The SJCam SJ4000 is a very popular entry level, budget friendly action camera that has managed to build up a large following of action sport enthusiasts as well as earning itself a solid reputation relative to its price point since release. This is largely due to the camera being able to offer you some solid image quality when recording your action sport of choice without you having to break the bank and we doubt that the sales or popularity of the SJCam SJ4000 is going to change anytime soon.
Due to this, we have decided to publish this article going over what we feel is the best gimbal for SJCam SJ4000 action cameras on the market right now as we are seeing more and more people reaching out and asking for advice on gimbals. Thankfully, when it comes to small, lightweight action cameras like the SJCam SJ4000 you can often get your hands on a solid little gimbal that is cheap yet provides you with some excellent levels of image stabilisation.
In our opinion, the Hohem iSteady Pro 3 is the obvious option for any of our readers who are using the SJCam SJ4000 and are in the market for a gimbal. Hohem have managed to dominate the entry level gimbal market for almost five years now and the iSteady Pro 3 is their latest release onto the market with all of their next generation technology.
This helps to ensure that you are getting the best performance possible as the iSteady Pro 3 has technology in it that the other competing 3 axis gimbals in the sub-one hundred dollar price point don’t offer right now. This means that your video footage is smoother and that your battery life is longer than what the competing gimbals are able to offer you without having to increase the price tag of the gimbal.
With the Hohem technology being so much better than what the other entry level gimbal brands are offering right now, it should come as no surprise that their gimbal has managed to grow a huge customer base in a very short period of time. This has resulted in the gimbal managing to amongst action camera enthusiasts and its reputation just keeps on getting better and better with each passing month.
We are now going to be taking a look at a why we feel that the iSteady Pro 3 should be your gimbal of choice for your SJCam SJ4000 as well as why we are recommending it to out readers. We always like to do this with any of the camera accessories that we recommend to our readers to try and explain why we feel that our recommendation is the best option for our readers and why it beats the other products on the market.
Performance And Functionality
Although the iSteady Pro action camera gimbal range from Hohem has managed to smash it out of the park and dominate the entry level gimbal price bracket for years, the iSteady Pro 3 is the latest addition to the range and Hohem have really managed to up their already excellent game. They have added a number of upgrades to improve the image stabilisation that the gimbal is able to provide for you but one of the main ones is to the battery life of the gimbal.
The two previous generations in the iSteady Pro range both provided you with around eight hours of battery per full charge. The new iSteady Pro 3 offers you twelve hours of battery life per full charge while also having a smaller and lighter battery too. This new, next generation 3600mAh battery can easily ensure that the gimbal has all of the juice it needs for a long day out doing your action sport of choice without running out of battery.
We have actually seen a number of reports from people saying that they have been using the iSteady Pro 3 as their go to gimbal of choice for their action camera and their memory card has actually ran out of free space before their gimbal has ran out of power. Although the SJCam SJ4000 does have a solid battery life anyway, the iSteady Pro 3 also supports two way charging so you are able to jack your SJCam SJ4000 into the micro USB slot on the gimbal to charge your action camera while you are out and about and without access to a power outlet.
Although all of the SJCam action cameras are supported with the iSteady Pro 3, it also supports the majority of the GoPro range as well as the other premium action camera brands such as Sony and DJI. This ensures that if you do need to upgrade your SJCam SJ4000 in the future to an intermediate or premier action camera, you can still use the same 3 axis gimbal stabiliser with your new action camera without having to shell out again for another gimbal.
As the iSteady Pro range is design for use with action cameras, all three of the gimbals in the range are all IPX4 protected meaning that they are splash proof so any action sports that risk your gimbal getting a little wet will not be an issue. That said though, none of them, not even the iSteady Pro 3 is IPX6 protected meaning none of the gimbals are fully waterproof so they should not be fully submerged in water.
The iSteady Pro 3 also supports wifi connectivity allowing you to sync many action cameras with it to use the controls on the gimbal to capture photos or start and stop recording the video footage on your action camera. Although this may not be useful for most of our readers, if you are planning to use your SJCam SJ4000 with your iSteady Pro 3 for action sports then this can be a quick and easy way to control your camera and make sure you never miss a photograph or a video clip.
Hohem really have managed to out do themselves and rather than let the competing, entry level gimbal brands catch up to the gimbals that they had on the market, they upgraded the iSteady Pro 2 in every way with their iSteady Pro 3. This is why the gimbal has managed to quickly earn from action camera users who use the gimbal as their source of image stabilisation.
User Interface
Hohem have always had an easy to use interface on their gimbals and they have slightly improved it with the iSteady Pro 3 by adding some texture to the buttons and joystick so you are able to use them with ease if your hands are cold. As so many action sports involve cold weather and cold hands, this is a solid little upgrade to this latest addition to the gimbal range and just makes it that little bit easier to use with your SJCam SJ4000 if you are into your winter sports.
The joystick itself is very sedative, probably the most sensitive on the market right now in the sub-one hundred dollar price bracket offering excellent manual control. This lets you keep the excellent levels of image stabilisation that the gimbal offers you while also letting you pan or tilt the gimbal head with your SJCam SJ4000 mounted as needed. For example, say you are snowboarding down a slop, the natural angle of your action camera may not be ideal to capture the experience so you can use the joystick on the control system to pan the camera for a better view.
The SJCam SJ4000 also has a great little LCD panel on it while also having a very easy to use navigation menu too. This lets you quickly tweak some of the key settings on the gimbal, such as the mode you are running it in within seconds so you don’t have to waste time while you are out and about. Although this is just a small time saver, it can quickly add up and end up saving you a surprising amount of time when using the gimbal and your SJCam SJ4000.
Build Quality And Design
The design of the SJCam SJ4000 is pretty standard in all honesty, it is a simple 3 axis handheld gimbal stabiliser and there is little innovation left to be done with the design in the budget friendly price bracket in out opinion. The current design that has also been used for almost a decade now is very efficient and easy to use while offering excellent image stabilisation.
The actual build quality of the gimbal is excellent when you factor in how cheap it is. Hohem have done a great job of sourcing a cheap supplier of the latest plastic polymers and aluminium alloys so they are able to use the best materials possible without having to hike the price tag of the gimbal up. These robust materials result in a very tough yet budget friendly gimbal that is ideal for action sports as it can take plenty of bumps without having issues or breaking.
Conclusion
That brings our article going over why the Hohem iSteady Pro 3 is the best gimbal for SJCam SJ4000 action cameras on the market to an end. We hope that and of our readers who use the SJCam SJ4000 and are looking to purchase a handheld gimbal stabiliser have found it helpful. We have tried to explain why the iSteady Pro 3 is the best option for your action camera but there are plenty of that have been posted by other users of the gimbal that you can read for more information if you wish.
