Gimbal Feiyu A2000s

[Speedforce]

Hi All,
Looking forward to learn and contribute to this forum. I am new here and was wanting to get an opinion as to whether it’s worth to invest in a Gimbal. I am looking at the one in the title and started getting into photography in my spare time over a year ago. Just want to get some thoughts as to whether it be worthwhile spending on a gimbal or save it for other gear. Currently have an a6400 with a 16mm prime lens, and an 18-135mm lens, circular polariser and a couple of nd filters that go all to 10 stops.
Cheers
Derek

 

[Brownie]

Welcome to the site.

My opinion is no, but others will swear by them. They are more useful for video than stills. I know a guy who shoots an old, very heavy lens that uses a gimbal rather than hold the lens, which weighs about 10lbs. They're designed for smooth movement. If you're moving, use your hands. If you need a tripod, you probably don't need a gimbal.

A word about filters: Buy as good as you can afford. There's no point in putting a $10 filter in front of a $500 lens!

 

[FowlersFreeTime]

Welcome Derek! As Brownie said, gimbals are useful for video, but not really for photography. That said, from the gear you mentioned, sounds like you might be interested in video.

I have the little brother to the gimbal you mentioned: Feiyutech G6 Max, and I had wanted to upgrade to the AK2000C because mine cannot handle the weight of the Sigma 16mm lens. Regardless, a cool accessory if you want smooth video.

Couple useful tips if you're getting into gimbals and video:
- use prime lenses or internal zoom lenses. Internal zoom lenses would be like the 18-105mm f4 or new 10-20mm f4 both from Sony. These lenses will stay balanced if you zoom in/out. The 18-135, on the other hand, will need to be rebalanced every time you touch that zoom ring.
- use lighter lenses. In my case, I couldn't even use the 16mm prime, it just caused the gimbal to have the jitters. Check the compatibility list for exact lenses or a general idea based on the size/weight of the intended lens.
- If you wanted a vlogging lens, I'd get any of the new wide lenses Sony brought out for our APSC E-mount (11, 15, or 10-20). Another wide prime option from a third party is the 12mm f2 from Samyang/Rokinon (but get the newer autofocus version).

Sorry, not sure if any of that was helpful, but welcome aboard!

 

[Deleted Member 5003]

Welcome Derek,


As regards video i would suggest you do get a cheap gimble at this stage of your photographic journey, to see how it goes for you as quite frankly most videographers use them and hand held without a gimble, if you are moving around particularily, will not yield smooth video clips, the gimble model above with a tripod, as far as I can tell runs at around $350.......Most assessments of video smoothness I have seen for hand held video shooting with and without steady shot implementation and with or without a gimble will suggest the gimble to provide for a much smoother end product.....from a personal perspective I certainly support the use of a gimble.

if your ND filters and polorising filter are for video use then the above covers my thoughts.

 

[Speedforce]

Thanks guys

Welcome to the site.

My opinion is no, but others will swear by them. They are more useful for video than stills. I know a guy who shoots an old, very heavy lens that uses a gimbal rather than hold the lens, which weighs about 10lbs. They're designed for smooth movement. If you're moving, use your hands. If you need a tripod, you probably don't need a gimbal.

A word about filters: Buy as good as you can afford. There's no point in putting a $10 filter in front of a $500 lens!

thanks Brownie I have Hoya filters as I can’t quite reach top dollar yet. Good point about the filters tho as if it makes your pictures crap it wastes your money on the camera I guess

 

[Speedforce]

Welcome Derek! As Brownie said, gimbals are useful for video, but not really for photography. That said, from the gear you mentioned, sounds like you might be interested in video.

I have the little brother to the gimbal you mentioned: Feiyutech G6 Max, and I had wanted to upgrade to the AK2000C because mine cannot handle the weight of the Sigma 16mm lens. Regardless, a cool accessory if you want smooth video.

Couple useful tips if you're getting into gimbals and video:
- use prime lenses or internal zoom lenses. Internal zoom lenses would be like the 18-105mm f4 or new 10-20mm f4 both from Sony. These lenses will stay balanced if you zoom in/out. The 18-135, on the other hand, will need to be rebalanced every time you touch that zoom ring.
- use lighter lenses. In my case, I couldn't even use the 16mm prime, it just caused the gimbal to have the jitters. Check the compatibility list for exact lenses or a general idea based on the size/weight of the intended lens.
- If you wanted a vlogging lens, I'd get any of the new wide lenses Sony brought out for our APSC E-mount (11, 15, or 10-20). Another wide prime option from a third party is the 12mm f2 from Samyang/Rokinon (but get the newer autofocus version).

Sorry, not sure if any of that was helpful, but welcome aboard!

Thanks for the useful information, you’re right I am interested in a bit of video. I will have to look into getting another lens for the video

 

[Speedforce]

Welcome Derek,


As regards video i would suggest you do get a cheap gimble at this stage of your photographic journey, to see how it goes for you as quite frankly most videographers use them and hand held without a gimble, if you are moving around particularily, will not yield smooth video clips, the gimble model above with a tripod, as far as I can tell runs at around $350.......Most assessments of video smoothness I have seen for hand held video shooting with and without steady shot implementation and with or without a gimble will suggest the gimble to provide for a much smoother end product.....from a personal perspective I certainly support the use of a gimble.

if your ND filters and polorising filter are for video use then the above covers my thoughts.

 

[Speedforce]

Hi Sorefind thanks for the info. I bought the filters just for photography but presumed they should also work for video. Let me know if that is not correct

 

[Deleted Member 5003]

Yes Derek,
they will work for videography to control shutterspeed and depth of field between consecutive shoots and also to control glare (polariser)
and for long exposures to smooth our water/clouds etc as well as balance light on particularily bright days.

If from your answers above photography is your preference, rather than videography, you might reconsider for what purpose you need a
gimbal.....if landscape photography is your interest, as your current equipment seems to suggest, initially a tripod and ballhead would
equally suffice....just a thought.

 

[Speedforce]

Yes Derek,
they will work for videography to control shutterspeed and depth of field between consecutive shoots and also to control glare (polariser)
and for long exposures to smooth our water/clouds etc as well as balance light on particularily bright days.

If from your answers above photography is your preference, rather than videography, you might reconsider for what purpose you need a
gimbal.....if landscape photography is your interest, as your current equipment seems to suggest, initially a tripod and ballhead would
equally suffice....just a thought.

Yes my passion is photography which is what I started. I was just thinking to also try a bit of video as there are also aspects in that which interest me. I do have a decent tripod that I have been using to capture water features which I enjoyed playing around with but recently bought the nd1000 to try and eliminate the people and cars to get an interesting feel to the picture. Not sure if I should perhaps focus on photography first before looking into video tho.

 

[Deleted Member 5003]

Follow your passion......

 

[Brownie]

Thanks guys

thanks Brownie I have Hoya filters as I can’t quite reach top dollar yet. Good point about the filters tho as if it makes your pictures crap it wastes your money on the camera I guess

I have ND and polarizers and never use them. To be honest I can't be bothered with putting them on. I did use a couple of NDs with a waterfall once, that was several years ago. I don't even keep them in my bag anymore.

Hoya is a decent filter, but there are price points. If you do decide to use them there's no need to buy 'top dollar'. Like anything else there's a point of diminishing returns. Get advice from people who are using them in the real world, not some You Tube influencer or ambassador getting paid to endorse something. You'll probably find a huge difference from $20 to $80, but beyond that improvements would likely be minimal.

 

[FowlersFreeTime]

So Derek from the rest of the commentary I've seen, you're a bit of a hybrid shooter like myself. Do whatever you like, don't get sucked down a rabbit hole by any online influencers...

I got the a6400 to start a travel vlog and immediately failed at that I'll tell you that story another time. However, I did make videos of a different sort in 2020 (cooking videos during lockdown) and I enjoyed the process and the gear acquisition immensely. I will tell you that you might need the gimbal if you wanted to make video content outside where you are walking and filming at the same time, whether you're filming yourself or other subjects. It doesn't negate the need for a tripod, as you will want to carry both to have options for moving versus static scenes. The ND filters are a plus, but not a must unless you're in bright conditions (desert, beach, noon). If you're interested in video, let me know if you want microphone suggestions as well.

Video took a backseat for me when lockdown ended and I used my camera more for photography than ever before. My gimbal gathers dust somewhere in the home office and I haven't touched a video editing software in over a year. I like travel and landscape photography, but got a lot of practice with events as friends often asked me to bring my camera to social gatherings.

Your Sony 18-135 is a very capable travel lens with its light weight and usable zoom range. The OSS doesn't hurt either since our cameras lack IBIS.
If the 16mm prime you have is the Sigma 16mm f1.4, it is very sharp and has many useful applications.

 

[Speedforce]

So Derek from the rest of the commentary I've seen, you're a bit of a hybrid shooter like myself. Do whatever you like, don't get sucked down a rabbit hole by any online influencers...

I got the a6400 to start a travel vlog and immediately failed at that I'll tell you that story another time. However, I did make videos of a different sort in 2020 (cooking videos during lockdown) and I enjoyed the process and the gear acquisition immensely. I will tell you that you might need the gimbal if you wanted to make video content outside where you are walking and filming at the same time, whether you're filming yourself or other subjects. It doesn't negate the need for a tripod, as you will want to carry both to have options for moving versus static scenes. The ND filters are a plus, but not a must unless you're in bright conditions (desert, beach, noon). If you're interested in video, let me know if you want microphone suggestions as well.

Video took a backseat for me when lockdown ended and I used my camera more for photography than ever before. My gimbal gathers dust somewhere in the home office and I haven't touched a video editing software in over a year. I like travel and landscape photography, but got a lot of practice with events as friends often asked me to bring my camera to social gatherings.

Your Sony 18-135 is a very capable travel lens with its light weight and usable zoom range. The OSS doesn't hurt either since our cameras lack IBIS.
If the 16mm prime you have is the Sigma 16mm f1.4, it is very sharp and has many useful applications.

Hey Fowler thanks for sharing and glad I am not the only one with the a6400 which I enjoy using. I jam getting comfortable with it but probably some parts of the menu system admittedly over my head. But in general I think I got down aperture, iso and shutter down fairly well. Still make mistakes but it a part of learning I guess.

18-135 is pretty good as you pointed out the stabilisation and the fact it makes your bag lighter. The 16mm I mainly got for use with landscape And it’s fast but I am aware with landscape depending what effect your after having the zoom is handy.

I do like using the filters and so far not posing a hindrance to me. I like the nd1000 which allows me to go down 10 stops. Trying to scout for the right location to get the shot I am looking for. Thinking to go over to the East as know places I want to have a go with.

I should be alright with mic at the moment as I bought a rode wireless go. Not sure if it was the right decision but I do have a lab mic. I got these as like you was considering video. Just out of curiosity if you don’t mind me asking have you given up on video?

Again thanks for sharing your experiences.

Cheers

Derek

 

[FowlersFreeTime]

Derek, I keep meaning to get back into the video making. My abandoned YouTube channel feels like unfinished business, always tickling me in the back of my mind. Life had other plans though, and I have a 10 week old baby girl that takes up all my energy, even with sharing baby duties with the wife
I do however anticipate that my video equipment, and limited experience, will help with documenting the child as she grows in much the same way as my amateur event photography practice helps me take better pictures of her now.

 

[Speedforce]

Derek, I keep meaning to get back into the video making. My abandoned YouTube channel feels like unfinished business, always tickling me in the back of my mind. Life had other plans though, and I have a 10 week old baby girl that takes up all my energy, even with sharing baby duties with the wife
I do however anticipate that my video equipment, and limited experience, will help with documenting the child as she grows in much the same way as my amateur event photography practice helps me take better pictures of her now.

Hey Fowler, I can totally relate to that. When my Son was born I had to give up on a few things. Some things still on hold but new things like photography kind of pushed in line but I am glad I took up photography. I may continue with my past hobbies when the time becomes available:
I had took pictures of my son from when he was born but most are amateur shots lol. I can Take decent pics of him now but he has become camera shy so I do sneaky shots hehe so not posed but candid shots or dare I say starting on street photography with one subject.

 

[FowlersFreeTime]

Also, by the way, solid choice on the Rode wireless mic. I started with shotgun mic (rode video micro) but since I filmed inside my kitchen, I didn't like the echo I got. eventually I upgraded to a cheap wireless mic, similar to the Rode Wireless Go. The lav mic was ideal for the kind of talking and demonstrating I was doing on camera at the time.