3-axis Handheld gimbals have come a long way in performance and price over the past few years and the competition in the space has definitely heated up. Whether you’re after a gimbal for your a6500, GoPro or iPhone there are a number of models you can choose from.
One of the first checkpoints to see if a gimbal is suitable for you is the minimum & maximum payloads that the gimbal can operate with.
Choosing a gimbal
UK based camera store GripUp have created a gimbal buying tool with a simple to use interface. The tool narrows down your gimbal selection based on the weight of your setup.
Once a category has been selected you can select a device from the comprehensive list.
The mirrorless ILC/DSLR category has two selections, one for the camera body and another for the lens.
Based on the total weight, the tool will display three suggestions.
Other buying considerations
While this tool doesn’t take in all of the factors you should consider before deciding on a gimbal it does give you a good starting point. Take note that the suggestions are limited to the gimbals that they stock in their store and do not cover every gimbal on the market.
It would be helpful if the tool also displayed the list of all compatible gimbals rather than limiting the result to the top three since weight is only one point of consideration. For all the RED users, unfortunately there are no listings for DSCM1/2 bodies but this could easily be fixed by GripUp.
There are also no options to type in any additional weight or add-on accessories like:
- External Microphone/Wireless Receivers
- LED Lights
- External monitor/recorder
- Battery Grips
- Lens adaptors
- Camera cage
Here are a few more points to consider when purchasing or comparing gimbals
- Physical size of your setup
- Battery Life
- Software – iOS/Android/PC/Mac
- Ease of setup & calibration time
- Weight of the gimbal
- Tool-less balancing
- Camera plate type
- Available accessories e.g. dual handles
- Camera control e.g.start/stop recording
- Price
For those who already own a gimbal, this is a handy page to bookmark in case you ever need to check the total weight of your setup. Please be aware that the weights for lenses and cameras used by the GripUp tool are based soley on the manufacturers claimed specifications.
What’s your gimbal of choice and what factors did you consider when deciding on a gimbal? let us know in the comments below.
