jonpais Posted November 4, 2016 Share Posted November 4, 2016 Zhiyun announced yesterday a new firmware upgrade allowing Canon 5D owners the ability to use their popular Crane brushless gimbal stabilizer. Formerly, Zhiyun rated the payload of their pistol grip stabilizer at 1,200 grams, which many here at EOSHD thought was an overly conservative estimate. The new firmware, v1.50 5D RC2, will enable camera/lens combinations of over 1500 grams payload weight. Zhiyun is now saying over at their Facebook page that the upgrade allows the gimbal to carry as much as 1,800 grams, a remarkable 50% increase over their initial claims. Although Zhiyun recommends using the standard firmware upgrade if not exceeding 1,200 grams, they maintain that with the upgrade, the gimbal's minimum payload remains unchanged at 350 grams. I downloaded the new firmware this evening, but haven't had a chance to test it out yet. I am obviously eager to fly a couple of my Sigma Art lenses with the Metabones. The Zhiyun Crane currently sells for as little as $586.00 USD over at AliExpress. Edit: The problem is, I was hoping to test the recent Sigma 30mm f/1.4 DCDN for MFT on the stabilizer and put up a review of the Crane over the weekend, but now, I've got to test a whole bunch of other lenses. Which means, I won't be able to do reviews of the iFootage Shark S1 slider and iFootage Wild Bull T7 tripod as soon as I'd have liked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hyalinejim Posted November 4, 2016 Share Posted November 4, 2016 That is awesome news! Got one for my XC10, but I'll be glad to stick my 5D3 on there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lwestfall Posted November 4, 2016 Share Posted November 4, 2016 Great news! Looks like their site can't handle the traffic now! Maybe someone who got it can post a mirror? Wait - It finally downloaded! Here it is! Crane Firmware V1.50 5D RC2.zip Oh, but the Windows USB driver & Tools links aren't working... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonpais Posted November 5, 2016 Author Share Posted November 5, 2016 58 minutes ago, lwestfall said: Great news! Looks like their site can't handle the traffic now! Maybe someone who got it can post a mirror? Wait - It finally downloaded! Here it is! Crane Firmware V1.50 5D RC2.zip Oh, but the Windows USB driver & Tools links aren't working... I tried the link I posted last night, and it seems to be working fine this morning. I have a Mac, so not sure about that download. Has anyone else here had the same difficulty? A buddy called me last night to ask if he could try out his his 5D III on my Crane this morning, so I'll have a chance to report on that later today. I'm guessing the gimbal should work with the GH4 and Tokina 11-16mm F/2.8, since it is just a hair over 1,200 grams, it is nicely balanced, and even before the update appeared, users said it handled fine. What I'm interested in learning is whether it can now handle the Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 and 50mm f/1.4 lenses. When mounted on the GH4 with a Metabones XL, ithey are very front-heavy. The Sigma zoom+Metabones adapter+GH4 weighs in at around 1,541 grams. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lwestfall Posted November 5, 2016 Share Posted November 5, 2016 Once I have the firmware installer for Windows, I will try out my 70D + 18-35/1.8 and 70D + 50/1.4 Art. Can you download them and post them here? (I'm guessing you'll have the same connection problems with their site right now, likely due to traffic for this upgrade.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonpais Posted November 5, 2016 Author Share Posted November 5, 2016 @Iwestfall I'd be happy to download the installer and upload it here, but I'm about to meet my buddy at the cafe in around 20 minutes. If you haven't got it by the time I return home, I'll give it a shot. Or perhaps another reader can give a hand? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lwestfall Posted November 5, 2016 Share Posted November 5, 2016 Still can't get the Tools to download, but it looks like someone has already tested it and posted a before & after video, and it looks excellent! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonpais Posted November 5, 2016 Author Share Posted November 5, 2016 Looking good! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonpais Posted November 5, 2016 Author Share Posted November 5, 2016 Okay, I tried downloading the Zhiyun Tools for Windows, but I keep getting a message that the network connection was lost. Sorry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonpais Posted November 5, 2016 Author Share Posted November 5, 2016 Oh well, it's pretty much a physical impossibility to put either the Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 or the Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 on the Crane, let alone balance. I don't know how in the world anyone put the Tokina on in the first place, but I'm not gonna even bother with it anymore. I never thought I'd say this in a million years, but after shooting with the Sigma 30mm f/1.4 DCDN this afternoon, I think I'm going to try to find a couple more outstanding primes to fly, preferably under $1,300. The good news is, I'm through testing lenses on the Crane, and I have no more excuses not to put up my review soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lwestfall Posted November 5, 2016 Share Posted November 5, 2016 3 hours ago, jonpais said: Oh well, it's pretty much a physical impossibility to put either the Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 or the Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 on the Crane, let alone balance. I don't know how in the world anyone put the Tokina on in the first place, but I'm not gonna even bother with it anymore. I never thought I'd say this in a million years, but after shooting with the Sigma 30mm f/1.4 DCDN this afternoon, I think I'm going to try to find a couple more outstanding primes to fly, preferably under $1,300. The good news is, I'm through testing lenses on the Crane, and I have no more excuses not to put up my review soon. Does it just not allow for full range of motion? I know with the 18-35/1.8 (which I think is heavier and longer) I have to remove the eyecup from my 70D to allow it to move freely. But your GH4 + adapter may be deeper than my 70D. I think you may need to use an adapter with a tripod mount to center the weight better. Did you get the new firmware working to confirm it can at least stay smooth? Zhiyun sent me the firmware via a Facebook message but they haven't sent the Tools yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lwestfall Posted November 6, 2016 Share Posted November 6, 2016 The download finally barely worked! Now to install it and try it out! CP210x_Windows_Drivers.zip Zhiyun_Gimbal_Tools_for_Windows_v1.2.0.zip hyalinejim 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hyalinejim Posted November 6, 2016 Share Posted November 6, 2016 Thanks for this Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonpais Posted November 6, 2016 Author Share Posted November 6, 2016 @Iwestfall My buddy stood me up yesterday, said he had to fly to Hanoi in the morning. So I didn't get to try out the 5D for myself. Concerning the 18-35, I really don't want to go through a lot just to fly it (removing eye cup, adding a quick release plate, etc.) Bu I appreciate the advice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinegain Posted November 6, 2016 Share Posted November 6, 2016 Speaking of improvements (didn't feel like opening a whole other thread) and carrying bigger loads, ha, now here's a nifty idea! ~ https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/firstsparkgear/daisho-turn-your-camera-gimbal-into-a-shoulder-rig | http://www.firstsparkgear.com/daisho/ ( via ) Reducing two major problems of handheld (pistol grip/dual handle) stabilizers... all the heavy load on your arms, creating muscle exhaustion and up/down bouncing movement. Not too shabby. Axel, lwestfall and jonpais 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lwestfall Posted November 6, 2016 Share Posted November 6, 2016 I finally got the new firmware installed (make sure you plug your USB cable into the handle, not the pitch motor housing up top), and now the gimbal is indeed smooth and stable (including pitch which was previously bouncy) in ALL modes with my 70D + Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 Art! (755g + 811g = 1566g!) Yippee! Orangenz 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terozzz Posted April 29, 2017 Share Posted April 29, 2017 Does this work on M version? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hijodeibn Posted April 29, 2017 Share Posted April 29, 2017 Has anyone attempted to fly a stripped C100 in the Zhiyun?….I think with a max of 1,800 grams could be possible…. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hijodeibn Posted April 29, 2017 Share Posted April 29, 2017 Stripped C100 with a canon 28mm is 1,556 grams….so the weight should be OK, but the camera size could be an issue, anyone knows if the size has to be something like DSLR standard? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinegain Posted April 30, 2017 Share Posted April 30, 2017 On 16-10-2016 at 10:41 AM, Cinegain said: Is that ever going to work with a C100? Going from a Ronin-M to a Beholder DS1 is quite the stretch there... Although, I did see a Pilotfly H2 being set-up with a Sony FS5, so who knows. Not sure if you'd want to be walking around like that, though. Do you even lift bro? Dunno, for gimbal work, I'd probably stick to A7/GH-series or something. OR... if you must have that Canon swag, go get a Canon XC10/15. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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