Expand Quote
the DJI Osmo Mobile 3 has a physical zoom rocker switch that works pretty well I guess. Not sure you're going to get much great zoom out of a phone though. It also stabilizes pretty well, if that's what you're looking for. Can find em used under $100 I'm sure, I think mine brand new was $120ish.
I haven't even used it much since getting it, but it does do the 2 things you asked about.
Thanks. The gimbal you shared is what I was looking for. Can I ask why you do not use yours much?
Also, a different question for everybody, when filming with a phone should I be adjusting the phone video settings manually or just leave it set to auto? Is there a thread about settings? I couldn't find one.
been too busy with life to play with it much, plus I'm still filming with my main setup. I also wanted to use with a Moment lens and some ND filters, which sadly is too much weight for this gimbal. However, it does work well, and I plan to use it more when I can.
As far as adjusting phone camera settings manually, depends on what you're going for. The auto settings are usually pretty good, but if you're interested in shooting a specific frame rate or shutter speed, then you can use an app for that. DJI has an app that works with their gimbal and includes manual settings, but there are plenty others out there. If you're using iPhone, from what I understand the aperture is locked and there is no way to adjust that manually, so you're limited to shutter speed, ISO, and frame rate manual controls. Not sure with Android phones.
Here's one of the only clips I've shot with the gimbal so far, just testing it out. The motion is real smooth, and it has a "sport mode" that causes it to react quicker to movement than the standard mode. This one has the Moment lens attached, so it's 2.40:1 aspect ratio, exported out at 24p. If you are planning on using a gimbal and doing lots of panning and zooming, it'll take some getting used to as it's pretty much designed to eliminate the quick movements you might want to make while shooting skateboarding. I'm sure you could make it work though, phones are so light that it's hard to keep stable on their own. You could also try weighing it down with some type of rig that isn't a gimbal, that would help too.