Ready steady shoot

Pocket-sized gimbals can be a great way to add some oomph factor to your amateur videos

If you ever want to create videos that are a cut above the rest, you might want to invest in a gimbal. Over the last few years, these gimbals, once the domain of hardcore videographers, have got cheaper and more accessible. A few connect to compact camera setups, while the most affordable ones are exclusively for cellphones. The Feiyutech Vimble 3 is the former, built out of grey plastic; this phone-based gimbal can do a lot.

At first glance, FeiyuTech’s Vimble 3 looks a lot like DJI OM4. You get a USB-C cable, the primary device, a tripod, a pouch, and some documentation in the box. The Vimble 3 is compact and has an excellent meaty grip. The design is intuitive. Most of the buttons are available regardless of what hand you favour. The Vimble 3 weighs around 400 grams, and along with a phone, you are looking at a weight of around 600-700 grams. Folding and unfolding the device was pretty simple. There are also plenty of videos on Feiyu’s YouTube channel that tell you about the functionality of the buttons and how to set up the gimbal. The actual setting up of the Vimble was reasonably straightforward, especially if you have access to a flat location like a table or floor. Once you open it up, you have to put your cellphone in the holder and balance the phone till it is centred. Turn on the gimbal, and it then automatically adjusts the phone to the proper position without needing extra assistance.

The Vimble 3 is a 3-axis gimbal, meaning the brush less motors can adjust the phone’s position regardless of how you handle the gimbal. You can run with it or cycle on a bumpy road, and you will still get smooth videos. The entire gimbal can also extend with a built-in 198 millimetre extension rod.

The gimbal has around 10 buttons, excluding the jog dial. These buttons are easy to programme through the app for any function. By default, the M button on the front can shift modes from All Follow to Pan and Tilt Follow or just Pan Follow. The trigger at the back locks the gimbal preventing it from moving. There is a dedicated button to view recorded videos and images. The Joystick on the gimbal can adjust the position of the phone. The slider on the left can zoom in and out, while the buttons next to it are for setting instant zoom positions.

The jog dial is, by default, controlled for manual focus. There is a USB-C charging port and a Power button on the right. You have to press the power button for a significant amount of time before the gimbal activates. This can prevent accidentally turning on power which could harm the device. The Vimble 3 also has a 1300mAh battery, which can recharge your phone through a USB-C port on the phone holder. 

To get the most out of the Vimble 3 you need to install the Feiyu ON app. The app gives you additional control over the function of the gimbal. The best part is that the gimbal almost instantly finds and connects with the app with little interaction from the user. Once connected, you can access a variety of features. You can access Dolly Zoom, Track timelapse, Static timelapse, and Light Rail video in video mode. Dolly Zoom is particularly interesting. It lets the user take those complicated film shots where the subject in the movie seems to remain still as the background expands or narrows behind them. You can search for examples of this shot on YouTube. Static timelapse keeps the camera in one position, while recording a timelapse.

In comparison, Track time-lapse moves the camera from one position to another while recording a timelapse. The positions are determined before the shot has started. Light Rail records the trail of objects on the screen. For example, if a cat runs across the camera while the effect is in place, multiple cats appear running across that path. The result is very trippy.

The camera section has an even better selection. There is 360, 180-degree and free panoramas, ultrawide, Light Rail and overlapping image. The panorama modes take the difficulty of shooting panoramas by automating them. Ultrawide takes multiple high-resolution pictures and stitches them into an ultrawide image. The ultrawide effect is not always successful, but you get a fantastic image when it is. Light Rail is similar to the video version, best used for city shots with traffic. The overlap mode makes objects or people in the frame translucent; I don’t see too many uses, but it is an exciting effect.

Another cool trick the gimbal software does is adding gesture control. Once turned on, you can flash the V sign with your hand to shoot a picture or a blank palm to shoot a video. The overall build quality of the Vimble 3 is fantastic. It feels sturdy and reliable. The provided tripod does an excellent job, and the extendible neck is a God sent, especially if you like taking low-angled shots. The materials feel like a premium product even though the price is not that restrictive.

If you are in the market for a new casual gimbal, I suggest waiting a bit to buy Feiyutech’s Vimble 3. It will be out in India in the next few weeks. There are many upgrades over the previous generation, and the companion software does an excellent job with all the additional modes. Not to mention the included video guides are comprehensive.

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