The Best Gimbal For Sony A6000 Camera Owners!

With the Sony A6000 being one of the most popular cameras out of the whole Sony range at the time of writing, we are constantly seeing a large number of people reaching out and asking for recommendations on the best gimbal for Sony A6000 cameras. Thankfully, the A6000 has a pretty small and lightweight camera body that allows it to be mounted to a large number of gimbals on the market right now. Although this does give you plenty of options, it also introduces some overpriced, low-quality products into the frame too.

Due to this, we have decided to try and help as many people as possible who are looking to add a gimbal to their Sony A6000 camera accessories by offering you our advice on the matter. Rather than just selecting one gimbal and saying thats the best, now off you go, we have chosen three gimbals and will be covering them in full below.

We know that people are often strapped for time so we have made a comparison table below to get the key points of our article across, additionally, we will be covering the gimbals in order below the comparison table. This makes it easy for you to read our opinion on the number one gimbal and why we feel it wins and then make your own mind up if you agree or not.

Comparison Table

Last update on 2023-11-24 / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

The Zhiyun Crane Plus

It is no secret that we are massive fans of the Zhiyun Crane Plus (Click here to check for product prices and availability) and feel that it is without a doubt one of the best buys available at the minute due to its excellent performance, low price tag, solid build quality, and modern technology. In addition to this, the Crane Plus has also managed to earn itself an excellent reputation within the community since its release onto the market making us think that a large amount of the community agrees with us too.

Although we will be going over the gimbal briefly in this article, we recently published our dedicated Zhiyun Crane Plus review that goes into great detail on the gimbal. Although our review is a long read, it leaves no stone unturned as to why we are such huge fans of it, that said though, if you are short on time, here is a short overview.

Performance And Functionality

Rather than try an reinvent the wheel with the Crane Plus, Zhiyun decided to stick with their tried and tested 3-axis gimbal design that has managed to serve them so well over the years and establish them as one of the dominant brands in the space. They have taken essentially built on all the experience they have build up over the years from the previous generations of their gimbals and taken a ton of constructive feedback on board to make sure the Crane Plus offers some of the best performance and functionality out there.

The Crane Plus is essentially the successor to the Crane v2 (Click here to check for product prices and availability) that dominated the entry-level handheld gimbal market for so long. Since the v2 was starting to show its age and DJI releasing their Ronin S (Click here to check for product prices and availability) Zhiyun knew that they had to do something.

Fast forward a few months and they had their new Crane Plus gimbal stabilizer ready to go and to make sure that they held onto the top spot of the entry-level gimbal market, they ended that it was around half the price of the DJI Ronin S while also having better battery life as well as a competitive maximum load capacity too. The gimbals battery life is listed as between 12 and 18 hours but with a light camera rig based around the Sony A6000, we would expect you to get close to the 18 hours of battery than the 12 hours of battery.

Now, if a picture paints a thousand words then a video must paint a million. The sample video footage below was recorded using a Sony A6000 and the Zhiyun Crane Plus (Click here to check for product prices and availability) for image stabilization and shows just how good it is. The video is less than a minute long and shows off the performance of the Crane Plus and A6000 very well showing you the type of quality that the gimbal is able to provide for you.

The gimbal also offers you a maximum load capacity of 5.5 pounds too. Something almost unheard of at this price point on a gimbal with the battery life the Crane Plus offers you. Now, your A6000 camera body comes in at around 1.03 pounds, although there are a large number of lenses on the market, let’s take the Sony E 50mm F1.8 as an example lens that comes in at 0.45 pounds. Finally, say you are using the Rode Video Mic Pro that comes in at around 0.19 pounds as your external microphone of choice.

This Sony A6000 camera rig gives us a total payload of 1.03 pounds + 0.45 pounds + 0.19 pounds = 1.67 pounds total weight. Now as we said, the lens has a ton of options available but with the gimbal having around 3.83 pounds payload weight spare from the example rig above, we would be shocked to see a lens that it could not support. Now back to the battery life, as over half of the available payload of the gimbal is free, this should result in the battery life swaying closer towards the 18 hour helping you stay out and about for longer.

In addition to the excellent load capacity and battery life, the crane plus also has some of the latest technology available from Zhiyun. This includes the totally overhauled point of view mode, night lapse mode, and motion memory capabilities. In addition to this, Zhiyun have pretty much redone their intelligent object tracking technology for the release of the Zhiyun Crane Plus (Click here to check for product prices and availability) and we highly recommend that you watch the video below that shows exactly what the intelligent object tracking is capable of.

In addition to all of that, the Crane Plus also has an updated algorithm to help provide you with the best image stabilization possible as well as totally overhauled gimbal motors to help back it up and deliver exactly what you need. This allows the performance of the gimbal to compare to what higher price point gimbals are able to provide you and blows all of the other gimbals around this price range at the time of writing out the water. When it comes to performance, we really can’t fault Zhiyun and feel that they have done an excellent job and kept their legacy of producing hit after hit after hit going with this latest generation.

Click Here To Check Prices And Availability!

User Interface And Control System

When it comes to the user interface on the Crane Plus, Zhiyun seems to have gone with the whole if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it approach. They have stuck with a similar style of control system as shown in the image above that allows you to quickly and easily control the majority of the functionality on the gimbal using just your thumb while using it. That said though, the joystick has been slightly updated to the ones they have used on previous gimbals to improve sensitivity and the response that it offers you.

The buttons and joystick on the handle of the Crane Plus still perform perfectly even when your hands are wet and cold too. This helps push the Crane Plus even further ahead of the older gimbals in this price range as they tended to struggle with this.

As you would expect from a modern Zhiyun gimbal, it also works seemlesley with the Zhiyun smartphone app shown in the image above. This allows you to remotely control a fair amount of the functionality on the gimbal as well as tweak its performance quickly when required. As you saw in the video above on the intelligent object tracking capabilities of the gimbal, the smartphone app plays a key role in the efficiency of that tech too.

Click Here To Check Prices And Availability!

Build Quality And Design

Coming from a company as experiences with gimbals as Zhiyun, you can rest assured that the Crane Plus has one of the best designs going with the build quality to match. They have taken everything they have learned from their other gimbal units and produced one of the best gimbals for money available on the market. The design of the Crane Plus is flawless in our opinion and the build quality is not only robust but it is also pretty lightweight too considering what the gimbal is able to provide for you.

As anyone who has previously used a gimbal will be able to confirm, a heavy gimbal can be a total nightmare as your arm not only has to support the weight of your camera rig but also the weight of your gimbal of choice. With the Crane Plus coming in at around 6.5 we would imagine that most of our readers would be able to use it for extended periods of time without having an issue.

That said, if you do find yourself starting to struggle when using the gimbal with your camera rig mounted on it, you are able to pick up a decent quality dual handle grip (Click here to check for product prices and availability) pretty cheaply these days. This will allow you to easily support the weight of the gimbal using both of your hands rather than just one to help reduce the chances of aches and pains setting in when working.

Our Verdict

We have no doubt in our mind that the Crane Plus is going to be able to provide all the image stabilization your Sony A6000 could ever need to help improve the image quality that you are able to capture when using your camera. It has plenty of payload weight leftover and can also support the majority of popular DSLR camera rigs on the market right now too so the gimbal is also future proof if you decide to upgrade from your A6000. We feel that the gimbal will make a great addition to the camera accessories of any Sony A6000 owner and will help to take your video footage to the next level.

Click Here To Check Prices And Availability! 

Click Here To Read Independent Reviews!

The DJI Ronin S

Performance And Functionality

When it comes to handheld gimbals the 7.94 pound payload that the Ronin S offers is pretty much top of the pile second only to the Zhiyun Crane 3 (Click here to check for product prices and availability) with its 10.14 pound payload at the time of writing. Although the 12 hour battery life seems pretty decent, this is the maximum listed battery life for the gimbal and you are more likely to get between 8 and 12 hours.

As we mentioned earlier in the article, the Sony A6000 is such a lightweight camera that we would expect you to get close to the 12 hour mark due to it taking up so little payload. Additionally, the Ronin S is also packed with modern technology to offer the best performance possible for you. As DJI is the main competitor to Zhiyun, they are always trying to innovate their products to try and increase their market share over Zhiyun.

The video below shows some sample footage that was recorded using the DJI Ronin S 3-axis gimbal. It gives a good example of what it can provide you when using it for your videography and gives a solid example of the image stabilization it can provide.

As this is not our recommended gimbal for the Sony A6000, we will not be going into any more detail for the performance of the gimbal to try and reduce the time it takes to read the sections for the gimbals that we are not recommending.

Click Here To Check Prices And Availability!

User Interface And Control System

As you would expect for a gimbal coming from DJI, especially at this price tag, the Ronin S has an excellent control system that is very easy to use and it allows you to control all of the key functions of the gimbal easily. You are able to quickly and easily tweak the performance of the gimbal while using it allowing you to ensure that it is providing you with optimal performance no matter what situation you find yourself in.

Just like Zhiyun, DJI also has a smartphone app available too that offers some wireless control over the Ronin S. The app is well put together and does a solid job of allowing you to quickly and easily tweak some settings on the gimbal too. If you own any other DJI products outside of their gimbal range then there is also a good chance the app will provide some additional functionality for them too.

Build Quality And Design

DJI has managed to rightfully earn themselves a reputation for providing products with some of the best build quality available in their price range and the Ronin S is no different. Its build quality is excellent and you can tell that everything has been thought out and planned to ensure that it all works seemlesley together without a hitch. The handle has also been improved when compared to the handle on some of the other DJI gimbals to increase the comfort level when holding it in your hand.

The Ronin S is around the same weight as the Crane Plus making it pretty lightweight for use with a mirrorless camera like the Sony A6000 but you have to remember that the Ronin S has a massive payload available too. Many of the other gimbal stabilizers that offer a payload of 7 pounds of greater are pretty heavy. If you are planning to ditch your a6000 and pick up a heavier DSLR then this will play into the favor of the Ronin S as the overall weight of the rig you have to hold in your hand will be lighter.

Our Verdict

As we mentioned, we have no doubt at all that the DJI Ronin S is an excellent quality gimbal. It can help improve your image quality by providing you with some excellent image stabilization and could make an excellent addition to anyone’s camera accessories, especially if they are planning to mount a camera heavier than the Sony A6000 to it. That said though, we can’t justify the additional price tag of the Ronin S over the Crane Plus for the payload capacity that the A6000 just won’t ever need.

Click Here To Check Prices And Availability! 

Click Here To Read Independent Reviews!

The Feiyutech AK2000

The final gimbal that we are going to be touching on in our article is the Feiyutech AK2000 (Click here to check for product prices and availability). Although Feiyutech has come on leaps and bounds with the AK2000 compared to the A2000, we feel that the gimbal has too many issues to be competitive. Although it looks like a solid gimbal on paper due to its specs, it just feels clunky and with too many problems when compared to both the Crane Plus and the Ronin S. You can read out dedicated Feiyutech AK2000 review where we go into much more depth about the problems the gimbal has if you would like to know more.

Although the Feiyutech AK2000 has a ton of possitive reviews from the community most of them are from before the Crane Plus and Ronin S were widely available on the market as they quickly took the market share of the AK2000. As we mentioned in our comparison table, we feel that the AK2000 could be more competitive if it received a price reduction but until then, it is stuck in third place when it comes to using it with the Sony A6000.

Performance And Functionality

We know that Feiyutech does not have the same research and development or marketing budgets as DJI and Zhiyun so they are always left fighting an uphill battle to try and prove themselves. That said, if the improvements from their a1000 to their ak2000 gimbal stabilizer is anything to go by, we really do think that Feiyutech is going to be a force to be reckoned with in the future. Unfortunately for Feiyutech though, at the time of writing at least, their time is not yet here.

Although the ak2000 supports a higher payload than the Crane Plus, the whole system just feels a little clunky when it comes to actually getting out there and using the gimbal. The ak2000 also has the same battery life as the Ronin S as well as the lowest price tag out of all three gimbals but the Crane Plus is so close to it when it comes to price we feel it is a no brainer to go with the Zhiyun gimbal instead.

The sample video below shows an example of some cinematic video footage captured using the ak2000 3-axis gimbal with a Sony A6000 mounted on it. We feel that it gives you a solid demonstration of exactly what the Feiyutech ak2000 can potentially offer you and is less than a minute long so is worth watching in our opinion.

As you can see, the gimbal performs well enough and it can definatley provide you with some smooth image stabilization but we just feel that it let down in other areas. On top of this, the Feiyutech gimbal also does not offer some of the advanced programming features that the other two gimbals can provide you like the advanced tracking and programmable modes. We feel that this just sets it further back when it comes to its performance and the functionality that it could potentially provide your a6000.

Click Here To Check Prices And Availability!

User Interface And Control System

One area where the AK2000 does stand strong is in its control system that is very easy to get to grips with an operate effectively. We actually love the magic ring feature shown to the left of the LCD panel in the image above and wouldn’t be surprised if other gimbal brands ripped it off or tried to incorporate their own versions into their gimbals. Just like the Zhiyun and DJI gimbals, Feiyutech has ensured that the ak2000 would be very easy for someone new to using a gimbal to pick up and use off the bat without having to waste time watching tutorials on how to set the gimbal up.

Although the Feiyutech smartphone app did initially have some problems when it was first released, it has since been patched and provides you with some wireless remote control potential for the gimbal. As you can see in the image above, it is pretty similar to the other smartphone apps on the market use by other brands right now and is very easy to use. It also allows you to quickly and easily calibrate the gimbal when needed as well as tweak some settings on the fly.

Build Quality And Design

The design of the ak2000 is very similar to the other two gimbals too with it following the standard 3 axis handheld gimbal design. Realistically, at this point in the game, there really is not much we can think of that companies are able to innovate when it comes to its design other than increasing the comfort level of the gimbal when in use. The build quality of the ak2000 is also solid, especially when you factor in how cheap it is but it is heavier than the other two gimbals on our list as well as a little bit larger. If you are planning to travel with your Sony a6000 and your gimbal this may lead to some issues when it comes to space in your luggage.

Our Verdict

Although the Feiyutech ak2000 is a pretty solid gimbal stabilizer, we just feel that the Zhiyun Crane Plus is a better option for your Sony A6000. At the time of writing, we are unable to think of any real reason that you would add the ak2000 to your camera accessories over the Crane plus. Even though the ak2000 is a little cheaper than the Crane Plus, we would just recommend you save that little bit extra as its only around $50 and just pick up the Crane Plus when you have the additional money.

Since publishing this article we have also published our Zhiyun Crane Plus v The Feiyutech AK2000 post where we go into a little more detail on how the Crane Plus is a better option than the AK2000. That said though, we hope that we have said enough in this post to get our point across about the AK2000 though.

Click Here To Check Prices And Availability! 

Click Here To Read Independent Reviews!

Wrapping It Up

That brings our article on what we feel is the best gimbal for Sony A6000 cameras currently available on the market to a close. We hope that you feel that we have done a good job of explaining the differences between the three gimbals that we choose to feature in the article and that you feel like you are now in a better position to choose your new gimbal for your a6000.

Although the a6000 is probably the most popular mirrorless camera at the time of writing, many people have multiple cameras in their collection. If this is the case for you, it may be worth checking out our guide on gimbals for mirrorless cameras where we put five gimbals head to head to each other.