#12 in Professional video stabilizers
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Reddit mentions of Zhiyun Smooth 4 3-Axis Handheld Gimbal Stabilizer YouTube Video Vlog Tripod for iPhone 11 Pro Xs Max Xr X 8 Plus 7 6 SE Android Cell Phone Smartphone
Sentiment score: 5
Reddit mentions: 6
We found 6 Reddit mentions of Zhiyun Smooth 4 3-Axis Handheld Gimbal Stabilizer YouTube Video Vlog Tripod for iPhone 11 Pro Xs Max Xr X 8 Plus 7 6 SE Android Cell Phone Smartphone. Here are the top ones.
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👍👍【Filmic Pro】The official APP for Smooth 4 is called ZY play. But Filmic Pro has best in class support for Smooth 4, you can use Filmic Pro as an alternative to ZY play.👍👍【Control Panel】Integrated control panel design,Focus Pull & Zoom Capability✅✅【MUST KNOW】Balance the gimbal before use: Slide the smartphoone in as close as possible to against the tilt axis motor. Loosen the Roll (Y) Axis Thumb Screw (which is on the back) to adjust the gravity center by sliding the horizontal arm.When phone stays in level in power OFF status, it is balanced.We recommend you VIEW the video tutorials, There are lots of tutorial videos on YOUTUBE that will help you master the gimbal.👍👍【PhoneGo Mode】PhoneGo Mode for Instant Scene Transition👍👍【Time Lapse & Object Tracking】Time Lapse Expert and Object Tracking available, Supports Two-way Charging with Longer Runtime
Specs:
| Color | Black |
| Height | 12.91 Inches |
| Length | 4.84 Inches |
| Weight | 1.10231131 Pounds |
| Width | 4.13 Inches |
Since someone will ask, I took this with the Zhiyun Smooth 4 ($120 phone gimbal https://www.amazon.com/Smooth-Handheld-Stabilizer-Smartphone-Black/dp/B07BHCC3BV). I am not sure why, but their app stitches it at this resolution even though the phone could produce a much higher res version.
So there's a million ways to do this. First, I'll start by saying that the two hallmarks of amateur video are:
So to remedy that, you want:
The first thing I'd recommend is to get a solid camera system setup. If you just want to make some fun short films without spending thousands of dollars, I'd suggest one of two kits:
The Osmo system ($400) is a tiny camera mounted to an electronic handheld stabilizer; it lets you get nice, smooth motion shots & can also be mounted to a tripod (various aftermarket systems are available for it).
https://www.dji.com/osmo-pocket
This setup runs about $400, plus the cost of a tripod. Here's a nice starter video tripod for $140 with a fluid head, which allows the camera to be panned & tilted smoothly:
https://www.amazon.com/Cayer-BV30L-Professional-Mid-Level-Camcorder/dp/B0784CWMP4/
Alternatively, most smartphones shoot 1080p video these days. In addition, you can tweak them out with additional software & hardware for enhanced functionality. I highly recommend the Filmic Pro software, which is available for both iOS & Android: ($15 or $20)
https://www.filmicpro.com/
If you have an iPhone or a Google Pixel 2/2XL, you can buy an anamorphic lens ($150), which gives you that nice widescreen look. That's a nice step up over the Osmo, as using say an iPhone allows you tap the screen to lock focus & also use a neat glass lens to get a great picture effect.
https://moondoglabs.com/collections/lenses
As far as smartphone stabilizers go, there are a variety available. I have a Smove gimbal & really like it:
https://smove.video/
Zhiyun has a good one on Amazon as well:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BHCC3BV
So either the Osmo or smartphone approach gives you a great camera, plus an electric gimbal stabilizer, plus a tripod for fix shots & for doing pans & tilts, and some tricks for using it like a mini crane by tilting it & stuff. For editing video (on a computer), Blackmagic has a version of their pro-grade DaVinci Resolve 16 software available for free: (editing, color correction, etc.)
https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/davinciresolve/
As far as audio goes, it's pretty simple: use an external mic, and for vocals, keep it within 12" of the person's mouth. People generally either use a mic on a boom stick, or else a lav mic that you can clip to a lapel or whatever. You typically want to capture vocals & some environmental sounds, and then do foley (adding sound effects like putting a V8 engine on a Honda Civic, haha) & add some music & soundtrack stuff. There is software available for syncing up separate, standalone mics. If you have the budget available, the Zoom H2n is a great starter microphone:
https://www.amazon.com/Zoom-H2N-H2n-Handy-Recorder/dp/B005CQ2ZY6/
I use a Redhead windscreen on mine:
http://www.redheadwindscreens.com/
You can get cheap lapel mics too, for as low as $30 or so, that do a pretty decent job to capture people talking. But as far as making basic short films go, that's a pretty good ultra-budget setup...you get good video quality, good stabilization, and good audio recordings.
The next step is adding some lighting into the mix, which really helps a ton. If you'd like to play around with things, simulation is available, from a variety of sources. One I really like is called Cine Tracer, which is a cinematography simulator for lighting etc., sold through the Steam gaming store:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/904960/Cine_Tracer/
Anyway, that's just a very, very basic introduction to some tools that can get you some great-looking stuff right off the bat. The minimum would just be sticking a smartphone on like a $30 tripod & shooting from there. A step up would be a gimbal system & separate audio system as discussed above, and perhaps a basic LED lighting kit. If you have a few grand to play with, they make some really stellar cameras in that pricerange now, such as this 6K camera for $2,500:
https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/blackmagicpocketcinemacamera
Great audio is also surprisingly inexpensive (relatively speaking, in terms of film equipment pricing). One of the first production-grade pieces of equipment I purchased was the Sanken COS-11D lav mic, which is used on a lot of movies & TV shows, and ran just shy of $500. That may sound like a lot, but an 8K RED Monstro digital cinematography camera starts at over $50k, so audio isn't that bad in comparison.
So a big part of it begins with budget & what you plan on doing. If you're just goofing around with friends, get a decent fluid-head tripod & use your smartphone & Filmic Pro to make some cool stuff. Save up & add some lighting, and maybe a gimbal, and some audio equipment. There's so many things you can do super-cheap & still make it look cool!
The best answer is always finding someone who knows a LITTLE about what they're doing. Shaky video with bad sound is SO cringey to sit through - so give quality some thought.
As for what to use for cameras... Low light is your enemy. If your wedding and reception are outside, before sundown, cheap camcorders will work great... but if you'll be getting into darker spots, they're going to look terrible quickly.
Honestly modern cell phones spend a LOT of research dollars figuring out how to get the best video quality even in the hands of inexperienced users. If you're NOT going to have someone experienced using pro level gear, I think cell phones will do better than anything you buy for less than $500 on Amazon. You can google and find some examples of wedding videos shot on iphones that look positively amazing (Though, full disclosure, those amazing videos are usually shot by a pro who knows exactly how to get amazing footage from them. There's still a lot that can be improved with knowledge and experience, of course.)
If you want to get super smooth footage, you can get gimbals that will hold a phone perfectly steady, for not a lot of money.
So that's my recommendation - buy something like this - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BHCC3BV and put the best phone you can on it. Have someone practice for several hours with it to learn how to use it to the best of their ability (watch some youtube videos) and put them in the center aisle, around the third row! That's maximizing your chances of success!
All of that said - before you go that route - ASK YOUR PHOTOGRAPHER. All the time I'm shooting photos for someone that wants video, but can't afford it. If they think to ask me, I'll bring an extra professional camera and a really good microphone and I'll set that up in the back of the room for them. It's no replacement for a proper video filmed by an experienced videographer, but it does provide a good solid recording that they can rewatch... and I do that for free. Your photographer may be able to set their 'backup camera' on a tripod and hit record without charging you much for the small amount of effort! There's less security in that, and that's what I always tell people when I do it - "I'm not going to be standing there babysitting it unless you want to pay to have a videographer for that... so if your uncle bumps the off button... or someone knocks it to point at the wall... or stands in front of it... we won't get anything... but if you're okay with that risk and aren't holding me accountable for a service you're not paying for, I'm happy to do it for you.
If you like doing more action stuff like this, I'd highly recommend a gimbal. It'll make it look really professional.
He's talking about something like this: https://smile.amazon.com/Smooth-Handheld-Stabilizer-Smartphone-Black/dp/B07BHCC3BV/
Thanks for the shout out, /u/ColdheartedTouchline
/u/JollyAppointment8 - if you have an Android phone, you can get started by downloading FiLMiC Pro ([$14.99 from the Play Store] (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.filmic.filmicpro)) or Cinema FV-5 ([$2.49 from the Play Store] (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.flavionet.android.cinema.pro)).
If you use an iPhone, you can download FiLMiC Pro for [$9.99 from iTunes] (https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/filmic-pro/id436577167?mt=8&at=1000l8mT).
These apps will allow you to control aspect ratio, white balance, exposure, resolution and frame rates - turning your phone into a pretty good approximation of a camcorder.
FiLMiC Pro was used for this recent feature film shot entirely on iPhones:
And this one, shot with FiLMiC Pro and [inexpensive anamorphic "widescreen" lenses] (http://www.moondoglabs.com/store/#!/Anamorphic-Lenses-&-Accessories/c/8525657/offset=0&sort=normal) plus a [Steadicam Smoothee] (https://www.amazon.com/Steadicam-Smoothee-Universal-Smartphone-Adapter/dp/B017EVRPW8//ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&linkCode=ll1&tag=battleforthew-20) counterbalanced stabilizer:
This one used FiLMiC Pro, iPhones and a jib:
This was shot with a Nexus 5 and Cinema FV-5:
Instead of a counterbalanced stabilizer like the Smoothee, you might want to invest in a [$139 Zhiyun Smooth 4 powered 3 axis gimbal] (https://www.amazon.com/Smooth-Stabilizer-Capability-Smartphone-Black/dp/B07BHCC3BV//ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&linkCode=ll1&tag=battleforthew-20).
Powered gimbals are easier to use than counterbalanced stabilizers and can give you very smooth results.
Here are a couple of examples shot with Zhiyun gimbals:
For static shots, you can get an [Amazon Basics video tripod for $69.97] (https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-67-Inch-Video-Camera-Tripod/dp/B01LW14QNB//ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&linkCode=ll1&tag=battleforthew-20) and a [$6.95 phone to tripod adapter] (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00OS9E6AO//ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&linkCode=ll1&tag=battleforthew-20) to steady your shots.
Without a tripod or gimbal, handheld cellphone video can be hard to watch.
You should also invest in a directional mic or a lavalier for better sound than you can get from the built-in mic. Ideally, you would want a dedicated mic on a boom, but I am assuming you don't have a boom operator.
Directional Mic
The least expensive option is the [$59 Rode VideoMic Me] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B018KIJGU8//ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&linkCode=ll1&tag=battleforthew-20). It is the best directional mic you can buy for your phone.
Here is the Rode promo video with example audio: https://youtu.be/1-x8MVngwaI
Lavalier
For dialogue between 2 actors, you can get a [Movo dual lavalier with headphone monitoring for $39.95] (http://www.amazon.com/Movo-Executive-Microphone-Monitoring-Smartphones/dp/B019HQHXN4//ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&linkCode=ll1&tag=battleforthew-20). You can either plug it into the phone you're using for video - or you can download an app to a second phone (e.g. [Smart Voice Recorder] (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.andrwq.recorder) or [Skyro Voice Recorder] (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.triveous.recorder&hl=en) for Android or [Rode REC] (https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/r%C3%B8de-rec/id528642521?mt=8&at=1000l8mT) for iOS), record a "scratch" audio track with your camera phone's internal microphone and sync the audio from the second phone to your camera's audio track in the edit, as seen here (example is for the Rode SmartLav, but it makes the point for the entire lav/phone category):
http://youtu.be/P2RIFZOGMZo
With the right software and support gear, your phone can give you decent video quality.
Hope this is helpful, and good luck with your short film!