Pilotfly H2 Gimbal
 

Pilotfly H2 Gimbal

Impressive specs
PILOTFLY H2 3axis Stabilizer for DSLR / Mirrorless Camera - Copter-RC

Has encoders like CAME-TV Single. Capacity 2.2kg (about 4.8 lbs).
Has two handle option.

Good walking and running examples.

Re: Pilotfly H2 Gimbal
 

Even though in Japanese these reviews give you a good idea of the feature set given the visual walkthrough.


Two handle walkthrough.

Re: Pilotfly H2 Gimbal
 

Looks like GH4 with 14-140mm lens.

Re: Pilotfly H2 Gimbal
 

Have you used one of these?

Re: Pilotfly H2 Gimbal
 

Nope but I'm most interested since I'm looking at one handed 3-axis gimbals.
I'd want to use a Blackmagic Pocket, Metabones Speepbooster, EF lenses. weight capacity is important.

Came-TV Single has encoders but the payload is too light (1.2 kg, 2.6 lbs)
Beholder DS1 looks good and I have tested that. Good capacity (1.7 kg, 3.7 lbs) but no encoders.
Nebula 4200 good capacity (1.6kg, 3.5 lbs) but build quality issues and not clear about the importance of their two handed springs.
PilotFly H2 seems to led with encoders and capacity (2.2kg, 4.8 lbs).
I'm hoping to see some user reviews and how well it's received at NAB as well as any new competition.

Re: Pilotfly H2 Gimbal
 

Dave Dougdale of Learning DSLR, who has the older PilotFly H1, has been testing the H2 and liking it. Looking forward to his review in a couple of weeks.

Re: Pilotfly H2 Gimbal
 

Dslr's with a flip out screen open up on the left side, they always have and yet pilotfly still manage to not take this into consideration.

Re: Pilotfly H2 Gimbal
 

I had the Beholder and it was close but not quite. I'm hoping some new options will emerge at NAB.

Re: Pilotfly H2 Gimbal
 

The ds1? What did you not like about it?

Re: Pilotfly H2 Gimbal
 

It would occasionally spazz out and need to be powered off and back on in order to regain its composure. The issue may well have been just with the one I had, but I didn't want to go any further with it.

Re: Pilotfly H2 Gimbal
 

Dave Dugdale review

Re: Pilotfly H2 Gimbal
 

You can do it from either side now.

Re: Pilotfly H2 Gimbal
 

i ordered one, but there is a long line up to get H2, can't wait to test it, theoretically it should handle 1DX OK

Re: Pilotfly H2 Gimbal
 

Hey guys -

I picked up an H2 (and two-handle accessory) recently and looking forward to doing a review on Newsshooter. Until then, feel free to ask me any questions about its usage.

So far, it works quite well with the Canon XC10, absolutely no wobble or freak outs no matter where I point it. Used it briefly on a shoot in both one handle and two handle configurations, and also with one handle upside down for easy walking.

I also got it balanced with a C100 and 10-18mm lens, but fit-wise it was very very tight, and not recommended at all. The height of the y-axis had to be lowered so much that the camera was barely holding on. But interesting that the motors could carry that much of a payload.

Cheers,
Slavik

Re: Pilotfly H2 Gimbal
 

Wow:)
where did you get it from, i have it on order from B&H for three weeks and nothing :(

Re: Pilotfly H2 Gimbal
 

Slavik, how to you find it handling vertical bounce from walking/running with the cameras you've tested?
I've seen widely varying examples including some impressive running footage and others that practically look like it's on a pogo stick (ugh).

Re: Pilotfly H2 Gimbal
 

The gimbal doesn't remove vertical bounce, if it's too obvious then a wrong walking technique was used.

Re: Pilotfly H2 Gimbal
 

With such a lightweight gimbal and lightweight cameras, you're bound to see more up and down walking motion than heavier rigs.

The advantage of this one, so far, is that it's very small and super user friendly, simple to balance, doesn't wobble even if you point it directly up at some trees or down at your feet, has encoders so if the horizon is out of balance you can simply hold it in the right position for a couple seconds and it'll reset (has been very helpful in a car). There are a few different modes, but one really nice one is mode 3 which keeps left/right pan locked straightaway (you can adjust it with the built in joystick), so super straight slider-like shots or up and down jib-like shots are easy to achieve. Also the two handles are a must, I think, for extended shooting, but it's nice to switch to one handed for low-profile shooting on the streets. I like to flip it upside down so it looks like I'm just carrying a camera down alongside my legs, but can actually be shooting.

One thing I've already learned is you have to get a separate battery charger for the Li-Ion batteries in the two-handle accessory. I found one on Amazon for about $20 that is supposed to automatically detect the special Li-Ion charge requirements.

Re: Pilotfly H2 Gimbal
 

Although in my very post on the this thread, the walking/running video is unusually smooth.

In my next post there are two videos and in the second video do note his walking technique examples. Apparently the angle of the handle can help to some extent see 2:54 on. Unfortunately the forum doesn't resolve the time link so you'll have to shuttle to that point. It's almost as if at that angle the arms take on some of the role of a "4th axis." Notice his walking shots about a minute later. Alas it's really just a walking technique but, none the less, interesting.

Re: Pilotfly H2 Gimbal
 

The Newsshooter first look/review is forthcoming. In the meantime, here's a video showing a variety of XC10 footage on the Pilotfly:
The music is pretty dramatic, eh?

I did a few tests down my driveway and found little difference in up-and-down motion between walking with the camera sitting below the gimbal, versus having it sit above at an angle, like the review video shows. I ended up leaving it in the above mode just because the XC10's screen is easier to see, and you can have the camera up closer to the eye line.

At any rate, shooting in 4k and applying a very small amount of stabilization does a good job of removing slight up and down motion, though you still want to walk lightly. The H2's Mode 3 helps in that it locks both the pan and tilt movement, making it a lot easier to do a very straight walk forward or backward.

Re: Pilotfly H2 Gimbal
 

Very nice test clip. Thanks for posting that, Oregon is beautiful.

Re: Pilotfly H2 Gimbal
 

Thanks Dan. The first part is Anchorage, Alaska, which this time of year is not as pretty as the Oregon coast. :-)

Re: Pilotfly H2 Gimbal
 

That's looking good!

Re: Pilotfly H2 Gimbal
 

Hi Slavik - I'm thinking about the same pairing of H2 + XC10. Does the combination work well for you? Did you have any trouble balancing the camera or have to do much tweaking with the settings on the H2? Also, how well do you find the autofocus on the XC10 performs while on the gimbal? Any other issues/advice for this combination?

Re: Pilotfly H2 Gimbal
 

I an very impressed with the product! Great built quality, easy to balance, very long battery life plus5 different modes of operation and the 'home' position is very handy. While i am waiting for DXmkii, I tried it with caged a6300 - amazing.

Re: Pilotfly H2 Gimbal
 

Hi Mike - I emailed you back. Cheers -

Re: Pilotfly H2 Gimbal
 

Has anybody heard anything about when these are expected to be more available?

Re: Pilotfly H2 Gimbal
 

it's in stock @ B&H now