Looking for a new gimbal to stabilize your videos?
The Feiyu A2000 is another product in the sub $1000 category for stabilizing mirrorless
or smaller dslrs weighing under 4.4lbs.
It has solid performance stabilizing shakes from rotational motion.
Unique features like the swappable dual handlebars with the fully integrated electronic control.
Built in quick release plate for installing or removing your camera.
A unique trigger button that simplifies switching between gimbal modes.
And a built in timelaspe feature that makes it really easy to add some motorized motion
to your videos.
But there are also some issues I have with it, not having the most comfortable and ergonomic
handles and the thumbscrew locking mechanism for balancing the gimbal is a little finicky.
Hi I’m David and these are my impressions of the Feiyu A2000 gimbal with dual handlebar
kit that was provided to me for testing.
So quickly looking at everything you get inside the box.
Everything come nicely packaged in this soft shell case for storage and transportation.
You have the gimbal motors and arm brackets with everything being adjustable with thumbscrews.
An included quick release plate that makes mounting and removing the camera from the
gimbal super easy.
And for the handle you have two options in this kit.
You can either go with the single handlebar option and install the included mini tripod
on the bottom (on screen all the features) or easily swap to the dual handlebar option
instead.
The kit includes 4 batteries but only 2 are used at a time installed in either the single
or dual handle bars.
And is quoted to last for up to 12 hours.
A battery charger is also included that uses a standard micro usb cable.
And an extra thumbscrew, coldshoe plate, lens mounting accessories, and a shutter cable
but only for sony cameras.
What really caught my eye with this gimbal versus the competition was the dual handlebar
setup.
Having a handlebar distributes the weight over two arms, helping to reduce the fatigue
when using the gimbal over a long period of time.
The dual handlebars also give me more controls to smoothly and accurately point the gimbal
in the right direction.
While you can find dual handlebar solutions for other gimbals in this price range as well.
The integrated controller in the handlebar is really useful to change modes or move the
gimbal without letting go of the handle, and is wired into the handle so you don’t need
to worry about extra batteries for the remote control.
This design also allows you place the gimbal down on the floor or on a table because of
the flat base, which is super convenient when taking breaks.
And you can also flip the handle upside down that helps for lower shots but it’s hard
to use the controls when in this orientation and I find it little more comfortable right
side up, so that’s how I prefer to use it instead.
Carrying the dual handlebars is a little more bulky to pack in a bag but they do fold up
shrinking its footprint, which makes it a little more convenient.
Alternatively you can always swap between the single and dual handlebar option by quickly
popping off the gimbal and screwing it into the other handle.
Both the dual handlebar and single handlebar have the exact same controls and functionality.
If you’re familiar with gimbals it has most of the standard modes you’d expect.
Panning mode that perfect for just walking around or getting that parallax effect, (draw
illustrations joystick) panning and tilt mode when you just want to easily transition from
pointing at things low or high, But unique to this gimbal is the trigger button that
you hold to enable the lock mode to keep the gimbal pointed in the same direction.
This trigger button is actually really useful to instantly switch between one of the panning
modes and the lock mode.
And you can also double click it at any time to reset the gimbal position orientation which
I find myself using quite often.
Three clicks of the mode button turns it around into selfie-mode.
And then four clicks to go into the timelaspe mode.
I really like the timelaspe feature, you basically move the gimbal and set the start position,
then set the end position and from there it’s all automatic.
Setting how fast it moves can be configured inside the the phone app.
I find it works well if you’re just creating only pan or tilt timelaspes but if you try
to combine them both it get a little complicated to get just right.
And finally for controls there’s a shutter button but the kit only includes a cable for
sony cameras so I can’t test that functionality.
The app I tested on my Android phone is pretty simple and has the basic features such as
remote control and allows you to quickly change motor settings.
Overall performance and features of the Feiyu A2000 are really solid whether you go with
the single handlebar or dual handlebar design.
And the unique trigger button is definitely a differentiator that can be critical for
some users but there are also some issues to aware of that hold back this gimbal from
being the best solution for me.
The ergonomics and design of the grip for this device is probably my biggest issue with
the gimbal.
The soft touch plastic used on the handles is nice to the touch but otherwise there isn’t
much grip to the handles.
Without any grooves or contours to the handle design, adding the fact that the handle is
quick thick, my hands get tired pretty quick gripping on these handle and will commonly
slide up the handle over time.
But adding the mini tripod to the single handlebar helps with the grip for my second hand, and
when using the dual handlebars this is less of an issue because of the distributed weight.
Another issue with ergonomics is if you like to keep it in locked mode a lot like I do,
the only way to activate this mode is by holding down the trigger button, which severely limits
how you can hold the gimbal while using this mode, needing to constantly have a finger
on the trigger.
And finally I don’t find the location of the joystick that great either, with my finger
gripped on the trigger button I’m always accidentally pressing on the joystick, which
would be better positioned higher up or recessed more into the handle to prevent me from accidentally
pressing it all the time.
The other big issue I have with this gimbal is the locking mechanism with the thumbscrews
for balancing the gimbal.
I’m not going to cover how to balance a gimbal in the video but you’ll need to adjust
these arm brackets longer or shorter to balance your camera in place.
The problem is that on the a2000 they decided to use this sawtooth design, which was supposed
to help with discrete positions when adjusting but I find this design just makes it more
troublesome than it was worth.
It’s hard to make micro adjustments with this sawtooth design, and often the perfect
balance point will be right in between these discrete positions.
Also with this sawtooth locking mechanism I find it jams in place a lot when held at
certain angles, and at other angles it moves really smoothly, which makes the balancing
process a little more cumbersome as I’m constantly needing to rotate the brackets
just to shift them around.
And finally when tightening the thumbscrews in place you’ll need to ensure they’re
locked in properly on the sawtooth design or it will sometimes it wil shake loose, so
I always need to double or triple check my thumbscrews by jiggling the brackets around
to make sure the screws are staying tight.
In the end I’m conflicted about this gimbal.
On one hand I want to really like the gimbal with its well design dual handlebar implementation,
really useful trigger button, built in quick release place and the timelaspe feature that
will really come in handy.
But the less than ideal ergonomics with the controls and handle, and the frustrating experience
balancing the gimbal the first couple times because of the locking mechanism are issues
that I can’t really ignore.
But I still think it’s still a solid gimbal for certain people as long as you find the
advantages outweigh the disadvantages.
But I hope you enjoyed the video.
You know what to do.
And I’ll see you in the next video.