GEAR MINI TESTS
We assess the latest Zhiyun flagship gimbal, a computer screen calibration device, SSD, wireless audio kit, tripod dolly, wide-angle prime and more
WORDS ADAM DUCKWORTH AND LEE RENWICK
ZHIYUN CRANE 4 £649/$669 zhiyun-tech.com
on the Crane. The second handle – which can be adjusted for length, angle and side-to-side tilt – along with the multi-adjustable wrist rest help take the strain off once you adjust them. If you really want a lighter set-up, both the handle and wrist support can be removed and the included mini tripod screwed into the bottom and used as a second handle. Putting the Crane 4 together is a tad less complex than the Weebill 3S, since there are fewer things to match up and bolt on to get it working. This gives it a more professional feel, too. That all starts when you bolt the camera on. With the Crane 4, the QR plate bolts directly on to the base of the camera. You can use a screwdriver or coin to tighten it up, but there is also a small, metal tool held on by a magnet to the plate underside. It’s a nice touch. The kit, which is supplied in a fitted, padded case, also comes with a support for longer lenses that is bolted on using a thumbscrew. We didn’t need it. The sling handle and wrist wrest bolt directly on to the bottom of the gimbal handle, to a standard Arri rosette-style attachment, so they
If you’re familiar with the Zhiyun Weebill 3S gimbal we tested last issue, you may recall its ergonomic design with L-shape handle, wrist rest and extendable grip, plus a built-in fill light and quick-change system for vertical video. Now, all those features have been adopted on the higher-end and more powerful Crane 4 from the fast-growing Chinese manufacturer. Although Zhiyun doesn’t like to state maximum payloads – these are affected by the centre of gravity of the camera and lens rather than just weight – as a guideline, the Crane 4 is suitable for around 6kg/13.2lb. That means it should handle cinema cameras like the Sony FX6 with a small lens, a Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera with a larger optic or a heavy mirrorless camera with cinema glass. We tested it with a weighty mirrorless, the burly Panasonic S1H, plus both the Panasonic 20-60mm kit zoom and the larger 24-105mm f/4 macro. There were no issues at all with balancing or using it and no wobbles at all, even with the bigger lens – which accepts the payload up to 1.84kg/4.06lb. These combinations fit right on, although the Combo kit we tried comes with a second backing plate to raise the camera up if there’s not enough clearance for your lens. The Crane 4 is just over twice the price of the Weebill 3S and is both bigger and heavier to take the higher payload. But at 1.67kg/3.68lb before you bolt a camera on, it’s pretty light anyway. With a cinema camera on top, it would be more of a lump to handhold for any length of time, but that’s why the ergonomic benefits it has inherited from the Weebill range are more useful
can easily be adjusted. The handle and rest may also be taken off and swapped over for left-handed users. And the wrist wrest is adjustable by using the rosette fitting, before fine-tuning with an adjuster knob. Balancing is the same as the majority of gimbals, but is aided by a ‘balance check’ feature in the main menu on the diminutive 31mm touchscreen. This provides a visual indication of whether the axes are correctly aligned. Anything to speed up balancing is a welcome feature. After manual balancing, the motor torque needs to be set so auto calibration mode is activated. The camera does a little jiggle for a few seconds as the motor torque takes into account the payload’s weight
STRONG ARM Zhiyun’s Crane 4 coped well with a Lumix S1H and zoom
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