Part 1 | Preface

As a photography enthusiast, the biggest pursuit is to shoot excellent photography works (photos&videos). However, the requirements for video are higher. In addition to tripods, equipment such as slides are also required to shoot stable pictures.

However, the author detests these heavy props. Even portable slideways need large space to display them. Moreover, once the characters need to be photographed, the slideway almost loses its function, and some scenes with high requirements even need props such as sliders.

Thanks to the rapid development of technology and the emergence of handheld stabilizers, the above embarrassing situation has been completely solved. This time, I'm lucky to get from Love to play computer games The Smart Cloud Smooth II three-axis mobile phone stabilizer provided a very stable and diversified shooting experience with a smart body! What is the magic? Let's feel it together!

Part 2 | Appearance

Let's first look at the basic structure of the product from the appearance.  

The packing box can be said to be a brief description. On the positive side, in addition to the Chinese and English words of Zhiyun and the basic appearance pictures of the product, it is an introduction to the basic functions of the product.

Zhiyun Smooth II belongs to the high-end series of Zhiyun handheld stabilizer series, so its performance has been greatly improved. For example, it can be charged directly on the body, and the five way remote control makes the control more convenient. It is suitable for mobile phones below 6.5 inches, and also ensures that common mobile phone models can match.  

On the back of the packing box is an operation manual of the product.

Zhiyun Smooth II provides three modes: lock mode, follow mode and full follow mode. The differences and application scenarios will be described in detail below.  

When I opened the box, the packing was very neat. My first impression was very good.

The first feeling when I saw the stabilizer was amazing. Although I have inquired some information about Zhiyun Smooth II before, I have a deep memory of its metal body, but actually after seeing the product, I feel more refined.

List of accessories: stabilizer * 1, counterweight * 1, anti-collision sticker * 1, charging line * 1, manual and warranty card * 3.

The first feeling is still very cool. The all metal fuselage is full of texture under the main color of black. The whole fuselage is almost all metal except some parts are equipped with anti-collision stickers.

The body is rich in frosted texture, and the handle part is also designed with concave and convex contour to effectively prevent slipping.

When it comes to stability, it mainly depends on the three rotatable shafts 1, 2 and 3. Among them, 1 is the horizontal roller, which can rotate 320 °. No matter how the handle changes its direction horizontally, it can ensure that the phone does not deviate; 2 is the pitch axis, which can adjust the pitch angle of the mobile phone, and ensure that no matter how the handle changes longitudinally, the camera angle of the mobile phone remains unchanged; 3 is the heading axis, which can electrically adjust the horizontal shooting angle of the mobile phone.

The phone clip can adjust the distance freely to fit different sizes of mobile phones. In terms of details, this Zhiyun Smooth II is very carefully made, and the whole body is very smooth and tidy.

There is an adjusting screw with thread on the back of the phone clip, which can be adjusted when the phone is not vertical.  

Each part of the fuselage is designed ingeniously. For example, the five way remote control handle is designed with a groove for more comfortable control.  

There are two buttons on the side of the fuselage, one is the power on/off+remote control camera button, and the other is the key to adjust the focus. The combination of these two keys can meet almost all the needs of daily shooting. The key range is moderate and comfortable to use.  

On the other side of the body is the Micro USB interface. Unlike, for example, Zhiyun Smooth-C, Zhiyun Smooth-II can be charged directly on the machine body, which is more convenient. When you go out, you can also use the power bank to supply power without worrying about low power.  

On one side of the roller is the English LOGO of Smooth II.  

At the bottom of the handle, a standard size threaded hole is designed. With this design, it can be easily installed on peripheral devices such as a single reverse tripod, and the application scenarios will be more extensive.

The end cover at the bottom can be unscrewed, and a 3400mah lithium battery is built in.

Due to its relatively small size, it is effortless to hold it with one hand.

It can be said that in terms of appearance, the author thinks that Zhiyun Smooth - Ⅱ is very good, especially the all metal material, which makes it very comfortable to hold.

Part 3 | Use

As mentioned above, Zhiyun Smooth II has special threaded holes and can be connected to peripherals such as tripods. Therefore, the application scenarios are different.

Dynamic scene: After installing the mobile phone, you can hold it for video capture. Of course, the biggest role is to stabilize and prevent jitter. Measured, daily walking and even running can maintain a stable shooting effect.

Static scene: fixed on tripod and other equipment, such as character interview or still life video shooting, can be used.

OK， Through a group of dynamic graphs, we can see how to prevent the camera shake when the stabilizer is actually used.  

As you can see from the dynamic diagram, the performance of the stabilizer is very stable, and the stable shooting of the mobile phone can be achieved under any control.

So, how to use the three modes? The author explains the following based on his own experience:

① Lock mode: relatively free, suitable for shooting scenes with random movement and no control;

② Follow mode: relatively fixed and stable, suitable for shooting still life, and slowly adjust the heading;

③ Full follow mode: suitable for shooting dynamic scenes under command, such as shooting video clips with characters.

In addition, the product can also be controlled by mobile APP.

In contrast, APP is actually an additional function supplement, such as parameter and mode selection, which can be realized by using Smart Cloud Smooth - Ⅱ, but it is more intuitive to visualize on mobile phones. However, this time, Zhiyun Smooth - Ⅱ has realized the functions of remote photographing and focus adjustment via Bluetooth link, which is obviously more practical.

Part 4 | Real shot

OK， As mentioned above, I believe you have a good understanding of the appearance of the product and how to use it. Let's experience the shooting effect of the product through the actual video!  

From the video, we can clearly see the difference between the two. During the test, the same mobile phone was used for shooting, and the author started from the same place with the same speed and recording time.

The images are completely consistent in terms of imaging, but when we do not use Zhiyun Smooth II, the images shake severely. This is also the image that we use our mobile phones to capture videos when we run. When using Zhiyun Smooth II, it is completely comparable to the picture when shooting a movie, stable and gentle. The huge difference between the two makes the author agree with the development of science and technology!

Let's shoot a still life video.

Although the problem of shooting proficiency inevitably leads to instability, compared with direct mobile phone shooting, the effect is improved too much.

Part 5 | Summary

In general, Zhiyun Smooth II is a powerful video capture tool.

For beginners, it is particularly important to look at the instructions. It is difficult for beginners to get started with the product, so they need to thoroughly understand the use of the product and the use scenarios before they can use it skillfully.

However, the product manual is all in traditional Chinese, which has little impact but is slightly uncomfortable.

However, there are more flaws than merits. This is definitely a powerful video shooting tool that can be carried around. Especially, the excellent appearance design of the product, the built-in 18650 cell design, and the stable performance make me very satisfied. It is very practical for people who love to shoot videos. For scenes requiring team activities to shoot videos and follow photos, we can take it easy. Although it can not replace the slide car or slide rail used for professional film shooting, it has improved too much in terms of convenience and is very suitable for daily use!

Finally, thanks for the excellent products provided by Aigoji!