ZHIYUN Crane M3 [Official] 4 in 1 Handheld 3-Axis Gimbal Stabilizer for Smartphone, Action Camera, Gopro and Mirrorless Camera

Product Information

You can be your whole team. Get multiple selected accessories from ZHIYUN for convenient carrying and professional operation. Using a small mirrorless phone or action camera on the same gimbal is a great feature and far more useful than you would initially think.

Crane M3 Review - Camera Jabber Zhiyun Crane M3 Review - Camera Jabber

One of the biggest issues with using a gimbal is being able to get a decent light source onto your subject, especially if it’s you presenting to camera. ZHIYUN has brought the design of the built infill lamp from the ZHIYUN CRANE-M3 Like it's smartphone-specific sibling, the Smooth 5 ( which we reviewed previously), the Crane M3 is also a Red Dot Award 2022 winner for its product design.

Using the Akaso Brave 8 and iPhone 11 Pro showed just how versatile the gimbal is and the additional control over the two cameras compared with the in-camera stabilisation is huge. Unlike other gimbals that have a minimum and maximum payload, the Zhiyun Crane M3 is designed to work with camera phones, action cameras and mirrorless cameras. It comes with an adjustable phone mount that could fit a phone in as big as the new iPhone 13 Pro Max. Used as a standard gimbal stabiliser, the Crane M3 does an amazing job. The size makes it extremely agile, and the fact that it’s so light makes it a pleasure to use. Mobile phone and action camera stabilisation Size-wise, the M3 is considerably smaller than other gimbals, making it a great option for many videographers who find the likes of the Crane 2s and even the WeeBill 2 still too heavy to use for any amount of time. This is a real shame as everything else is incredibly well designed, and it’s not even as if the bag feels cheap. When it comes to the actual materials and quality, they’re excellent. The Crane M3 Pro Kit

Zhiyun Crane M3 - Review 2022 - PCMag UK

Also familiar to us is the Zhiyun iOS and Android app, which enables additional control of the gimbal as well as offering templated creative options. We're not exactly power users of the app, but it's always there if you want or need it (e.g. firmware updates to the gimbal are done via the app). Supports PD Fast Charge protocol. Supports a maximum of 12W wired fast charge. The data is gathered from internal experiments of ZHIYUN laboratories. Under different scenarios, data is different to some extent. Thankfully I have a few youth photographers and videographers who could give their opinions on the bag and gimbal. The result of that consultation is that the gimbal is a massive hit the bag, not so!Impromptu low-light shooting is no longer a problem with the CRANE M3. Thanks to its pioneering in-built 800 lumen LED fill light, the stabiliser offers an intense natural lighting solution with full stepless dimming control and temperature settings via a control wheel. Additionally available are magnetic light filter accessories for the LED light, in four different colours. At peak power 6W, the M3s lighting reads are as follows: colour temperature levels: 3000-5400K, brightness: warm light 650-750, white light 850-950, CRI (Colour Rendering Index) 90+. These controls are all reflected in the app, and I’ll bring you a full update once these are all working. The M3's internal battery charges via a USB-C port. It's good for up to eight hours of runtime, though real-world results will vary depending on the camera weight and how well it balances, as well as your use of the M3's video light. The expansion port, included with the Pro kit, attaches to the bottom of the handle for a little extra extension, an extra 1/4-inch accessory mounting point, and a 1/4-inch mic input

Professional products - ZHIYUN-TECH Professional products - ZHIYUN-TECH

Compatible with smartphones, action cameras, compact cameras and full-frame mirrorless cameras with certain lenses. Accessory mount is required for smartphones and action cameras. USB control works with only select Sony models: the a7 II, a7 III, a7R II, a7R III, a7R IV, a7S II, a7S III, a6100, a6300, a6400, a6500, a6600, HX90, RX100 V, RX100 VI, RX100 VII, and ZV-1. The compatibility list with the Bluetooth adapter is longer, but not entirely comprehensive. It doesn't include cameras from Olympus OM System at all, for example. The two cameras look rather small in a gimbal of this size, but compatibility is welcome. It means that you can easily switch between mirrorless, phone and action camera as needed. Using the Crane M3 with a mirrorless camera was the port of call, and after a few lens experiments, I found that the 35mm f/1.4 was the way to go when it camera to stabilisation. Anything larger pushed the limits of the motors, which for a gimbal of this size was not surprising.

On-Handle Controls

There are a few quirks at the time of writing, direct camera control from the grip doesn’t work for the Sony cameras, and the mic input also has a few noise issues. I’m assured that these factors will be sorted out with firmware. The screen, while small, gives you direct access to options and settings and is fast and easy to navigate. It’s just really well thought out and boosts the use and workflow of the Gimbal. Its size is also less obtrusive than a bigger body pro gimbal, which makes the M3 a good choice for holidays, public spaces, reportage and street photography/videography days. It folds down neatly to fit into almost any day bag and doesn't weigh too much (around 700g), so it's comfortable enough to always have with you. Once you have the hang of the balancing process for your camera hardware, you should be able to whip the M3 out and start shooting in a matter of minutes. On-the-hoof, live interviews couldn’t get easier with the CRANE M3’s TransMount Expansion Base to which professional microphones can be directly connected. The base bypasses connecting the microphone via the camera, thus removing the need for: additional cables, extra weight on the camera, and further adjustments to the gimbal. The M3 comes with a TransMount Shotgun Microphone as standard, however, the 6.5mm connecting audio port can also support a range of wired professional microphones for clear audio performance with cardioid/hypercardioid patterns.

Zhiyun Crane M3 review | Digital Camera World

A small square touch screen lets you change settings, but the interface is kludgy. The main menu breaks down into four panes: Mode, Balance, Info, and Settings. Tapping any of them takes you to a longer text menu—straightforward enough. But the text is small enough that you can't always be sure which setting you selected. You also need to be deliberate with your swipe gestures to navigate as swipes often register as taps. The Crane M3 is great looking gimbal; its small size and power make it a formidable filmmaking tool that will suit all sorts of videographers and photographers.It also benefits from a built-in light capable of 800-lumen output, which is perfect for those moments where you need just a little more light and don't want to add extra weight by using an external LED panel. You can turn it on by holding down the wheel on the side and then change the brightness by rolling it up or down. Google has finally lifted the curtain on its much-anticipated Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro smartphones and the next generation of its wearable device, the Pixel Watch 2. Here's a look at what these new flagships bring to the table.