Zhiyun Skull M2 3 Axis Stabiliser Crane M2

Product Information

There’s little to fault with the small gimbal, you get full control over the shutter release through the handle, and while the movement may be a little limited compared with the larger gimbal, it does an amazing job. Through the test, I warmed more and more to the ZHIYUN M2 S; mainly, its small size meant that it was easy to transport and always available to use. If you are more of an intermediate level videographer, vlogger, or social media influencer and have upgraded from a point and shoot camera to a mirrorless camera body like the Sony a6400 or the Canon m50 then the Zhiyun Crane M2 is also able to support a number of popular camera setups. That said though, and mid to heavy mirrorless camera rig will be pushing the gimbals 1.58 pound maximum load capacity and can lead to some vibration in the level of image stabilization it can provide for you.

This isn’t a huge issue, and the performance from the small gimbal is superb. If you’re wondering why you would bother to use a gimbal with the action cameras when their stabilisation is so good, one point would be the comfort of holding the cameras. The gimbal enables an easy change of position to get low or high angled shots. You also have the advantage of knowing the camera is always pointing forward rather than up and down. Of course, there’s the follow-me mode and vortex, which are just difficult to do handheld, however good the stabilisation. Overall the build quality and attention to detail are excellent; the buttons and switches on the handle are plastic for the most part but don’t feel overly plasticy. The main gimbal arms are all metal and very high quality giving a good balance to the build and design.Unfortunately, with the minimum load capacity of the Zhiyun Crane M2 being 0.29-pound you may struggle to mount some action cameras to it due to the majority of action cameras coming in under its minimum load capacity. If you do own an action camera and want to use it with your Crane M2 in addition to your heaver camera bodies you can sometimes increase the weight of your action camera by putting it in its waterproof case prior to mounting it to your gimbal to get it over the minimum weight threshold. That said though if you are looking for a gimbal exclusively for an action camera, something like the Hohem iSteady Pro 2 is definatley a better option as it is a great little action camera gimbal stabilizer. I found that any lens larger than the 35mm f/1.4 would tip the scales, and even that was pushing it, which is why it’s not on the compatibility list. However, using a smaller lens such as the 35mm f/1.8 was a perfect fit. As you can see, no matter what you need from the gimbal, it has you covered with an excellent range of movement. Unlike some compeating stabilizers on the market, the Zhiyun Crane M2 offers the same range of movement even if you are using a mirrorless camera with a longer lens too ensuring that you can always move freely while getting the superior image stabilization from the gimbal too.

The Crane M2S is the latest multi-device stabiliser from Zhiyun aimed at vloggers armed with an arsenal of phones, action cameras and mirrorless cameras who want one gimbal that works with them all.The section of the gimbal that enables you to roll, tilt and pan your camera is made of metal. Each axis is controlled by a motor that produces a smooth movement. Pantalla OLED para comprobar rápidamente el estado de parámetros como el Wi-Fi y el Bluetooth o la carga de la batería As with the rest of the ZHIYUN range of Crane gimbals, the set-up for an action camera, Smartphone or camera is very simple. Use the appropriate mount and adapter to bolt into the base of the chosen device, or clamp it in the case of the Smartphone, and then attach it to the gimbal.

However, when you look at the material quality of the M2 S, it’s instantly apparent that this is a lower model than M3; it’s still well made, but the finish of the plastic isn’t nearly as nice as the M3 and closer to that used for the still excellent Smooth 5. Film like a pro by tilting, panning and even rolling your camera smoothly. (Image credit: George Cairns)That’s a shame because there’s plenty you can do with the app once you’ve worked out how to pair your phone. The motion timelapse mode is particularly good fun: it allows you to record a timelapse video while automating the movement of the camera from one point in your scene to another for a more dynamic-looking result. Couple this with a Smartphone or action camera, especially the Insta360 One R and you have a powerful filming rig. It’s incredibly easy to balance and use, and while I did use it with a Sony A73, I found that it’s coupling with either the iPhone 11 Pro or Insta360 gained the best results. However, when carrying our iPhone 13 Pro Max the Crane M2S performed perfectly. We enjoyed experimenting with the various modes, especially with the drone-style floating movement produced when shooting in POV mode. Modes such as Follow or Go cause the gimbal to pan and tilt, so you can intuitively produce interesting camera work that tells a story in a few seconds. Verdict If you are planning on using a mirrorless camera body with your gimbal on a regular basis then we would highly recommend that you seriously consider going with the Zhiyun Weebill S over the Zhiyun Crane M2. It is a much better gimbal stabilizer for mirrorless and DSLR cameras and in our opinion is one of, if not the best 3 axis gimbal stabilizer made to date. That said though, if you know that you will only ever be using the lighter point and shoot cameras then the Crane M2 is ideal and the perfect gimbal in our opinion.

The Combo Kit provides you with bag that enables you to safely transport the gimbal and its accessories. (Image credit: George Cairns) Sencilla puesta en acción gracias a su cómodo y práctico mecanismo de anclaje y a la capacidad de memorizar la configuración de balanceo This allows you to hot-swap between your point and shoot camera and smartphone as required to change up the type of video footage you are capturing. That said though, if you are planning on exclusively using a smartphone with your Zhiyun Crane M2 then we would recommend that you just go with something like the Zhiyun Smooth 4 instead. Without the need to support the higher weight of a point and shoot camera you would be better going with a cheaper, dedicated smartphone gimbal like the Smooth 4 over the Crane M2.Zhiyun have always been at the forefront of innovation when it comes to the actual control system and user interface of their gimbals and they have made a few tweaks the system used for the Zhiyun Crane M2 to try and make it even better. For the most part, they have actually done a great job and the gimbal is very easy to use making it ideal for any first-time gimbal owner purchasing their very first stabilizer. In addition to this though, the Crane M2 also supports the majority of advanced features that any advanced videographers may be looking for on their gimbal too. Feature-wise the basic list reads much like M3 with the gimbal supporting action cameras, Smartphones and mirrorless cameras fitted with a lightweight lens. Although on the features, whereas the M3 offers the accessories module that clips to the base, the M2 S doesn’t offer this option. Please also note that if your camera body of choice is not listed, the Zhiyun Crane M2 will still be able to provide you with some excellent level image stabilization but some of the features controlled via the gimbals handgrip such as auto-zoom will not be available. Zhiyun is releasing firmware updates on a regular basis to increase the number of supported cameras so by the time you read this it is likley that the list above will be out of date. Smartphone App As you’ll see from our test footage, the Crane M2S can swoop your smartphone around smoothly and effortlessly. However, when we mounted a Panasonic GH5 with a 15-35mm lens the gimbal went to sleep within a few seconds, indicating that it wasn’t happy with the heavier camera load. The Zhiyun Crane M2S is a solid mutli-purpose gimbal which is a good staring point for relative newcomers to videography, those who want something relatively affordable, but with features beyond what you might get with an entry-level device. It does have a few snags which may frustrate more seasoned users, and physical limitations mean that its main selling point, that you can use it with a range of phones and cameras, might be oversold if an encased Pixel 6 can’t sit comfortably in there.