YI Handheld Gimbal Overview

After I saw the first sketches of YI Handheld Gimbal I know had the chance to see and try it at IFA in Berlin.

YI Handheld Gimbal

YI Handheld Gimbal

YI Handheld Gimbal

It looks very similar to the Feiyu WG and Zhiyun Z1 RiderM gimbal. It has 3 motors for stabilizing all 3 axes, a bracket which secures the camera and on the bottom a compartment for the batteries. YI Handheld Gimbal features two 900 mAh batteries which will last for 3h of opera

YI Handheld Gimbal – How to use

YI 4K Action Camera is held with a bracket. I was hoping that the camera will be used inside an underwater case, so that the gimbal will be splash proof when mounting it in wet surroundings. (Similar to Slick Gimbal). On the bottom Yi Handheld gimbal features a 1/4″ tripod thread, so it can be attached to the YI Monopod or any other photo/video gear.

YI Handheld Gimbal – mounted on monopod

Operation Modes

YI Handheld Gimbal – Modes

Similar to the competition of YI Handheld Gimbal it offers 3 Modes:

Panning Mode – Where the gimbal’s pan axis is following the movement whereas the others are locked.

Locking Mode – All Axes are locked and the camera is facing in the same direction whereas the gimbal is turning.

Pan & Tilting Mode – Roll axis is locked whereas the other two follow the movement of the gimbal.

The modes are indicated by the LED.

YI Handheld Gimbal can rotate: Panning: +/- 160°; Tilt: +/- 160°; Roll: +/- 42°;

Dimensions are 95 x 77 x 75 mm and weights 210g.

YI Handheld Gimbal – Dimensions

YI Handheld Gimbal with YI 4K Action Camera

The bag is the same YI bag that was introduced with YI Action Camera, the foam inlay is designed to hold camera, gimbal, batteries, charger & monopod with remote.

Conclusion

The YI handheld gimbal is a very affordable electronic stabilizer. Remember electronic image stabilization is not possible in 4K resolution (for most action cameras). Sony’s FDR-X3000 has optical image stabilization in 4K, so this gimbal will show equal results. The price tag is very appealing, but therefor the gimbal lacks some features. It doesn’t have any wireless components (wifi nor bluetooth), so can’t be remote controlled. It will be available in a bundle with YI 4K Action Camera, but also sold separately.

Price / Retailer

• Gearbest: 475.00 USD (with YI 4K camera)
• Geekbuying: 499.00 USD (with YI 4K camera)
• Banggood: n/a
• Aliexpress: 409.00 USD (with YI 4K camera) Official YI Store
• Aliexpress: 229.00 USD (gimbal only) Official YI Store

Competition:

Stay tuned, I’ll update this article as soon as I get more information.