DJI Osmo Mobile 2 Vs Zhiyun Smooth Q - Just Waiting For The Zhiyun Smooth 4
DJI Osmo Mobile 2 Vs Zhiyun Smooth Q - Just Waiting For The Zhiyun Smooth 4
2018-03-16
Zhiyun has been teasing their new Zhiyun Smooth
4 for the last few days.
they even recently announced that its going
to be retailing for $139 dollars.
So before we test that gimbal out I thought
we would compare the Smooth Q with the DJI
Osmo Mobile 2 cause the Smooth Q recently
got a price discount as well to compete with
the Osmo Mobile 2.
The DJI Osmo 2 is the newest gimbal of the
two and it currently retails for $130, a significant
price reduction from the original Osmo which
used to retail for $200.
The Zhiyun Smooth Q used to retail for $140
but its now going for $99.
If you want to pick either of these gimbals
up I’ll have links in the description below,
and if you use the links it really helps out
the channel.
Check them out cause DJI Products routinely
go on sale so you might get lucky.
First lets go over whats the same on the gimbals.
Both of these gimbals come included with a
carrying case but personally I prefer Zhiyun’s
case.
It take up way less space in your bag.
Both of these gimbals charge via a micro USB
port, they both have a USB out so you can
charge your own phone, they both have a universal
mount on the bottom so you can attach them
to a tripod or any other accessory, they both
have a spring loaded clamp that holds your
phone, and they both can hold your phone vertically
or horizontally.
They also both have onboard controls to control
your camera but they have significantly different
layouts and I find that DJI’s lay out is
much more ergonomic.
Their battery lives are also very similar,
the DJI Osmo Mobile 2 has an advertised battery
life of 14 hours and the Zhiyun Smooth Q has
an advertised battery life of 12 hours.
They also weigh almost the same as well, with
an iPhone 8 Plus installed I found the DJI
weighing in at 686 grams and the Zhiyun Weighs
in at 642 grams.
Obviously what you want to know about either
of these two gimbals is which one stabilizes
your video the best.
And after taking both of them out into the
field and getting some video samples I have
to say the DJI Osmo Mobile 2 does a much better
job of stabilizing your video than the Zhiyun
Smooth Q. Even though both of these stabilizers
still have a lot of undulation when walking,
you can clearly see there is much less of
a shock every time I take a step with the
DJI Osmo Mobile than the Smooth Q. Just in
general theres a lot of shakyness with the
Smooth Q than the Osmo Mobile 2.
But even though the DJI Osmo Mobile 2 does
stabilize your video better than the Smooth
Q, its not perfect.
First up, the Osmo Mobile 2 doesn’t have
as much range of motion as the Smooth Q. With
the Osmo 2 I found that if you move around
too much then the camera will mess up and
ruin the shot.
Where as the Smooth Q has a lot more range
of motion and I never really had an issue
with the phone getting out of balance and
running the shot.
Now the main reason a lot of people say Zhiyun
gimbals are still better than the DJI Osmo
Mobile 2 is because the Zhiyun can rotate
360 degrees while the DJI can’t.
DJI has gone on record and said that the reason
they don’t allow 360 degree rotation on
their Osmo 2 is because it end ups breaking
down the motor much quicker.
And if you look at forums a lot of people
complain that Zhiyun gimbals end up wearing
out much faster than they’d like.
But in general the DJI Osmo mobile 2 has better
build quality than the Zhiyun Smooth Q. Its
not extremely better, but it is better none
the less.
Body panels are better aligned, the joystick
feels much better, and it easier to get a
grip on the DJI than the Zhiyun.
The Smooth Q has very smooth plastic so it
can be slippery at times.
Where as the DJI has something like a powder
coating on it so its easier to get a grip.
Don’t get me wrong, I still feel that both
of these gimbals should have a wrist strap,
but non the less its easier to hold on to
the DJI Osmo Mobile 2 than the Zhiyun smooth
Q. And even though I absolutely hate both
of these gimbals spring loaded clamps, the
clamp on the DJI opens and closes much easier,
where as the clamp on the Zhiyun likes to
get stuck a lot of the time making it harder
to pry my phone out.
The last thing I want to talk touch on these
gimbals is their mobile apps.
Since both of these companies are from china
some stuff can get lost in translation sometimes.
First up lets talk about connection issues
first.
I found that pairing the Zhiyun with its mobile
app was hit or miss sometimes.
What really annoyed me was actually getting
the Zhiyun to connect but for some reason
the Zoom switch and the shutter button wouldn’t
work on my phone so you have to restart the
gimbal.
DJI’s app also isn’t perfect and there
is room for improvement but I prefer their
app over the Zhiyun.
Ok, lets wrap this simple versus video up.
Even though the Zhiyun Smooth Q has gotten
a price reduction all the way to $99 I think
you’re still better off getting the DJI
Osmo Mobile 2 for now.
Its able to stabilize your video much better
and build quality is much better.
Sure you’re giving up the 360 rotation,
but the Zhiyun Smooth Q is notorious for breaking
down.
But we’re going to have to revisit this
versus video when the Zhiyun Smooth 4 is available.
We’re going to have to see how that gimbal
stack up against the DJI Osmo Mobile 2.
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