Updated: Zhiyun Crane Jitter Issue Solved (well, sort of)

[Parker]

Good find @jonpais. I was looking around in the app and saw that setting in there just the other day and was wondering what it might affect. The app keeps crashing on me though, on Android Marshmallow. Hopefully they fix it soon. Also, general Crane related info, I recently saw this video which very clearly showed how to quickly and properly balance the crane, certainly works better than what I was doing before:
 

 

[jonpais]

Here's a video showing how I balance the Crane. Warning: NSFW! ???

 

[GREYTAIL]

Zhiyun Crane is defective. I have tried four of these cranes with three different Sony cameras. Like previous cranes, I have owned this one has JITTER!  I record in 4K. After several months of trying to remove the jitter by perfect balance and various settings, I have been unable to get rid of these HiCCUPS in the video. I cannot record more than 30 seconds without an unexplained Jitter or hiccup in the video. It as if the darn thing has influenza and can't help sneezing every so often! My experience with these hand held gimbals is that they all have this problem..it is just you don't see it so much on a 1080 timeline and few of the examples go more than 10 or 15 seconds without a cut to another scene.

[scotchtape]

Uhm... No.

Are you expecting a miracle from it? I've done some fairly long takes with simple movements and it works great especially with ois/ibis.  I think most gimbals benefit from using image stabilization.

It is a tool that needs to be leaned, if you start doing weird motions and angles it doesn't do well, not to mention peoplethat can't balance their cameras on it.  Though to be fair none of these small gimbals have enough adjustments for perfect balance (need 2 on each axis, but only tilt has 2 adjustments the test only have one).

 

[GREYTAIL]

I am not expecting miracles, but I do expect a decent floating scene, lasting a minute or so. I too corresponded with the Chinese factory. I described the problem and they said to go with the default values. I felt like I had been given the bush off. Well, I know for a fact that there is a big difference in the weight between an A6300 and an A7Rii or A7Sii, all of which I have tried. I am wondering if the problem has more to do with shutter speed and what I am seeing is shudder? I have been shooting at 24pm and at a shutter speed of 60. Maybe I should drop my shutter speed. Also is it too much to expect to see good 4k video?

[ntblowz]

jitter and screen blocking is why I use Osmo X5, perfect balance every time! I am waiting for their x5s on osmo 2 to be released for my ultimate gimbal cam (4k60p raw in a tiny package!)

[sgreszcz]

@jonpais or anyone else - Hoping you can help me with my Crane.  I just got the Crane-M to use with my GX80 and small primes (Lowa 7.5mm, PL 15/1.7 and P42.5/1.7) .  all the weights are around 500g which is under the Crane-M capacity of 650g.  

I've updated the firmware and played with the settings, including light, medium, strong motor weightings.  The crane seems to be working great, but I get judder in one axis when I try to do "crane" shots.  For example when I'm holding the camera in an upright mode with two hands and I move it into "flashlight" mode and then "crane" up to an upright position again.  It judders in the vertical axis.  When I'm in inverted mode the crane doesn't judder when I do a "crane" movement.  The problem with inverted mode is eventually the rear crane motor will get into the field of view of the lens.

Also, can anyone explain what the three "modes" are good for?  I find when I click through them sometimes the crane goes sort if into an "off" mode where the camera is back in balance but the motors are no engaged.

Thanks or any help!

Stephen

[Marcio Kabke Pinheiro]

@sgreszcz I have a Crane M, never messed much with the default settings, use much heavier lenses with my GX85 and it works ok (albeit rarely do the movement that you are describing). 

Did you manually balance the gimbal with the camera + lens combo? When I started playing with it, incorrect balancing even sometimes shut down the motors. Correct balancing and "resetting" the gimbal - there is a (somewhat complicated) procedure for it in the app that seemed to help.

After a while, when I got the hang of balancing it fast when changing lenses, no more problems. I recommend to put a very small Arca clamp (I used one like this: https://www.ebay.com/itm/FC-25-Quick-Release-Plate-Clamp-Adapter-for-RSS-Arca-Swiss-Benro-Tripod-Ballhead/382455971141?hash=item590c26fd45:g:JP8AAOSwG~ta1b6X) since it helps the balancing (and take the camera out) without much weight.

[sgreszcz]

On 6/18/2018 at 7:13 PM, Márcio Kabke Pinheiro said:

@sgreszcz I have a Crane M, never messed much with the default settings, use much heavier lenses with my GX85 and it works ok (albeit rarely do the movement that you are describing). 

Did you manually balance the gimbal with the camera + lens combo? When I started playing with it, incorrect balancing even sometimes shut down the motors. Correct balancing and "resetting" the gimbal - there is a (somewhat complicated) procedure for it in the app that seemed to help.

After a while, when I got the hang of balancing it fast when changing lenses, no more problems. I recommend to put a very small Arca clamp (I used one like this: https://www.ebay.com/itm/FC-25-Quick-Release-Plate-Clamp-Adapter-for-RSS-Arca-Swiss-Benro-Tripod-Ballhead/382455971141?hash=item590c26fd45:g:JP8AAOSwG~ta1b6X) since it helps the balancing (and take the camera out) without much weight.

Hi Marcio, thanks for the reply.  I just re-updated the firmware, re-calibrated the gimbal and now is is not juddering during tilt/crane shots (up down).  

Can you explain the three modes to me?  When I start up it is in pan mode where you twist the handle and the gimble moves in that direction slowly.  When I press the button again, the gimble seems to keep the camera in the original position as I move the handle.  When I press it again (the second time) I'm not sure what it really does differently.

Also, if you have any links to videos or whatever that show how best to practice shots with a gimbal, I'd appreciate it.  What do you do for exposure when mounted on a gimbal?  Auto exposure?  I'm worried a bit if I'm in a mixed sunny/cloudy situation.