Feiyu Vimble 2

Feiyu Vimble 2 is a new gimbal with some interesting new features. For one it comes with an integrated selfie stick, I think a brilliant idea. To me typical gimbals are a bit short to be used as selfie stick, but on the other hand I don’t want to carry a second piece of equipment with me. Compared to its predecessor Vimble C the new model experience two great updates: you can now switch between portrait and landscape mode manually by rotating the clamp. That’s great for facebook lice as you don’t need to switch electronically on every power up. And it got a micro USB port at the top are to power your smartphone. Let’s take a closer look:

Feiyu Vimble 2 – landscape & portrait mount, selfie stick

Battery
Feiyu Vimble 2 holds a built-in battery, which allows 5 hours of working time when in motion. There’s a micro USB port at the side of the grip for charging and a second micro USB port on top of the head. You can use this one to connect your phone to power it with the gimbal’s battery.

Weight & Payload
Vimble 2 itself weights 428g without smartphone, the payload is about 210g.

Pan / Tilt / Roll – Angle
Similar to Feiyu Vimble C the new model allows 320° rotation on all axes. In contrast Feiyu SPG allows 360° rotation on the pan axis, but I think that is only an issue when using the gimbal with an action camera and you need forward facing.

Body
Feiyu Vimble 2 holds a very nice new feature – a selfie stick. When leaving the house I often asked myself: Should I take a gimbal and/or a selfie stick with me, as I don’t want to carry two devices. Now you have them combined. Furthermore Feiyu Vimble 2 comes with a small tripod, a 1/4″ thread is at the bottom.
Another great addition is the rotatable clamp that holds your smartphone. With Feiyu Vimble C and SPG the only way to change to portrait mode was electronically. Each time when powering up! With Feiyu Vimble 2 you can easily turn the clamp and mount your smartphone in portrait mode (convenient for Facebook Live e.g.). Another new addition is the cross arm which easily slides without having to deal with a know ring. Still both new features provide a secure mount.
As already mentioned on top of the cross arm theres a micro USB port which provides power for your smartphone.

Feiyu Vimble 2 mounting

Buttons & Controls
The control panel provides a flat joystick to control the head. The power / mode switch button sits below. On the front there’s also a shutter button which works when using Vicool App on your smartphone: short click for a photo, press and hold for video. The LED above the joystick indicates in which mode you are in.
One side of the grip features a smooth zoom lever and on the other side there’s the micro USB port for charging. I really like the trigger button on the backside. When you press it you temporarily enter locking mode (orientation is fixed while you can move).

Feiyu Vimble 2 – Buttons

Shooting Modes
As already mentioned you can shoot in landscape and portrait mode. It offers several operation modes indicated by the LED light and are selected by the trigger button on the grip. In panning mode the gimbal follows pan movements while roll and tilt axes are locked. In following mode the tilt axis follows your up/down movements as well. In locking mode the orientation of your smartphone is locked while you move the gimbal. Manual lock allows you to position your smartphone. When holding the position for half a second the orientation is manually set.
Motion Control / Time-lapse
You can also use Feiyu Vimble 2 for motion time-lapses. Simply set start and end position and when initiated the gimbal’s head will move automatically. You can set the speed of motion within Vicool app. Vimble 2 comes with tripod, great for that purpose.

Packaging / Accessories
Feiyu Vimble 2 comes with a carrying case, USB – microUSB cable, tripod, wrist strap and english manual.

Feiyu Vimble 2 comes with carrying case and tripod

Compatibility

Smartphone
Feiyu Vimble 2 is compatible with a huge variety of smartphones including all Apple iPhones, Huawei P9 / P9plus, Xiaomi 5 series or Samsung Note5 / S7. The smartphone has to be 57-84mm in width and below 210g. To level the smartphone you can slide the crossarm. When used in portrait mode heavier phones should be placed a bit higher for better levelling.

Action Camera (GoPro)
The main difference compared to Feiyu Vimble C and Feiyu SPG is the new clamp design. You can rotate it and use your smartphone in portrait mode. That works with Vimble C and SPG as well, but you flip the phone electronically – I prefer the manual switch. Using this portrait mode setting allows you to mount an action camera – no additional accessories required. The shutter button on top is still accessible. On the downside the monitor is not visible and in case of a touchscreen not usable. Anyway since Vimble 2 doesn’t turn 360° (+/- 180°) you would need to turn the grip so the joystick is facing forward. For a quick vlog selfie you’d be fine.
The better option is to use an adapter, but you have to pay attention when using it. You need to mount the camera facing forward and then tilt the gimbal facing forward with the cross arm pointing downwards. Otherwise the motor in the back is in the and shows up in your video due to the wide angle lens. Btw. I use this PGY adapter. If you are looking for an action camera gimbal check out Feiyu SPG for action cam & smartphone which I found more convenient. Or use Feiyu G5 / WG2 for action cam use only.

Feiyu Vimble 2 with GoPro Hero5 black

App

With the new gimbal Feiyu also introduced a new app. While most gimbals work with Feiyu ON app, the new one is called Vicool and is available for Android and iOS. Vimble 2 connects via Bluetooth and the process is very smooth. Within the app there are 2 categories of settings: Camera and Gimbal settings. You can change resolution of the camera, interval for time-lapse and camera control. As mention, in the gimbal settings you can change the motion speed for time-lapse, but also reaction time and motor strength of the gimbal in general.

Face tracking and furthermore object tracking are available as well. Simply mark an object on your screen and the gimbal / camera will follow. In the picture below you can see the blue frame that detects my face.

Feiyu Vicool App

Conclusion

Feiyu Vimble 2 is a great gimbal for smartphones and I really like to use it. The integrated selfie stick adds a lot of value and makes an extra piece of equipment redundant. Compared to Feiyu Vimble C it’s definitely worth the upgrade respectively a premium on the sales price. If you want to use your gimbal with a smartphone and action camera I recommend Feiyu SPG as it offers 360° on the pan axis. If you are looking for an action camera gimbal I prefer Feiyu WG2 as the screen is fully visible and you can use it wearable as well. Add a selfie stick and you can use it handheld. If you plan to use it only handheld, go for Feiyu G5 as it offers a Joystick on the grip to control the gimbal’s head.

Feiyu Vimble C – Feiyu Vimble 2 – Feiyu SPG – Feiyu WG2

Summary

Low Price

Selfie Stick integrated

comes with tripod & bag

gimbal can charge smartphone

easy switch between landscape and portrait mode

not ideal for action cameras (better option: Feiyu SGP)

Here’s a comparison of different, but same style gimbals

Feiyu Vimble C	Feiyu Vimble 2	Zhiyun Smooth Q	Feiyu SPG C	Feiyu SPG (new version)	DJI Osmo 2	Zhiyun Smooth 3

Body: Plastic	Body: Plastic & includes selfie stick	Body: Plastic	Body: Metal	Body: Metal	Body: Plastic	Body: Metal
Battery: 5 hr working time	Battery: 7-10 hr working time	Battery: 12 hr working time	Battery: 7 hr working time	Battery: 8 hr working time	Battery: 15 hr working time 2600 mAh	Battery: 14 hr working time
Battery Type: built-in	Battery Type: built-in	Battery Type: built-in	Battery Type: exchangeable	Battery Type: exchangeable	Battery Type: built-in	Battery Type: exchangeable
can be powered with power bank	can be powered with power bank	can be powered with power bank	can be powered with power bank	can be powered with power bank	can be powered with power bank	can be powered with power bank
n/a	can power phone / camera	can power phone / camera	n/a	n/a	can power phone / camera	can power phone / camera
200g Payload	210g Payload	200g Payload	?g Payload	?g Payload	?g Payload	260g Payload
Pan / Tilt / Roll 320° / 320° / 320° rotation	Pan / Tilt / Roll 320° / 320° / 320° rotation	Pan / Tilt / Roll 360° / 320° / 60° rotation	Pan / Tilt / Roll 360° / 320° / 320° rotation	Pan / Tilt / Roll 360° / 320° / 320° rotation	Pan / Tilt / Roll 320° / 310° / 140° rotation	Pan / Tilt / Roll 360° / 320° / 320° rotation
not Splash-proof	not Splash-proof	Splash-proof	not Splash-proof	Splash-proof	not Splash-proof	not Splash-proof
Controls: Joystick, Zoom, Mode Switch, Shutter	Controls: Joystick, Zoom, Mode Switch, Shutter	Controls: Joystick, Zoom, Mode Switch, Shutter	Controls: Joystick, Mode Switch, Shutter, Zoom	Controls: Joystick, Mode Switch, Shutter	Controls: Joystick, Zoom, Mode Switch, Shutter	Controls: Joystick, Mode Switch, Camera Settings, Shutter
Face Tracking	Face Tracking	Object & Face Tracking	Object & Face Tracking	Object & Face Tracking	Object & Face Tracking	Object & Face Tracking
Bluetooth	Bluetooth	Bluetooth	Bluetooth	Bluetooth	Bluetooth	Bluetooth
-	comes with carrying bag	comes with carrying bag	comes with carrying bag	comes with carrying bag	-	comes with carrying bag
1/4" thread on bottom	1/4" thread on bottom	1/4" thread on bottom	1/4" thread on bottom	1/4" thread on bottom & 1/4" thread on grip	1/4" thread on bottom	1/4" thread on bottom
Price: 115 USD	126.99 USD	Price 99 USD	Price: 109 USD	Price: 126 USD	129 USD	Price: 299 USD
Review	Review	Review		Review	Review	-