Today we're talking about the Zhiyun Smooth 4 gimbal.
And the reason that we're talking about this today
is that it's now integrated with Filmic Pro on your phone.
So, this has become a much more powerful tool,
now that it's been integrated with Filmic Pro.
(upbeat electronic music)
- [Announcer] This video is sponsored by Zhiyun
to tell you about the new partnership with Filmic Pro
and some new update to this gimbal.
- So, if you've seen some of my past videos
I have reviewed this, I've compared it to other gimbals.
And originally, I didn't think the smoothness
and the capabilities of this app were that impressive.
However, there was a big firmware update.
They've reconfigured the motors and all that good stuff.
And they've also added an additional feature that allows you
to work natively within Filmic Pro.
And this is huge because a lot of times
the software that comes with theses gimbals,
it doesn't have the full capabilities
that you want out of a smartphone gimbal.
What Filmic Pro does is it gives you an app
that gives you full manual control over your camera
and a lot of features that allow you
to get the most out of your camera
with the compression that you get and all that.
So, in Filmic Pro you can shoot
at the least amount of compression on your smartphone
and you can also do things like add colors,
you can shoot in log, you can shoot in flatter profiles.
And if you guys want more info on how-to color grade
log footage, I'll put a link to my beginners guide
to color grading down in the description.
So, there's different ways in which that Filmic Pro
is definitely enhancing the ability
to shoot cinematic footage using your smartphone.
Now, the issue is a lot of these gimbals don't allow you
to basically use Filmic Pro because you have to have a link
between the gimbal and the phone
so that you can use all the functionality.
Now, there's two things about the Zhiyun Smooth 4
that I really like.
And I've said this in the past.
One thing is just the way that it's laid out.
So, all the buttons are right here on the front
and you have this cool trigger on the back.
Now, originally I did not like the way
that this was set up, however, after working with it
in some real-world settings I actually do really enjoy
the way that this feels when you're actually shooting.
So, the double trigger on the back gives you
the option to do a quick pan, which basically,
the gimbal will follow your movements any direction
that you move and it will do it fast.
So, you can do like a lot of whips and things like that.
The bottom one allows you to do more of a slow.
So, that's a follow me in all directions.
So, you could be shooting in your lock mode
and then click onto this and then it will follow you
and then you can let go and it will lock.
So, it's opposite than a lot of other gimbals out there.
But this actually gives you more flexibility
when you're shooting because you're basically
pulling that trigger on and off to get your shots
and so it feels more organic actually
when you're moving around a subject
to be using both these triggers in unison.
And then either have it in lock mode on the front
or you have this follow me, semi-follow me mode
where it follows your pan but not your tilt.
So, everything you need is between the front
flip switch on the front and the two triggers on the back.
And when you use 'em in unison
you can do some really cool dynamic moves
without ever actually having to click through menus
or click a button multiple times to access different modes.
So, that's one strength of this gimbal,
you really just have access to freely move this
however you need to in a scene
without stopping and resetting.
Now, obviously the other part is the focus zoom wheel
on the side here.
The focus zoom wheel is great, it feathers nicely,
you can change the speed of it.
But it allows you to focus and zoom.
And when you're shooting, I've been using the focus
more than anything.
So, if I wanted to hold focus I can use this,
basically do some shallow depth of field work,
especially if I was to pair this with, like, a longer lens.
So, there's some longer lenses out there.
One downside is that you can't use a lens on this gimbal
without having a counterweight.
But there is a universal counterweight.
Moment makes it and so I'll put a link down below
in the description where you guys can check that out.
So, if you are gonna use, like, Moment lenses
then you definitely need a counterweight but it will work.
So, when you pair this gimbal with, like,
a 50 millimeter lens you'll be able to do some cool,
shallow depth of field cinematography.
And that's where this gimbal wheel will really come in handy
because you can really get precise with your movements,
do some cool rack focusing and it feathers nicely,
it feels good.
So, definitely some strengths about this gimbal
is just the way that it's set up.
Now, it is definitely bigger
than other smartphone gimbals on the market.
It's taller.
So, that is just something to keep in mind.
But one of the really cool things about the partnership
between Zhiyun and Filmic Pro is that all your buttons
have now been remapped into Filmic Pro.
So, these buttons on the front have functions
within Filmic Pro so you never actually have to touch
the screen when you're out filming.
So, when you're filming you have access to your exposures,
you have access to change in and out of your auto modes
and you have access to basically
everything that you need to shoot with.
And so, today when I was out shooting with Rachel
we just did some yoga flows out on Palisades Park
which is jut above the beach and I definitely wanted
to see not only how smooth this gimbal is
with the new firmware but I also wanted to just see
how it works with Filmic Pro.
So, let's just watch some of the footage
that I got using the gimbal.
Okay, so I'm gonna shoot everything in 4K,
60 frames a second using my iPhone XS Max.
And the reason you wanna shot 4K, 60 with everything
that you do when you're testing on a gimbal like this
is that when you shoot 60 you really can see the wobble
and and see how much shake there is in a camera.
(chillwave music)
So, in general just from looking at this footage,
there's definitely some improvements to the gimbal motors
and just how smooth the whole experience is.
Originally, I'll show you some of this footage
from the beach the other day when I went out shooting.
It had a lot of shake and a lot of wobble to it.
So, after the firmware update there's definitely
an improvement to the stability of this gimbal.
However, there is still a little bit of wobble
and you can take that out just using a stabilizer
in your editing software.
And then I turn the stabilizer on the phone
just to see the difference,
see if it works with the stabilizer.
And you could definitely tell that the stabilizer
gets rid of all those shakes.
However, in general when you're working with a gimbal
you typically don't wanna use your internal stabilization
because it does mess with the footage a little bit.
You might get some weird effects going on
when you're panning and tilting and all that.
So, typically what I like to do if the footage
isn't perfectly smooth then what I'll do
is just run it through it my stabilization in Final Cut
and it definitely cleans it up and makes it nice.
So, just from looking at this footage
you might need to use some stabilization.
However, it is worth the trade-off
just because of the functionality of Filmic Pro.
So, as I was shooting with Rachel
I barely had to touch the screen.
Basically, I only touched the screen if I wanted
to change some settings within the app itself.
But once you set those up, so for example,
I shot everything 4K, 60, I shot in Filmic Extreme
and other than that I don't need to touch the screen
after the Smooth 4 is synced with the actual app.
So, what happens is each of your buttons has been remapped
so you can adjust your focus by the focus wheel on the side,
your exposure by the main ring in the center.
The button in the center clicks and it changes
between your modes and then you have access
to lock exposure, lock focus and then record
directly from the buttons on the front.
Now, there's obviously more you can do with this.
I'll put a link down below in the description to a tutorial
if you do decide to get this gimbal that takes you
through every button and functionality
within this partnership between these two products.
However, just working with Filmic Pro
and working with these buttons in unison
I never actually had to touch the app
when I was filming with Rachel.
All my exposure adjustments, all my focus adjustments
could just be made on the actual gimbal itself
which is a huge difference from other gimbals out there
and this partnership is a huge advantage
to using the Smooth 4 over some of the other gimbals.
So, should you get the Smooth 4 gimbal?
It all comes down to what type of shooter you are
and what type of functions that you need
when you're shooting with a smartphone gimbal.
So, guys I highly suggest checking out
the Smooth 4 if you're looking for a way
to get really cinematic footage out of your smartphone.
It's a great option especially now
that they've updated the firmware
and they've added this partnership with Filmic pro.
Alright guys, that's it.
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