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Minitests
Small accessories that could make a huge difference
GIMBAL
Zhiyun Crane
3S £729
ZHIYUN IS KNOWN FOR
its collection of ultra-capable
gimbals. Coming to prominence
with the Crane series that
started life as a humble 3-axis
one-handed run-and-gun
stabiliser, Zhiyun has branched
out into more diverse styles,
leading to this behemoth of
movie making, the Crane 3S.
Main features
Designed to carry the brunt of
Hollywood heavy-hitters, such
as the ARRI or RED variety of
movie camera, the modular 3S
delivers a payload capacity of
up to 6.5kg and is also perfect
for those filming using bulky
DSLR and lens combos, such
as the new Canon 1D X MkIII.
There’s a detachable trigger
EasySling handle with a quick
release system and LCD to
help navigate the menus.
You can also connect your
smartdevice with the ZY Play
app, which allows you to
fine-tune the motor strength and
speed, as well as calibrate the
motors and control the gimbal
Above Nine mounting points let you customise your rig for any job.
108 PRACTICAL PHOTOGRAPHY
from your screen.
However, the
SmartSync feature
takes this to the next
level, with the gimbal
mirroring your physical
movements. This is
both amazing and
confusing to begin with,
though after a short play, you
get used to it and it becomes
an intuitive way to either work
static, or with a second operator
for precision movements.
Performance
Zhiyun has included, quite
literally, everything you’ll ever
need to get going. Setup is
easy, and despite the potential
weight, balancing your camera
is a simple affair, though due to
the increased frame size, it can
take some clever positioning
and oomph at times.
Performance is impressive.
Cycling through the modes
on offer, including Pan Follow,
Follow and Vortex, you’ll notice
that the motors do a great job
of keeping the axis aligned.
PAYLOAD
6.5kg
WEIGHT
2.5kg
BATTERY LIFE
12 HOURS
Right The
EasySling LCD
allows you to
check and
change modes
while on the job.
In Follow mode, the camera’s
movement is ultra-smooth, so
pitching up and down gives
great cinematic results. Another
sign of the beefed-up motors is
Vortex mode, which lets you roll
your camera during operation.
This leads to some very creative
footage, and pleasingly there’s
no strain or audible grunting.
The Lock mode, which keeps
the camera pointing in its
original position while you move
the gimbal around, performed
perfectly. Throwing it around
our subject for some quick
sweeping shots, it kept the
direction solid and allowed for
some crisp B-roll shots.
While there’s a lot of physical
exertion going on when using
a heavy gear setup – we were
rolling with the Nikon D850
and 24-70mm – the battery life
puts in a strong performance.
It’s slated to last up to 12 hours
and we definitely didn’t feel
rushed during our testing.
Considering how much energy
it expends, this is impressive,
and if you require more work
time, there’s an external battery
pack available that offers up to
18 hours from a single charge.
While this is a stunning piece
of kit, we were thankful for the
EasySling arm. Though many
controls can be found on the
body, we did tend to nudge the
follow focus dial when reaching
for them. It’s not the cheapest
or lightest gimbal on offer, and
Zhiyun itself has a range for
smaller cameras and budgets,
so if you don’t need the extra
weight capacity, or want
something lighter, there are
other options. zhiyun.com