Zhiyun Crane 3S | Mounting & Balancing Your Camera (with sample footage)

Everyone knows how to balance a gimbal by now... but there are a couple of special things I want to point out on the Zhiyun Crane 3S. So, in this video I do just that while getting a larger cinema rig mounted and balanced.
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Z Cam E2-F6: www.z-cam.com/e...
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[@Lionrisesproductions]

The slight lift as you adjust the gimbal is super helpful. I’ve already scratched up the gimbal. Hahah

[@ScottDumas]

Haha I was getting so frustrated at first!

[@Lionrisesproductions]

Scott Dumas it was!

[@Andries360]

Finally with a zcam full rig build. Im sold

[@jasonparmer5682]

So appreciate this! Brand new to ZCam and bought the Crane 3S from your video! I also tend to avoid a gimbal if I have to break down all my gear, and I usually have to go back and forth between tripod and gimbal, so this is ideal!

[@erickortiz9608]

Thanks for your tutorial the only axis I can’t balance correctly is the roll axis. I own a Zcam F6 with vmount battery as well.

[@ScottDumas]

Thanks for watching! Sometimes being slightly off in the tilt axis (a center of gravity too low, for example) can make the roll axis even more tricky to balance. I'd go back and forth and see if you can tweak it just enough, but each axis does affect the other so it can sometimes take a while.

[@cinema-q]

Just got the 3s and have been having roll axis issues too. Even with Tilt axis perfectly balanced, as Scott suggested. I read somewhere on a message board where Zhiyun replied saying if the roll axis comes back to center, they consider it perfectly balanced, and I was like “whaaaa!” Because it so clearly can be balanced more properly than that.

[@ScottDumas]

@@cinema-q Yeah I get the feeling Zhiyun might have outdone themselves on this one... with such heavy cameras and such a minimal gimbal design, there are bound to be issues and people are running into them left and right. When it works, it works, but it can often be frustrating for many people apparently.

[@jftvrwk]

@@ScottDumas just to piggyback on this: sometimes the extension arm is not installed tight enough. Helped for me.

[@brucebarnes136]

Thank you I don't know why I didn't see this Tut soon we have the same setup it would have been so much more helpful. but you just relieved a lot of stress lol

[@joshfreund6643]

FYI- for any of this to be possible, you need to install the extension arm. I spent about 2 hours trying to balance my c300mkiii to no avail, until I realized there's a thing called an extension arm that comes in the case, and you need to install it. Which is a little tricky in and of itself.

[@Keepitcity]

Great videos man! Just got my 3s, stoked to gets some testing with it this weekend!

[@ScottDumas]

Have fun! And don't break your arm ;) I'll be testing some support systems for it soon, because man, oh man, does it need it haha.

[@Keepitcity]

@@ScottDumas haha I agree! And I just gone done doing some testing right now, mann not sure if this is the one lol it has a perfect balance and it has some weird shake constantly then in underslung mode it is super bouncy.. I put the mode strength up but it did the same thing 🤷🏻‍♂️ I have had a ton of gimbals never this issue..

[@ReinaldoNeves]

Awesome tips and tricks, congrats!

[@hellohogo]

Crazy that you can get it balanced and leave all that extra stuff mounted.

[@ScottDumas]

Definitely! Incredibly heavy haha, but very nice to just put the whole rig on there.

[@lorageproductions]

I had to strip down the DVX200 and it was sure hard to balance

[@klaushaus9879]

Are the people having trouble with shaking also using the in camera stabilization and have they tried turning that off? Also can confirm the bmpcc4k the fit on the 3S Pro.

[@JustinPhillip]

My rig weighs 11.5 lbs and the roll axis is impossible to get balanced. I can get it to stay straight when unlocked and not lean, but i can NOT get it to sit at that angle like you do. it's impossible, each little tiny millimeter mark one direction or the other, just can not get it to sit angled like that. and i'm almost convinced that the inablility to do that, is whats causing the insane shake in undersling mode that myself and so many people are dealing with. it's got to be something with the weird ergonomics of the P4K. mine is rigged very similar to your camera, but i think whats killing it is the odd rectangle shape of the P4K vs a normal square shape.

[@ScottDumas]

I've actually had the problem with other gimbals too and it's sometimes VERY very tricky to get that balance. Other axes also affect it including the pan axis which you wouldn't expect, so I'd say really mess with everything you can. Ideally though, a small amount of mis-balance should NOT cause that much trouble. I mean, I've used gimbals with the lens zoomed out after balancing (and not re-balancing) and they work, so why would that not be the same in the roll axis? I think it's an issue that needs really fine tuning in motor strength and sensitivity/reactiveness, and I've also seen the exact same behavior in the Feiyu Tech AK2000. It worked fine, was balanced fine, but in underslung mode it would go crazy, and the problem was always exacerbated when holding it with one hand for some reason- something I've seen with the Crane 3S too (no good if you need one hand for the follow focus). I want to experiment with it more and more but it's just tough to get out with it between rainy weather and not wanting to kill the few muscles I have in my arm every single sunny day haha. Still working on it though!

[@JustinPhillip]

Scott Dumas Yeah i ended up taking the V mount off and using a smaller lens, and no more shaking. But hey i saw on their website that they sell this power unit and they say it solves “shaking dog problem” so i e-mailed them asking what that means and if thats to fix the undersling shaking problem. Very weird....

[@Regular_D09]

@@JustinPhillip I hear if you're using cameras on the heavier side, that the power pack is required because it allows for more torque. I can't seem to get the roll axis no matter what I do. I'm going to reset everything, and try again. My camera is like 4 pounds with everything, so it shouldn't be that big of a deal.

[@ScottDumas]

@@JustinPhillip That is quite weird, can't imagine what difference a power source would make... they're talking about the one that attaches to the side of the grip for a longer battery life right? I actually just got it yesterday so I'll have to try that out too. I guess it comes down to 5 or 6kg being really a lot for a single sided motor to handle. Feels solid enough but hope that wobble is able to be worked out.

[@JustinPhillip]

Scott Dumas Yeah i’m thinking i might have to order it as well

[@chrismiller7080]

I'm having issues with balance fx6 with top handle on and mic and view finder I'm pretty sure it can handle it and it should be no where near the max payload

[@kewlzproductions2152]

I tried everything I cannot keep the camera balanced in tilt .. we tried everything.. For Sony fix 3 . 24-105 lens

[@Filmsimulation]

Do you need a power pack for this kind of setup?

[@Christian.Stange]

Great Video, top explained, thanks so much!

[@ScottDumas]

Glad it was helpful! Thanks for watching :)

[@boardhouseextra6525]

i know this video is 3 years old but im from the future and i can confirm it works with Blackmagic cameras

[@mediaapexproduction5245]

Great video! Question - Have you been able to install the new firmware from the app? I keep trying and it keeps failing. Let me know if you have been successful. Thanks

[@cleverblazer9152]

Subbed.. life saver

[@LojaWorldView]

Hey man, greaaaaaat tutorial

[@ScottDumas]

Hey, no problem at all. Thanks for asking :)

[@bmnmuzic944]

How to balance bmpcc 6k full rig with v mount battery

[@jonravid3234]

what about all the shaking problems people are having? do you feel like this gimbal is ready to be released or is it better to wait a while? thx

[@ScottDumas]

I definitely have to play with the settings and fine tune them more to say confidently one way or the other, but it's not necessarily something I've never seen with other gimbals if the settings/strength is not right. Just out of curiosity, do you have any links where people are showing or talking about that shake? Just want to see what others are dealing with so I can know if I'm finding the same results or not. Cheers!

[@nathantaib-ondemandpix972]

@@ScottDumas my first gimbal, I bought this and honestly shouldn't have. It's not even compatible with my cheap entry level SL3, and I can't get this thing balanced. Have a problem with it shaking uncontrollably when I am trying to tilt at certain angles. I wish I bought DJI. Any help or advice would be very much appreciated. I'm stuck and bought this thing to do real estate videos, and I can't do anything if it doesn't work ☹️

[@erickortiz9608]

Great video! I have same set up different lenses I used SLR Magic microprimes APO series. How easy or difficult is pulling focus with your manual lenses? I’m about to pull the trigger with the cranes 3s. Only thing im concern is pulling focus.

[@ScottDumas]

It's not bad... not the at least similar to so mid-tier wireless follow focus systems. Less customization though... Honestly didn't use it enough to remember if there were programmable start and stop points, for example. But, in terms of feel, not too bad.

[@erickortiz9608]

Scott Dumas the focus ring of the SLR magic APO series it’s kind of tight, so do you think the follow focus of the crane s will have enough power?

[@ScottDumas]

@@erickortiz9608 Ah ok, in that respect I had no problem with the Irix cine lenses, so not sure how much tighter the SLR magic lenses are but I suspect it should be enough, especially if you use their "MAX" motor

[@tjpenton]

Maybe I missed it...what's the weight of just the camera rig? So no vibration issues? So many mixed messages on that subject. Some say it needs serious tweaking in the app to calibrate.

[@johnkevin7992]

He's said before that his Z cam E2 rig weighs about 4 Kg (~9 lbs) .

[@ScottDumas]

Yep- I think it was right around 4-4.5kg with this setup, and I'd say no vibration issues that I don't see on other gimbals. I think having the lens support will help keep things stable, and it could definitely use some tweaking to get the best performance, but that's nothing out of the ordinary. Honestly part of the reason I secretly hate electronic gimbals haha. I did get some weird wobbling/over-reactive motor issues in under slung mode when holding with one hand (something I've also seen on other gimbals before) but adjusting the motor strength and tweaking settings seems to help with that. I'll be updating my firmware soon and trying to really deep dive into the customization to get the most out of it.... but, so far, pretty similar to most gimbals besides the weight, which ....is terrible lol.

[@tjpenton]

@@ScottDumas They might as well bundle it with an EasyRig!

[@very9000]

FRIEND, HELLO. Tell me, when did you shoot the video and moved around the earth together with the camera and the stabilizer, the picture of the video was smooth? There were no problems ?? Do you use a Blackmagic 6K camera?

[@ScottDumas]

Hi! The video was mostly smooth. I still have to fine tune things a little more I think to get the best performance but not bad. It can start wobbling/shaking when in underslung mode especially with single hand use, and that's the biggest problem to overcome at the moment. I've seen it in other gimbals before so I hope it's not going to be a big problem. I haven't used the BMPCC6K yet myself, no.

[@very9000]

Scott Dumas thank you for answering 🤝🤝🤝 I bought Crane 3 Lab first and used it with Blackmagic 6K, but alas, no matter how hard I tried to calibrate, I couldn’t get a smooth video when moving. As a result, I sent the CRANE 3 Lab stabilizer back to the seller and bought a new CRANE 3S from the same seller. I HOPE, I WILL SOLVE THE PROBLEM AND PICTURE VIDEO IN THE CAMERA Blackmagic 6K will be without jerking or twitching 🙏🙏🙏

[@samuelgolom]

Did you get any vibration issues at all? I am part of the Facebook group for this gimbal and a lot of comments are turning me off of getting it.

[@ScottDumas]

I was, and getting frustrated myself... but I've used it on a few shoots lately and actually haven't faced the problem lately. I'm not sure if it's a better initial balance or center of gravity, if it's the newest firmware or if it's because I've been using the external battery pack but I'm currently trying to do what I can to recreate the vibration so I can pinpoint how to overcome it.

[@very9000]

HELLO FRIEND. CAN YOU SHOW HOW TO BALANCE YOUR Blackmagic 6K CAMERA? When moving forward or backward is not smooth, my picture jerks my picture a little jerky 🤏 jerks

[@ScottDumas]

Hi! Unfortunately I don't have the BMPCC6K (or 4K) but a lot of people have had issues with things like that. I'd say just be VERY sure you've got perfect balance, perfect motor strength for the weight of your rig, and sometimes using the extra battery pack accessory has given people better results.

[@very9000]

Scott Dumas It's a shame that no one will help me. For 4 months now I cannot solve the problem

[@very9000]

HELLO, A FRIEND YOU ALSO SHAKE THE STABILIZER WHEN THE MODE OF THE “ULTRA” MOTORS? I have a camera 🎥 Blackmagic 6K

[@ScottDumas]

I've had some issues with shake but it's been under control lately. I'm not sure if it's because of a firmware update or because I'm now using the external power pack but I'm working on trying to find the cause and solution to the problem. I did use it on a short shoot last week without any major problems though.

[@very9000]

Scott Dumas HELLO FRIEND. EVERYTHING, I UNDERSTAND. YES, AND IT SHOULD BE, THE SHAKING WILL ALWAYS BE AT A LOW WEIGHT OF THE CAMERA, IF IT IS SUPPLIED TO A HIGH VALUE OF MOTOR ROTATION. WHEN I SET THE “MEDIUM” MOTOR MODE, IT IS NOT SHAKING. ULTRA MODE NEEDED FOR HUGE HEAVY CAMERAS. UNDERSTAND IF YOU, FOR EXAMPLE, YOU PUT A CAMERA WITH A LOW WEIGHT ON THE CRANE 3S STABILIZER AND IN THIS SET THE “MEDIUM” MODE THEN VIBRATION WILL BE. IN THIS CASE, IT IS NECESSARY TO DELIVER THE “LOWEST” MODE AND NO VIBRATION.

[@very9000]

Scott Dumas Yes, by the way, I UPDATED CRANE 3S TO FIRMWARE WITH VALUE - 1.78

[@very9000]

Scott Dumas Today I received a message from the Chinese 🇨🇳: Hello, The gimbal has three classes of motor strength, to test all of those strength classes to find the best one that gimbal won't have jitter. Different devices suit for different strength.

[@very9000]

hi friend. Tell me, how did you make the video smooth without jerks and smooth using 24FPS while driving?

[@ScottDumas]

Hi! I've found that with very careful balancing and proper motor strength the gimbal is doing quite well in most situations. I don't think you'll get perfect results out of any gimbal, and lens IS or post stabilization is still very helpful when you're looking to get absolutely perfect results. Still, generally speaking, I've found Zhiyun's gimbal movements to be a little more robotic than others.

[@very9000]

Scott Dumas NO 👎 YOU DO NOT ANSWER MY QUESTION AND DO NOT UNDERSTAND ME. I ASK YOU ONCE AGAIN. At 24FPS it is impossible to get a smooth picture of the video, especially when the operator himself moves with the video camera. I conducted a huge number of tests and came to the conclusion that a smooth picture without jerking can only be obtained in one case, starting at 30fps and above, especially if the camera moves from left 👈 to right 👉 and vice versa. HERE I ASK, HOW DO YOU HAVE AT 24 FPS to make a picture without twitching?

[@ScottDumas]

@@very9000 Not 100% sure what you mean... if you mean a weird stuttery effect when panning (in general, not just with the gimbal), then it's just a property of how cameras work. There's a limit to how fast you can pan before that starts happening, if you google it you can find some very in depth articles about it.

[@very9000]

Scott Dumas DEAR FRIEND, HELLO. Thanks 🙏 for responding. I mean, when the camera moves from left to right or vice versa, at 24 FPS there is support, jerky pictures of the video, as if frame skipping, but when I set 30FPS and higher, then smoothly, there are no jerks

[@guilhemreyferradini3957]

Hey guys ! My Crane S stays on sleep mode even when I get it off and on (even if it's well balanced). So I tried to do the calibration but it stays on "waiting..." and never shows "STEP 1"

[@ScottDumas]

If it stays on sleep mode there's a chance that the wire in the arm is disconnected from the motor. This can happen when extending the arm on the side, if you did that? If so- you can unscrew the cap for the motor and you'll find the cable pretty easy to plug back in. Hope that helps.

[@guilhemreyferradini3957]

@@ScottDumas no i didn't extend the arm but I tried everything, now I send it back to factory !

[@ScottDumas]

@@guilhemreyferradini3957 Hope it's sorted out!

[@guilhemreyferradini3957]

@@ScottDumas yes... i have ronin S2 now haha

[@orionfilms2835]

In your video I see some shaking, I have the same thing, have you managed to limit them?

[@ScottDumas]

Still working on it... I think they're trying to improve it in firmware but I just haven't had enough time to really dive deep into tweaking the motor settings yet. I found that holding it with 1 hand (while using the follow focus for example) makes the shaking far worse.

[@orionfilms2835]

@@ScottDumas I did some testing, by removing the extension and got a dual handle you gain in stability.

[@NathanRibau]

Orion Films I am pretty sure you need the power plus battery back that they sell, the extra amps helps the motors stabilize. They don’t show this in their marketing

[@arafateam248]

Crane 3 s vs crane 3 lab Hi What do you think is the best deal ?? I used 5d iii , black magic Production 4k / black magic pocket 6k

[@ScottDumas]

I'd say if you don't rig it up much, the LAB might be more than enough. The 3S is large and heavy- and in some cases might make you not want to use it. It might even struggle more with lighter cameras, causing vibrations. There's also the new Crane 2S to consider now that might be more appropriate although it's a different form factor.

[@arafateam248]

@@ScottDumas I tried carne 3s and it turned out that it had a problem, so I returned it, but the question here is whether the materials are different, through my 1 month experience with Crane 3s, it is very cool, the same materials used in Ronin m

[@ScottDumas]

@@arafateam248 I've actually only had limited experience with the LAB but I think the materials are largely similar. I haven't heard too many complaints about it in general.

[@arafateam248]

In fact, one of its SETP camera is up to 4 kg. Do you think I should go to the lab ، Is it able to handle perfectly, or will there be some vibration?

[@arafateam248]

Actually i tried the Ronin s, I didn't like it, and I thought the Crane 2s wouldn't be good because of this design. What do you think, my friend

[@ProductionsbyKevinB]

Is the power on when you're doing this and if yes what settings on it? Just got mine today, and zero instructions on how to work everything.

[@ScottDumas]

You'd want to mount and balance it before turning the power on. Let me know if you have any more questions :)

[@ProductionsbyKevinB]

@@ScottDumas Well thank you, actually I do. It has to do with the phone app. I could be wrong but, does the app work through the camera via Bluetooth, or does the gimble and the phone connect via the ZY Play app? I ask because, I downloaded the app, And my phone sees the gimble but they don't pair and I'm not sure why. And my camera doesn't have Bluetooth just WiFi and the WiFi won't work with the camera on video mode. More I keep typing and reading this I think it's not happening... Right?

[@kanthalakshmi5832]

Hi.. Nice video. I am from India.. Can u give away this gimbal for me as gift.. I will be blessed if u do that.. I am waiting bro... 😊

[@CGP_Films92]

Kantha lakshmi LOOOLLLL DUDE