Finally, the wait was over...:) Was it worth the wait? You judge, I basically took the gopro out of it's packaging, charged the battery yesterday and went to a church today to shoot some testfootage with the Feiyu g3 and my mobile phone as lcd screen . This was shot in 4k 25p, 1600 iso max as it was a quite dark church, protune flat, medium view, colorcorrected in post and further stabilised in aftereffects. I shot some more footage but just wanted to show that one continuous shot which would have been impossible to do with my blackbird, the same for the outdoor shot as there was lots of wind.

There where some small "jitters" in the original footage that I had to smooth out with after effects but this is definitely something I would use mixed with my wedding footage, not planning to trow the Feiyu g3 out of the window, it can stay a bit longer in my backpack :D Tomorrow I"ll be using it for a outdoor shot on a company shoot.

The stabilisation in after effects did introduce some artifacts but I can live with that considering the result.

gopro 4 black and Feiyu g3 on Vimeo

Hey Noa

I think they are great. and I'm sure you are happy. I do get a couple of jitters too but both times I have used it at a wedding the wind has been howling and the unit was definitely being buffeted on the beach. Today I have a wedding at a winery so I should be able to keep in reasonable calm winds!!

Yep, I would say that's a keeper! If you felt you wanted to go up a level what gyro would you get for say your GH4 if you decided to move away from action cams like the GoPro???

Chris

The big question, then: for someone buying a GoPro soon, is the 4 worth it, at $500? Looks like the 3+ Black is still $350 so its only $150 difference for 4K and better low light, right?

Supposedly manual exposure control too.

I was debating getting a couple iPods to use for video like this on a small steadicam.

The hero4 silver looks like a nice upgrade from my hero2.

I had never heard of a Feiyu. Looked it up on Amazon. $320 for it.

I was looking at the steadicam smoothee:

Steadicam Smoothee Kit with GoPro HERO and iPhone SMOOTHEE-GPIP5 (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1022677-REG)

The big question, then: for someone buying a GoPro soon, is the 4 worth it, at $500? Looks like the 3+ Black is still $350 so its only $150 difference for 4K and better low light, right?

4k at 25fps or 2.7k at 50fps are the main differences but I have seen comparison videos where the gopro 4 was more detailed in 1080p as well and like you said it's supposed to have better low light performance but I have not seen a comparison of that yet. If you don't need those higher resolutions then the version 3 will be good enough, I don't plan to shoot at dark venues with the gopro 4 anyway, for that I prefer to use my other camera's.

If you felt you wanted to go up a level what gyro would you get for say your GH4 if you decided to move away from action cams like the GoPro???

I would like to have one that could fit a panasonic lx100 but preferably one that has no loose wire dangling out like with the feiyu and one that is of a much more sturdy build, I can get smoother motion out of my blackbird and can do faster pans if needed but the level of tilt control and the fact that your camera always will stay level no matter how much wind is bashing into it is an advantage you can't dismiss, then I wouldn't mind those small jitters you get in the image while flying one.

I had never heard of a Feiyu. Looked it up on Amazon. $320 for it.

I was looking at the steadicam smoothee:

Steadicam Smoothee Kit with GoPro HERO and iPhone SMOOTHEE-GPIP5 (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1022677-REG)

There are more feiyu look alikes appearing and some seem better build at around the same price or more expensive, I would stay far away from that smoothee though.

Supposedly manual exposure control too.

I read about that but have not found how to activate this, if that would be the case it would be an interesting feature, the auto exposure though is very good at slowly but gradually changing and because the lens is so wide even with a backlight like a window the overall exposure stays more balanced.

Another one, had to shoot a short promo for a local cinema, it was pretty dark inside, on my gh4 I had to shoot at 1600 iso with a fast lens so it was a good test for the gopro, below are 2 different moves done with the feiyu to highlight the cinema, I loved the fact that I could shoot so wide, only my fisheye lens (7,5mm) on my gh4 could get about the same view.

I did some 1600 and 6400 iso max tests and 6400 iso is too noisy but 1600 looked very good, I had to clean up the footage a bit with neatvideo though.

The gopro lens also does flare quite a bit, you can see it in the second shot on the balcony, both shots will be used in the final video.


password: test (also for the first video I posted, I just added a password because I don't want the video to appear on vimeo.)
Private Video on Vimeo

I had some problems with both the gopro and Feiyu, the gopro locked up once, it gave me a constant loud beeping sound and I had to take out the battery, it was a one time incident and it did perform well before and after that. The Geiyu also once refused to balance, maybe I didn't wait long enough but I had to do a quick shot of visitors entering the cinema and just at that moment it didn't perform :) so you can see why I don't want to use it for critical shots, I had to grab my gh4 instead to take a static shot. After pressing a second time to activate the Feiyu it balanced itself again.

Hi Noa

That works well! I moved away from GoPros as the locking up really was annoying me! I would set up the Hero at a wedding and as the bride was ready to enter ..BAM - Total Freeze up!! and yes the only way to fix it is rip out the battery. So far my gyro has been working well and the SJ4000 camera is way more reliable than gopro but not 4K of course!!

Yeah I don't see many options (unless you want to spend a bucket load of money) for using a normal size camera and I have never seen one that I could use my EA-50 one at all !!

Using the gyro is certainly a lot less hassle than getting into a stedicam vest ... just pick it up and go!!

Have you any idea why it jitters a bit?? Mine also does that but for now I'm flying blind until my monitor gets here.

Chris

So a question asked earlier. Is these a significant difference between the 2 or 3 axis gimbal. As there is in price..

I don't have one to compare to but if I understand right the 3rd gimbal smooths out the panning motion and that is quite important to prevent jerky motion from your wrist. If you have a steadicam the gimbal takes out all unwanted movement while you hold the handle and you need to use your other hand to steer it into any direction, with these 3 axis gimbals the handle you hold is in direct contact with the gimbal so you use just one hand to alter direction, but any move you do needs to be balanced by the gimbals and to get very smooth direction changes you should need 3 axis stabilised.

I also just saw that my gopro is not perfectly level in the feiyu, it inclines a bit to the left. (not sure if that was before as the lens is so wide it doesn't notice that easily) A google search showed more users have this issue, I contacted the supplier to see what can be done.

Eventhough the feiyu does what is advertised, I find it a bit too fragile, these wires that stick out are my main concern, it's just a matter of time before one gets caught behind something.

Below I found a good example of a 2 axis gimbal and there you can see the jerky panning motion that you don't get with a 3 axis stabiliser. This is because there is no 3rd gimbal to smooth out panning motion. So based on that I would say it's worth the extra cost to get a 3 axis stabilised gimbal.

DOG PARK | Testing Out the Big Balance Gibbon 2-axis gimbal stabilizing a Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera (with Adobe Warp) on Vimeo

Looks like I need to save up another £90.

Now, what does the G3 "consider to be panning" ... I was walking alongside the bride and groom yesterday with a hedge between us so the camera was essentially filming them walking with no harsh movements at all and I was getting a few jumps and jitters ... so does it consider that move panning? I can slowly walk around the couple in a big circle and get no jitters so I'm assuming that it can handle a circular motion but not regular "walking alongside" motion and would that be what the 3rd axis gimbal would control??

I didn't see any jittering at all in the example 2 axis demo video at the dog park?

Chris

With panning I mean if you turn left or right with the handle, with a 2 axis gimbal there is nothing to smooth that motion out so how smooth that motion will be depends how smooth you are able to change direction, even if you just walk forward or just try to hold the handle steady so there is no panning motion you can have very slight left to right movement as it is impossible to keep the handle 100% straight and without that 3rd gimbal that will translate in small jerky movements.

That dogpark video had some very clear jerky movements on the pan axis which is much less pronounced on my 3 axis gimbal, I get the same left to right movement but the 3rd gimbal slows that motion down so it doesn't show that much. That's why my examples show I"m able to make steadicam like moves in all directions.

Just try to do the same I did in that church with a 2 axis gimbal, based on what I have seen from 2 axis gimbals that will be impossible to get it that smooth.

This is quite ridiculous, I emailed the supplier saying my gopro is not level when I power on the gimbal, this was their reaction:

Initialize The FY-G3 Ultra Gimbal
The method of initializing the FY-G3 Ultra Gimbal:
Keep the gimbal in the still condition, then power on , it will initialize automatically.
After that the gimbal can work normally.

Do the initalization if you have the following problems:
1. After power on, the angle of pitch has a little angle difference with the horizon line.
2. After power on, the angle of roll has a little angle difference with the horizon line.
3. When the heading is in the till condition, the angle of heading amends frequently
in a small angle .

So with initialising they mean, hold the thing still and turn it on, did they think it was inclining because it was not powered on yet?? Or that I would be waving it around like an idiot during power up, jeez. I already explained his magic solution didn't work, let's see what comes next.

Hi Noa

Mine is also slightly off horizontal from the roll motor and it seems to want to stay there too. Looking from behind the camera the camera is skewed slightly to the right.

I have an idea my instruction said put the gimbal on a table and let it initialise? One assumes that they don't mean lie it down but stand it on the end of the handle so it's sitting perfectly vertical?

Chris

Just had a look at my footage for my second shoot over the weekend and seriously these gyros are still not as good as a stedicam at all. I was very careful using the device and yeah, it was easy to use but it still cannot really replicate my stedicam footage ... mine still looks a bit jerky following a bride which the stedicam is brilliant at doing ... going around the couple in a big circle does work but it still doesn't look nearly as good as my vest and dual arm footage!

I would honestly like to see how a little GoPro stedicam does when pitted against the gyro ..I reckon it would do a better job and you virtually have the same weight to carry. I think I need to find a vest/dual arm rig that isn't as heavy as my old one and is easy to jump into OR just but a little nano handheld sled and drop an action cam on it, I still think it would be more versatile than the gimbal rig!!

Based on what I have seen so far from 2 axis gimbals and compared to what my 3 axis gimbal can do I"m almost sure the jerky movement you experience is because it's missing the pan gimbal, my set up also can't do as smooth movement as my blackbird but it comes close + I can do moves that are impossible to do with my blackbird, like that first video I showed with that one continuous church shot.

Below is another short video I took inside that cinema, this time it's unedited footage so this is how it looked like straight from the card. I consider this pretty decent.and usable moves.

I have my last wedding this year next weekend and it looks I have to start at a hugh cathedral, not sure yet but if that is the case I"ll have time to use the feiyu and gopro to take some quick outside and inside shots before the ceremony starts, will post those if I"m able to use it.

Password: stil the same as the rest of the videos in this thread: test
Private Video on Vimeo

That cool Noa!

I find that I get a shimmer left to right when I'm walking ahead in a straight line and the camera itself doesn't seem to budge at all. If I hold the camera sideways and walk alongside something it seems to have no jitters at all. Going around an object that should give the gimbal motors some work to do also yields pretty good footage.

Are you walking very slowly ...I found if I walk quite fast down the side of a garden path walking straight ahead it jitters left and right but the camera has no visible movement at all so it must be trying to make very small adjustments while you walk and it doesn't seem to have any dampening (like a stedicam does) One would assume that it should correct larger movements and make gradual corrections rather than detecting tiny sensor movements and making tiny corrections which end up as jitters.

Maybe my eyes are off but after initalising mine still tends to hold the camera tilted slightly right so it seems the roll motor is going just a fraction too much clockwise when viewing from the back of the camera?

Edit: Duh!! You can adjust the roll motor 8 degrees each way! Just discovered that!!

Chris

Had very little time today to do some quick shots at a cathedral during a wedding, also had a issue with my feiyu g3, I got some jerky motion on several shots when doing a tilt and pan combination, something which I didn't have during my very first test in a church (first video in this thread) I don't have to do any more weddings this year so will have more time to test it, if I continue having this issue the stabiliser is going back to the supplier for either a repair or a replacement.

There are quite some jitters in the footage and I had to do a stabilisation in AE but because it's 4K the footage remains detailed enough even when cropped.

Below a few shots I was able to make with the limited time I had, these are perfectly usable in the final film, they have not been color corrected and shot in protune, flat mode. : (password: test) - there is no sound.

Private Video on Vimeo

Hi Noa

To be honest I'm not impressed with these gimbals at all. I know mine is only two axis but even doing moves that wouldn't use a 3rd motor it also has jitters. I think what is happening is that the motors are programmed to do any change from the sensor so even the tiny detections are translated into motor commands. You should be able to apply dampening levels to the firmware so corrections are done more smoothly and also tiny imperfections of adjustment are ignored.

It's actually doing it's job to the letter BUT it's correcting everything so you get jitters. You should have to correct the jitters they shouldn't be there in the first place

To be honest I'm going back to a stedicam which I can set for smooth dampened movement

Chris

I have been doing some research on line and found this 3 axis gimbal, it looks pretty nice, I like that you can adjust the tilt with a up & down button. Here is a video review compared to the G3.

Looks like you get one here, www.copter-rc.com I think I'm going to get one, very soon.
Handheld GoPro 3-axis stabilizer (gimbal) shootout - YouTube

I have ordered the FunnyGo last week based on that review so I'll come back with my thoughts soon.

Cool that would be great! Where did you order yours from?

Direct from Copter-RC (http://www.copter-rc.com)

Here is a video review compared to the G3.

The bug he is referring to in that video is the same I have, that's why I had several ruined shots yesterday because at some point when you pan and tilt there is a twist in the gimbal that ruins the shot. The 3 shots I posted in the last video where the only ones that where twist free so in some occasions it does work. The g3 now also has a charger for 3 batteries so that's one improvement they made but based on that review the funnygo also looks like the better option. Now I know that the camera has a bug I"ll see what the manufacturer has to say about it, I am able to get good shots from but not always which can be annoying.

The gopro will get a permanent place in my camerabag but the g3 will only be taken with me when I know I have plenty of time to use it on paid assignments or more likely more on personal projects.

I was so close to the G3 but the bug put me off so I'll give the FunnyGo a go.

To be honest I'm going back to a stedicam which I can set for smooth dampened movement

My g3 was not intended to replace my steadicam, I was hoping I could use it during the photoshoot but more specifically on locations that would benefit from the gopro's wide angle, like the shots I took at the cathedral, those would have been impossible before as I never use my steadicam before the reception. The g3 however is so small it fits in my backpack so for some occasional shots it's a great tool, even if it gets only a very limited use, too bad though about that annoying bug.

I have been using my 5D2 and Glidecam 4000 for years and I'm thinking this new Gopro gimbal will be the end of lugging around the 4000 plus 5D. I only ever use a few seconds of the 5D and at the end of the day I think clients etc… are use to the look of the Gopro.

Very exciting with all the new gear coming out.

I just had a reply of that reviewer of the g3 and funnygo as there appears to be a new firmware update that deals with that bug but not completely, will give that a go asap to see what that will do.

Yeah the mention of the firmware update on the G3 was in my mind but…
You know next week there will be a new better one out, it's always they way.

It's just a delicate piece of electronics, normal mechanical steadicams are more reliable so for any critical where you only get one shot to get it right my blackbird stays my main companion, I guess you also get what you pay for, for the money I wanted to give it a shot but if later a more reputable brand (like camera motion research where I got my blackbird from) would bring out such a mini stabiliser I would get that without much thought, even at twice the price. they at least have excellent customerservice which is often missing in these Hongkong based copy cat companies.

Same thoughts here, give it all a go.

I was not able to get the firmware installed so I just contacted the supplier and they said to return the unit and they would give me a replacement.
I also made a video showing them the problem but I can see on vimeo that they even did not bother to watch it. I also saw yesterday they have a Feiyu g4 coming out end of this year and this unit has no loose wires hanging out like the g3 has. I would have waited if I knew this before...

I found another make which can take the back pack LCD or if you have done a lens mode different lenses.

Z ONE 3 Axis Handheld Brushless Gimbal Stabilizer for GOPRO PK FY G3 Ultra Gimbal-in Parts & Accessories from Toys & Hobbies on Aliexpress.com | Alibaba Group (http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Z-ONE-3-Axis-Handheld-Brushless-Gimbal-Stabilizer-for-GOPRO-PK-FY-G3-Ultra-Gimbal/32229561474.html)


Video comparison.

Zhiyun Z-ONE Pro vs Feiyu G3 Ultra 3-Axis Handheld Gimbal - YouTube

Mine went on eBay after a week and now some other poor soul can play with it. Half the time you have decent footage but the other half is a writeoff !! Very unimpressed with the performance of these units ...if it decides to jump or jitter it will. The concept is brilliant in theory but in practice in the elements and in the real world they are simply not practical and certainly not at critical events like weddings!!

My experience is different, if mine would not have that bug of occasional twitching while tilting, and I hope my replacement unit doesn't have that issue, then it is something I am planning to use much more in the future. I do need to use the stabiliser in after effects to straighten things out but the result can be used in my weddings or even company videos. This is because the 4K mode of my gopro has sufficient stabilising room.

It doesn't replace a steadicam but it can produce shots that are impossible with my blackbird because the blackbird is either to cumbersome to drag along when I move from location to location the first part of a wedding day or because I"m just not able to do such controlled combined pan and tilt shots or shoot in windy conditions.

As it looks more and more of these devices are coming out and I"m sure that within a year there will be better options to choose from, I plan to put my ministeadicam to use with every wedding that comes along next year, even if it's only for a few occasional shots, unless my replacement unit still has that stupid bug, then it's going on sale.

I'm on a Glidecam 4000, 5D 16mm etc… and I hope that these little gimbals can really assist me with better walking shots. Also it's a small kit for traveling, I'll come back here after Ive had a good go at the Funny.

Hi Simon

Hopefully the Funny will have no twitching ..My two axis one did a good job of smoothing out the footage and it's light as a feather but the twitching makes the footage unusable for me.

It will be interesting to see if your one has more dampened adjustment than mine had ...it's certainly easier than climbing into a stedicam vest on a hot day but I'm pretty used to it by now!!

Chris

I found another make which can take the back pack LCD or if you have done a lens mode different lenses.

Z ONE 3 Axis Handheld Brushless Gimbal Stabilizer for GOPRO PK FY G3 Ultra Gimbal-in Parts & Accessories from Toys & Hobbies on Aliexpress.com | Alibaba Group (http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Z-ONE-3-Axis-Handheld-Brushless-Gimbal-Stabilizer-for-GOPRO-PK-FY-G3-Ultra-Gimbal/32229561474.html)


Video comparison.

Zhiyun Z-ONE Pro vs Feiyu G3 Ultra 3-Axis Handheld Gimbal - YouTube (http://youtu.be/tQsZQOeQxhs)

This Z-One Pro look pretty good!

The twitching will be a deal breaker and I'm expecting that this will in there but…
Some videos I have seen online look great so far and I'm not sure how much post production has gone into these.

Zhiyun Z-ONE Pro vs Feiyu G3 Ultra 3-Axis Handheld Gimbal - YouTube (http://youtu.be/tQsZQOeQxhs)

6:10 .... "it makes me fondle admiringly"

lol!

I'm liking this product, but, not sure if there are any differences between, the funny Go a,d the Z-One Pro
I like the accessories for it also..

SteadyGim3 Gopro 3-Axis Handheld Gimbal - Brushless Gimbals (http://www.bestablecam.com/brushless-gimbals/steadygim3-gopro-3-axis-handheld-gimbal.html)

Anyone have experience with this company?

They probably ALL start off life at the "Shenzen Brushless Gimbal Factory" and then go to various suppliers who add the finishing touches and brand them. Chinese products are so cheap simply because they get one factory to produce 99% of the components for a product because it cheaper to produce a million gimbal motors rather than 1000.

I only used mine a three weddings then it went on eBay...they have a bit of development work to do on the firmware before it can be used professionally I think!! Great for running around the beach filming the kids though!!

I received the FunnyGo today and picked up some batteries for the unit.
Finding batteries was a bit of a concern but after a few phone calls I found what I needed. If your in Australia finding the recommended 16340 batteries can be an issue. I found mine through Battery World.

Once I charged the new batteries up I turned on the FunnyGo with my Gopro attached and I was off shooting.

I gota say this little gimbal gadget is fantastic so far….. the twitch that is in the G3 put me off purchasing that model and I'm sure that a fix for that model will happen.

I'm doing some gigs this weekend and I'll put the FunnyGo through its paces. I'm shooting a property vid along with some live music. I'll be using my Glidecam 4000 with 5DM2 16mm and my Sony PMW500 for interviews. Straight up I can see that the FunnyGo is so much easier than the Glidecam 4000 with 5DM2.

Well, I purchased a Go Pro 4 Hero Black today from Best Buy Store, they had one left, I was surprised how small it is, I knew it was supposed to be small, but it's pretty small, I also got the LCD bac-pac, I feel that should be designed into the camera. Pretty hard seeing anything for settings, and framing with out it. I also got a second battery, might need a third it really sucks the juice, considering that the LCD Bac-Pac use's the battery also. I have taken a few clips in 4K ultra-wide, It seems there is a lot of jerkiness to the clips, and objects in motion seem not very smooth. It definitely has a lot of Moire , big time! I did have the sharpness up one notch, but I'm going to turn that off since 4K seems pretty sharp already.

ISO of 400 to 6400, wish it went lower. also the File bit rates are pretty low, with 50MBPs being the highest for 4K, and that's pretty low for 4K. all the 1080HD stuff is 22K, I think, I'll have to look and see again.
I did not see any where in the settings for shutter speed, FPS yes. But I think that is why the clips have that stuttery motion to them. I shot at 24fps, No 60fps in 4K, it's either 30 or 24 FPS.

Also ordered a ZHIYUN Z-One Pro 3 axis gimbal, Got it for $299.00 US. But know batteries,or charger. They have to ship DHL to ship batteries and it really jacks the price up, so I ordered a couple of batteries and a charger, here in the USA. Total price for the Z-One and the batteries and the charger was $333.95 US

My gimbal should be here in about a week, when I get it I will take some test clips of the GoPro 4 Hero with the Z-One gimbal, and post. Cheers and Happy Holidays!