- Today, we're talking about the Zhiyun Crane 2
and if this is a gimbal you should consider.
(upbeat music)
So, right off the bat, one of the biggest things
that makes this gimbal stand out is the focus wheel.
So, you have a built in focus wheel
in the handle of the gimbal,
which makes a huge difference
when you're working with other gimbals.
I've worked with a ton of gimbals
and I've done a bunch of reviews on this channel
and out of all of them this is the only one
that I've worked with that has the focus wheel
directly built into the handle.
And this goes to a motor that you attach
just by a cable that goes right into the gimbal itself
and you can use this follow focus wheel to control the focus
and it just makes such a difference
when you're shooting on longer lenses.
Say, a 50 millimeter or a 35 millimeter
and you wanna shallow depth of field,
having the focus wheel makes a huge difference.
Now, there are a few things to consider when working
with a focus wheel because you are gonna need
probably some more gear to make it work,
you're gonna need a bigger setup.
But before we get into more details about this gimbal,
let's just watch some footage.
Because one of the most important things about a gimbal is,
is it smooth?
Does it get good footage?
Because if you can't get good footage with this gimbal,
then all the little features, and bells and whistles,
don't matter at all.
So, here's some footage that I've been getting
using the Zhiyun Crane 2.
(chill music)
So, I'd have to say in my experience of working with gimbals
I would say that this gimbal does work very well,
and there's a few things that I wanna point out
about the gimbal itself that really make it stand out
compared to some other gimbals.
I already talked about the focus wheel, that's huge.
Now, before we get into some of the other features
you have to realize that when you're working
with a focus wheel, you might need an external monitor
to be put on the gimbal somewhere.
Because you're dealing with critical focus,
so you wanna make sure that everything's in focus
and if you're going off your tiny screen on your camera
you're not necessarily gonna be able to judge your focus.
So, you might need to add a bigger monitor,
a five or seven inch, depending on what kind
of rig you're trying to build out.
Well, once you do that you add the motor,
you add the monitor, you add everything on the gimbal
with the cables and everything,
it starts getting really heavy.
So, that's just something to keep in mind,
something to consider, if you need a lighter setup
or you're doing longer takes,
then a full, built out gimbal might not be the way to go.
Now, you can get two handles for this gimbal.
Zhiyun has an attachment that allows you to add two handles,
and that will take the load off
so you can put more weight on it.
Run and gun with a one handed gimbal with a ton of weight,
does get exhausting after time.
You could do short takes,
but if you're running around all day
your one arm is gonna become like Popeye.
Now, like I was saying, when you're using
the one handed grip and you put the motor on
and you have everything attached,
this does become a heavy gimbal.
Now, the way to alleviate that is use the two handed mode.
So you can get this additional accessory
that makes it a two handed gimbal and it works well.
This is how I've been operating this gimbal
because it makes it a lot easier
to do shoots with the two hands.
It takes the load off so you're not just running around,
one hand, trying to carry this whole thing.
And I'm only working with the GH5,
if you have a bigger camera,
I can imagine this gets very heavy, very quick.
So, if you're going to be doing longer takes,
if you're going to be going for a while,
the two handed is definitely the way to go.
Now with this, if you still want access
to the focus control, you can put your one hand
in the center, one hand on the outside grip,
and now use your thumb to use the focus control.
So, you can still use this two handed,
it allows you to take some of the weight off,
allow you to control it a little bit,
and still use the focus control.
So, a few other things that really stand out for me
with this gimbal is that, first, it's simple.
There's not a ton of buttons, there's not a bunch of things
you have to do to get to the menus,
to get to the modes, all that good stuff.
On the front of your gimbal you have your mode button,
you have your record button, you have your joystick
which allows you to point the camera
in any direction that you want.
And that's important, I really like using those.
And then at the bottom you have another wheel.
Now, this is something I really like about this crane.
You have a menu system built into the handle of the gimbal.
So, you actually can go in and make changes
to different settings on the gimbal
just right here from the handle.
So you're not dealing with an app.
Now, there is an app attached to it
like all these gimbals now.
Every gimbal has an app attached
and you control your motors,
that's where you can do your time lapses,
all that good stuff.
But having more options on the handle itself
makes it an easier gimbal to use when you're out
in the field because you don't necessarily wanna always
connect your phone whenever you're out shooting.
Personally, I don't wanna have my phone on me
when I'm shooting if I don't have to.
So, having a bunch of my controls and my menus right here
on the gimbal makes a huge difference.
So, what I can do is make sure
that my settings are dialed in,
make sure my gimbal motors are set to where I like them,
and then when I get out there for my shoot I only have
to do minor tweaks on the gimbal itself.
Especially if I'm using the motor
and the bigger payload overall,
I'm not gonna be wanting to fumble with my phone
and doing some other things, I'm just gonna wanna focus
on getting good footage, and that's the most important part.
So, one thing personally that I really hope to see
in the next version of the crane
is the slant design in the back.
This gimbal is not the slanted design,
and more and more gimbals are coming out
with the slanted design which makes it easier
to see the screen on the back of your camera.
Now, I use the GH5 which I can flip out the screen,
but when I'm running with a gimbal
I don't particularly like to flip out the screen.
And for anyone out there that's using a camera
that doesn't have a flip out screen,
having the motor directly in the back
makes it so you can't see the images well.
And once you start working with the slanted design gimbals
you realize that it makes a huge difference
when you're out there shooting,
just having that more freedom to shoot.
So, that's one thing about this gimbal
that I don't particularly like
and I hope that they make it in the Crane 3.
They have the slanted design
because it does make a huge difference.
Now it's got a lot of the different modes
that you have in other gimbals,
the follow, the lock, the roll, all that good stuff.
It allows you to do time lapses, and it's just built well.
This gimbal will last, you'll get lots of awesome footage
if you decide to get the Crane 2.
One thing is that this gimbal does feel bigger
than some of the other gimbals that I've worked with.
It has a bigger kind of design on it,
but that's also because you can go up
to seven pounds on this gimbal.
So, you could hold some big cameras on here, which is great.
If you have heavier cameras,
if you're running a big Canon with some heavier lenses,
this gimbal's not gonna crash out on you.
So guys, personally, I'm gonna continue to use the Crane 2
especially when I have those situations
when I need a follow focus, because the follow focus
does work so well on this gimbal.
Now, if I'm running just a lighter setup
I might use a different gimbal
that doesn't have all the bells and whistles.
I think it's a solid gimbal, and I think it's a solid choice
if you're looking for a gimbal with a follow focus.
It all works well, it all connects easily.
I've had no issues working with this gimbal
and it will get you awesome footage.
Which, at the end of the day,
that's the most important part.
If you can get awesome footage then the gimbal is worth it.
Alright guys, that is it.
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Alright guys, that's it.
I'll see you on the next one.