The Sony ZV-1 has been touted as the best camera for making YouTube videos ever made and its relatively low price tag, excellent image quality, and ease of use make it an ideal option for the vast majority of types of YouTube video as well as some general videography. As with all of the popular cameras for making YouTube videos, we always see large numbers of people reaching out and asking a large amount of different questions based around camera accessories and how they are able to get the best image quality possible out of their new gadget.
Without a doubt, the main questions that we have seen asked time and time again is based around the best gimbal for Sony ZV-1 cameras on the market. Due to this, we have decided to make this the focus of todays article in an attempt to help as many people as possible. We know that we have a number of readers who use the Sony ZV-1 as their go to camera of choice as well as a number of vloggers and other YouTubers so we are hoping that we are going to be able to help a large number of people.
Now, the Sony ZV-1 is much lighter than many of the mirrorless cameras and considerable lighter than the DSLR cameras on the market right now. The Sony ZV-1 comes in at just over ten ounces or around three hundred grams meaning that the Feiyutech G6 Max is an outstanding camera gimbal for its weight class and is definitely our default recommendation to our readers. It can easily support the weight of the Sony ZV-1 as well as any other camera accessories that you may need to support such as an external microphone or a video light too.
Although the Feiyutech G6 range has dominated this weight class for years, the G6 Max is the latest release onto the market and it has proven to be a huge hit amounts YouTubers and videographers alike. Although it has only been on the market for a matter of months, it has continued to go from strength to strength amongst the community with its reputation just getting better and better showing no signs of slowing down.
Due to the Feiyutech G6 Max being the latest release onto the market, it does have a slightly higher price tag but the Feiyutech G6 Plus that is one generation behind the G6 Max can be a decent budget option. The G6 Plus was the best gimbal for the point and shoot to lightweight mirrorless camera weightless for years and with the release of the newer G6 Max, it has also recently had a price reduction making it very budget friendly.
Just like the Feiyutech G6 Max, the Feiyutech G6 Plus, also has an excellent reputation amongst videographers and YouTubers due to it being able to provide outstanding levels of image stabilization that can still hold up to similar levels of the G6 Max. That said though, the older G6 Plus does have a lower maximum load capacity so if you are planning on loading your Sony ZV-1 up with a bunch of camera accessories then the Feiyutech G6 Max is definitely the option for you.
Performance And Functionality
The main reason that the Feiyutech G6 range has always managed to hold its place as the dominant gimbal in this weightless is simple, it offers the best performance and functionality possible and by a long shot too. In addition to this, the price point of the gimbal is relatively budget friendly when you take into account the levels of image stabilisation that it is able to provide for your Sony ZV-1 while having plenty of its maximum load capacity left over for camera accessories.
As Feiyutech were already offering some of the best levels of image stabilisation available on the market in this weight class with their G6 range, they decided to try and focus the majority of their innovation for the G6 Max into being able to increase its maximum load capacity for the user. Thankfully, unlike some of the competing gimbal brands on the market, we are pleased to say that they most definitely succeeded and the gimbal is able to support Sony ZV-1 rigs that come in as heavy as 2.65 pounds of total camera payload weight.
For the point and shoot to light mirrorless camera weight class, this is definitely market leading and is a huge improvement on the 1.76 pounds of total payload weight that the older G6 Plus is able to support. This is why we mentioned above, if you are planning to use a heavier microphone or other camera accessories with your Sony ZV-1 then you really should be looking to go with the Feiyutech G6 Max as it can easily handle the weight of all popular Sony ZV-1 setups with ease while still having plenty of its maximum load capacity free.
This ensures that no matter what setup you are using with your ZV-1, you will always be getting the same, excellent, super smooth levels of image stabilisation from the gimbal to help ensure that you are getting the best image quality possible. If you are a YouTuber or a videographer then we are sure that your viewers will appreciate the the improvement to your image quality via the market leading image stabilisation.
Unlike some of the other gimbal brands on the market with products in this weight class, the Feiyutech G6 Max holds its center of gravity very well helping to keep image stabilization as smooth as possible too. This is ideal if you are planning to mount an external microphone like one of the Rode microphones to the gimbal as they can be long and some gimbals can start to randomly jitter when recording.
As you can imagine, this ends up having a negative effect on the image quality that you are able to record with your Sony ZV-1 and can be a pain. Thankfully, Feiyutech have improve their balancing algorithm over some of the older generations of gimbal that they have released to help ensure that this is not an issue with their gimbals. This means that you can mount any external microphone you wish to your ZV-1 provided it does not exceed the 2.65 pound maximum load capacity and have super smooth levels of image stabilization.
Speaking of the balancing algorithm, the G6 range is the only gimbal line up in the Feiyutech range with its own, unique balancing algorithm. Their A, AK, and AKS gimbal ranges all use the same algorithm but the balancing system in the Feiyutech G6 gimbals has been created from scratch to help ensure that it is able to balance light camera bodies like the Sony ZV-1 with ease and without having any problems.
As we touched on above, Feiyutechs main goal with the G6 Max was to improve the performance of the gimbal motors as much as possible and as we mentioned, they most definitely succeeded. Not only are the gimbal motors smaller and more power efficient than the ones in the G6 Plus but they are also able to provide higher levels of torque too. This is why the gimbal can support an additional 0.89 pounds worth of payload weight while still having a similar level of battery life to the previous generation of gimbal.
Speaking of the maximum battery life of the Feiyutech G6 Max, it is able to provide you with around eight hours of juice with each charge of the gimbal battery and a full recharge of the battery will take you around three hours. Although this is a relatively standard battery recharge time for its maximum battery life in this day and age, the thing that we want to point out is that the Feiyutech G6 Max has a very similar battery life than most competing gimbals in this weight class while also being able to support almost double the maximum load capacity.
Another area where Feiyutech have managed to sneak in a few upgrades is in the gimbal modes that the G6 Max supports. Not only has this functionality been improved when compared to their older gimbals but it is also much easier to use. The gimbal is able to support pan, lock, follow, and manual mode right out the box and there are also a number of apps on the market that can help to improve this functionality too.
All in all, the Feiyutech G6 Max is the best gimbal that we have ever seen for the point and shoot to mirrorless camera weightless and it will make an excellent addition to your Sony ZV-1 camera accessories. It will easily be able to support the weight of all of the popular Sony ZV-1 camera setups without having any issues with image stabilization and it is easy to see why it has managed to have so many excellent reviews from other YouTubers and videographers that you can read for some independent opinions if you wish.
User Interface
Feiyutech have always ensured that the user interface and control systems for their gimbals is as simple and straight forward to use as possible and their Feiyutech G6 Max is no different. Everything about the interface on the gimbal has been designed from day one so that someone who has never used a gimbal before will be able to take the G6 Max out of the box and use it effectively without having to waste hours reading a user manual.
Due to the Sony ZV-1 being a more entry level camera for YouTube and videography, it is likely that the Feiyutech G6 Max will be the first gimbal that many of our readers who own the Feiyutech G6 Max will be using. The easy user interface definitely works to your favour if this is the case and we are confident that you will be able to mount your ZV-1 to the gimbal and get out capturing your video footage with the great image stabilisation that the gimbal provides within minutes of getting the actual gimbal.
The balancing system for the gimbal is as easy as the come and once you have gone through the process a few times, we are confident that you will be able to balance your Sony ZV-1 on the Feiyutech G6 Max in less than thirty seconds and be ready to go. If you are just using the ZV-1 without any camera accessories such as an external microphone then you will probably be able to balance the setup even quick.
On top of this, if you only ever plan to use the gimbal with your Sony ZV-1 and you are planning to keep the weight the same then you can get away with only balancing your gimbal once a week or maybe even less. This is one of the best things about these small cameras when it comes to using them with a 3 axis gimbal stabilizer, they don’t have interchangeable lenses so once you have your rig setup, it is rare that there will be a huge shift in the payload weight of your camera so the gimbal knows what to expect.
The high torque gimbal motors on the Feiyutech G6 Max also allow it to easily over compensate for any mistakes made when balancing your gimbal too. The algorithm in the gimbal essential has a smart balance system so provided you get it close to being correct, it can deal with the rest for your scoring it more points over what the competing gimbals on the market are currently offering you for your money for entry level handheld gimbal stabilizers.
If you do plan to do a bunch of manual work with your Sony ZV-1 and your gimbal then the sensitivity level of the joystick will score it even more points over what the competing gimbals on the market are offering right now too. To date, no competing gimbal manufacturer has been able to even come close to what Feiyutech are offering when it comes to joystick technology for the sub-four pounds gimbal weight class.
This ensures that you can capture your vlog, b-roll, or general video footage while using the gimbal in manual mode to pan and tilt as required while still having the great benefits of the image stabilisation that the G6 Max provides. The highly sensitive joystick allows you to smoothly pan your Sony ZV-1 while mounted to the gimbal to easily create professional level clips that take minimal effort to capture.
The LCD panel on the joystick is bright and backlit so you can easily see the information that it is displaying when using it in low light conditions. The navigation menu on the gimbal is also very easy to follow allowing you to quickly and easily fly through the options when making any tweaks without having to waste time and the quick release plate system allows you to easily mount or unmount your Sony ZV-1 within seconds if you need to switch between gimbal and handheld recording.
Smartphone App
The Feiyutech smartphone app has definitely had its issues over the years but thankfully, with the recent overhaul the app is now in a working condition and is actually a useful gimbal accessory that is worth downloading your smartphone. It is a free app and allows you to quickly tweak any of the gimbal settings at the press of a button without having to go through the navigation menu on the gimbal helping you save time. Depending on what you are actually planning to do with your Sony ZV-1, this can end up saving you a surprising amount of time over the course of a recording session.
If you are planning on just vlogging with your Sony ZV-1 then there may not be any need to quickly tweak your gimbal settings as you record your video footage so your own personal circumstances will come into play. That said though, considering the gimbal app is free, it can definitely be worth downloading and playing with as it has a ton of potential to help save you time while using the Feiyutech G6 Max.
Build Quality
The build quality of the Feiyutech G6 Max has also received a few upgrades over the last few generations of gimbals from the Feiyutech G6 range to help improve it and offer you the best product possible. These improvements to the build quality of the gimbal are largely based around making it lighter and tougher without having to hike the price tag up. This ensures that the gimbal will last you for many years to come and not end up braking the first time that it takes a bump or a knock.
This is largely due to the majority of the gimbal being made from high quality, next generation plastic polymers or a super light, thought aluminium-magnesium alloy. Although both the Feiyutech G6 Max and the Sony ZV-1 are lightweight, these improvements help to ensure that you can hold the gimbal with your camera mounted to it for long periods of time without getting aches in your arm when recording.
The Feiyutech G6 Max is also the size of a travel gimbal making it an ideal for travel vlogging or anything where you have to travel around a lot of the time. As the Sony ZV-1 is a very popular camera body for the travel vlogging community, the small size and lightweight of the gimbal helps ensure that it can easily be added to your luggage without taking up much space or knocking you over your luggage allowance if you have to travel by plane.
Just like the majority of the other modern 3 axis gimbal stabilisers on the market right now, the Feiyutech G6 Max also comes with axes locks to allow you to lock all three of the gimbals axes in place during travel. This helps to stop your gimbal from accidentally rotating, even when turned off in your luggage and potentially breaking. The locking system is very straight forward and quick to lock or unlock as required so it doesn’t take up much time to help keep your gimbal safe and free from damage.
Just like the other gimbals that have been released over the last few years, the Feiyutech G6 Max also comes with an ergonomic handle that is very comfortable to hold while recording. Although this is common for modern gimbals, it definitely helps to score the G6 Max points over the older gimbals with the plastic handles that can end up resulting in hand cramps during use.
Conclusion
That brings out article going over why we feel the Feiyutech G6 Max is the best gimbal for Sony ZV-1 cameras to a close. The Feiyutech G6 Max really is an excellent little handheld gimbal stabiliser that is able to provide your Sony ZV-1 with the best possible levels of image stabilisation without you having to break the bank. If you are a YouTuber or a general videographer, the Feiyutech G6 Max can make an excellent addition to your Sony ZV-1 camera accessories to help you capture the very best levels of image quality while recording.
Although the Feiyutech G6 Max has not been available for long, it has quickly managed to establish itself as the dominant 3 axis gimbal stabilizer for the sub-four pound gimbal weight class earning itself an excellent reputation. With it being such a great little gimbal with a massive user base, it should come as no surprise that it has managed to earn itself a ton of excellent independent reviews from other videographersthat you can read for more information if you wish.
