Zhiyun Weebill 2 Gimbal Stabilizer for DSLR Cameras/Mirrorless 3-Axis Handheld Professional Video Stabilizer for Sony Nikon Canon Fuji Olympus Panasonic LUMIX Blackmagic 6K 4K S 2021 New WB2

The Zhiyun Tech Weebill-2 is the latest gimball from Zhiyun and the third of its kind in the weebill series. It boasts unique features & upgrades that should be compelling to amateurs and pros alike looking to buy an all-in-one or upgrade their gimbal(s), and even potentially combining their lighter and heavier gimbals into a single compact gimbal that can handle all kinds of setups from light to heavier, up to 7.3lb/3.3kg.As an owner of the Crane 2S and Feiyu Tech AK2000S, I was looking for a gimbal which could replace them both allowing me to just have 1 gimbal for all my most used setups with a Panasonic S1, GH5 and Canon EOS R5 / EOS R when shooting events, weddings or commercial shoots with small DSLR/Mirrorless type cameras. This would save me space and make it easier for my shoots without having to haul 2 gimbals depending on my setup. I though the Crane 2S would allow me that, but it was a bit too bulky & heavy for the lighter setups requiring all day shoot with my clients or personal projects. So I've been on the lookout for the one gimbal to rule them all for a while... so is the Weebill 2 finally the one that could satisfy all my needs for now?Given that the Weebill-2 is lighter than the Crane 2S and similar in size to the AK2000S, and yet allows for a nice max 3.3kg / 7.3lb payload capacity (which is somewhere in between the Crane 2S and AK2000S max payload), I could see myself using this stabilizer with my most used setups for gimbals such as the lightweight GH5+12-35 F2.8 lens - or - the S1 + 20-60 F3.5 - 5.6 lens or EOS R5 with 15-35 lens and shooting all day long with it. Note that if you want to use the S1 with the 24-105mm F4 lens with the Weebill 2, you will have to use a small counterweight such as the one made by Small Rig to be able to balance it nicely (see pics for setup). The S5 with 24-105 F4 being lighter seems compatible without additional counterweight (though I don't have it so I can't vouch for it).With those needs in mind, I have to say that the Weebill-2 fits the bill for both my lighter camera (GH5 + 12-35 F2.8 lens) or heavier camera (S1 + 20-60 lens) setups and performs incrementally better than the already great Crane 2S or AK2000S. Note that I would highly recommend purchasing at least the Sling Grip Handle on top if you have the budget for it as it allows for so many more degrees of freedom. The motor seems very quiet, much more than the AK2000S and works as well as its heavier sibling the Crane 2S.In terms of* User Experience / UI / Operability / Build Quality: I would give it a 5/5 stars. The gimbal is very responsive (probably thanks to its new infineon chip & upgraded algo) and performs stabilization in all modes very well & smoothly, and with my S1 + 20-60 or 24-105 lens (with counterweight) that I have been able to test thus far, it has been a fun experience. I can feel that it’s an upgrade from both the Crane 2S and AK2000S, it’s very incremental though but still nice to experience knowing that you have the latest & greatest gimbal available.The materials & design are an incremental upgrade too from previous generations of gimbals and although not groundbreaking, they are also a welcome upgrade and makes this gimbal professional looking and its usage. The handle feels very nice on your hand and firm. And the optional sling handgrip is very sturdy as well. The slanted design offers unobstructed camera LCD viewing without pulling the LCD out like on the Crane 2S.So you will enjoy using it, especially thanks to its compact slanted design, well built feel & pro materials and nicely located joysticks, levers, switches, LCD and buttons. Everything is well placed and intuitive for maximum user experience.I especially like the LCD touch screen responsiveness. I wasn’t fully sold on the idea of a flip out screen because well, it’s a device I carry with me all day long typically, so it has a tendency to be tossed quickly on the floor, so I have to bear that in mind and retract it when I don’t use it. But other than that, I really love the menu layout and the ease of use of it. Very well done especially when you compare it to the Crane 2S which had a rather old menu system on a very small LCD screen. Even compared to the AK2000S which already had an awesome menu system & responsive LCD touchscreen, this Weebill 2 menu system feels even better. You can also quickly access all the most used buttons / joysticks very easily such as the handy & nicely located Mode switch lever (Pan Follow Mode, Follow Mode, Lock Mode) or the joystick for orienting your camera which is located where your thumb rests on the gimbal handle. The focus control wheel located at the back of the gimbal is very versatile with all kinds of customization for roll axis / aperture / iso / follow focus or zoom. You obviously also can do timelapse / panorama / hyperlapse with customizations in the menu system. The auto calibration function is very nice and works well for the 2 setups I’ve tested thus far, optimizing your gimbal performance for your specific camera setup payload.I love the fact that it’s a compact & lighter gimbal compared to say a Crane 2S. It’s on par in terms of size to the smaller gimbals like AK2000S (though heavier) yet packs a heftier max payload capacity at 3.3kg / 7.3 lb.This gimbal allows for up to 9-hours of runtime which is great and it has a built-in battery which is much better than rechargeable AAA like batteries in my experience though over time, you will experience lower run-time usage but typically it takes a year or two for the battery to lose some of its full capacity. It also allows for quick charge at 25% capacity in just 20-min, which is very useful if you use this gimbal for extended shoot times and need to quickly charge at the end of the day (say for weddings, events or documentary works that require you to use the gimbal all day long). It features an excellent LCD screen (even if you don’t have the separately sold accessory for live video feedback/monitoring) which give access to all customizeable features of the gimbal, and there are so many of them, I won’t list them.The Weebill 2 Standard box comes with the Weebill 2 stabilizer + 1 tripod + a Quick Release Plate / Backing base + Lens Support / Screw + Many control cables for Panasonic / Canon / Sony + Quick Start Guide + a Styrofoam storage box.This should be all that you need to be able to use this gimbal in many scenarios. However, I would suggest purchasing at least the Sling Handgrip for more degrees of freedom/usage.* Setup / Balancing: I would give it a 4/5 stars. As far as setting it up & balancing is concerned, it’s very much the same issue with all gimbals. You have to get used to doing it the first time to get a hang for how it’s balanced. It took me about 30min to do so. Once you know how to do it, it will only take a few minutes the next time. Always keep in mind that the “arrow’ on the quick release plate will face the back of your camera when you put it on. You will have the handy lock switches on the main 3-axis to help you with balancing one axis at a time. The main issue I have with this gimbal is that you don’t have a rear roll axis arm adjustment. So you will be limited with the kind of setups you can use with this gimbal unless you buy a counterweight system that you attach to your gimbal to help with compensating for this lack. It seems like Zhiyun had to find a compromise between size, weight, payload and decided to keep the weebill without this rear roll adjustment. Also, another pet peeve is that there is no quick release mechanism for removing your camera from the base plate… I don’t know why Zhiyun keeps changing their release mechanism and I wished the Weebill 2 came with an arca-swiss D type ring… but maybe with the heavier payload capacity, they had to use a screw on plate instead to be able to safely ensure the camera stays on the gimbal. You can fix that by buying and adding a quick release plate mechanism yourself on the camera first and attaching it to the backing base plate which then attaches to the quick release plate for the gimbal.As mentioned previously, the main thing to keep it mind which is also a problem in many other gimbals that don’t have rear roll axis adjustment, is that you should consider buying a small $39 Small Rig Counterweight & Mounting Clamp Kit. This will allow you to use all kinds of lenses on top of the lighter weight lenses for your camera setup. With the S1+24-105mm F4 lens, the setup is left-side heavy and you have to compensate for this tilt by adding a small counterweight on the gimbal wherever needed.So overall, here are the main pros & cons of this sytem:Pros:- Very nicely built, high quality & sturdy / robust feeling - An incremental yet welcome upgrade from previous generations gimbals. Feels professional & solid on the hand & usage. It feels good and you should be able to use it for extended periods of time while relying on the handgrip, optional Sling grip handle (highly recommended) or Tripod base.- Very responsive, Smooth & Works like a charm - The new chip & upgraded algos seem to work very well- Improved & Very user friendly UI / Menu system & nice large 2.88” inch color LCD - No need to use an app & large responsive LCD touchscreen- Good buttons layout - Nice joystick & focus control wheel that is easily customizable (roll / aperture / iso / electronice or mechanical follow focus, and zoom)- Many options for follow focus / wireless monitoring - Haven’t used or bought them yet… but this gives flexibility if needed.- Quick charge to 25% in 20-min - very handy in between location shootsCons:- Lack of rear roll axis adjustment -> A bummer but can be remedied with a $40 counterweight system- Lack of quick release base plate for removing camera quickly without using screwdriver -> Zhiyun, just adopt a universal plate for all your gimbalsIn Summary, despite its small cons and thanks to its many pros, the Zhiyun Weebill 2 is a worthy update to its previous gen gimbals and should satisfy all the needs of amateurs and pros looking to buy a gimbal - or - upgrade their older gimbals with the latest and greatest from one of the top gimbal manufacturers. It’s a compact, middleweight, very well-built, sturdy, buttery smooth & very responsive stabilizer that can handle many different setups with its good max payload capacity of 7.3lbs (with the caveat of using counterweight for the heaviest setups). As I do more shoots with it, I will hopefully feel comfortable substituting my Crane 2S & AK2000S with this one single gimbal for the ultimate all-in-one gimbal, at last!

I loved my original weebill s. I had to get this weebill 2, since there seems like so much upgrades on it.I tested for about 2 weeks so far, there some new features that can be really helpful.⁃Full color 2.88” touch screen built-in display⁃newly designed ergonomics, buttons, switches.⁃physical mode change switch.⁃more accurate and smooth joystick⁃Much easier to access menu system.⁃improved locks.I was excited to get this new Weebill 2 gimbal. I have always loved my Weebill S, one of my go to gimbal for my mirrorless cameras. I have noticed that the new Weebill 2 is very different than the original Weebill S. Except for the L shaped handle design. This is a very solid built, almost no plastics at all, feels like all aluminum type of materials. The new grip feels very much like the DJI RS, much easier to hold it, and fits my palm much better. The gimbal it self weights about 3.2 lb, including battery. Can handle load up to 7lb or so. I have tested with my sony A7III + 24-70mm GM lens. It had no issues at all, and great clearance on the back area. Felt very stable, the motor is strong enough to handle any motions, or movements. There are minor improvements that is helpful. They have labeled all the motor axis, so you know which motor is handle which axis. The motor/axis lock it much more secure now, there are no shaking, no loose feeling anymore. Unlike the old Weebill S, even the lock is on, you can still feel the gimbal shake or loose, and makes rattling noises. But not with the Weebill 2’s locks, very helpful. The newly designed handle, is very comfortable to hold on to for hours. Seems like they have learn from the DJI RS designs. Also they have repositioned the buttons, and joysticks. In the beginning it does feel a bit awkward accessing those buttons/joystick with my thumb, but after a while, it became much easier and intuitive to use. The joystick feels like one of those DJI drone controller joystick, it longer, and gives more accurate movements. This is a pretty big improvement for me. I always felt the past joystick were just difficult to use. They also added a hard switch for the mode settings. Now there are your 3 most common modes in actual hard switch. you can just quickly change the switch potions to get to your favorite mode. Which I really really like. I never liked to toggle or click to change my modes. and I always forget which mode I was on, or switched to. Now the 2.88” touch screen display. it seems really cool to have a full color 2.88” display. This is the 1st gimbal ever to have something like this. Now I can access all the settings, changes directly on this display, without connecting to any cell phone apps. This made my life so much easier, I don’t have to mess with any apps, or worry about losing connection to my phone and etc. With the new display they have new menu system as well. its fairly easy to access, and make changes. There is also a gimbal balance checker, which shows each axis is balanced or not. I am able to balance my camera, then look at the checker to see if there is any stress on any of the motors, to make sure everything is balanced correctly. With the wireless transmitter, you can display your camera view on the built-in display, get an idea how everything is positioned, and if your subject in the frame and etc. But it is a 2.88” display, so don’t expect any HD quality images. the display is able to fold away, if you don’t like to have it in the way. It’s a nice option to have, than having to connect to cell phone.In this version, they no longer got the quick release plate. which i really liked before. it makes my life so much easier, when I need to remove the camera, and mount it some where else. It might seem like a small feature, but it is very helpful when I am shooting on location, and I need to switch from video to photo mode and etc. I am surprised Zhiyun didn’t keep that feature. I hope they will have optional quick release plate that we can buy as additional accessory. I wouldn’t mind pay $10-$20 for the plate. One other thing I feel is that the Weebill 2 design is getting much heavier, the Weebill S was 2.10lb, vs Weebill 2 at 3.2lb. that’s more than 30% increase in weight. I am not sure why the huge difference. I was really hoping the Weebill 2 would be at least under 3lb. This is no longer a compact gimbal anymore. I like the new features, but this will be more of my heavier setup. I wouldn’t be using this gimbal everyday, or when I am traveling. But it is a very solid built gimbal, and easy to setup.

I have had this stabilizer for 2 years. When it worked it worked good. I have not used it in a year. Now the unit will not charge at all. The warranty lasts only a year. I will never buy this brand again.

The price is great but little by little, I ended up buying all the accessories the “Pro” version offered and still missed out on a case and extra handle. I’m only returning it to upgrade to the next option.I tested it with a A7ii and a lot of camera features weren’t available because my body is older. I wasn’t too thrilled about that but it still performed great with the camera and a heavy Sigma 24-70 F2.8 lens. I wasn’t able to add a monitor on top of the camera because it was too heavy for the gimbal.I ended up mounting a monitor where the briefcase handle goes so that way it wasn’t off to the right side (it’s super awkward and hard to view as a right hander).Lastly, I only had the gimbal shakes a few times even though it was perfectly balanced. Wasn’t the worst thing but just had to reset.

Very lightweight, fits well in my hand, brilliant stabilization for my Sony A7S2. In some online reviews there was much said about it lacking battery life. However, I have used it for multiple jobs including weddings and parties on one good charge and never run out of battery. I did carry an iPad (USB-C) charger just in case, but I’ve have never had to use it so far. I love how this thing works from set up to use. I find it easy to carry in my camera bag and very convenient. Great quality buy!