Review: Zhiyun Smooth Q
The Zhiyun-Tech Smooth-Q is an affordable gimbal stabilizer to capture smooth handheld footage with your smartphone. If you take a lot of videos on your smartphone, the Smooth-Q helps eliminate those Blair Witch moments.
It can handle phones that weigh up to 220g – so iPhone 7 Plus, Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge / S8 Plus are all suitable for use. Balancing is done with one button controlling the roll axis. The Smooth-Q can also switch quickly between horizontal and vertical mode.
The Smooth-Q’s interface features a power, and function button, 4-way joystick, and a zoom control switch. The joystick is pressure sensitive so you can control the speed of movement.Pan axis allows 360° unlimited rotation, tilt axis moves -135° to +185° and roll axis allows +/-30° movement. There’s also the option to pair it with the ZY Play App for better control and features. In the app, you can enable object or face tracking, and the Smooth Q will attempt to follow the object of interest automatically.
The Zhiyun Smooth Q packs an impressive 26650mAH battery which offers a solid 12 hour battery life on a full charge, a more than decent run time for your full day photo / video shoots. It can also function as a built in power bank, so you can charge your phone while shooting.
Zhiyun Smooth Q Range of Motion
Key features:
- Easily switches between vertical & horizontal shooting modes
- 5th generation Honeycomb processor makes the gimbal more powerful
- Torque Range is 40% wider (two times wider than DJI Osmo mobile)
- 12 hours operating time with a built-in battery
- Charges mobile while shooting via the USB port
Specifications
- Dimension: 118105285mm
- Charging Current: 1500mA
- Controllable Range:
- Pan: 360°
- Roll: ±30°
- Tilt: +185° -135°
- Operating Time: 12 hours
- Operating Temperature: -10° to 45°C
- Valid Payload: 75g-220g
- Net Weight: 450g (Without Batteries & Smartphone)
- Package Weight: 760g
Package Contents
- 1 x Zhiyun Smooth-Q Mobile Gimbal (Battery Included)
- 1 x Micro USB Charging Cable
- 1 x Protective Hardcase
- 1 x Product Manual
The manual is in Chinese, so figuring it out was a bit of a challenge. Sliding the phone into the Smooth-Q is really rather straight forward though. Just that there’s a lock / knob to adjust for horizontal or vertical mount. Once done, press the ON button and the Smooth Q will electronically stabilise the phone.
Sample Footage from Zhiyun Smooth Q
Thoughts
I never used a Gimbal before, but the Smooth Q was really easy to use. Overall I think the Smooth Q does a good job. The Zhiyun Smooth Q is distributed in Singapore by NuPhoto Pte Ltd, and will be available at $199 – a similar pricing to Amazon. It will be available at Lazada (pre-orders available now) from 1 May, comes in 4 colours and 1 year warranty. It’s easy to use, has a decent battery life, and allows you to take better videos. I could still see some shake in the footage but it was a big improvement as compared to without a stabiliser.