First Thoughts At The Nebula 4200 “5-Axis” Stabilizer

At only 1000$, there is no other product on the market that gives you fully motorized 3-axis stabilization with shock absorbers for (rated) 1.6kg.

Stabilization:

Although they market it as “5-axis image stabilization”, the spring loaded handles serve more as dampeners and shock absorbers than true 5-axis stabilization. That being said, they do work rather well at taking care of the unwanted bumps when one moves rapidly around. The down-side is that the springs tend to creak quite a little bit.

The motors are strong enough so that my A7r-ii with a 10-18 f4 has hardly any problem regardless of which orientation I fly the camera which is fantastically flexible.

Set-up:

The Nebula features a tool-less design which is pretty snazzy. It makes it very convenient to re-adjust balance. The downside though, is that it is a lot harder to get a super precise calibration. Maybe I just need more practice. For anyone who’s balanced gimbal’s before, it shouldn’t be more than just a little bit frustrating. For someone who’s never done it before… It doesn’t really come with instructions.

Build Quality:

You get what you pay for. There are a lot of plastic parts and the tooling and machining is definitely not A-grade. That being said, there is not really anything else on the market that has such a tiny form factor.

Customer Support:

This is IMHO the biggest worry – customer support is pretty terrible, unless you speak chinese. They do offer some email support but it is very broken, and not very reassuring.

Additional Features:

The removable battery is a significant step up from any of their previous models. Lasts up to 4 hours (according to specs. I haven’t run it out yet)

[Nebula 4200 $999 @ B&H]

About The Author

Motivated by the desire to be creatively challenged and overcome impossibilities, Benjamin Von Wong has become notorious for his epic photography. His hyper-realistic art style captures viewers in a fusion of special effects and innovative concepts. Benjamin’s background in engineering gives him a unique edge for creative problem solving, where technical challenges become friendly competition. Fueled by his passion to connect people, Benjamin has an affinity for finding unique talent to bring his complex stories to life. He is also highly engaged in the photographic society by sharing his experiences and techniques through blogs, social media, workshops and videos. You can follow Ben on his blog, Instaram, youtube channel and facebook page.

P.S. Had fun with some lube this morning. No more squeaks!