After spending about a month researching various 3 axis gimbals and watching reviews online, I purchased the Z1-Smooth. I love this product. I've owned/been using it for the past 2 1/2 weeks with no complaints. -A little confusion, but no complaints! I've recently returned from a trip to New Orleans and took it for a walk through the French Quarter. You can see sample footage shot entirely using the Z1-Smooth 3-axis Gimbal here: https://youtu.be/Muon4iHx-WI Keep in mind that I took *no* care to walk carefully or more smooth than usual.
People stop me on the street to have a look at this device all the time. It's a real charmer! All my photo friends want one or have bought one after seeing mine in action.
Note: If the gimbal stops holding it's balance that is a sign the batteries are low. It's not a malfunction. Charge the batteries before you give up on this device.
PROS
Works right out of the box. No calibration needed.
Fit both my iPhone 6+ and my Samsung NX Mini (with the pancake lens). Pretty cool!
Footage is amazingly smooth. A friend saw some of my sample footage and said he thought it was shot on a dolly.
Phone mount includes a standard 1/4" receiver for screwing in a small mic. -It needs to be something really light. I added the Rode VideoMicro.
Rode VideoMicro Compact On-Camera Microphone with Rycote Lyre Shock Mount
If you want to add a larger mic, it's easy to do so by using a handlebar mount for a bicycle (also available here on Amazon). Just clamp on the handle and you're good to go. Add a good video app like FilmicPro, then you have pretty good video, good sound, and excellent stability by using this gimbal!
CONS
The Z1-Smooth comes with both a microUSB port on the device handle and a separate battery charger. I made the mistake of assuming you could plug the micro USB into the handle and recharge the batteries as is the case with many devices these days. You cannot. You need to take the batteries out and use the charger. As an aside, I found the batteries very difficult to remove from the charger once they had juiced up. Maybe the springs will loosen up a little with time.
The instructions are not very clear, but this device is so easy to use right out of the box that it's hardly a concern. If you still have questions, just hit YouTube. There are lots of videos on there showing how this gimbal is used.
The rubber cushion that gives the phone extra hold in the mount came off the first day. I'd love to find out where I could get a replacement and glue it in more securely.
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