt’s not just the style of the bag that doesn’t feel right for the Pro Kit. While it is nicely made, it doesn’t fit all the kits. The microphone is longer than the height of the bag, so it doesn’t fit in. Using the Akaso Brave 8 and iPhone 11 Pro showed just how versatile the gimbal is and the additional control over the two cameras compared with the in-camera stabilisation is huge. I hope you are doing great, I just want to welcome you to this space where I share my stories and tips about Exploring Europe.