Zeapon Micro3 PONS - Review after 1 Year of Use

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8 ай бұрын

These are my impressins after using the Zeapon Micro3 PONS system after 1 year.
The Zeapon Micro3 slider is a fantastic piece of equipment for videographers and filmmakers looking to elevate their production quality. As a robotic camera slider, it offers a range of features that make it stand out from other manual sliders on the market.
One of the things I like most about it is how easy it is to set up. I purchased it with the PONS pan and tilt system which makes it possible to have three axis of motion. The slider, pan and tilt function are amazingly smooth and do not even require calibration. You just set it up and it is ready to go. However, there are bugs in the Zeapon Lab app and if you jump to 19:05 in this video, I'll tell you what they are and HOW TO FIX THEM!
Another notable feature is the build quality which is exceptional. The Zeapon Micro3 has a sleek and durable design. The slider's precision-engineered rails allow for smooth and stable camera movements, ensuring that your footage comes out looking professional and polished.
I purchased this primarily for motion time lapses which I sell as stock footage. But I have also found that it is wonderful for all types of filmmaking. The motorized movement of the Zeapon Micro3 ensures that your camera movements are consistent and repeatable. You can film time-lapse, stop-motion, interviews, and product photography, opening up new creative possibilities for filmmakers. At the time of this video, if you have more than 2 waypoints there is a noticeable pause in video. It does not affect time lapses. Zeapon is working on an update.
The price of the Zeapon Micro3 is priced lower than comparable, professional sliders. It is definitely worth the investment.
The way I do time lapses with this slider, I learned here:
• Astro Time Lapse - Zea...
At 19:05 in this video:
Here are the problems I have had with it and the solutions:
- The app will not work if there is a firmware update.
*Check before you leave for a shoot. Update as needed.
- The app will not connect.
*On IOS delete the app, reinstall it and connect the device. I have only used the IOS/Apple version of the app.
- The slider motor light turns red and it won’t work at all - not on the app and not using the buttons.
*Go to the settings and update the firmware. It will say that you already have the latest firmware. Acknowledge and update anyway - it gives you that option. This resets the motor.

Пікірлер: 38

@Aperture3D 15 сағат бұрын

Hi. I found this to be the single most informative video on the Zeapon system. I'm very grateful for the information, I have an AXIS 100 (on the way) & PONS + Tilt Arm in hand. Also your replies to viewer questions are also very informative. Your products are incredibly well-done too - great timelapses! A solution you might consider for the app re-install issue could be to download the app to your internal storage and sideload it (this is possible on Android, I don't know about fruit phones).

@boycefitzgerald 13 сағат бұрын

@@Aperture3D - thank you for your kind comment. It means a lot to me. That is a great idea to manage the reinstall issue. I do have a “fruit” phone. A second-hand android just for this system might be a good solution too.

@hanshuang4287 8 ай бұрын

thanks for sharing!

@boycefitzgerald 8 ай бұрын

Thank you for watching.

@charliegrossman3801 6 ай бұрын

Thank you so much for putting this video together!! Very big help on my quest to find a slider. I found this after watching the nightscape images review and wanted to get your take on the move-shoot-move function of this slider with the trigger. If you have long shutter speeds set, wouldn’t not shooting move-shoot-move cause blur in each photo? (star trail for example)

@boycefitzgerald 6 ай бұрын

I have done move-shoot-move and also had it just move slowly even with a 20 second shutter. I have it move just 23 inches in 3 hours. There is zero blur. The slider is still moving slower than the Earth is spinning. Richard Tatti convinced me to try it and it is better and easier than move-shoot-move. If you are doing a sunset, then the slider is moving that distance in 30 minutes but now your shutter is 1/15 or even much faster. Still works. See all my time lapses now are just slow, even motion I can see no trailing. I know it sounds crazy. This works for wide angle. For a more zoomed field of view, I doubt it will work. Thanks so much for watching and commenting.

@michaelweening5171 8 ай бұрын

I got a offtopic question. I am on blackbox and I use the mini 3 Pro, I believe it shoots in 16:9 ratio. In my editing program (filmora) I use the 16:9 setting. And my footage gets rejected because of letterboxing (black bars) on the left and right.( Some drone footage were accepted) Even I scale the video the bars remain. Do you know how to fix this ? Thanks

@boycefitzgerald 8 ай бұрын

All the video specifications for the mini 3 Pro are 16:9. So there is nothing wrong with the raw video. There must be some settings in filmora that are wrong. I don’t know that editing program but you should be able to look that up on KZbin and confirm your settings are correct for 3840x2160 which is what you should be filing in. Sorry I can’t help more. Good luck.

@marioranieri 5 күн бұрын

Hey, i have some questions for the Slider incl. the PON Head: How long does the batteries last (each of them) in long-shots? Can you connect all those parts directly to a power socket instead of the batteries? I plan to use it for sliding and panning around 1-2 hours without a break...

@boycefitzgerald 5 күн бұрын

@@marioranieri - It depends on the size of the battery. I use the large NP-F-970 batteries for time lapses that are 20 hours and still used less than half the battery. 2 hours even going back and forth on high speed is no problem at all. Yes, you can plug into the wall with the proper power converter.

@marioranieri 4 күн бұрын

@@boycefitzgerald great thank you for the infos 👍🏻

@michaelyeoh 3 ай бұрын

Hey Sir, do you use the slider on a tripod before? Does it sink especially when the camera move towards the end of the slider?

@boycefitzgerald 3 ай бұрын

It comes standard with supports for both sides of the slider that connect to the tripod legs - or you can easily use two tripods. I have never had it sink or sag at all. I always use a tripod that can support the weight, of course.

@patrikmigac8998 5 ай бұрын

Hello, is it possible to make 3 points keyframes, and then something like ease them? For example, A - ease out B - continuous bezier C - ease in, i am asking because i saw videos where it just stops in point B instead of making it smoothly to point C without stopping.

@boycefitzgerald 5 ай бұрын

This is something Zeapon has said they would do but for now at least the waypoints do ease in and out but you cannot control it and if you have more than two waypoints, it does stop at each one before moving to the next. I mostly do time lapses so it makes not difference to me. But for video, it would be great to have that control option.

@patrikmigac8998 4 ай бұрын

@@boycefitzgerald Thank you! :)

@jodifriedman9864 5 ай бұрын

Do you need anything specific to do a firmware update? Is it plug and play or do you need to load it on SD cards and such?

@boycefitzgerald 5 ай бұрын

Firmware update is from the app on your smartphone or device.

@jodifriedman9864 5 ай бұрын

Can you use it manually as well? And can it be used in stop motion (where it stops and you restart but have a path defined)?

@boycefitzgerald 5 ай бұрын

I works very well manually. If I understand the he stop motion correctly … you can program a path and it will move, take a picture, and move again at a rate that you define. The slider and pan-tilt system has to remain on. If you turn it off, it will not remember where it was and automatically continue that path.

@jodifriedman9864 5 ай бұрын

And how often do you have these issues where it doesn’t connect? Is it frequent?

@boycefitzgerald 5 ай бұрын

I had a few weeks where I had difficulties. But had to delete the app and reload it between every use. Once I had to update the firmware even though it was up-to-date. Before and since then, I have had no problems.