The Ultimate Evo SS Gimbal Review!
So if you are one of our regular readers you will know that we are massive fans of the Evo SS gimbal and it is our go-to recommended wearable gimbal for anyone wanting to pick up a solid source of image stabilization for their action camera. It has an excellent build quality, offers some great performance, is extremely easy to use, and at the time of writing, is around $100 cheaper than the second-best wearable gimbal on the market, the Zhiyun Rider M. In addition to this, since its release onto the market, the Evo SS gimbal has managed to build up a pretty solid reputation within the community that is steadily growing.
If you are a part of the extreme or action sports community and are looking for a robust wearable gimbal to capture your sport with the best image quality possible without having to break the bank, the Evo SS is an excellent choice. Although the gimbal stabilizer has been specifically designed for use with the GoPro action camera range, there are plenty of cheap GoPro alternative action cameras on the market that essentially duplicate the GoPro design. Due to this, there are a number of cheaper action cameras that will fit in the Evo SS mounting grip but for optimal image quality, we would always recommend that you use a GoPro with the gimbal.
One thing that we would like to point out at the start of the article is that the Evo SS did have some major problems on launch and some of the earlier reviews of the gimbal were negative due to the issues it had. Thankfully though, Evo was quick to identify the cause of the vibrations on the gimbal and push out a free firmware update to correct the problem. If you do choose to purchase the Evo SS we would highly recommend that you update the firmware on the gimbal to the latest version as soon as possible for the best performance possible.
Performance And Functionality
Another solid feature of the gimbal that has a direct effect on its performance is the five-hour maximum battery life too. The majority of compeating wearable gimbals on the market right now usually only have a battery life of three hours or less per charge of their batteries. Evo have managed to add on another two hours to the average without having to add any additional size or weight to the actual gimbal unit. In addition to this, you are also able to charge the Evo SS back to full in as little as only two hours minimizing any potential downtime.
As we would expect many of the people who read this to be from the action sport side of things rather than the videography side of things, we just want to mention how the additional two hours or battery life may not sound like much but it really does help. You are able to keep recording your video footage while you are out doing your action sport of choice without running out of battery and potentially missing the best parts.
A tip that we have seen people implement but have not tried ourselves yet is to pack a USB power bank in your backpack while you head out for your sport. Then when you are taking a break or having some food you top up the Evo SS using the USB power bank to help extend the battery life indefinitely. If you know that you will be out on a session for hours at a time then this can be a nice little thing to try to help ensure that both your GoPro and gimbal have the juice required to keep going for as long as you need.
The 3 axis gimbal system used on the Evo SS also ensures that it is as quick and easy to use as possible. We know that the vast majority of our people reading this article will likley be purchasing their very first gimbal and have zero experience in the area. Thankfully, Evo have ensured that the SS is as easy to use as possible and that it is essentially a plug and play gimbal that you can take out of the box and get using within minutes.
The balancing algorithm on the gimbal as well as the gimbal motors are also excellent, especially when you consider that the SS is around $100 cheaper than the next best gimbal at the time of writing. The default shipping config on the SS will also be able to meet the requirements of the vast majority of people and provide you with some great image stabilization right out the box, even over rough terrain without the need to spend hours customizing the gimbals configuration.
All in all, Evo have done an excellent job when it comes to delivering the best possible performance in their gimbal for the lowest possible price tag. They really have set the bar for the competition and to date, no compeating gimbal brand has managed to beat the Evo SS in our opinion.
User Interface And Control System
If you are considering purchasing your very first wearable gimbal and have no prior experience with gimbals then the Evo SS is a great option. Its system is so easy that anyone should be able to get the gimbal working within minutes of taking it out of the package. This ensures that you don’t have to waste your time learning how to optimize the gimbal for your sport of choice and can just get right out there and do what you enjoy while capturing your adventures in the best possible image quality.
Smartphone App
At the end of the day, Evo has put together a solid little smartphone app but in reality, the majority of people who will be looking to use the Evo SS as a way to capture their adventures in extreme sports really don’t need it. It is more of an accessory for the professional level videographer using their handheld gimbals for videography jobs so if you want to, you can easily avoid downloading the app to your smartphone.
Build Quality And Design
As the majority of people who as a wearable gimbal to their collection of camera accessories usually pick the gimbal up to use it with an extreme sport, the robust nature of the Evo SS is an excellent feature of the gimbal. It ensures that you are able to use it and if, for whatever reason, the gimbal does end up taking a few bumps and knocks during use, it comes out the other side as strong as ever without damage. The vast majority of accessories that you use during extreme sports are likely to end up being knocks around during use no matter how careful you are so it is good to know that your SS gimbal won’t be breaking into pieces the first tumble you take.
Moving onto the actual design of the gimbal, there really is very little difference between all of the different wearable gimbals at the time of writing. The vast majority of the manufacturers producting gimbals like the Evo SS all use a very similar design as it is small and compact while offering some excellent performance capabilities while also being very easy to use. We doubt that this will change any time soon in all honesty and can expect the next few generations of wearable gimbals to all follow the same basic design.
FAQs
Question – Can you mount a Smartphone on the Evo SS?
Answer – Although there are some third-party accessories that do allow you to mount a smartphone to some wearable gimbals, we would not recommend this with the Evo SS. It has been specifically designed to work with action cameras that are either from the GoPro range or match their dimensions. Mounting a large smartphone to it would definatley restrict its range of motion and have a negative effect on the image quality that the gimbal is able to provide for you.
Question – What size mounting thread does the Evo SS use?
Answer – It comes with the industry-standard quarter-inch mounting thread ensuring that the gimbal stabilizer will mount to the majority of accessories for wearable gimbals such as helmet mounts, chest harnesses, and handlebar mounts.
Question – Is the Evo SS waterproof?
Answer – No, and at the time of writing, no wearable gimbals are waterproof. Although the Evo SS is advertised as splash-proof, we would not recommend that you use the gimbal in anything other than moderate rainfall and even then ensure that you dry it off as soon as possible.
Our Verdict
That brings our Evo SS gimbal review to a close and as we mentioned back at the start of the article, we are huge fans of this great little stabilizer. We have no doubt in our mind that it can make a great addition to your collection of action camera accessories and that it will also be able to provide you with some excellent image stabilization to improve you image quality. Additionally, due to the Evo SS being a very popular wearable gimbal, a large number of people who own it have also posted their own independent reviews of the gimbal online that you can read if you wish.