Freefly now offers a smartphone gimbal for regular consumers
May 24, 2018
Chad Verzosa
Chad Verzosa is a freelance writer and photographer currently based in Florida. When not traveling, he likes to spend his time printing pictures in the darkroom.
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Freefly is among the leading brands when it comes to camera stabilization. Unfortunately, their products are for professional use with prices regular folks simply can’t afford. But for the first time, the company is delving into the consumer market with the Freefly Movi. Their newest gimbal is compatible with smartphones, and it’s marketed specifically to you.
Movi is actually a whole line of high-end camera stabilization systems by Freefly. Using that same name for their smartphone gimbal gives the impression it brings pro-level results as well. So what does it have to offer that competitors like DJI and Zhiyun don’t have?
First, the design looks different. Its handle is beside the mount and not below it. I suppose the idea is to make it easier to handle with two hands. Because of how they built it, you can also set it safely on a surface without toppling. That means you don’t have to use a tripod all the time if you’re not holding it. Nevertheless, the Movi also has a 1/4-inch thread in case you need to install it on a tripod.
Coupled with the Movi App, this gimbal can work wonders. Freefly calls it “your cinema robot” because it can replicate filmmaking tricks automatically. With the app, you can easily execute timelapse, hyperlapse, and orbit shots with little to no practice. It also features the Echo Mode where Movi remembers your start frame and end frame to let you record the same scene repeatedly with precision.
If Sean Baker is planning to create a sequel to Tangerine (a full-length movie shot using three iPhone 5s), this could be the gimbal for him. Unfortunately, you can’t use the Freefly Movi if you’re an Android user. Even worse, Freefly doesn’t have any plans to expand their product compatibility beyond iOS. So that means you have to either use the DJI Osmo or switch to iPhone if you badly want to use this smartphone gimbal.
The Freefly Movi is available to pre-order now for $299. You can also find out more about it on their website.
[via digitaltrends, Freefly]
Chad Verzosa
Chad Verzosa is a freelance writer and photographer currently based in Florida. When not traveling, he likes to spend his time printing pictures in the darkroom.
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One response to “Freefly now offers a smartphone gimbal for regular consumers”
Looks like they do actually plan to have android support eventually, and as long as you do initial setup on an iphone it seems you can technically use it on android…
From their site:
Is there an Android App?
Not yet, but it’s coming. Currently, the only official app for Movi is for iPhone (iOS 11).
We do not have a timeline on when a fully featured Android App will be released by Freefly, but the first step in the direction of Android Support is an API for Android developers to integrate hardware control of the Movi into their apps. This is currently in development by Freefly, and once available, will be posted on the Movi Support Page.
In the meantime, the Movi powers up with Majestic mode by default, and the clamp will accommodate phones of a variety of sizes (check out this article about size compatibility). If you need to adjust the parameters of Majestic control, or change the motor tuning for your particular phone, or update Movi firmware, you will still need at least temporary access to an iOS device running iOS 11, to configure Movi settings.