If you are a photography lover, you will surely want to buy one of the most useful and necessary gadgets of the moment: an image stabilizer, also called a gimbal. It is very useful when we record by hand as it compensates for the vibrations that our bad pulse is transmitting to the camera. They have a very similar effect to a steadicam, but with a more compact, lighter and cheaper format, which allows you to enjoy the advantages of professional equipment without spending a lot of money.
These accessories are usually very expensive, but on sites like AliExpress we can find cheap alternatives such as Zhiyun brand image stabilizers, of Asian origin and known worldwide for their good value for money. It has stabilizers for professional cameras, action cameras and smartphones. Next we will analyze their most popular models.
We Analyze Cheap Stabilizers from the Zhiyun Brand
As we told you before, this brand offers 3 different lines of products: stabilizers for professional cameras, action cameras and cell phones. There are already many who have decided to buy their stabilizers through AliExpress, their most popular models have thousands of sales, so it is worth buying your Zhiyun gimbal directly through this Chinese site, with no intermediaries.
Stabilizers for Professional Cameras
Identifying image stabilizers for professional cameras is easy, they are called Zhiyun Crane and you can find them all in this filtered search. They are hands down the most expensive stabilizers as they have to support the weight of a professional camera and its lenses.
One of the most popular is the Zhiyun Crane 2, a gimbal that supports cameras up to 3.2 kg. It enables real-time focusing with high precision as it is integrated into a follow focus wheel so that our lens always stays in focus while moving.
It has an OLED screen which makes it easy to see the status of the battery, connection and other parameters. Its focus wheel allows more creativity when taking photos and thanks to its three batteries with a total capacity of 6000 mAh, the gimbal can work for up to 18 hours and even charge our camera. It is compatible with all models of DSLR cameras and mirror cameras available on the market. It can cost up to 200 dollars less on AliExpress than on other online sales sites.
If you don’t want to spend that much money, we recommend betting on the model Zhiyun Crane v2, a good alternative to the previous model which is almost worth half as you can see in this link. However, its load capacity drops to 1.8 kg. It is a 3-axis gimbal with 360-degree rotation that contains three processors to achieve impressive fluidity and stabilization. It can be easily controlled via your joystick or via the mobile application available for Android / OS via bluetooth.
Stabilizers for Smartphones
Nowadays you can make real works of art with your smartphone, there are even films and music videos that were shot entirely with these devices. However, if you want to achieve even more professional results, we recommend purchasing a Zhiyun image stabilizer from the “smooth” range, which are designed for cell phones. Another big plus is that they are way cheaper than the previous ones.
His the last stabilizer is the Zhiyun Smooth 3which is also compatible with action cameras like the GoPro Hero 3, 4 and 5. It is a 3-axis gimbal that can carry devices up to 260 grams, and with its 440 grams it is very light and easy to use.
It is controlled via the joystick, which allows you to rotate the gimbal on your remote control along with several buttons: one to select the gimbal mode (manual, fixed or tracking), another to turn the camera on and off and to Taking pictures and a thread that allows you to configure the camera options. It is also possible to configure it through the Zhiyun application available for Android / OS. Its 4600 mAh battery has an autonomy of 14 hours and can function as a power bank.
But Zhiyun has another smartphone stabilizer, the Zhiyun Smooth Q, a versatile and affordable gimbal, it barely costs 80 euros, as you can see here. This model supports devices up to 220 grams and weighs 450 grams, so there is hardly any difference to the previous one, as it has the same autonomy and is also controlled by a small joystick, buttons or through its mobile application.
Stabilizers for Action Cameras
Although many action cameras have their own image stabilization systems, sometimes you need external devices to improve the quality of your videos. Most often, you buy an adapter for the previous gimbals so you can use it for your smartphone and GoPro. However, if you’re using a stabilizer specifically designed for action cameras, you can attach it to a strap, suction cup, helmet, tripod, or a simple selfie stick.
For this reason, if you are an action camera lover, we recommend the Zhiyun Rider M, one of the best action camera stabilizers on the market at the height of the GoPro Karma Grip thanks to its three stabilization motors. It is controlled by a button that enables the tracking mode to be switched between pan mode (the camera only moves horizontally), lock mode (all 3 axes locked) and pan and tilt mode (moves in all directions, but with gentle movements).
This gimbal is resistant to splashes, small bumps and extreme temperatures and is up to any action camera. It can be connected to our smartphone in order to configure and control it via its app and, thanks to its two 900 mAh batteries, has a range of 3 to 5 hours.
How to Buy Cheap and High Quality Zhiyun Brand stabilizers
You can find a lot of sellers on AliExpress who offer this brand as you can see here. Since it is an Asian brand, it’s worth buying from a site like this one as you can avoid middlemen who raise prices. You can also buy your products with national shipping from EE.UU. In fact, Zhiyun even has its own official shop on AliExpress that you can access there. And you? What do you think of Zhiyun’s image stabilizers?
