9 essential things you need to know about using gimbals

Whether simply to give your iPhone or GoPro footage a little more polish or to film your next masterpiece, gimbal camera stabilisers have become a pretty common item in our kit bags lately.

But with great 3 axis control comes great responsibility. In this pair of videos from Aputure’s 4 Minute Film School, we’re told of nine vital things we need to know when thinking about working with one.

Some of the tips seem like common sense, but as this advice is aimed at pro video shooters, one or two of the suggestions may not apply to you depending on your equipment.

Tip #6 is a prime example that isn’t going to apply to everybody equally, as inverting something like the Ikan Fly-X3 Plus with your iPhone attached doesn’t really make much sense, and likely won’t make any difference to your footage.

Lighter rigs for phones and action cameras also aren’t the strain on your arms, shoulders and back that large rigs like the DJI Ronin-MX can be, although the advice on posture and movement for smaller rigs can still help to produce cleaner footage.

Regardless of what specific equipment you shoot with, the filming techniques mentioned are great for helping you add interest to your footage, and aid the telling of your story while filming.

Is a gimbal part of your filming rig? If not, have you been thinking of adding one? What other gimbal techniques can you offer? Let us know in the comments.