The Best Gimbal For Canon G16 Cameras!

Welcome to our article where we will be going over what we feel is the best gimbal for Canon G16 cameras currently on the market right now. We have published a number of articles over the last few months covering gimbal stabilizers and have noticed some people reaching out about the G16 so decided to cover it.

Thankfully, as the Canon G16 is a pretty light camera body, you can use it on the majority of gimbal systems on the market right now. This also allows you to use this to your favor and get yourself some bargains when it comes to picking up a new gimbal.

As far as we are concerned, we feel that the best gimbal on the market at the time of writing for the Canon G16 is definatley the Zhiyun Crane V2 (Click here to check for product prices and availability). Not only is the Zhiyun Crane V2 one of the most popular gimbals within the community but it has also earned one of the best reputations for itself out of all gimbal stabilizers to date.

Due to the recent release of Zhiyun latest version of the Crane gimbal system, the V2 has also just received another price reduction making it a steal. Its excellent performance, great functionality, solid build quality, and 3.96-pound load capacity makes it ideal for your 0.78 pounds Canon G16. Even if you are planning to use a very heavy camera lens as well as other accessories with your G16, it is unlikely that you will be able to take up the full 3.96 payload capacity.

Click Here To Check For The Latest Prices On The Zhiyun Crane V2 Gimbal!

User Interface And Control System

Although the Zhiyun Crane V2 is a few years old now, we feel that it was well ahead of its time when released, especially when it comes to the control system for the handheld gimbal. The image above shows the handle of the gimbal as well as the various buttons used to control the system when in use. Essentially, you are able to use your hand to support the weight of the Zhiyun Crane V2 with your Canon G16 mounted on it and then use your thumb on the required buttons to tweak the performance as required.

The Zhiyun gimbal range also uses the same quick release plate system as the Manfrotto tripods so if you also own a tripod using the Manfrotto quick release plate design you can quickly and easily switch between the two of them. In our opinion, this is another thing that helps push the Zhiyun gimbal range ahead of the competition as most other gimbal brands use a proprietary quick release plate design rather than licensing the design of the most commonly used system like Zhiyun have.

Edit – It has been brought to our attention that it may have been a condition of the licensing agreement between Zhiyun and Manfrotto that other gimbal companies were not to be provided with licenses to use the Manfrotto quick release plate design to give Zhiyun an advantage rather than other brands not thinking of doing it.

The photograph above shows the Zhiyun smartphone app that also allows you to control the Zhiyun Crane V2 from your smartphone if required. Although the usefulness of this is going to depend on what you are trying to get done with your gimbal, it is a nice little feature to have. Additionally, we have seen a bunch of reports from people who use a Zhiyun gimbal system and never thought they would use the app only to realize how useful it can be once they give it a chance.

There are also a few remote control systems that are compatible with the Zhiyun Crane V2 to allow you to wirelessly remotely control it. If you do want to pick up one of these remote controls we would highly recommend that you go with the official Zhiyun one. It is only a few dollars more than the ones from the third party brands offering them but we have seen a number of people report poor performance when using the third party remote controls.

Click Here To Check For The Latest Prices On The Zhiyun Crane V2 Gimbal!

Performance And Functionality

Even though the Zhiyun Crane V2 is a few years old, its performance and the image stabilization that it is able to provide for your Canon G16 holds up well to some of the more modern gimbal systems that are almost twice its price. As we mentioned, the maximum upper payload of 3.96lbs is plenty when using a 0.78 pound camera like the G16.

Although the officially listed battery life for the Zhiyun Crane V2 is Twelve hours, the lightweight of the camera body will not require much power to stabilize it during regular use. This leads us to think that it will be able to provide you with more than Twelve hours of battery when used with your Canon G16.

As the Zhiyun Crane V2 uses the standard 3-axis gimbal design that has proven to be so popular with the community over the years, it is very easy to hold for an extended period of time. If you are planning to do any extended videography with your Canon G16 this can be a great feature as we have seen a number of people complain about some of the gimbals that competing brands have released due to their hands cramping up when using it for long periods of time.

The 3 Axis gimbal design also provides you with unlimited 360 degree rotation without having any effect on the level of image stabilization the gimbal can provide for your Canon G16. Although a little dated by the standards of the modern gimbals, the gimbal motors on the V2 is able to sense a change in the head position of as little as 0.02 degrees. We would imagine that this is more than enough for our readers who are planning to use it with a Canon G16 as although some modern gimbals have this down to 0.001 degrees now, in reality, you can barely tell the difference in the technology anyway.

Click Here To Check For The Latest Prices On The Zhiyun Crane V2 Gimbal!

Build Quality And Design

The build quality of the Zhiyun Crane V2 still holds up well to today’s standards and provides you with a gimbal that is not only lightweight and responsive but also robust allowing it to take plenty of knocks during use. On top of this, as we mentioned earlier, the hand grip on the Zhiyun Crane V2 is very comfortable and allows you to hold the system for long periods of time without issue.

The design of the gimbal also makes it very easy to debuilt the system and put it in its storage case when not in use too. On the flip side of this, when you need to get your gimbal out ready to use, the initial balancing procedure can be done in less than Sixty seconds. Although it is not essential to take the gimbal through the balancing process before each use, we personally recommend it as it ensures the motors are prepared for the weight of your camera rig and can result in better image quality.

The photograph above shows the user of the Zhiyun Crane V2 adjusting the thumb screw for the central balance adjustment. If this is your first gimbal stabilizer the process may seem a little daunting but it is very easy and can be done in a couple of seconds once practiced. Additionally, if you only plan to use your Canon G16 with the gimbal, it will be rare you need to adjust it anyway.

Click Here To Check For The Latest Prices On The Zhiyun Crane V2 Gimbal!

FAQs

Question – Does the Zhiyun Crane V2 have a tracking function?

Answer – No, this gimbal does not have a tracking function.

Question – Can you charge the Zhiyun Crane V2 while in use?

Answer – We have not tested this ourselves and have seen mixed answers from other people answering this question. We feel the best bet it to just have a spare set of batteries for the gimbal available if you think 12 hours between charges is not enough for your needs.

Question – Can you add custom hand grips to the Zhiyun Crane V2?

Answer – Again, we have not tried this ourselves but we have seen a number of third-party hand grips online that have been designed to fit the Zhiyun Crane V2 to help keep your hand warm during use.

Third Party Reports

We think that the video review we have embedded above from YouTube is without a doubt one of the best video format reviews of the Zhiyun Crane V2. We have covered most of the points they raise in our article but it does offer some nice examples of what the Zhiyun Crane V2 is able to do. Just keep in mind that it is a general review of the gimbal and not specific to using it with the Canon G16.

In addition to the video above, you can also click here to read some independent reviews from external videographers sharing their opinions after purchasing the Zhiyun Crane V2.

Our Verdict

That brings our article going over why we feel the Zhiyun Crane V2 is the best gimbal for Canon G16 cameras to an end. We really do love the Crane V2 and can definatley see why it has such a great reputation within the community today. Whenever anyone asks us for a gimbal recommendation for a camera body that is over 0.66 pounds it is always our go-to gimbal of choice due to it having such an excellent track record and a relatively low price tag as far as gimbals go.

Click Here To Read Independent Third Party Reviews Of This Product!

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