Best Gimbals

Nothing stands in the way of the imagination of content creators in their quest to take an amazing photograph. Oftentimes, you hear people ask how is it possible to get smooth shots on their devices, whether it’s a mobile phone or an active camera. Well, it should interest you to know that gimbals are what make this possible. A gimbal is a pivoted support which makes it possible to rotate a camera or cellphone on just a single axis. However, despite their growing popularity, not all gimbals are created equal. There are various types, functions and not to mention build qualities as well. This is why we have prepared this buyer's guide, to help you make the right choice.

In principle, there are two types of gimbals: motorized gimbals, and tripod head gimbals. Let's quickly run through both:

• Motorized Gimbals: This motorized technology took a considerable amount of time before it finally broke out into the mainstream. Since its breakthrough, it has gained popularity and has indeed become a very good camera stabilization platform. Since they operate electronically, they only need some basic calibration for the best results. Also, it’s interesting to note that a motorized gimbal mount is quite easy to assemble. Lastly, it should be noted that irrespective of your camera type or setup, there is a motorized gimbal that is suited for it.

• Tripod head gimbals: This tripod head makes adjusting and moving your camera easy. For this type of gimbal, it doesn’t matter whether you’re shooting in portrait or landscape format. This type of gimbal is very popular in the sporting world, as well as by wildlife photographers. You may wish to attach a fluid cartridge, as in the Gitzo Fluid Gimbal Head, so that the gimbal will be able to move more easily.

Here are some of the comments about gimbals--lots of people have expressed similar views:

• Great performance: For filming sports action, the importance of using gimbals can’t be stated enough. You’d be stunned to know the vast improvement you can achieve when using a gimbal for capturing quick movement.

• Worth the money: A professional gimbal is at least £69 and up--but you can rest assured that you’re getting your money’s worth. Even if you’re just making a video blog or shooting YouTube videos, you’ll see that it improves the quality tremendously.

• Easy to assemble: Most gimbals are very easy to assemble when you follow the instructions properly. . The instructions are there to guide you and it doesn't pose many difficulties when assembling it. Also, the Hohem Gimbal Stabilizer for Smartphones is small and lightweight, and clips onto your smartphone with ease.

Below are some of the useful tips to help you select the right gimbal for your needs:

• Build quality: There will be a big variation in quality between the different materials from which gimbals are made. Gimbals made from ABS plastic will tend to seem cheaply made, which gimbals made from aircraft-grade aluminum are better quality. In essence, when trying to purchase a gimbal, you should prefer the one with the better build quality.

• Versatility: When trying to get a good gimbal, look out for its versatility. Getting the right gimbal that can mount other accessories is a good idea--it offers more opportunities to capture the moment.

• Zhiyun Smooth X is one of the top brands of gimbals. It is not only extra-light but also very much affordable. This product offers great stabilization and it is compact.

• DJI OM 4: This product has an incredible battery life as well as great performance to go with it. This brand takes the crown for its magnetic mounting system for your phone.

• Feiyutech Vimble 2: This product is more or less a two-in-one product, being that it is a selfie stick and a smartphone gimbal as well. It offers decent stabilization and is modestly priced.

• FeiyuTech VLOG Pocket: One of the outstanding features of this gimbal is that it is incredibly light, and folds up compactly. Also, you won’t need to break the bank to buy this product, since it’s one of the less expensive models. Plus, the battery life is quite decent, as it can keep on going for as much as 8 hours. Also, it comes in a selection of colors, so you can choose the color that best suits you.