ZHIYUN Crane 2S [Pro] Camera Gimbal Stabilizer, 3-Axis Handheld Professional Gimbal Stabilizer for DSLR and Mirrorless Cameras

The media could not be loaded.  I purchased the Crane 2S Pro version of this stabilizer from Amazon. In addition to the gimbal itself, it also included the TransMount Transmitter 2.0, Focus/Zoom Control Motor 2.0, DualCam Extension Module, Sling Grip Handle, and Phone Holder.It made more sense to get this bundle and save as I would really get the most use out of the gimbal by having the Transmitter and Focus/Zoom to use with the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K.The Crane 2S Pro came with all the mounting accessories, cables, and tools to attach everything. I have to say I was very pleased with that, as with many other manufacturers you always seem to need another item like a mounting plate or screws. This package had everything I needed to get setup.Everything arrived in one box. After I opened it, I immediately charged the batteries and the transmitter to make sure I had a full charge before powering everything up. While those charged, I assembled the Crane 2S with all the accessories so I could balance my camera.Now I have a camera cage on my camera body, and it's a very tight fit, but I was able to put the camera and cage on the stabilizer without issue. Once it was all attached, I then unlocked each of the three axis locks one at a time to balance the camera. This process was not difficult, just a little time consuming as you have to make very small adjustments to get the balance just right.I will also note that you should pay attention when attaching the Sling Grip Handle. I properly aligned the slots inside the clamp with the stabilizer body, but I still managed to mount it upside down the first time. Look for the Zhiyun logo and make sure it's facing up. If it's installed upside down, your camera will likely run into the handle when shooting in sling mode.It's very easy to adjust the sling grip and make it a dual grip so you can use two hands on the stabilizer. In all honesty, this will probably be my go to setup because it does such a great job at evening out the weight so your forearms don't get too tired like the do with other stabilizers.Going with this gimbal made things a million times easier versus my older stabilizer system which requited counterweights and tons of time to balance. After the Crane 2S Pro batteries charged, I had the entire unit assembled, balanced, and ready to use in under 15 minutes.One of the few downsides is that all the additional accessories will not fit into the included foam case. I kept the Transmitter and Follow Focus boxes since they had the nice padded foam to keep things secure, so I could just toss those boxes into my camera bag.Other than that, I couldn't be happier with the results I'm getting. The footage looks so smooth it was absolutely worth adding this to my gear bag.

the best gimble ever love it easy to use

I had the old version but wanted to upgrade. It does not offer much than the old version. Besides the lucking the axes I can not see any point to upgrade.Also, I never could balance perfectly my Canon 5D M IV or my R5 with the old version, and hoping this would be fixed, but it did not. I am sure because the same camera and lens were easily balanced perfectly in all 3-axis in less than 10 minutes on DJI RSC 2, so try that first. The $100 extra is worted. It has a better APP, menu, support, and instructions!

Video transmitter emitted a burning smell after installing onto Gimbal. Gimbal itself works as intended.Very unfortunate that I cannot use the video transmitter....

This is my third gimbal from Zhiyun and it is by far the most professional in terms of how smooth the resulting footage is. The Pro package is also 100% worth the extra cost thanks to the useful accessories that are included. The focus and zoom pulling mechanisms are probably my most favorite feature, followed by the image transmitter that turns your smartphone into a live view monitor. All accessories might sound complicated, but they are very easy to setup in no time. Highly recommend this gimbal and the pro package for indie filmmakers or professional video makers.

I am beyond happy for this purchase of the Zhiyun Crane 2S. For my Black Magic Pocket cinema camera 4K, I knew I needed a high quality gimbal but I also wanted versatility. The crane 2s compliments these two needs perfectly. Carbon fiber feels great. Dual grip is perfect and much more accessories are available vie small rig! 10/10 would recommend for prosumer/pro filmmakers and videographers. Battery is good. Had no issues with overheating. Feels super comfortable in my grip.Oh and shipping was 9 days early!!Thank you Zhiyun.

The motors on the crane 2s were acting crazy and glitching, would not hold anything stable let alone by it’s self, even after calibration and troubleshooting

Yes it definitely is! As an owner of the Crane 2 and the Crane 3s this is certainly the offspring of these 2 gimbals with a perfect design and motor strength for my s1h and Blackmagic cameras. Good job Zhiyun. And a special thanks to Jessie from Zhiyun for sending me the Dual Grip Handle (which I also recommend purchasing) making my shooting experiences so much easier. Their customer service is A++!

After using some okay iPhone motorised gimbals in the past it was time to get a bigger one for the "proper" cameras.Yes, I watched every youtube review on the planet before buying and the Crane 2 ticked all the boxes in my opinion.Setup is not like an Apple product where everything is done for you - you need to take your time and understand how it works. Like many similar products, setup is done through the app but it's quick and easy to connect and you get access to a lot of controls as well as firmware updates.Thanks to the motor-locks, camera-balancing is quite easy and you're up and running quickly - however, like all video skills you need a bit of practice in what setting to use and how you move your body to get the best effect.I used it on a job straight away and I got away with a lot of hand-held footage which I would have normally needed a tripod for.Battery life is very good - I could use it all day.I'd like to get a long extension pole so I can mimic some drone-shots (as using a drone commercially is a bit of a minefield.)It's robust, I had it hanging upside-down for a pulley shot and it fell off the rig onto a concrete floor - it's still working! There are a lot of metal parts which gives it a pro-feel.You'll see people removing the extension arm to to rear motor so you can have a clear view of the back of your camera - I had to try this twice before achieving the setup as I was so nervous about breaking it but it's done now and works great (I don't think this is an offical Zhiyun adjustment as it's not mentioned anywhere in the instructions but you see it on their other gimbals.)Performance - very smooth.Camera compatibilty - you see people with big Blackmagic rigs using the Crane 2 - so you can mount a lot of different models - check the site for compatibilty before you buy.Downsides?I'm not a fan of the polystyrene box - but it works - for how long, I don't know.It's heavy but my forearms have never looked betterThe instructions aren't the best.It's easy to leave a motor-lock on by mistake - but don't worry, it'll let you know!Conclusion: It's great!

Update: Zhiyun have reached out to me to pass on my feedback to team so it won’t happen again. It’s also worth noting that the customer feedback is second to none. Amazing. Now that the gimbal is working as it should, they have promised future support if I need it.So, the gimbal is great, and it works really well with the bmpcc4k/6k. However it is worth mentioning, that I spent some time when i first received the unit fixing it, 2 of the locks (that hold the camera in place) were locked stiff, i had to use a wrench to loosen them, all of the other locks needed lubricating to get them to work. However, now that it is fixed and the team have promised to make sure that it doesn’t happen in the future... I can highly recommend the Gimbal as the perfect tool for the black magic cinema camera 4K!

So I want to preface this review that part of the issues that I had were due to it being faulty, which happens to the best of companies, but I also had some other issues that are more fundamental and total deal breakers.So I wanted to use this gimbal for a spec commercial shoot with a Blackmagic Pocket 6k with a Sigma 18-35. So if you're wondering, this gimbal happily takes this payload with a cage etc. Which is good, and the footage was really smooth, even with running shots, it definitely produced great results.But there were faults, at random intervals one of the motors made a loud buzzing noise. This happens sometimes, and I'm sure they would have replaced it as I have other Zhiyun gimbals that are fine. But either way, really annoying, and it would jitter and no matter how we balanced it or auto tuned it, this kept randomly happening. Bashing it, actually made it stop, so it was obviously a weird quality control issue. But ultimately, that's bad and had to be sent back for a refund on that alone.Another issue, is the bar covering the screen is able to be removed, and shortened, which is a plus point, but, unfortunately the last allen key screw threaded. Which was a real pain, and they are so small and flush, there was nothing I could do about it. So the bar had to stay at a right angle. Again, probably unfortunate, but also, most people will probably want to make that adjustment, so it was very annoying! But again, every company has bad editions so I won't hold it against them but it was a feature that I bought it for, so another reason on it's own to send back for a refund, as I wouldn't have bought it otherwise.The one thing I am genuinely angry about though is the app. Wow!The app is literally a deal breaker. So the app, listen to this, is required to turn the gimbal on. So you can't use the gimbal without activating via the app first ok...So this probably doesn't sound like a big deal? "Just use the app, easy!"Well no, it doesn't work on android. But not like "Sometimes it works." No, it doesn't work. I even contacted Zhiyun and they suggested I tried an iphone!?!Ok, so I don't like giving bad reviews, but this £600 professional filmmaking equipment requires activation by the app, and their advice to me was "Try an iphone."Thanks Zhiyun, but that's a complete deal breaker. The problem isn't that the app doesn't work, I have the Weebill Lab and could never get it working but didn't care enough, because it's a gimbal... But if you're going to make the app essential, either have an app that works on both iphone and android, or don't require that we use an app.So it took me about an hour and half messing around, trying all sorts of 'turning it off and on again" and eventually thought I'll try my ipad (which luckily I have). And it worked on the ipad! So I could FINALLY turn the gimbal on.Not: "I could finally use the app features"No.I literally couldn't turn it on to use as a gimbal. It's locked without the app.That's totally unacceptable and is obviously a known issue, because another reviewer has said so, and Zhiyun even admitted it on customer support.And then on a less critical point, many of the features advertised are a part of the app, and they are inaccessible by android, despite the app existing and being advertised as such. Even after activating it via my ipad, it never worked on my android phone (i.e. 50% of all phones being used can't activate this gimbal).And this isn't to say the iOS experience was flawless, the firmware still wouldn't download, it was still buggy, and is not practical to take an ipad on set when a phone is what I'm expecting to be able to use. This might all seem hyperbolic, but it just erodes trust in a company when they basically force a feature on you that they then haven't developed properly. It's a professional piece of equipment and it needs to work.So all in all, I had two unlucky quality control issues, which is worth you being aware of, but also an absolute moronic nightmare of an app that doesn't work and could have potentially ruined a shoot! I like Zhiyun, I think they make innovative products at a good price, but the quality control is not great, and they have really made questionable decisions. Invest in your app as you've basically lost a customer who wanted to use Zhiyun but will now go for the DJI because they have the app covered along with a more compelling offer even if they are a bit more expensive...

The media could not be loaded.  Disclaimer: I'm a YouTube video creator, and Zhiyun asked me to try this gimbal and give my honest opinion.I've been a longtime user of the Zhiyun Crane 2, and it was one of my favourite gimbals ever. If you can't be bothered to watch the video above, the bottom line is this gimbal is just great. I never use any of the fancy modes, or crazy features that come with gimbals. I need gimbals to have a decent payload, and have great battery life – the new Crane 2S does both of these exceptionally well, and is a joy to use.

Do not buy this unless you have a phone or iPad that meets very specific requirements. You cannot activate it, so you can't use it. It looks a great piece of kit but is completely unusable for me due to poor software/firmware design.