ZHIYUN SMOOTH-Q2 started on Kickstarter. While the project goal was set to $100050, they managed to raise more than $300k from about 2300 backers – and the numbers are growing hour by hour. SMOOTH Q2 promises not just to be one of the smallest phone gimbal, but also the most easy to use.
Furthermore, it claims to offer all-day-long usage with up to 16 hours battery life.
Over the last 5 years, ZHIYUN Tech became one of the most active and devoted player on the gimbal industry. They provide stabilization for a wide range of cameras: DSLR, Mirrorless, Point and Shot, Action cams and Smartphones.
Besides its shrink size, the second generation Smooth-Q comes with lots of new cool features over its predecessor. My favorite one is the endless 360° rotation aka Vortex mode.
ZHIYUN SMOOTH-Q2 highlights
Super compact size;
Durable aluminium body;
Portrait/Landscape mode;
Quick-release mobile mount;
360 degree infinite Vortex mode;
Subject tracking (via APP);
Motion lapse (via APP);
Direct control of compatible cameras.
Up to 16 hours of battery life.
What’s in the box?
Besides the gimbal, there are only a Type-C charging cable and the quick-release phone holder included in the “standard” box. There is also a “Premium” edition, which includes the following extra accessories: phone charging cable, mini tripod and portable bag.
Design and controls
While the trend is to make smaller and smaller gimbals by folding them up, ZHIYUN managed to design a gimbal which is compact enough to fit into your pocket without any folding. By comparison, it is about 5cm taller than the folded Osmo Mobile 3 and 8cm shorter if unfolded.
In terms of build quality, there is also huge improvement. ZY Smooth-Q2 is made of aluminum, which is a nice upgrade from the plastic Smooth Q. The rubberized grip fills comfortable in your hand.
Ingeniously, the four mode LEDs (PF, L, F and POV) serves as well as battery level indicator. Smooth Q2 simplified all the controls to two buttons (power & photo/video) and a 5-way mini joystick.
Toggling between working modes can be done by pressing the joystick as a button (one press to move forward, and double to change backwards). Selfie mode can be activated by triple pressing the power button.
The shutter button can be configured to work via Bluetooth with native camera apps, as well as paid tools like Moment Pro.
Thanks to the quick-release mount, in case of a call you can remove the phone from the stabilizer by no time. After you ended the call and slide it back, don’t forget to secure the mount with the red locker
Battery life:
The Q2 pushes run-time close to a hole day. According to the manufacturer’s specs, the 4500mAh battery allows up to 16 hours of working time. Furthermore, if you are participating in a 24-48h marathon or you are into a remote area without electricity, the battery is replaceable by unscrewing the cap at the bottom of the handle.
The Q2 uses standard, 21700 type LIPO battery. Actual battery level can be checked by double pressing the power button.
Shooting modes
Besides the usual shooting modes (Pan follow, Lock, Full follow and POV), the Zhiyun Smooth-Q2 has a fifth mode called Vortex.
Pan follow (PF): Phone camera pans left/right following the movement of the stabilizer handle while the tilt and roll axis motors are locked. Push the joystick up/down to control the tilt axis;
Lock (L): The three motors are all locked and the phone is fixed at a certain angle. Push the joystick up/down and left/right to control the tilt axis respectively pan axis. One of my fellows with good sense of humor, named this mode “chicken head” :);
Full follow (F): The camera pans and tilts following the movement of the stabilizer. Push the joystick left/right to control the roll axis;
POV – Point of view mode: All three axes move following the movement of the gimbal handle;
Vortex (V): The tilt axis rotates 90° and revolves following the movement of the stabilizer handle. Push the joystick left/right to control the pan axis. Using this mode you can create cool vortex-like videos.
Price & Availability
You can order it from Banggood from $119.90
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