Due to Zhiyun recently releasing their next-generation gimbal stabilizers and putting their older gimbals through a price reduction we have noticed an increase in the number of videography asking for information on the older Zhiyun units. Although we would highly recommend that anyone using a mirrorless or lightweight DSLR camera seriously considers the Zhiyun Weebill Lab (Full review here – https://gimbalgarage.com/zhiyun-weebill-lab-review/) due to being one of the best gimbals ever made, we have seen a large number of people reaching out and asking about the Crane Plus.
We feel that this is due to it being one of the cheapest 3 axis gimbals on the market right now that has some of the latest technology available. It is probably the best cheap gimbal going for most of the point and shoot or mirrorless camera rigs on the market right now too. Although the technology on the gimbal is definitely starting to show its age, the very low price tag definitely off-sets this and keeps it an attractive option for videographers.
Due to this, we have decided to publish our Zhiyun Crane Plus review to help any of our readers who are considering purchasing this great little gimbal. First up, the Crane Plus has a decent maximum load capacity that was one of the largest available on the market for its seize and weight back when released. It can easily support camera rigs of up to and including 5.5 pounds of camera payload weight. That said though, if your camera rig has a long and heavy lens, we would not recommend that you exceed 4.4 pounds for optimal levels of image stabilization.
Next up we have the absolutely massive eighteen hours of maximum battery life that the Crane Plus can provide any videographer being able to support around eighteen hours of power for each battery charge. Even to this day, the battery life of the Crane Plus can still hold up against the most recent gimbal releases. The massive battery life on the Crane Plus offers is ideal for anyone who will be working away from power outlets for days at a time such as wildlife videographers.
The Zhiyun gimbal range has always had an extremely easy to use interface system too that makes it very quick and easy to learn the gimbals control system. If you are looking to add your very first gimbal stabilizer to your collection of camera accessories that is not only cheap but also very easy to learn then the Crane Plus is an excellent option. The joystick on the gimbal offers some great manual control over the gimbals head to keep your camera control on point for any demanding videography sessions that you undertake.
The last point that we want to make is that the Crane Plus has an outstanding build quality and is very robust. Back when it was initially released onto the market it was also classed as being lightweight but too but developments in plastic polymers over the years have enabled Zhiyun to make their Weebill range gimbals even smaller and lighter while also being tougher too,
This is why we feel that the Crane Plus (full review here – https://gimbalgarage.com/zhiyun-crane-plus-review/) can still make a solid addition to your collection of camera accessories. Not only is it cheap but its image stabilisation is solid and the gimbal can definitely improve the image quality that you are able to capture when out recording.