We tested the new iSteady V3 from Hohem, a stabilizer for your smartphone that offers very advanced featuresIt’s also a super compact size, all for a very reasonable price.
Although smartphone cameras increasingly do better stabilization of their videos, and even more so when we talk about the iPhone, the use of a gimbal or three-axis stabilizer allows you a degree of control that gives your recordings a more professional look. The model we tested today, Hohem iSteady V3, It is the latest launched by the Chinese brand within its most affordable range of stabilizersbut don’t be fooled by its price because it has very interesting features that make it a very suitable model for most users.
Design and features
- Size 127×63×312mm
- Weight 420g
- Battery up to 13 hours
- Rotation angle -195º to 135º
- Tilt angle -60º to 60º
- Panning angle -120º to 210º
- Maximum load 280g
This is one of the smallest gimbals you can find on the market, with a super compact size when you have it folded, so much so that you could even carry it in your pants pocket. But make no mistake, because despite that It is perfectly capable of handling the largest and heaviest iPhone. It is also quite light thanks to its plastic manufacture. The materials used are of quality and the finishes are really good, not a single drawback in this regard.
In addition to its folding design, there are several elements that are obvious. The first are the three legs that you can remove from its handle to place it on flat surfaces and act as a tripod. They are perfectly stable, even with a smartphone as heavy and large as the 15 Pro Max in the video, although do not try to use them on very irregular surfaces that are not horizontal, because the whole thing will undoubtedly fall. No problem because it has a standard thread so you can use a conventional tripod if you wish.
Another differentiating element is the integrated control knob that you can use as a remote control. All the movements, camera changes, zoom… that you can do with the gimbal in your hand can be done with the stabilizer on a surface and the remote control. It recharges with the gimbal itself when in place, so it will always be ready to use when you need it. All the gimbal functions that you can control with the controller (movements, change of stabilization model, change from horizontal to vertical, etc.) can be used with any smartphone and camera, because they depend on the gimbal itself. If we already enter the camera change (front or rear) and the zoom, it will always depend on us using Hohem’s own app and connecting the smartphone via Bluetooth to the gimbal.
And we come to the star element of this gimbal, the small camera and LED light module. What may seem like a small fill light to illuminate your face in low light, is really that, with the possibility of controlling both the intensity of the light and the hue with a control wheel that we have within reach with our thumb while holding the gimbal. But it’s not just that, because includes a camera that performs all the AI and gesture control functions of the gimbal. This is very interesting not only because it works very well, but because by ordering a piece of hardware for the gimbal itself we will not depend on its own app, as happens in other models, so we can use the camera app that we like the most. without losing those functions. Of course, the monitoring carried out by this module can only be done with people.
Gesture control allows you to activate tracking with the OK gesture and stop it with the palm of your hand. The extended thumb and index finger gesture allows you to readjust the frame, in case you don’t want to be in the center of the image, and the two thumbs up gesture rotates the camera from horizontal to vertical and vice versa. The tracking works really well and is perfect for when you want to record yourself and you want to be able to move without losing the frame. Gestures also work very well, although you have to be careful, especially if you tend to gesture a lot with your hands when you speak.
We cannot forget another special feature: the extendable pole. As if it were a selfie stick, this gimbal has an extendable stick up to 20 centimeters with which you can use it as if it were a conventional selfie stick, but without giving up all the stabilization functions of the gimbal. It is great for being able to make your own recordings with a greater field of view, or for group recordings and photographs.
Stabilization
A gimbal is a stabilizer, so we cannot forget about this functionality, although perhaps it is the least differential because it develops it just as well as other models that I have been able to test. I don’t want this to sound like something negative, quite the opposite: in addition to everything I have told you so far, which is not little, This gimbal works as an effective stabilizer for your smartphone. It has four stabilization modes that we can change from the “M” key on the control knob. We can block each of the three axes of space and there is another way in which we block them all, so that the smartphone is as stable as possible. In addition to activating this last mode with the “M” key, we can do it at any time with the trigger on the gimbal handle, right on our index finger.
Hohem app
The Hohem Joy app is available on both iOS and Android, and is compatible with virtually any smartphone that has been released in recent years. Connecting your iPhone to the gimbal’s Bluetooth offers you greater control thanks to the application, being able to use the capture button to take photos or start and for videos, the zoom control using the remote control, but above all it allows you to add effects and create very cinematic movements for which the app has tutorials that teach you how to do them step by step. You can also track objects other than people simply by framing them on the screen.
Editor’s opinion
Working as well as other good stabilizers, this Hohem iSteady V3 also offers us other features such as its super compact size, integrated support legs, removable control knob, extendable stick and AI tracking and gesture control, features that will be difficult that you find in other gimbals in the same price range. In addition, we must add good build quality and a very intuitive and quite useful application. But Best of all, its price: €149.99 on Amazon (link) y If you use the code RUY7YYCV at the time of purchase you will have a 20% discount.
- Editor’s rating
- Rating 4.5 stars
- Exceptional
149
- iSteady V3
- Review of: Luis Padilla
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Last modification:
Pros
- Compact, lightweight
- Good build quality
- Removable control knob
- AI tracking and gesture control
- Extensible 20cm
- Autonomy 13 hours
Contras
- Unstable legs on uneven surfaces
Source: www.actualidadiphone.com
