Moza Air 2 or Crane 3 Lab?

Im going to pull the trigger on one of these and a Tilta full cage I think Like today!

Cant decide on moza or crane 3...

As we go into the next decade Im hoping to get some direction.. Moza seems to have better power options for the camera and better software app.. But I like the payload of the crane3 and ergonomically it seems it might be a winner.

What are the latest thoughts on these two.. Ive searched but nothing really recent

Is this for a Pocket Cinema 4k or 6k? You might want to hold off until camera control is supported in the gimbals.

I have a Moza Air 2 (as well as a Moza Lite) and I like that I can power my BMPCC4k from the Air 2, but I am not happy about the joystick that it has. On one of my outings I damaged it and now find that the gimbal sometimes drifts. I am considering replacing it but will likely wait to see what comes out in 6 months or so. I will be looking for four things:
- enough power to run the BMPCC6k (I have not tried it on the Air 2 yet);
- camera control for the 4k and 6k;
- a wide enough platform to not need the camera mounted on an offset;
- no protruding parts to break off when it is shoved into a backpack;

Thanks for the reply ! Sorry I didn’t mention my camera is a PCC4k

The software is better in the Moza air 2. But thinking Zhiyun and BM is I’ll get their stuff to work together with a firmware upgrade

Can the Zhiyun power the BMPCC4k? It only has three batteries. Can that produce enough voltage?

What do you think about the notice on B&H's web site about the Zhiyun Crane 3 Lab? It warns that the Crane 3 Lab does not work with many 18650 batteries since the Zheyun-Tech batteries are "shorter".

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/ ... dheld.html

Well I guess if you get the Crane 3 its not a big deal to buy the extra batteries too.. It would be nice to power the camera from the gimbal but a battery pack could work ... Not ideal

Still hang fire on this.. I actually have a friend with a Crane 2 set up he will sell and the price is great comes with lots of accessories and two handed set up with remote as well

Thinking.. Might be the way to go in the short term as Im a gimbal novice dive in with the used one and wait till things sort themselves out a bit more in the marketplace before taking the plunge on a new one

I went with the crane 3. Found an open box deal on eBay See how it goes and I think it has some advantages that I’d like

I just returned from an entire week of filming. We had a crane 3 on a P4K for a r-n-g C-cam. It was pretty sweet but I think it will be sweeter when the firmware gets upgraded for the P4/6K. It handled really nicely with a GH5 which was another C-cam on reserved.

I just purchased a Crane 3 lab for my P4K.

Regarding offset...
I use a SmallRig full cage.
This cage offers quite a selection of QR plate locations.
I offset one set of screw holes, and the camera fits on the gimbal without a problem.
Also, the slight offset doesn't pose a problem when I switch the camera back to my usual 15mm rail tripod rig.

Regarding power solutions...
I was able to okie-engineer an LP-E6 dummy battery to work with the Crane 3's 8v power outlet.
This required me to pirate the correct plug (that fits the 8v outlet) from another device's power supply.
Since the LP-E6 battery puts out 7.2v, the 8v outlet is well within the camera's internal battery voltage tolerances.
I'm confident the camera and peripherals will work without issue.
I'll be performing some tests with SSD and XLR mic connected.
Stay tuned for findings.

I am curious.. do those of you using gimbals and the camera, use external battery packs too? I have a vmount setup that can be used for multiple things..but it is a little big (and heavy with the gimbal and camera too). Or are you only looking for a way to use the gimbal and camera with nothing else external for powering them? What about if you use a larger monitor too? Was looking at one of these Newer or like 7" 2200nit monitors for $250.. wondering if those would be good to use with the gimbal/camera.. but then thought.. how to power all 3 without adding battery weight/size as well?

my setup:
- P4k
- Crane 3
- Sennheiser shotgun
- Sistech XXL 88Wh power pack
- Feelworld 279 (2200 nits)
- Wise 512 GB and Samsung T5 1 TB

the power pack doesn't fit to the gimbal, I carry it in a jacket pocket or, in winter, in my trouser pocket to keep it warm. Below 0 degrees Celsius it stops functioning, and as we know, the internal P4k battery doesn't last long. But good to have as a backup power source. That's how I treat devices generally: the internal battery is just a backup. When you do serious work, you have an external power source.

It is a bit a shame that Zhiyun doesn't update the Crane 3 firmware to make it compatible to the P4k, after all this time. Essential functions like record start/stop are not possible. I wrote them to make this step, but after some months no reply or update. But I can live with it.

The full Crane 3 pack is a very good system with monopod and stand, two servos, and two quick-release. Very convenient and suitable for many situations, all these accessories can be combined. The retracted monopod attached to the included belt can hold the rather heavy gimbal for extended time, and the extended monopod can provide camera angles from above, attached to the belt, or handheld. Minimal setup time, the gimbal plate fits to my tripod. Combined with the two quick release it is possible to switch between handheld gimbal, monopod gimbal, and tripod with ease. It's a very good gimbal system pack, and the app has become very stable. It can also interpret accelerator signals from the phone, which can be, in certain situations, very useful.

I still haven't got a cage or half cage. I attach monitor, microphone and SSD directly to the gimbal, with the help of a SmallRig monitor holder and Joby accessories. It is good that the Crane 3 has two attach points on the side, and one attach point on top. I will purchase one or two magic arms for more options (for example, the Joby arm bends when there is strong wind).

To the question (although the OP has already purchased the Crane 3): I would wait for a gimbal to support cinema cameras. Most, it not all gimbals, support only photo cameras. It is an enigma to me why this is so. It makes no sense. But we are at the nascence of this technology, soon there will be gimbals for cinematographers.

I'm working a few months now with the Pocket 4K on a Moza Air2. With a Sigma 18-35 ART you DON'T need an offset plate. Because the weight of the lens the widest part of the camera is beyond the tilt motor.
Focus is done with the lightweight iFocus M. Works perfect, I'm very satisfied with the Air2.
Because the Pocket has no lanc I've connected my iPhone 5S to the Moza to operate remotely the Pocket. Power of the Pocket is done by the Moza, it can last about 1,5-2 hours. After that I pull out the power cable so the Pocket can work 45 minutes with it's own battery, and because the Moza doesn't have to power the Pocket it works also. When the battery of the Pocket is empty I replace the Pocket battery and the Moza batteries and again I can work for about 2 1/2 hour.

Adorama just reduced the price of a Moza Air 2 with the IFocus-M follow focus motor by $220 to just $449.
https://www.adorama.com/momcg01a.html

I'm still waiting for a gimbal that will carry both the P4/6K and the UMP G2. When is the Moza Air X going to be on the market?

“Ask and ye shall receive.”

Crane 3S for heavy loads:

https://www.newsshooter.com/2020/03/19/ ... -payloads/

You can watch the official unveiling live at 8 pm (GMT+8) March 28, 2020.

“Ask and ye shall receive.”

Crane 3S for heavy loads:

https://www.newsshooter.com/2020/03/19/ ... -payloads/

You can watch the official unveiling live at 8 pm (GMT+8) March 28, 2020.

Thanks Rick. This is exciting. Looking forward to it.

Let’s post comments on this and other new products in the new thread Virtual NAB 2020.

Virtual NAB 2020
https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink/topic? ... source=app

Here's a video of the new Crane 3s with the UMP. Nice.

Presumably the video was shot using a camera on another Crane 3S. At 1:10 into the video when the rig is set down, the movement of the camera shooting the video doesn’t look right to me. Not smooth movement when you look at the trees in the background. It ends fine but doesn’t feel right at the beginning of movement at that point in the clip that starts at 1:00.

BH Photovideo has these on sale again at $320 USD off:

Moza Air 2 3-Axis Handheld Gimbal Stabilizer $279.00 free shipping:

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/ ... lizer.html

Here's a video of the new Crane 3s with the UMP. Nice.

I just got one of these (used, got a great deal) for use with my Komodo. I'm planning on rigging it up with a DZO Pictor and Tilta Nucleus-M motor (two, since I haven't purchased a 3rd motor yet). It handles the Komodo with a Sigma ART 18-35 lens with aplomb, I'm just waiting for the Pictor to arrive. Fedex says it should be here today. (Right now, just the wide zoom... hopefully I'll be adding the long zoom to the kit later this summer.)

Thanks @dondidnod for the heads-up on the Moza sale @ BH. Needed a gimbal to handle the BMPCC4K with my adapter and Nikon lenses, at that price I jumped.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

Glad to hear it. This is as low a price as I've ever seen it. I thought that when I bought mine on sale for $449 USD over a year ago with an ifocus M follow focus motor that it was a killer deal, until I saw this.

They are also selling the Weebill S for almost the same price, but it does not look like it has as many features for a pocket owner.

It's one of the few gimbals that can handle a Sigma 18-35 lens on the BMPCC series.

Both the Air 2 and Aircross 2 have creative modes such as inception, FPV and using a smartphone mounted on top of the camera, programmable object tracking that controls the gimbals positioning motors. Here is a description:

https://gimbalguru.com/blogs/news/objec ... are-update

Edit - There is a known issue with the Moza Air 2. If you leave the batteries in it, they will discharge.

B&H Photo to their credit posts some very negative user experiences but that sale price is compelling.

Now I know why they are clearing out their Moza Air 2 stock:

Moza Air 2S Handheld Gimbal Stabilizer $499.00

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/ ... imbal.html

I'm not a heavy user but needed a gimbal that could handle my BMPCC4K in a cage with adapter an Nikon lenses and SSD and battery plate.

At this price it will do all I need. So it's just nice to get the price break.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

That makes sense. Not everybody who has a gimbal gets a lot of use out of it. You don't want to spend too much on something if you are not sure how it will fit into your workflow.

However, I remember that in the movie BLUE THUNDER, Roy Schieder, the pilot, had the ability to aim his helicopters guns by simply moving his helmet. In the Moza Air 2S, it looks like you could slip your smartphone into a headband and do something similar with the mimic object tracking feature. You could use a longer lens. This could go a long way to showing someone's POV while moving in a film.