Zhiyun Smooth 5Schat_bubble_outlineFrom real comments

Multiple commenters report visible wobble unless the phone's own Electronic Image Stabilization is engaged, with several calling this misleading given the gimbal's purpose and comparing it unfavorably to the older Smooth 4.

@FotoServiciosPty

How I wish it was actually any good. Sadly you need to keep the Electronic Image stabilization for the video to look decent because companies are cutting corners and doing terrible gimbals. Im really disappointed and even more disappointed in the fact that youtubers dont mention this. \nhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eG9yRDChsWM&t=518s\nThis is not acceptable.\nI shouldnt have to crop my videos with EIS for your gimbals to be usable.launch

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May 28, 2024

@FotoServiciosPty

Has anyone tried the gimbal with out Electronic Image Stabilization. Why is it so wobbly? \nIts disappointing to buy a $200 Dolar gimbal that expects my phone to do the main purpuse of the gimbal. \nThese gimbal companies are going down hill in quality.\n\nSome one told me the DJI OMs are the same thing.launch

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May 28, 2024

@EcoRain80000

Tried the method but didnt work \nThe gimbal requiers EIS (Electronic Image Stabilization) to mantain trully balanced look \nBut it makes no sense, because at that point why use the gimbal???\n\nOther video tests just confirmed the gimbal is no good with out EIS\nhttps://youtu.be/eG9yRDChsWM?t=517 \nI have my own video to prove it and see how other tutorial show the wobles before the EIS kicks in the Zhyun app and the the native camara app... \n\nSo its all a lie and false advertisement\nIts not acceptable\nIts not really stable... Not really \nNo like the old ones, like the Smooth 4\n\nIm disapointed and I really hate how no one talks about this.launch

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May 22, 2024

@EcoRain80000

Why is no one mentioning that the gimbal wobles and you MUST use a phone with EIS, otherwise this gimbal is useless. \r\nFunny enough it defeats the purpose of the gimbal if my phone already has a good EIS and OS... \r\nIm disapointed in ZHIYIN\r\nThe Smooth 4 was not like this at all\r\nIt was sturdy and it kept the horizon leveled at all times\r\nJust like any phone Gimbal SHOULD!!!!!!\r\n\r\nPS: I balanced it perfectly \r\nAlso tried it with many phones \r\nThese gimbals are not good, and neither are the DJI OM 3, 4, 5 and 6 \r\nThey all jitter and dont keep the horizon leveled.\r\nI WISH SOME ONE WOULD TALK ABOUT THIS!!!!!launch

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May 22, 2024

The ZY Cami and STACAM apps are widely criticized for poor Android support, capped frame rates (30fps in 1080p), a low app store rating, and confusing feature-switching between apps.

@efetack

This is a great tutorial. But I stopped in the middle, you explain really on point, it is just that I saw, both apps are requiring a monthly/yearly subsricption and the necessary switch between the apps for different functions is just way off what I was looking for. If it was one single fully functioning app I would consider the gimbal and buying the subs, but I want easiness in my takes and workflow so I guess I have to look for alternatives although I really like this gimbal. Looks like as it is not made for the iPhone somehow. ... anyway, thank you for your videos.launch

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November 26, 2023

@jeffreybrown4751

I noticed the ZY Cami app has a 1.9 rating with lots of unhappy users. Can you shed some light on the app and it’s function? Possibly look at the reviews with the most recent first. The gimbal seems perfect but the app is keeping me from making a purchase.launch

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April 30, 2023

@miketipton678

Great for iOS users just like DJI... they friggin limit the fps to 30 fps in 1080p??? wth??? Go to the Zhiyun list of devices in their PDF and it shows... hold on to your hats... ANDROID 7!! Yes these apps are sooo dated and will never work on anything in 60 fps since the Galaxy 8.... NONE of the new phones listed on their PDF are current, and none of their apps show any support for current model UWA camera options... what a joke! Here's the deal Zhiyun... give us just the option to use the app as a bluetooth control for the phone, and we can use our native phone camera apps that provide the most basic of 60fps settings options... WHO records in 1080P 30?? THIS SAME app design flaw has been ongoing since the Smooth 4 that I have read and Zhiyun has done NOTHING about it...\n\nThey all claim its a hardware issue, but goodness sake it's 2023 and they have listed phones on Android 7...The last listed late model phone is the S21..... S21 came out how long ago? And still NO remedy for these apps at alllaunch

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February 20, 2023

@miketipton678

Make sure you have an iOS device because the ZyCami and SATCAM apps have not supported Android users for years now. Since the Smooth 4 users have asked them to fix the issues of 1080P 60 fps being grayed out, and 4K 60 not available either. The mobile device native apps ALL support those resolutions and frame rates and Zhiyun apps only support 30 FPS? Are you kidding me?? I researched before I bought the Smooth 5 S. It hits the mark on so many ways and topples the OSMO I was going to buy.. Product comes in, I go to use it and what do I discover? The app is trash. Samsung S22, Zfold 3, Pixel 6, NONE OF THEM were able to use the 1080 60 fps option. What a joke in today's age of mobile phones. This has been ongoing since the Smooth 4. The app support is useless in those modes. You have to use the phone's native camera app. At that point you can't use the app to control the gimbal. BTW, the DJI OSMO 5 and 6 are not supporting Android 60 fps frame rates either. Their form admin are quick to blame Android UI, but please it's 2023.... fix this craplaunch

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February 20, 2023

Users report random disconnects, Bluetooth pairing failures, the gimbal losing tracking or horizon unexpectedly, and units that shut off or 'give up' after balancing.

@matinshahabi9223

Hey man\nIm trying to connect my gimbal to iphone 13 and keeps disconnecting and connecting in zy cami. Ive tried so many solutions like the fn button\nPair and unpair\nReset the device\nUpgrade firmware to 1.75\nAfter all these it looks to work fine in stacam\nBut not in zy cami\nHelp meeeee ouuuutlaunch

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March 16, 2025

@DianaPolo_Realtor

I hate this gimbal with passion. It's been over a year since I bought it and I still cannot use it. I have Ricoh Theta for Matterport tours, I have DJI Air2 for drone photos and I am totally comfortable with those. No matter how many videos I watched, and how much time I spent trying to learn it, I could never make it work the way expected. The multitude of functions assigned to the same buttons is massively confusing. When switching between modes, the light indicator is so tiny that I would need a magnifying glass to tell what mode is on. It disconnects constantly even the firmware is updated and the battery is charged. It drains the phone battery super quickly. I told my son about it and his response was \"I told you to get DJI but you didn't listen\". Not promoting DJI on here. I spent money on this gimbal, so much time wasted watching tons of videos to learn and all for nothing. I am at the point of cutting my losses and going a different route.launch

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November 17, 2024

@eeyooonbh5358

I own a Samsung Note 20 Ultra phone, and I took the zhiyun smooth 5s device, but it did not work with it because of its inability to connect to Bluetooth. I tried several times and the phone did not see it. Does anyone have an explanation or solution for the matter?launch

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February 25, 2023

@conradk

Your video gives me hope. I know people have liked this product but I was not impressed by my 5S, it will randomly lose horizon or tracking and wander off like an impatient child. I was also not a fan of the app which I had difficulty setting up and eventually gave up on. I compare that with my other recent purchase, the Hohem Go, which was much less expensive, well performing and easy-to-use with no-need for an app. I will say though the magnetic light feature on the 5S is great - so hope that there is an app update, and maybe a firmware update in the future... but if not, it may be just a cool desktop tripod for me.launch

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February 2, 2023

Several owners report the phone sitting a few degrees off level even after calibration, with limited or no roll-trim fix available in the mobile app, frustrating precision use cases like architectural photography.

@richiehatch

Hi ye. Great tips. I have the 5S and am having massive problems with keeping my phone horizontal. I have the gimbal about a month and everything I do the horizon is crooked by about 2 degrees. Normally this wouldn't matter too much but I'm an architectural photographer and need everything as straight as possible. I returned the first one that I bought and exchanged for a new one is is out by 3 degrees. Doing the calibration in ZY Cami does nothing. Zhiyun suggested running their own Zhiyun Gimbal Tools software but it also doesn't work. Have you any tips? Phone is the iPhone 13 Pro Max and is perfectly balance before Turing on!launch

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June 20, 2023

@Kain987

I own a 5S and it's pretty damn nice. But there's one thing I've noticed about it that you haven't really touched on in your videos (I've watched most of your comparison & tutorial videos about it before deciding to purchase 😅).\n\nMy S23 was crooked in the 5s... I.e. It sagged a bit to the left.\n\nThe autocalibration didn't do anything to fix it. There's surprisingly little information about this issue online.\n\nJust to be clear... it kept the gimbal arm, at the roll motor joint, perfectly level... but due to the weight of the phone, the camera side of it was about 2 degrees off horizontal.\n\nAs opposed to DJI gimbals which have a roll trim option in the app, Zhiyun doesn't offer this quick fix.\n\nAfter trying in vain to calibrate it according to the manual, I discovered that in the windows \"Calibration Upgrade Tool\", which can connect your PC to the gimbal over USB, and help you do a six side calibration, there's the option of applying roll trim. -2° fixed my issue.\n\nIt's disappointing that Zhiyun didn't add the option to apply roll trimming in the ZY Cami app, especially now that you can actually apply a firmware upgrade to the gimbal over Bluetooth, so obviously the required communication capability between the phone and the gimbal is there.launch

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June 20, 2023

@LegacyandLensMedia

Love the video! Question, I'm in the PF mode and my gimbal visually seemed a bit off balance...so I kept the phone in the gimbal and turned on my leveling app and sure enough, the gimbal is off by 1 degee...should I be looking for a perfect leveling experience or is 1 degree unleveled ok? Thanks for your professional advicelaunch

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January 13, 2023

Users are frustrated that after paying for the gimbal, some app features require an additional Prime/subscription payment, pushing some to just use Filmic Pro instead.

@efetack

This is a great tutorial. But I stopped in the middle, you explain really on point, it is just that I saw, both apps are requiring a monthly/yearly subsricption and the necessary switch between the apps for different functions is just way off what I was looking for. If it was one single fully functioning app I would consider the gimbal and buying the subs, but I want easiness in my takes and workflow so I guess I have to look for alternatives although I really like this gimbal. Looks like as it is not made for the iPhone somehow. ... anyway, thank you for your videos.launch

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November 26, 2023

@DanielECulbertson

Great video as always. \n\nGiven that the StaCam and ZY Cami apps require you to pay for prime membership in order to access all available features, would you recommend just paying for Filmic Pro instead and using it instead? \n\nI figure I'm already paying for Filmic Pro and I'm not sure I want to pay for Prime membership in these apps; my feeling is that if I have already paid $170 for a product, I should not have to pay the maker of that product even more to unlock features on the item I already paid for, but I realize that's an old-fashioned attitude these days. 🤔 Today everything is about subscriptions and microtransactions. 🫤launch

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January 31, 2023

The bracket design makes it hard to attach external mics or use cases/lenses without the phone sticking out and becoming unbalanced.

@brad_neal

Nice little unit, and nice review, but I really don't like that you have to cram the port side of the phone into the gimbal bracket, making it difficult to attach a mic. I had the Smooth 4 and sent it back in exchange for the DJI OM 6. If you use the L-connector to attach a mic to the Zhiun, then the phone is sticking way out and off balance.launch

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June 27, 2024

@BlaqViper

While this is an absolutely gorgeous gimbal, a tweak for future version would be a design that allows port side access of the phone for plugging in accessories like receivers for wireless micslaunch

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November 13, 2022

Users report the multitude of functions per button is confusing, with mode switches sometimes not responding or getting stuck in a mode.

@DianaPolo_Realtor

I hate this gimbal with passion. It's been over a year since I bought it and I still cannot use it. I have Ricoh Theta for Matterport tours, I have DJI Air2 for drone photos and I am totally comfortable with those. No matter how many videos I watched, and how much time I spent trying to learn it, I could never make it work the way expected. The multitude of functions assigned to the same buttons is massively confusing. When switching between modes, the light indicator is so tiny that I would need a magnifying glass to tell what mode is on. It disconnects constantly even the firmware is updated and the battery is charged. It drains the phone battery super quickly. I told my son about it and his response was \"I told you to get DJI but you didn't listen\". Not promoting DJI on here. I spent money on this gimbal, so much time wasted watching tons of videos to learn and all for nothing. I am at the point of cutting my losses and going a different route.launch

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November 17, 2024

@AngelLopezBroker

This a very complete and useful tutorial. Thanks for sharing. I am new with gimbals and still learning, and have a question if you are so kind to answer, sometimes when operating my smooth5 gymball it does not let me switch among modes. sometimes is on the \"L\" mode and I try to push the mode button and nothing happens, what do you think is the reason?launch

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April 5, 2024

Some users found footage while walking wasn't smooth despite the gimbal, with one saying it's better suited for staying still and waving the arm around rather than true steady-cam use.

@joeriginal

If you plan to be recording while walking I don't recommend it. Is not going to be smooth recording. There needs to be a 4 axis cellular stabilizer to work like a real steady cam. This product is made to work while you stay still and just wave and extend your arms around for it to work smoothly.launch

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June 27, 2024