Intro
I always find myself aiming for the highest image quality possible when shooting videos. But it has been apparent that the versatility of smartphones is unbeatable. So some times the only camera I can shoot with, is my smartphone camera. After all, there is the old saying, that the best camera, is the one you have with you. And this is especially truth for modern day smartphones that have exceptional camera capabilities.
So it is safe to say that convenience, pretty much determines the camera that we all daily carry around. Compared to a smartphone, even my lightweight Micro Four Thirds camera and lenses seem to be cumbersome and heavy, that’s why I don’t always carry them with me. But in great extend, I have managed to capture great looking shots with a smartphone, thanks to the newly launched Hohem iSteady V3 smartphone gimbal.
Design
The Hohem iSteady V3 sports a compact folding design, that allows it to be portable and convenient for everyday use, making it a perfect match for your smartphone. It has been designed from the ground up, to be innovative and versatile. The weight is kept at 420gr and the small size allows it to fit, not only in a back pack, but also in a purse or even a jacket pocket. It uses composite material in order to maintain a low weight and high torque motors for being able to handle smartphones, even on the heavy side, without any balancing process.
There has been given excessive thought on what users are looking for in a smartphone gimbal and Hohem has managed to deliver that. Although we will dive into the details next, some of those features are the integrated telescopic selfie stick, the integrated tripod, the removable AI tracking sensor, the wireless remote control and the LED light.
Battery life and compatibility
The iSteady V3 features a 7,4V/1400mAh battery that will allow the unit to operate for up to 13 hours, which is a surreal amount of time. The high efficiency gimbal motors, consume minimal energy, so most users will never run out of battery, as long as they are loosely concerned about charging it, like all other devices we all use in a daily basis. Despite its large capacity, it will be fully charged in about 2 hours, with the use of a 5V/2A charger and the provided USB-C cable. The battery indicator uses a simple and easily understandable color coding, that will inform the user continuously for the remaining power.
When it comes to compatibility of the gimbal, the spring loaded clamp will be able to accommodate smartphones with a width of 58mm, all the way up to 98mm and up to 280g heavy. Most of the modern phones, fit within this width range so your device won’t be excluded from using the Hohem iSteady V3. When it comes to weight, even the latest aluminum devices of the market are well below that weight threshold the V3 can handle. But even older smartphones that had a smaller overall size could maybe be brought back to life as a dedicated gimbal partner, if you are after retro looking shots.
Integrated accessories
Even though a gimbal will not increase the image quality of your footage, it will increase your footage keeper rate and your production value. In some instances though, you will find yourself asking for even more versatility, that can be implemented with the addition of some extra accessories. The great thing is that Hohem has addressed all those issues with the iSteady V3.
I have always found a bit annoying the fact that I had to carry a small tripod, in order for the gimbal to be able to stand on a flat surface for mounting the camera, balancing etc. This is kind of a liability, as you have to remember to bring it along and if you don’t, it can be a real pain. The integrated tripod that is retractable in the gimbal’s handle, is perfect not only for the tasks mentioned above, but also for placing it on a flat surface with the intention to film yourself. The ¼ thread on the bottom of the gimbal, is however still available for mounting the V3 on a full size tripod.
Another awesome addition of the Hohem iSteady V3, is the integrated selfie stick. For those cases you want to have a wider field of view, you can simply extend the selfie stick and film yourself about half a meter farther. Although it doesn’t seem it could make much of a difference, it really does. Alternatively, when filming yourself in a static fashion, you can add a bit height to your camera. This will allow the user to have multiple framing options and thus more creative freedom.
Multifunctional AI sensor and gesture control
The V3 is another gimbal from Hohem, which keeps spoiling us with a detachable AI sensor. Although the sensor allows the shooter to take advantage of its unique features, Hohem opted for the user’s ability to remove it at will or deactivate it by its physical switch. The sensor makes subject tracking a breeze up to 5m away and will be keeping that tracking locked even at mediocre lighting conditions, weird shooting angles etc and will also retrack the subject in case it get lost and found again. Not only that, the sensor will function as a LED light with full ability to dim and brighten it by the side wheel. It can also change its color temperature through warm, neutral and cool light, which comes in handy when shooting in different environments, in different times of day.
The gesture control, has been a major feature that not only increases its functionality, but most importantly works reliably. In the iSteady V3, despite the familiar, start, stop and reframe gestures, Hohem has added 2 more. The landscape/portrait orientation and the shutter control gestures. It has become more and more common to shoot vertical video, especially with smartphones, so when filming yourself, you know have a way to remotely change the camera’s orientation. Lastly, as long as you are happy with your framing you can start recording from your spot, with the shutter control gesture, without the need to go back and forth to physically push buttons.
Shooting modes and the Hohem Joy app
The iSteady V3 offers the usual Pan Follow (PF), Pan and Tilt Follow (PTF), Point Of View (POV) and Lock (L) mode, which can be cycled through by pressing the MODE button. I always refer to the inception and sport mode as they are special shooting modes, because I find that users might use them less than those mentioned above. The 600o inception mode offers this unique style of shooting that we have experienced in blockbuster movies and the sport mode, increases the responsiveness of the gimbal, allowing the user to track fast moving subjects with greater ease.
The V3 also allows the user to shoot motion timelapses, which can be achieved by using the Hohem Joy app. The app itself is very easy to use and adds a tone of customization features, in order to fine tune the gimbal into your liking or specific needs. Also when you connect your smartphone with the gimbal via bluetooth, you can use the app and take advantage of added features available like the zoom control.
Further wireless features
The detachable panel allows for using the gimbal easily and remotely, while you will be able to be informed about the status of the device, like the remaining battery, the current shooting mode and the connection status. Also you will be able to make adjustments and engage functions without the need to be within arms reach from the gimbal.
The remote control is secured by magnets when it is mounted on the iSteady V3 but it is easily removable. In my experiments it worked flawlessly within a range of about 5m and this will allow the user to discreetly control the gimbal in tighter shots. Also when shooting in challenging lighting conditions or if for whatever reason you are not a fan of the gesture control, you can obviously use it for wirelessly controlling your gimbal.
Button layout and adding more accessories
The button layout is very well though on the Hohem iSteady V3, especially as the removable panel, conveniently includes most of them. On the right hand side of the gimbal body there is the power switch that will energize/deenergize the unit and it will also set it on standby mode. On the left hand side there is the wheel that will activate/deactivate the LED light, which will also increase/decrease the light intensity and also change the color temperature. Those buttons are mounted on the gimbal and cannot be accessed from far away. To the contrary on the removable front panel, the user will be able to access all the other buttons to remotely operate the gimbal. These are the joystick for moving the gimbal itself, the mode button for cycling through the different shooting modes, the multifunctional record button and the up/down buttons for zooming and tilting. The fact that a simple removable panel, offers such a huge upgrade in terms of practicality is awesome.
One thing I wanted to try out was to attach the MIC-01 on the mounted smartphone. It being so small and lightweight, didn’t made a significant difference size or weight wise, allowing the gimbal to move freely and operate flawlessly. If you are just shooting videos as a way to preserve memories, you will not find yourself in need for high quality audio on your video. But if you are anywhere near content creation, you will be able to get a huge upgrade to your audio with the MIC-01. Hohem is clearly designing and releasing products that complement each other, creating a whole ecosystem of products fit for content creation.
Conclusion
I would love to have my camera gear always on my person, but I am well aware this is never going to happen as it would be very inconvenient. From content creators to family vacation, a tool like the Hohem iSteady V3 is going to make a huge difference though, on the captured video footage. With a plethora of features integrated, it will allow the users to shoot so much more that video, expanding its versatility even further.
The small size and weight, those characteristics that allowed smartphones to dominate the camera market, are those exact characteristics also present in the V3. It being lightweight, feature rich, easily deployable and ready to be used in no time, it will never get in the way of the shooter and it will be enjoyable to use. That’s why it manages to fit into any user’s lifestyle and become an integral part of their shooting kit.