I pride myself in staying very updated about what’s happening in the photography world so imagine my surprise when I was about searching for inspiration on how to use my Smooth 4 and discovering that Zhiyun TEch had updated the Zhiyun line up with the Smooth 5 and to summarize this gimbal in one word, it’s “GLORIOUS”.
As a proud owner of the Zhiyun Smooth 4, there’s very little complaint I have, it has an amazing battery life, excellent motors, compatibility with most professional mobile cinematography applications on both app stores and when calibrated properly, offers unbridled performance but then Zhiyun took my one problem, the lack of an analog stick and included that in the new Smooth 5 alongside a smaller form factor, new modes and magnetic fill lights for filming in low light situations and now I’m flustered.
The new form factor of the Zhiyun is 40% slimmer and offers a much better grip than the Smooth 4 and the introduction of a joystick means that it’s easier to control the direction your smartphone is facing rather than relying on gesture suggestive directions like on the Smooth 4. There’s still a zoom/focus wheel on the smooth 5 and quite honestly, the number of times that wheel has come in handy goes over my head. The battery on the new Smooth 5 is said to last a little over 10 hours and have fast charging capabilities so expect a fully drained battery to refill under just 2 hours. The motors on the Smooth 5 have been updated to carry a bigger payload and the algorithm has been fine tuned for a SMOOTHer performance (Smoother… You get it?).
The Zhiyun Smooth 5 features new modes like Vertex mode, Intelligent Dolly zoom function, Timelapse amongst many other features. The basic package retails for just under $170 (#88,400) while the combo package goes for $220 (#114,400). You can order the Zhiyun Smooth 5 here.
