ZEAPON PONS Motorized Head Review

[@buddyfx7026]

Very concise and well scripted, thank you for taking your time to give us your thoughts backed by experience.

[@edwardscruggs6555]

Very glad I discovered your channel here. Very clear explanation and great presentation!

[@EugeneMaynard]

Welcome back! The other competition!😉I use the original Syrp mini Genies with the right angled bracket kit for my pan and tilt needs plus the big Genie for tracking on a slider. Their app is great! In the first few years it was more for stills and timelapse’s but today it is a full suite including all the video features we expect. Even though they now have version II of all their Genie products which are even more designed for video, Syrp (now under the Manfrotto name) have still improved firmware and functions on the old version that totally integrate with the new!🙏🏾

[@hurricaneimagesmedia]

Thanks! Syrp's Magic Carpet was the first professional slider I owned, and I still pull it out occasionally because the craftsmanship is outstanding. Six years on and it's still as smooth as butter. I paired it with a Revolve motorized head (I'm not sure Syrp had one back then).

[@GeraldBertramPhotography]

Great to see you back! I reviewed the full PONS PT system a little while ago on my channel and I pretty much agree with all your conclusions. It's a pretty impressive system right out of the gate considering they are integrating it with a slider that is what... 2-3 years old now? I think with a little more refinement this may be the multi-axis system to beat. I've been in touch with the folks over at Zeapon, in particular Hans in their support department, and they have been super helpful with all my questions and it does seem like they are committed to improving it.

[@hurricaneimagesmedia]

Thanks! Yes, I watched your great review as I impatiently waited for mine to ship from China. I've linked to it in my description now. While I often wish I could get more speed out of the slider, the Zeapon system is truly impressive compared to the competition. Several months ago, my slider somehow un-aligned itself, causing a jitter, and the folks there sent another unit under warranty with no hassle. So I've had some great customer service from them, too.

[@GeraldBertramPhotography]

@@hurricaneimagesmedia Hey thanks so much for the link! I appreciate it!

[@Mike0193Azul]

Very helpful in depth overview & review thank you. As well as comparisons to the other slider.💚

[@hurricaneimagesmedia]

Thanks!

[@betinhausa2066]

please keep posting videos.. i really love how you delivery the message

[@hurricaneimagesmedia]

Thanks!

[@frubo_ssg]

Thanks for your video! FYI: I exactly NEED the pause function at each way poing (6:40 in your video).

[@markshirley01]

Thanks for information. I needed a motorized turntable for food and video clips. Ive looked at Edelkrones HeadOne and DollyOne but they are both expensive. Another KZbin channel said they use this product, so have started looking at some reviews.

[@hurricaneimagesmedia]

It works well for that, as long as you don't need it to turn too sloooowly.

[@markshirley01]

@@hurricaneimagesmedia 😆😆😆 I didn't think that would be a problem - Im now going to have to find a clip

[@hurricaneimagesmedia]

@@markshirley01 Yeah, it's really at it's slowest setting; it doesn't feel buttery smooth but it's very subtle. If you need it to be really slow it's better to shoot at 60fps with a faster turn, then slow it in post.

[@hurricaneimagesmedia]

I still feel this is one of the better options out there at this price point....

[@markshirley01]

@@hurricaneimagesmedia Yes I think so - seems pretty quick to use - even if you use the manual buttons. I don't really see what I get from the header that is better

[@FotodioxInc]

Nice review!

[@hurricaneimagesmedia]

Thanks!

[@2226Lenin]

Very Good Video. I would like to know if PONS would support a black magic 6k pro camera. I look for information on the net but nothing ever comes out. Thanks for your reply

[@hurricaneimagesmedia]

Hi Lenin, weight shouldn't be an issue with the PONS head-- it's rated for much more than that. I have discovered that the Zeapon slider has a weak flaw related to weight. There are plastic rollers inside that can break when heavier weights are distributed poorly; I've had to replace them twice already. As such, I don't really recommend the Zeapon anymore. I still use mine (I'm heavily invested in the system, what with two PONS heads and a slider), and it has a lot of advantages, but some dumb-cluck choices as well.

[@2226Lenin]

@@hurricaneimagesmedia Good morning and thank you for your answer Previous. I have decided to buy the Zeapoen Micro 3 (I have no other options) I would like to be forewarned. Where can I buy the plastic rollers that tend to break? Please help me with that information.

[@hurricaneimagesmedia]

@@2226Lenin Hi Lenin, I contacted Zeapon customer support and purchased through them (if you have trouble reaching them, you can also try messaging them on Facebook). The rollers were inexpensive, but the shipping was pricey.

[@mrshaheedmalik]

Great review.

[@hurricaneimagesmedia]

Thanks!

[@TheAwesomeSam]

if i buy the pan heads separately, is there a setting in the app that I can set one head to pan and the other head to tilt? Currently, I only need to pan head, but I might buy a 2nd head for the tilt function.

[@hurricaneimagesmedia]

The heads actually have a gyroscope inside that knows which way it's positioned. (This confused me at first, because I tested my "pan" head while it was sitting vertically on my desk and the horizontal slider wouldn't work). It's pretty nifty. Though I'll say that the new app and firmware has been buggy and frustrating for me.

[@colestudios]

And is there a remote control available like the Edelkrone one?

[@hurricaneimagesmedia]

Hi Cole, no remote control, just the app-- and I'd be wary of trying to control it at 30 metres. It's Bluetooth, so that would be pushing the limits of a connection even with clear sight lines. RMF reflections and interference will make every space different when you reach the outer limits of things.

[@colestudios]

What is the effective range of this unit? Like how far away can I control it? I do LiveStream for funerals. Could I control a unit from one end of the a church to the other end? (maybe 30 metres away) and it looks like they are Sony NP batteries yes?

[@hurricaneimagesmedia]

Hi Cole, I thought I'd responded to your message but for some reason it doesn't show up here. It's Bluetooth, so I wouldn't trust it at 30 metres-- that's pushing the range of most devices like earbuds. If it's line of sight it might work, but inside a church you might also get RF reflections that muddy things up....

[@jiasheng3498]

what is the difference with this and the PONS PT Motorized Pan Head?

[@hurricaneimagesmedia]

This is a double motor unit; the motors are identical. You connect the bottom one normally, and use the bracket to place the top one on its side. The version that you're referring to is simply a single motor version of this.

[@jiasheng3498]

@@hurricaneimagesmedia thank you for the explanation :)

[@PaulMrPKcom]

Hi, thanks for the nice review but how did you manage to run the app ? I was planning to buy those extre heads but not without a wroking app... Me and seems like most other people have trouble with the app not detecting the slider ... My android app version is 1.03 and the firmware is the latest v2.5(20211119)

[@hurricaneimagesmedia]

I hope you mean your version is 10.03... but if you do have 1.03, hold onto it-- that sucker's a classic! But seriously, I found the app to have connection problems if I powered up the motors before opening the app. It seems to like having the app open first (it can still be in searching mode) before turning on the slider and head. A slight nuisance. I've been considering an update to my review now that I have two PONS heads. I'm even more frustrated by the "pause at way point" issue. ALL of the motors pause in unison, so if you want to change the direction of one motor midway, they're all affected. It makes waypoints entirely useless. I've also found that the heads ramp up and down at the speed necessary for their own, individual, smoothness (based on the speed of their motion?)... which means they're not working quite in unison. It means the center point drifts as one motor starts ramping before the other. Another minor annoyance. But even with my gripes, it's still the system I reach for first, and at the price point there's not much competition.

[@PaulMrPKcom]

@@hurricaneimagesmedia The Zeapon Android App is V 1.03. My android is 10. Tried to start with the app and than power on the motors.. did not helped... Well yes the price is 50% and the functionality is 50% as well compared to some other :) What I love most is it can manage my heavy gear even on vertical slide. If not that, there is few other better options on the market but none but Zeapon can manage 3 kg vertically...

[@PaulMrPKcom]

Just found out that it does actually work on old Android 8 phone. But it's like running Windows XP... not many of us does it. The app on Android 10 is not working... I hope they can work on that App and release an propper update.

[@pepsico815]

Junk product. The app is also equally terrible. Zeapon customer support won't respond if you have any issues - good luck if you're willing to take that risk.

[@hurricaneimagesmedia]

Well, that may be a little harsh, though I have found myself growing increasingly frustrated as I've expanded into their full PONS system. Zeapon actually replaced an entire slider for me when I told them mine developed a tremor (it was still under warranty). And I think the slider by itself works well, but each PONS head adds problems, and the new version of the app is a royal pain. At least, that's my experience now.