
Not everyone can afford expensive cameras, which is why many YouTubers have turned to their iPhone for taking high quality pictures and recording videos.
A great way to improve video quality is to equip yourself with the best gimbal for iPhone, depending on your model. Here we focus on gimbals for iPhone 7, iPhone 7 plus, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 plus, and iPhone X.
No matter what you shoot with, shaky hands or wobbly tripods are still an issue that can ruin good footage - this is why creators use 3-axis gimbal stabilizers. They smooth out video capture, and can help even beginners look like professionals with content that stands out.
Many gimbals were originally designed for DSLR cameras, while others are ideally used as GoPro stabilizers. With so many people using their smartphone as their goto camera, we decided to figure out the best iPhone gimbal stabilizers you can buy in 2018.
Best iPhone Gimbals - 2018
Advantages To Using A Gimbal
It is nearly impossible to keep a steady hand when you are trying to hike up a mountain or cruise on your skateboard, but gimbals help to isolate movement from a person or vehicle from the camera to smooth out any shaky footage. Check out this comparison:
What To Look For In An iPhone Gimbal
Motorized 3-axis gimbal stabilizers are usually simple to use. After initial set-up, all you usually need to do is set it in position and start filming. Most good stabilizers let you tilt the camera if you desire a high or low angle shot.
Non-motorized gimbals have a wider level of minute control and you can adjust the angle of the camera and stray from a certain angle without losing the shot. The big drawback is that non-motorized gimbals have a steeper learning curve, so it takes more trial and error to get the right shot.
There are different kinds of gimbals depending on your budget, and the videos you want to shoot, so you should consider many factors behind a gimbal before settling on one.
A gimbal should be lightweight for better portability and convenience, especially if you like to shoot adventuring videos and might do a bit of climbing or walking. If you don't have a lot of upper body strength, a heavy gimbal can become frustrating to carry with one hand over a long day of filming or vlogging.
Many amateur vloggers will look into budget cameras, as well as budget gimbals, but with this, the quality of a gimbal is something that's often overlooked. For example, a cheap gimbal and mostly made of plastic might not last very long and can break rather easily compared to those made of mostly metal like steel and aluminum. We've tried to make sure we are recommending the best iPhone gimbals for the money.
Some gimbals have very basic features while others can get highly advanced. Often, the more features a gimbal has, the more expensive it is, so if you want a cheap gimbal then you should expect only the basics.
Options such as zooming in and out, spot focusing, or filter selection may be desired among more avid photographers or vloggers, while some may prefer a standard gimbal that just holds the camera still with nothing fancy attached.
Buyer Tip
Probably the most important thing to look out for is a gimbal's compatibility with your smartphone, especially if you are looking for an iPhone 7 plus, or iPhone 8 plus stabilizer. Not all gimbals fit or work with every phone, so it's crucial that you check which operating system it works best with, or else you may end up going through a major purchase only to end up with a useless gimbal.
The Best Way To Use A Gimbal With Your iPhone
When using a gimbal, first slide your smartphone into the clamp and make sure that it's completely secure so that it won't slip out and possibly break. Adjust the phone to balance the roll axis and then adjust the counterweight to balance the pitch axis.
After turning on the phone, you should use your wrist to control the pan and tilt, not your whole arm. Check that the stability works by rotating the gimbal in a circular motion. The phone should stay in the same position as you do this.
If you have a strap on the end of your gimbal, it's best if you have it on at all times to ensure both the gimbal and your phone won't take a fall. Also, if your phone has video stabilization enabled, it's recommended to turn it off since the gimbal already stabilizes video. Sometimes when you have the video stabilization along with the gimbal, you can get a jello-like effect on the edges of your footage.
Here is an example of how to set up the EVO Shift 3.
Camcorder | Why buy? | Price | Our Rating | Amazon Price |
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Top iPhone Gimbal Reviews
EVO Shift 3-Axis Handheld Gimbal
The EVO Shift 3-Axis Handheld Gimbal is a wonderful gimbal for iPhones, including iPhone 7 Plus models. It is a favorite choice of many YouTubers for capturing smooth video footage that stands out as a cut above beginner content.
The handle has simple record and zoom controls and the touch sensitive 4-way joystick lets you fine tune your camera's shooting angle manually which gives a nice sense of control.
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The EVO Shift iPhone gimbal has three stabilization modes to give you freedom of motion and lets you imitate the same dolly and crane shots that you see in professional cinematic productions. The battery time can run up to a respectable 10 hours and has a built-in smartphone charger on the bottom which comes in handy.
The Shift does let you can take 180˚ and 330˚ panoramas, track specific objects with the Smart-Track feature and capture nifty time-lapse videos.
Heads up that it might take some trial and error to balance and adjust your phone correctly on the Shift if you haven't used a gimbal before. Fortunately, the Evo Gimbals YouTube channel has a lot of helpful tutorials that help out with technical challenges.
Here is one of their videos with a quick demo.
Zhiyun Smooth-Q 3-Axis Handheld Gimbal Stabilizer
The Zhiyun Smooth-Q is an awesome 3-axis gimbal compatible with the newest iPhones, and action cameras. It also happens to be a relatively cheap iPhone gimbal. The gimbal is powered by three brushless motors, and successfully produces smooth, stable, and quiet videos with up to 360-degrees of unlimited rotation.
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The strong torque motor gets rid of the need for counterweights with heavier loads and the easy mounting allows you to switch easily from horizontal to vertical placement.
You can adjust the shooting angle by using the touch sensitive 4-way joystick while the advanced camera functions give you the ability to record, zoom in and out, track faces, take panoramas, and shoot time-lapses.
Here is a great example of what you can accomplish with the Smooth-Q from YouTuber Blair Random with a beautiful video shot on the iPhone 6 plus.
Being that the Smooth-Q is only 15.5 ounces, this makes it relatively lightweight and portable. If you want an iPhone gimbal that is suitable for travel, this is likely the right stabilizer for you.
The gimbal has a standard micro-USB charging port and built-in batteries to support an impressive 12 hours of operating time. There's also an additional USB port that enables you to charge your phone while shooting.
Snoppa M1 – 3-Axis Gimbal Stabilizer
Claiming to be the world's most advanced 3-axis smartphone gimbal, the Snoppa M1 comes packed with many useful features that give you flexibility on how you will film your iPhone videos.
It works without any motor arms or counterweights, and with its advanced stabilizing algorithm and electronic hardware, it can detect what position the phone is in and control the built-in motors to compensate for any vibrations which makes less blurry videos.
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The Snoppa M1 is compatible with virtually any smartphone and can be mounted in seconds regardless of the phone's model, weight, or size. Its matte black polycarbonate casing lets you balance your iPhone and shoot smooth cinematic scenes quickly. It also folds into a nice tight package that makes it easy to take from one filming location to another.
Rather than rely on a joystick, the unique 3-axis system only requires you to point your arm in the direction you want the video to take, and the camera will smoothly track that way. It can seem like a loss of control, but feels natural and pleasantly low-maintenance once you are used to it.
EVO SP-PRO Gen2 3-Axis iPhone Gimbal Stabilizer
As the newest EVO Gimbal for iPhone 7, 8 and beyond, the SP-PRO Gen2 delivers perhaps the smoothest and most durable stabilizer on the market today.
The EVO SP-PRO is very well made with aircraft grade aluminum while its new design allows for higher torque motors, a larger battery, and improved controls.
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There are three user-friendly stabilization modes to use such as pan-follow mode, lock mode, and full-follow mode. Linking the gimbal with the remote EVO app opens up features such as exposure, white balance, shutter speed, and more using the scroll wheel on the handle.
The remote EVO app enables intelligent control features for 180˚ and 330˚ panoramas, object tracking, and time-lapses.
The gimbal has the best battery performance we evaluated at up to 14 hours of run-time on a full charge. It is equipped with a handy built-in charger so that you can charge your phone as you shoot videos and take pictures.
It is also able to fit onto any standard tripod if you're not going to plan on holding the gimbal.
Feiyu Tech G4 Pro
The Feiyu Tech G4 Pro is a good budget gimbal for iPhone video. It has an easy set up, and you are able to toggle between five shooting modes with a simple push of the LED button placed on the handle. These modes include pan following, tilt and pan following, all axis lock, inverted, and standby which give you more diversity and versatility when capturing smooth videos.
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The four-way joystick control allows you fully adjust the axial angle and the precision brushless motors maintain the smooth motion you'd see in professional quality videos. The quick-release system provides convenient mounting which can be handy for vloggers that need to set up quickly when the moment strikes.
The Feiyu Tech G4 Pro drains its batteries relatively quickly - they tend to only 6 hours and the indicator light lets you know when it's time to charge the batteries again.
It also isn't the best choice of stabilizer If you are planning on traveling a lot. The G4 Pro is relatively heavy for those that like to travel light, which is inconvenient both while packing and holding it.
Of all the smartphone gimbals above, the best iPhone gimbal overall choice in terms of price, design, and functionality has got to be the Zhiyun Smooth-Q 3-Axis gimbal.
The user-friendly controls make it ideal for both casual vloggers and experienced videographers alike and has a battery life of up to 12 hours which is more than enough for a day of shooting. The enhanced camera functions allow for smooth and professional quality footage and being that it's lightweight, it's definitely a good choice for those who record their travels.
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