I provide honest ratings and reviews on tech, toys, and consumer home goods that I've purchased and used. Reviews are based on hands-on testing and personal observations. All opinions and comments are my own.
Disclosure: ReviewedbyPhil is reader-supported. If you click on or buy something via an affiliate link on this site, I may earn a commission.
Takeaway: Boosts speaker audio and reduces ambient noise, but can add line noise or too much gain which causes distortion. You'll receive a spare LR44H coin cell battery, 2 foam wind screens, a ¼" microphone jack, metal alligator shirt clip, and the microphone with built-in TRRS/TRS switch for using different devices. You'll also receive a faux leather carrying case and an instruction manual. You'll find the second foam wind screen in the carrying case and a battery is pre-installed in the mic. The 1/4" mic plug is an adapter that connects to the built-in 1/8" (3.5mm) mic jack. This is a TRRS (4-pin) plug that can be used with mobile phones but can also be switched to TRS (3-pin) for other devices (e.g. computers, laptops, and digital cameras). The foam windscreen slips over the end of the microphone to reduce ambient noise and wind noise when recording. It's a little tight at first so you have to pull and stretch it out a bit to get it on. The alligator clip snaps onto the mic collar just below the wind screen. The in-line switch is fairly large for what it does, but it's made of a durable/lightweight aluminum metal and has an integrated shirt/belt clip. The length of the cable from the mic to the switch is 4 ft and the remaining length is just over 15 ft for about 19 total feet of cable from the plug to the mic.
The switch only needs to be on when using the mic with TRS devices. When using TRRS devices like smartphones, you do not have to turn the switch on and therefore it won't run down the battery. If using with a digital camera, like a DSLR or mirrorless camera, remember to turn the switch on otherwise it won't pick up any sound. When using the Maono lapel mic with my Sony a6300, the Maono mic offers a more focused sound which captures my voice better and more loudly, versus the on-board mic on the camera. There's also a bit less of the ambient background noise, however, there's a slight hum of line noise. When I tried the mic with my smartphone (with the switch in the OFF position and wearing in the same position) the microphone didn't perform as well, in terms of audio quality. While my voice captured sounded louder, there was significant distortion and clipping making the audio sound constrained and buzzy. I was able to somewhat alleviate this by moving the mic lower on my body, but this might look strange or awkward depending on what you're wearing.
Overall, the Maono mic does a nice job boosting the audio of the person speaking and reducing ambient noise when it's used as a lapel mic. However, performance was inconsistent across devices with the same placement. There was a tiny bit of line noise creeping in with TRRS devices like my camera and noticeable distortion and buzzing with my smartphone when positioned on my collar.
Takeaway: Eliminates shaky movements and creates smooth motion video with your phone, but Bluetooth is unreliable and app crashes often. The Vimble 2 comes in a semi-rigid zippered carrying case that's got a handle on one side, though no shoulder strap. Inside you'll find the gimbal, a wriststrap, a small tripod with ¼"-20 screw that can be attached to the bottom of the gimbal. When folded up, it extends the length of the handle by several inches allowing for a better two-handed grip and when open you can stand the gimbal up hands-free. In the zipper pocket you'll find the microUSB charging cable and instructions manuals in Chinese and English. On my unit, the tilt axis motor's metal accent cover wasn't adhered properly and had fallen off, though I was successfully able to stick it back on. Other than that, the construction is mostly a lightweight plastic, with a rubberized phone grip that can accommodate phones with widths of 2.25" to 3.25" and with max weight up to 210g. On the side against the motor is another rubber bumper for your phone to rest against. There's a microUSB port covered by a rubber door on top of the mounting arm that's supposed to allow you to charge your phone off the gimbal's battery, but it requires a special cable which is not included. All three axes have a limit of 320° rotation and cannot continuously rotate in the same direction past a certain point, so you won't be able to get 360° pans or revolutions and may encounter resistance or odd behavior from the gimbal in certain positions that approach those limits.
The mounting arm can be extended about 1.5cm to allow you to balance the roll-axis depending on the weight of the phone you use. The positions are marked so that you can easily set it to the same spot each time you attach your phone. The mounting bracket can also be rotated 90° to put your phone in portrait mode for filming vertical video and panoramic photos. On the handle are the LED status light, 4-way joystick for manipulating the position of your phone, a mode key, and a Bluetooth shutter/record key. On the right side is a slider that allows you to adjust the zoom of the camera when the gimbal is paired to your phone over Bluetooth and on the left hand side is the microUSB charging port for the gimbal's battery covered by a rubber door. Opposit the thumb controls is a trigger accessible with your index finger for locking the orientation of the camera. Towards the bottom of the handle is a small bridge where you can attach the wriststrap for extra security. In the hand, the gimbal is pretty light at 0.5 lb and is comfortable to hold and operate. Charging takes several hours, and when the battery is full, it can run for 5-10 hours depending on usage. This gimbal also serves as a selfie-stick with a telescoping handle that adds an extra 7 inches of reach while stabilizing. The column extends and retracts by simply pulling and pushing the pan axis motor in and out of the handle.
Due to the restrictive size of the phone mount, for most larger phones you'll find that you need to remove your phone case in order for it to fit in the bracket. Another issue I found was that due to the camera and charging port placement on my phone, I wasn't able to charge my phone in landscape mode while using the gimbal. In portrait mode, however, charging the phone would not have been an issue. Before turning on the gimbal, you may need to do some minor balancing by adjusting the side-to-side position of the mounting arm to get your phone as close to level as possible; however, it doesn't need to be perfect. You'll need to download the Vicool app and pair to it via Bluetooth if you want to use all the features of the gimbal. Unfortunately, I found the Bluetooth performance on the gimbal to be inconsistent, sometimes pairing, and sometimes not pairing and oftentimes disconnecting at some point during use. Some features are not available if the gimbal isn't connected to the app via Bluetooth either, for example zooming with the slider on the handle, using the onboard shutter for snapping photos or starting and stopping video. Bluetooth is also required for adjusting the gimbal and camera settings like motor power and speed, calibration, and wireless updating of the gimbal's firmware.
In addition to normal photo mode in the Vicool app, there's also a panoramic and time lapse photo mode. For time-lapse videos, you can setup the pan and tilt speeds in the auto rotation menu. The time-lapse function worked well and resulted in a pretty cool fast-forward style rotating video clip. The other feature that I though worked well was the face tracking feature, although your face has to be well lit and you should be at least several feet away from the camera otherwise it may not follow you correctly. One feature that didn't work at all during my testing was the object follow feature. You would think that because face tracking worked, this would work just as well, however, I couldn't get it to capture or follow any object and most of the time the app would just crash when I entered the mode. In general the app doesn't seem to be entirely stable most times and in addition to the Bluetooth connection cutting out, the app would also crash fairly reguarly, like in the middle of filming which was frustrating.
As for stabilization performance, the gimbal did a nice job with its primary function. There's a few quirks with setting the pan, yaw and tilt speeds just right and you have to try and avoid approaching the rotational limits otherwise the gimbal can change position unexpectedly, but with practice you can get pretty smooth shots. The deal breaker for the app though is that the video recorded in the app doesn't have great quality. The compression used dropped plenty of frames making footage look choppy. The video captured using the stock Android camera app with the gimbal was much smoother with a consistent frame rate, but the drawback is that you cannot use the onboard shutter and zoom controls. Overall, as a stabilizer the Vimble 2 will remove most of the shake and wobble from handheld filming with your phone. The Bluetooth connection isn't the best and the app could use a lot of work as it crashes a lot and doesn't capture great quality video. However, if you can live without the physical zoom and shutter controls, there's no reason why you can't use a different camera app while stabilizing with the gimbal.
Takeaway: Smooth stabilization, cool auto-path feature, no app/accessories, a bit bulky/heavy, but easy to view camera LCD screen The gimbal comes in a semi-rigid zippered carrying case. Inside I received the gimbal, a microUSB wall charger, a mini screwdriver, and extra ¼" mounting screw for the quick release plate. The gimbal is made from a machined aluminum alloy that is lightweight and durable. That doesn't mean it's indestructible though and you do want to be careful not to drop or shock it because this can throw off the internal gyros. The DS2-A was launched with the DS2 simultaneously and as far as I can tell, they are the same gimbal with one key difference. On the DS2-A, the roll axis arm of the gimbal is on an angle, hence the ‘A' in the model number. This lower position lets you view your camera LCD screen without obstruction, unlike the typical position for the motor which tends to be right in front of the screen on most cameras.
The handle on the DS2-A Beholder is thick and chunky. On the bottom is a 3/8" threaded hole for mounting which I like to use with a mini tripod. Not only does this help extend the short handle's length, but I can easily put the gimbal down on a whim without worrying about it falling over. The quick release plate on the mounting platform has a safety lock pin which stops your camera from sliding out of the mount when you loosen the thumbscrew. This QR plate is compatible with some of Manfrotto's universal quick release systems. However, you'll need to use the included mini screwdriver to tighten the mounting screw to the bottom of your camera. That's a bit annoying since the rest of the gimbal is tool-less.
With the angled arm, balancing the roll axis is a little different than on most gimbals. Rather than moving the arm side-to-side at the roll axis motor, you'll slide the camera mounting plate left or right. The release for that adjustment is under the quick release platform. Once balanced and turned on the gimbal will compensate for movements along the pan, tilt, and roll axes, but note that it won't counteract up/down, side-to-side, nor forward/back movements. There are 4 grooves around the handle for your fingers to use as grips, but I still thought the gimbal felt a bit awkward in the hand. I think that's mostly due to the placement of the power button and control joystick which are in front, facing away from you. You can try to manipulate it using the index finger of the hand holder the gimbal, but it felt rather awkward. Instead, I preferred to use both hands and using my other handle to move the joystick and support the weight of the 2.5 gimbal plus camera. The max payload for the gimbal is 4 lbs, so I imagine that a full setup of 6.5 lbs would be quite tiring to shoot one-handed after a while.
On either side of the gimbal are ¼"-20 threaded mounting points for accessories like a remote monitor or external mic. On the left side is a microUSB port for charging and on the right is a miniUSB port for use with a wired joystick, which is not included. On the side that faces you is a small OLED screen and the mode button. The OLED shows you the remaining battery life of the gimbal. It'll also show the direction of movement of the joystick when pressed, and if you press the mode button it'll show the profile (or mode), so if you press twice it'll switch to profile 2 and so on up through profile 5. Profile 5 lets you define a path for the gimbal to follow by manually setting a start and end orientation. that's pretty cool because you can get fully automated 60 second movements that are exact and measured without the possibility of flaws from manual shooting. Another thing you can do when the gimbal is on is manually re- position your tilt and roll axis be simply moving it with one hand and holding it in position for 2 seconds, which can be much easier than maneuvering your camera into position with the joystick. The other 4 modes of operation are locked, pan-follow, pan-tilt-follow, and 3-axis follow, the last being a mode not commonly seen with other gimbal brands.
Overall, the DS2-A performed nicely when stabilizing footage and the angled arm makes it easier to monitor your shots as they happen. The gimbal is somewhat heavy and awkward to carry. It also doesn't come with a lot of accessories, like a mini tripod, nor does the case anticipate that you'd get many more accessories that what it comes with, which is a bummer. For the price, you can get better packages of traditionally structured gimbals with the level roll-axis motor arm, but the on-the-fly positioning, angled-arm, OLED status screen, and 60-second auto-path features could give it a slight edge against the competition if you're interested in trying it out.
Takeaway: Smooth/stable video footage, easy auto time-lapse, quick setup, decent app, short BT range/battery life The gimbal comes in a heavy duty, hard plastic briefcase. Inside are the instruction manual, mini-tripod, gimbal, three batteries, screw-on handgrip, battery charger, ball head mount, quick release (QR) plate, lens support cradle and screw, felt drawstring bag with control cables and microUSB cable, horizontal handle bar, and two side handgrips.
The gimbal is pretty easy to set up for both one-handed and dual handle operation. The main gimbal handgrip has a 3/8"-16 mounting hole with pre-installed 1/4"-20 adapter and can be attached to the included mini tripod or any standard photography tripod or mounting system. The double-handle is optional and is not integrated with the gimbal, so it won't have built-in controls like a joystick or mode key. This makes it a bit harder to use the gimbal with the dual handles since you have to switch hands to the main handgrip to access the controls. On the flip side, it's easy to take the dual handlebar off when you want to go to single-handed operation on the fly. You can, however, purchase the wireless thumb control for the gimbal separately to get the best of both.
On the side of the gimbal near the controls is a 1/4"-20 mounting point and when using the dual handles, each handgrip adds 5 more mounting points giving you a lot of options to mount a monitor, lights, mic etc. The build quality of the gimbal is really nice; it's made of a lightweight aluminum alloy that's fairly durable. The gimbal without a camera weighs a little over 2.5 lbs in the single handle setup and just under 4 lbs in the dual-handle setup. All the handles have a soft-touch silicone which provide a nice grip for your hands. The gimbal's max payload is 2.5 kgs or just about 5.5 lbs. For heavier setups I recommend the dual-handle setup to reduce fatigue for long shooting sessions.
On the mounting platform are two tracks. The inner one supports larger cameras like the Canon 5D Mark II while the outside track gives you more leverage when using a smaller mirrorless camera like the Panasonic GH5. The included QR plate can be mounted onto the platform from either track as long as the release lever is hanging off the right side of the platform so it sits flush with the platform. Balancing the gimbal with the tool-less thumbscrews is pretty straight forward if you've ever balanced a gimbal before. For first-timers it usually takes a bit of practice but the instructions outline the process nicely and Gudsen has a tutorial video that is very helpful. Once balanced, make a note of the position markers at each adjustment point and use those to guide you and speed up balancing in the future. All 3 motors have 360 degrees of freedom and can rotate fully infinitely in either direction along its axis (provided your camera setup is small enough to clear the arms).
The gimbal comes with 3 control cables for Sony, Canon, and Panasonic so if you use a compatible camera with the gimbal, plug the cable into the miniUSB port on the underside of the roll motor and into your camera's control port. This allows you to trigger the shutter and video recording from the gimbal handle by short pressing the power button. I was a little disappointed that the Sony camera doesn't charge via the control cable port, since it's able to do this on other gimbals, but given that the battery life of the Air is only 6-8 hours, it's probably better to reserve the battery life for its operation. This gimbal is pretty quiet when operating, but not completely silent. However, even though I noticed the motor faintly whirring, the on-board camera mic on my a6300 didn't seem to pick it up. If you're in a very quiet setting or using a sensitive external mic, it may be more noticeable.
The balancing performance on the Air is very good, comparable tot he Zhiyun Crane (v1 and v2). It's smooth and fluid, but I did feel the out-of-the-box follow speed and especially joystick control speed was too fast. You can change the speed settings with the wireless thumb remote or use the MOZA mobile app which connects to the gimbal via Bluetooth. Most of the settings have to do with min/max angles and motor power while the speed settings are simply high, medium, or low and don't get more precise. The app also has a joystick mode for wireless control of the gimbal and there is a custom path mode which lets you setup a multi-point path for the gimbal to follow automatically so you can automate a pan and creating moving time lapses. The only thing I didn't like was that the Bluetooth range of the gimbal seems to be really short. It looses connection if you get more than 4-5 feet away and the Bluetooth signal strength indicator in the app never gets very high on the status bar.
Overall, the gimbal performed well for stabilizing my footage, whether running with a subject or operating in inverted mode. It does take practice walking and moving fluidly to ensure super smooth footage as bouncing the gimbal, up-down and side-to-side movements create visible shakes, bobbing, and jitters in the footage. Also, if you're using a light camera, I recommend reducing the motor power if you're experiencing motor vibrations. Occasionally, if you're combining a lot of movements or tax the motors too much the gyro will start to drift, for me, usually along the roll or tilt axis, but resetting the gimbal corrects it. While this gimbal's features aren't as customizable through the app as on other gimbals, it still performs nicely.
Takeaway: Low-res entry-level quality for novice or beginner, temper your expectations . With this camcorder, you get the camera, a padded soft carrying case with belt loop on the back, a battery, headphone jack to RCA cable, miniUSB charging cable, power adapter, lens cap, remote control, and an instruction manual. The camera is pretty small and fits in the palm of your hand. It measures 5"L x 2"W and 2" tall and weighs 10.25 oz. The camera comes with a strap, pad and lens cap. The lens has a 24 MP sensor and two infrared LED lights for night vision. The battery and SD card are inserted in the bottom under a latched door. A memory card is not included with the camera, and it has no on-board storage. Note that when the battery is removed, the clock and date settings will reset, and you'll have to re-enter the date and time if you want accurate date/time stamps for your photos and video. There's also a ¼" mounting hole on the bottom of the camera for tripod mounting.
On the back, behind a rubber door are the AV output and microUSB port for charging. The record button is easy to press with your thumb when holding the camera with your right hand. On top you have the zoom control and shutter button for photo mode which are accessing using your index finger. Towards the front is the stereo microphone for audio capture, and there is no option for using an external microphone.
The LCD monitor rotates 270 degrees and locks in at every 90 degrees. The Camera will turn on/off automatically when the LCD is opened or closed. Pressing the menu key will bring up different options for the mode you're in, though some of these settings persist over both modes anyway. When recording during the day, outdoors the image quality of the video is somewhat grainy and lacks detail/deep color saturation giving everything a slightly faded look. There are occasional dropped frames which manifest as a flash of black or white. The quality is on par with old VHS tapes or flip phone generation cell phone cameras. Fast motion tends to be blurry and the zooming increments in hard "jumps" though it locks in at 2 distances: 9x and 18x zoom. From any distance the microphone sounds muffled and quiet, with the clearest sound only when the subject is within a couple feet from the camera. When filming in 1080p the footage is noticeably more choppy than 720p/480p because the frame rate is only 15 frames per second, whereas it's 30fps in the other modes. At 15 fps, the footage looks like stop motion and because there's motion blur when you move the camera, any increase in detail level from the increased resolution is canceled out by frame blending and choppiness.
In dark conditions, you'll need to activate night mode to see anything. The infrared light makes the images appear in black and white but you'll be able to see in the dark up to 6-8 feet away, even in pitch black conditions. Overall, the camera captures video at a fairly low resolution. If you want slightly better image quality, I recommend the next version up, the HDV-G5. This camera would only be suitable as an inexpensive fun camera for kids to toy around with. It's not going to produce super smooth or clear video at any resolution, and it doesn't capture fast scenes well. The night vision is kind of fun though.
Takeaway: Decent for a budget webcam, hi-res but no auto-focus, mic audio a bit grainy. The webcam has a 5' USB cord and comes with a cleaning cloth and an instruction sheet. Despite its similarity to the Logitech C920, the Besteker 920C has slightly different specs and these cameras are not related nor equivalent. This camera measures 3.5" across, 2.25" high and has a depth of 2.75". On the front is a 1536p max output HD lens, and the camera has built-in stereo microphones on the sides. The body of the camera sits on a ball joint and is rotatable 360 degrees and has about 25 degrees of available tilt. On the bottom of the foot there's a 1/4" thread mounting hole for use with a standard tripod mount. The base under the camera splits open so that you can place the webcam over the top of a monitor or laptop screen. I tested the Besteker camera side-by-side with the Logitech C922.
The settings on the Besteker camera are a little different when using OBS to record. When set to 1920x1080 resolution recording at 30 fps, the cameras displayed a big difference in color. While I think the C922 does a better job at reproducing the colors in this room with natural looking temperature and saturation, this is because it uses Auto-White Balance to account for the lighting in the room. The 920C reproduces actual color with no white balance adjustment. In good lighting (a sunny room, or one with day white lights) the colors of the images are fine, but it struggles a bit in low light settings. The Besteker camera has a slightly wider angle lens than the Logitech C922 and also goes to a higher resolution of 2048 x 1536, though the frame rate is slower and slightly choppier.
The 920C also doesn't have auto-focus and can't do close/macro focus so the best focus range is 3 or more inches from the lens. The camera at 1080p does pretty good with fast movement with its 30 fps frame rate. There are also lower resolution settings available but I don't use them. As for microphone audio quality, the Besteker 920C has a moderate pickup from a distance of 2 feet and some white noise and graininess in the audio.
Overall, the 920C is a decent HD webcam for those on a budget. If you need the extra resolution, it's nice to be able to have higher than 1080p resolution with a wide angle that you can crop down without degrading the image resolution.
Takeaway: Large, bright, clear HD picture; easy to use/setup, lightweight. You'll receive the LCD monitor, a sunshade frame, a shade box, a miniHDMI to HDMI cable, a microHDMI to HDMI cable, an NP-F550 battery, battery charger, a user manual, a cold shoe mount, cleaning cloth, Allen wrench, and extra screw. The LCD panel measures 4.75"L x 7"W and the screen has a 7" view-able diagonal. The native output resolution of the screen is 1920x1200 although the HDMI input accepts up to 4K signals from your camera. The images on the screen will still be HD, but not as fine point as 4K; you can however, output the feed in 4K to another monitor as well. On top of the unit are a few physical controls for power, 3 function (F) buttons, menu, and menu navigation keys which are also used for volume control. The 'F' buttons can be customized for options that you use frequently. On the bottom of the LCD are the ports: HDMI out, HDMI in, miniUSB, headphone jack, and power port. There's a ¼"-20 threaded mounting hole for the cold shoe mount or for any standard tripod mounting system. On the back of the unit is the battery plate and external speaker.
The unit is basically plug-and-play. All you need to do is install the battery, then plug the HDMI cable into the LCD, and into your camera. I used the microHDMI cable with my Sony a6300 camera and mini HDMI cable with my Canon T3i without a problem. The screen was able to display exactly what was on my camera LCD. The sunshade is quick to install and works well on bright sunny days outdoors. The LCD display panel is bright, has great resolution, color, and detail. It's great for both photography and videography as it lets you monitor your camera feed on a bigger screen and manipulate the view separately from the camera, whether that's attached to a tripod or rig. The 160 degree viewing angle lets you see the screen clearly from different positions so you don't have to be standing right in front of the monitor for a clear picture. Overall, I found this to be a useful tool, especially for the Sony a6300 because its LCD isn't fully articulated and framing shots from in front of the camera is much easier with a remote monitor. One tip is when using the monitor during live filming, turn its volume to '0' to avoid feedback back to the camera mic!
Takeaway: A nice budget camera for home videos, clear crisp images but low volume capture. You'll receive the video camera in a carrying case, a miniHDMI to HDMI cable, an A/V to RCA cable, miniUSB charging cable, and instruction manual. The camera is small and compact measuring 5.75"L (including battery) x 2.5"W x 2.5"H. It weighs 12 oz w/battery installed. The camera has a hand pad and strap pre-installed, though comes with no lens cap. The battery has a decent capacity and will last you a little over 2 hours of continuous use/recording. On the front of the unit you have the lens with 48 MP sensor, mic, and IR lights for night vision.
The flip out LCD screen rotates 270 degrees and can be folded flat when open to keep the camera on. If the LCD is shut facing in, the camera powers off automatically. This camera accepts both microSD and full size SD cards and both slots can be used simultaneously for up to 64 GB of combined storage. No memory card is included, but one is required to make recordings. The screen is also touch sensitive and you can access to functions by tapping the icons on the screen. Each mode has its own group of settings, but some settings do apply to both video and photo mode. In general the touchscreen works well, but you have to be precise where you tap otherwise it's easy to make a wrong selection.
This camera has a WiFi function that's supposed to allow you to connect to an app for remote monitoring and control, but I was not able to get the app working nor transfer files wirelessly. Hopefully the app will be improved and be functioning in a future update. There's also a ¼" mounting hole on the bottom of the camera for tripod mounting.
During the day the image quality of the video and photos is clear and detailed. The video is HD at 1080p, 2K and 4K, although at 4K the frame rate is only 24 frames per seconds, so it tends to be more choppy. The best image quality for video is achieved at 1080p at 60 frames per seconds. The footage has a lot of detail, less shakiness with anti-shake activated, and smoother transitions during fast movement and panning in general. The microphone from the camera picks up sounds and voices within a few feet from the camera but it's generally not that loud, and I had to bump up the gain in post processing (+15dB). Even with loop recording off the longest video clip length is 25 minutes before the camera starts a new file. At 4K,1 min video file takes up about 200 MB, at 2K 150 MB, and at 1080p 100 MB, so at the highest resolution a 32GB can store a little more than 2.5 hours of footage.
The zoom is all digital and goes to up 16x magnification. Zooming in and out is generally fairly smooth though there's not a great way to do a slow speed zoom and the resolution is compromised when zoomed in. The camera does a decent job on the auto setting with white balance, color balance, and ISO. These menu options are only accessible in photo mode, even though they'll carryover to video mode (with the exception of black & white and sepia). In video mode, you can also adjust the exposure live when recording by tapping on the icon on the LCD screen.
The biggest drawback of having a fixed lens is that the focus range is only good after about 6 ft. Anything closer than 6 ft and things will start to look blurry. In dark conditions, the infrared light works really well. It lights up pitch black areas in black and white similar to night vision goggles so you can see everything in the dark. Overall, the camera captures video and photos at very high HD resolution. The image quality at 1080p/60fps is smooth, crisp, and detailed, and still serviceable at other resolutions. It doesn't do great with fast motion though, and the 4K mode is choppy at 24 fps I recommend a tripod or steadycam) but otherwise it's a solid entry-level handheld camera that will make for decent quality family videos, YouTube productions, and B-roll footage.
Takeaway: High resolution images and video, average clarity, sharpness of details, audio isn't great. You'll receive the action camera in a waterproof housing, an extra battery, a spare waterproof housing door, microUSB charging cable, a selfie stick monopod, a variety of clamps, mounts, sticky pads, straps, and accessories camera mounting, and an instruction manual. The camera and all its accessories fit into the semi-rigid hard clam shell case it comes in.
On the front of the camera is a 170 degree wide-angle lens and power/mode button. On the left-hand-side you've got the microUSB charging port, microHDMI output port, and microSD card slot which accepts up to 64GB cards, however, one is not included. On the opposite side are the menu ‘up' and ‘down' keys and external speaker. The ‘up' button doubles as the WiFi key for connecting to the NTK smartphone app. On the back is a 2 inch diagonal LCD screen, and on the bottom is the battery bay. On a full charge, the camera runs with the LCD on for about an hour of recording time.
The quality of the video is decent. It got HD resolution, though fast motion tends to be blurry and somewhat choppy. The white balance and color control isn't always perfect it very bright or very dark conditions, and it takes a second or two for the auto white balance (AWB) to kick in. The anti-shake feature removes some of the shakiness caused by handheld filmed, but not all of it. Using the monopod helps, but a gimbal or steadycam would really be your best options short of a stationary tripod. The audio when inside the waterproof housing is pretty much entirely muted. Outside of the case the mic seems to work fine but I had to bump up the gain for the audio to be heard clearly even from only a few feet away from the camera. I liked the slow motion mode for this camera, as it makes your video much smoother and adds a dramatic effect. However, the setting claims 120 frames per second which would be 1/4 speed, but in video editing it turned out to be 90 fps so only 1/3 speed.
If you download the NTK Cam app, you can use your smartphone as a remote screen for the camera over WiFi. This app is very similar to the XDV app I've used with other action cameras, although this camera isn't compatible with both apps. This action cam is a budget conscious entry-level camera so it doesn't really compete in the same class as the GoPro in terms of video quality and video processing. I gather the video compression codec has a lot to do with that which tends to degrade the sharpness of the images. Although the resolution of the video is 4K, the footage isn't always super smooth or crisp but at least you get a nice, wide field of view and serviceable clarity and color reproduction.
Takeaway: Decent video though not super crisp/smooth, audio just ok. You'll receive the action camera in a waterproof housing, an extra battery, a spare waterproof housing door, microUSB charging cable, a variety of clamps, mounts, sticky pads, straps, and accessories camera mounting and an instruction manual. The camera lens has a 16MP sensor and 170 degree wide-angle field of view. For ports it has a microUSB charging port, microHDMI output port and microSD card slot which accepts up to 128GB cards, however, one is not included. This camera supports WiFi for connecting to the smartphone app to use as a remote control and remote monitor. On the back is a 2 inch diagonal LCD screen. On a full charge, the camera runs with the LCD on for about an hour of recording time.
The quality of the video is decent. It got a high resolution (3840 x 2160), but fast motion tends to look blurry and a bit choppy. This is likely due to teh compression of using a h.264 codec. The white balance and color control isn't always perfect and bright scenes can look washed out while dark ones are grainy and dim. The anti-shake feature removes a little bit of the jitteriness of handheld filming, but it's not super smooth. I recommend a steadycam or gimbal to smooth out the video or simply mounting to a stationary tripod. The audio when inside the waterproof housing is virtually unusable, but out of the housing it seems to be okay though. If you download the XDV app, you can use your smartphone as a remote screen for the device over WiFi which seemed to work fine.
It's a pretty basic action camera that can be used for water sports and in wet conditions. While this is a much cheaper alternative to the GoPro, the video quality is not as smooth or crisp due to the video compression. However, the resolution is HD and it has a nice wide angle which might make it fine for a bit of B-roll footage.
Takeaway: Lightweight, fluid motion, easy to handle and operate, great for those on a budget. The gimbal comes in a semi-rigid clamshell carrying case that you can wear with a 5' adjustable shoulder strap; included is a flat microUSB cable for charging and an instruction manual. The gimbal is made mostly from plastic that is lightweight yet seems fairly durable, considering. The gimbal uses a built-in rechargeable Li-ion battery rather than removable batteries, eschewing the need for a charger. Instead, it charges simply using a microUSB port on the side and that'll last up to 12 hours of use on a single charge. You can also use its battery as a mobile power pack via the full size USB output port on the front of the handle near the base. On the handle facing you where your thumb sits are some on-board controls. There's a 4-directional joystick for controlling pan, tilt, and roll, a zoom slider, mode button, and shutter/record/power button. All the buttons are easily accessible using your thumb and the handle is curved and ergonomic for a comfortable hold despite lacking any sort of rubber grip padding. There are also two indicator LEDs for battery life and status. On the bottom of the handle is a ¼" mounting hole for standard tripods and mounting systems.
The tension mount that holds your phone expands to accommodate phones with width of 3.25" and action cameras like the GoPro that are mounted in a special adapter (sold separately). My phone is on the large side with a 5.5" screen size and I found that with the case on it was a really tight fit and the thickness prevent the phone w/case from seating properly into the rubber grips. For most smartphones I think you'll find they'll fit a little better out of a case. The max payload for this gimbal is 200 grams or about 7 oz so consider this when deciding to add other accessories like a clip-on microphone or lens adapters.
The gimbal requires minimal balancing with a single thumb screw to control rotational level which can be accomplished in a few seconds. The grip mount itself slides up and down to a small degree which will also help with tilt and maybe even charging port/headphone access, but if the grip sits too far to either side, it will interfere with the tilt axis mobility.
When powering on the gimbal, it defaults into Pan-Follow mode which allows the camera to follow the movement of the gimbal when turning left/right but locks the tilt and roll axes. In this mode the joystick adjusts the tilt. The second mode is locked mode which freezes the motion of all three axes so that the camera is always pointing in the same direction. The joystick in this mode controls tilt and the pan. The third mode is Follow mode and the camera will pan and tilt based on the motion/direction of the gimbal. The joystick here controls the roll. Finally, triple clicking the mode button spins it around so the camera is facing you for selfie mode. The gimbal works in both upright mode and upside down orientation, although on some phones the video may appear upside-down.
There are some limitations to the tilt and roll compensations. While the pan lock allows you to turn the handle 360 degrees on end without a problem. The roll axis can only handle up to about +/-30° and the tilt axis -135° to +185° before it hits a safety stop. The other thing to know when using it is that you'll need to carry your weight differently when moving around with the gimbal since up/down, back and forth, and side-to-side motion are not accounted for by the gimbals' motors. There's still the potential for shakiness if you run with the gimbal but practicing moving fluidly with soft steps and flowing movements helps stabilize your footage even further.
While the plastic doesn't feel very high end and is more susceptible to damage than a full metal construction, it is remarkably lightweight weighing only 1.5 lb even with the max payload. This makes it more usable over long sessions by reducing fatigue and allows it to be very travel friendly. Zhiyun has two mobile apps available to control the gimbal over Bluetooth though from what I can tell they both cover the same features using different interfaces. The ZY Play and ZhiYun Assistant apps lets you manipulate the controls on your phone's screen or a separate device rather than using the controls on the handle. You'll also be able to better fine tune the transition speed of each axis for directional and joystick control. This is also a "face tracking" feature that lets you highlight a face for the camera to follow. This face tracking is not perfect but works most of the time.
Overall, the gimbal is a pretty nice stabilization solution is you prefer filming with your smartphone or action camera. It's lightweight, easy-to-use after a bit of practice, and budget-friendly.
Takeaway: Small, lightweight, and portable, bright for its size, nice fill/hair light You'll receive the light, a microUSB charging cable, a cold shoe mount, a neoprene carrying case, instruction manual, and three gels: an orange CTO, a blue CTB, and soft white filter. The gels are pretty basic, a few squares of plastic sheeting but they work.
The light itself is thin and compact measuring 3.25"W x 2"L x 0.5"D and weighs 2oz. It has a magnetic milk diffuser that sticks to the front and cuts down on the glare from the 9 LEDs in the light (3 x 3 rows/columns). On the right side you have the microUSB charging port, brightness adjustment controls and on/off switch for the light. On top is a status LED for charging/power. The light has 10 brightness levels from the very brightest to the dimmest setting (10% increments). The included cold shoe mount is easy to attach to the light and grips it securely. You can also attach it to a tripod use the 1/4"-20 threaded hole rather than your camera's hot shoe. On a full charge, the light lasts over 1.5 hrs of use at maximum brightness, but it takes several hours to charge.
The relatively focused area of illumination makes this light great for subject lighting when used within 3 feet or so. It doesn't throw the light very far though, so it's not great for use as a key. It's got a 5500K light temperature and is a clean, white daylight. You can add any of the gels under the magnetic filter to change the color temperature of the light for a different effect or to compensate the light when selecting custom white balance.
Overall, this light is a pretty useful tool adding lightning to your shoots for both photo and video. It's compact and performs pretty well for its size.
Takeaway: Focus, amplified subject audio, good from a distance up to 10 ft, some noise towards the floor The shotgun mic comes with a drawstring carrying bag and a set of instructions. It measures 8" long and sits 3" above your camera's hot shoe on a rubber shock mount. The mic has a 12" cable with TRS plug for a standard camera stereo audio input jack. On the bottom of the shock mount is a ¼" thread screw hole for mounting to a tripod and a foot and thumbscrew for mounting via a hot or cold shoe. The microphone requires 2 AA batteries which are not included. There are two switches on the side of the unit. The first is for power on and low cut mode. The other switch changes the gain from 0 to +/- 10dB.
Overall, the shotgun mic does a pretty nice job focusing in on the subject it's pointed at. When filming from a distance of 6-10' away from a speaker it picks up their voice better than the on-board mic on the DSLR for sure and reduces, though doesn't eliminate noise and ambient sound from other directions. The +10 dB gain is nice for boosting the range of the mic, though this adds a lot of ambient noise. There's always a bit of noise toward the noise floor (even at -10 dB) but generally that can be scrubbed in post or you can use low cut mode; however, this tends to make voices sound a bit boxy.
