The Sony a9 III is the world's first full-frame mirrorless camera to feature a global electronic shutter with simultaneous readout.

This is because EIS crops the image slightly and compensates for movement by using the extra pixels surrounding the crop as a buffer zone, thus reducing image quality overall.

Then you have POV (point of view), where you control all movements of the camera with the handle – pan, tilt and even roll. Then you hit continue and, finally, go back to “smartphone mode”, select Motion Timelapse mode again and tap Start. All content, design, and layout are Copyright © 1998–2024 Digital Photography Review All Rights Reserved. The variety of modes is a welcome addition to the original Crane-M which was introduced almost three years ago.

The majority of cameras on the list allow taking photos, start and stop recording, as well as a zoom in and out option when using the gimbal handle.

If you’re new to gimbals, the Crane-M2’s setup process might take a little while to get your head around; it’s certainly not as simple as the DJI Osmo or one of Zhiyun’s more basic gimbals to get started with. This is probably due to the compact design which would make it tricky to switch into an upside down mode without hitting the gimbal or camera on the side. By adjusting the motor strength to high, you can attach cameras weighing up to 720g to the Zhiyun Crane-M2’s mounting plate, which means, as long as they fit, you can stabilise some quite beefy cameras.

I'll probably smash it anyway but I might try it out again and see how long this piece of junk lasts. Effective image-stabilisation is a big selling point in smartphones and action cameras these days but nothing quite beats the fluidity and professional look that a motorized gimbal can bring to your video.Please check whether the camera is installed well and close to Tilt Axis Motor, and tighten all lock switches. However, if you want something that’s more flexible to use with your more serious cameras, and that can be used with your smartphone and action camera as well, the Zhiyun Crane is a decent choice. It took me lots of tapping and swiping around to actually find the Crane-M2 in the app’s labyrinthine menus.

Mine actually came off when I carried the gimbal in a backpack, so either leave the gimbal in the case when travelling or take it off and keep it separately in a box or pouch. One thing to make sure, check to see that you’ve screwed in the handle all the way, if it’s even loose by a hair it’ll turn off. It’s packed with creative features and is flexible enough to stabilise not just lightweight action cameras and smartphones but larger mirrorless cameras as well. If you’re using a regular camera with the Zhiyun Crane-M2 you’ll be able to bypass the app for everything except for firmware updates, since the main shooting modes and functions can be accessed directly using the gimbal’s own controls.The advanced automated modes described above (motion timelapse, panorama and so on) only work on smartphones. The CRANE-M2 offers 360° pan, 310° tilt, and 324° roll rotation across six modes of operation, including POV and Vortex modes. As noted, before you purchase it, make sure you have thoroughly checked if your camera and lens combination will be supported by the gimbal.