Zhiyun Skull M2 3 Axis Stabiliser Crane M2

Product Information

The main goal behind the gimbal was to make it the perfect travel gimbal so using a smaller, lighter battery was an obvious option. On the flip side of this though, even with the newer technology, a smaller battery results in a lower maximum battery life. In addition to this though, more and more content creators have started to add a decent USB power bank to their collection of camera accessories too. In addition to the excellent performance, build quality, and user interface, Zhiyun has also recently put the Crane M2 through a price reduction due to Feiyutech lowering the price tag on their G6 Plus to try and keep is competitive against the M2. This is good new for any potential buyer of the Crane M2 as it is now fifty to seventy dollars cheaper than it was at launch depending on the retailer presenting a right little bargain for you. Unlike the larger gimbals mounting a mirrorless camera is just tipping the balance on weight. Still, I found it was powerful enough to hold a Sony A7 III with 35mm f/1.4 (Not on the compatible list) – although this is the upper end of the weight limit and does restrict the speed of reaction for the motors. This allows you to hot-swap between your point and shoot camera and smartphone as required to change up the type of video footage you are capturing. That said though, if you are planning on exclusively using a smartphone with your Zhiyun Crane M2 then we would recommend that you just go with something like the Zhiyun Smooth 4 instead. Without the need to support the higher weight of a point and shoot camera you would be better going with a cheaper, dedicated smartphone gimbal like the Smooth 4 over the Crane M2. Full-follow mode keeps the camera level but pans and tilts with the motion of the handle. In any mode, you can triple-tap the trigger button to swivel the gimbal 180-degrees and pop it into vlogging (selfie) mode.

Hot on the heels of the Crane M3 comes the smaller M2 S, a meeting of the larger M3 and Smartphone only Smooth 5. The design is very Crane, and in looks, it reflects the styling of the larger M3, but in size and weight, it’s closer to the Smooth 5.

Performance And Functionality

Zhiyun has also done a solid job of making sure that the Crane M2 is as robust as possible to ensure that any bumps coming its way while being used or during transit will not cause any long term damage. With the gimbal space becoming more and more competitive as more and more people look to add some image stabilization to their camera accessories gimbal brands are doing everything they can to make their gimbals as robust as possible without hiking the price tag up or adding too much weight to their products. Once the camera is positioned on top of the gimbal, it is a case of balancing. Because of the small size of the gimbal, there isn’t a great deal of adjustment for each device which makes it easier to balance than larger alternatives. I did find that, unlike the larger gimbals, I couldn’t always find that absolute balancing point, especially with the Smartphone. In this case, I balanced it as well as I could and switched it on. If you are planning on using a mirrorless camera body with your gimbal on a regular basis then we would highly recommend that you seriously consider going with the Zhiyun Weebill S over the Zhiyun Crane M2. It is a much better gimbal stabilizer for mirrorless and DSLR cameras and in our opinion is one of, if not the best 3 axis gimbal stabilizer made to date. That said though, if you know that you will only ever be using the lighter point and shoot cameras then the Crane M2 is ideal and the perfect gimbal in our opinion. The Zhiyun Crane M2S is a solid mutli-purpose gimbal which is a good staring point for relative newcomers to videography, those who want something relatively affordable, but with features beyond what you might get with an entry-level device. It does have a few snags which may frustrate more seasoned users, and physical limitations mean that its main selling point, that you can use it with a range of phones and cameras, might be oversold if an encased Pixel 6 can’t sit comfortably in there.

Grandes opciones de control con la aplicación gratuita ZY PLAY, que permite manejar remotamente el estabilizador y acceder a funciones tan interesantes como el time-lapse, la captura panorámica o la función de cámara lenta Overall the build quality and attention to detail are excellent; the buttons and switches on the handle are plastic for the most part but don’t feel overly plasticy. The main gimbal arms are all metal and very high quality giving a good balance to the build and design.The balance of the camera is a little more sensitive than when used with a smartphone or action camera, as the camera’s weight is closer to the top end of the weight limit. While this isn’t an issue, you need to ensure the balance is good before starting. Unfortunately, with the minimum load capacity of the Zhiyun Crane M2 being 0.29-pound you may struggle to mount some action cameras to it due to the majority of action cameras coming in under its minimum load capacity. If you do own an action camera and want to use it with your Crane M2 in addition to your heaver camera bodies you can sometimes increase the weight of your action camera by putting it in its waterproof case prior to mounting it to your gimbal to get it over the minimum weight threshold. That said though if you are looking for a gimbal exclusively for an action camera, something like the Hohem iSteady Pro 2 is definatley a better option as it is a great little action camera gimbal stabilizer. The M2 S is a good balance between build and features, especially when you consider the price, and the fact that this small gimbal has the power to provide stabilisation for most compact mirrorless cameras with a lightweight lens. Through the test, I warmed more and more to the ZHIYUN M2 S; mainly, its small size meant that it was easy to transport and always available to use.