The Ultimate Feiyutech Vimble 2 Review!
As the image quality that smartphone cameras are able to record improves at an exponential rate, we are seeing more and more people start to use their smartphone for their vlogging and entry-level videography video footage. Due to this, we have also started to see a large increase in the number of people reaching out with various questions about how they are able to ensure that they are capturing the best possible image quality with their smartphone during their sessions.
Over the last few weeks, we have noticed a consistent number of people specifically reaching out about the Feiyutech Vimble 2 that at the time of writing at least, is the flagship of the Feiyutech smartphone gimbal range. Now, although the recent Feiyutech AK range for mirrorless and DSLR cameras has been plagued with issues from the get-go, their Vimble stabilizers are actually pretty solid.
Due to this, we have decided to publish our own dedicated Feiyutech Vimble 2 review to try and help any of our readers who are considering adding it to their collection of smartphone camera accessories. Now, although the Feiyutech Vimble 2 is a decent entry-level handheld gimbal stabilizer for smartphones that has earned a decent reputation for itself within the community there are better options available.
In our opinion, the Zhiyun Smooth 4 is without a doubt the best smartphone gimbal available at the time of writing and it absolutely blows the Feiyutech Vimble 2 out the water. Since its release, the Smooth 4 has quickly gone from strength to strength to cement itself as the dominant smartphone 3 axis gimbal with an excellent reputation.
On the flip side of this though, at the time of writing and depending on the vendor, the Smooth 4 is around $40 more than the Vimble 2. This means that the Vimble 2 does have its place in the market as a more budget-friendly smartphone gimbal but if you are wanting the best image quality possible and have the budget available, the Zhiyun Smooth 4 is the gimbal to go with.
As we feel that the Vimble 2 does have a place in today’s market and that we are consistently seeing people reach out about it, we are still going to be going over our full Feiyutech Vimble 2 review below. Even though the Smooth 4 is the king of the smartphone gimbals, the Vimble 2 is a solid option for anyone on a strict budget or someone looking to pick up a stabilizer as more of a hobby project than something serious.
Performance And Functionality
Additionally, the 0.46-pound maximum load capacity ensures that you are also able to use a high-quality smartphone lens with your device while recording your video footage to get the best image quality possible. Additionally, although it is not the primary purpose of the gimbal, you are also able to use a third-party action camera adaptor plate to allow you to mount an action camera to it if required also.
One of the main letdowns of the Vimble 2 is its maximum battery life that can provide you with around six hours of battery with every charge. Now, considering that this is a budget-friendly, entry-level smartphone gimbal, we would imagine that six hours could be enough to meet the needs of a large portion of our readers who are considering purchasing the gimbal.
If you know that you will require a longer battery life then you have two options. You can either go with the Zhiyun Smooth 4 over the Vimble 2 or you can pick up a high capacity USB power bank. More and more vloggers and videographers are taking to adding a power bank to their camera accessories anyway as it allows you to top up all of your devices in your downtime and keep going for as long as needed.
As the battery on the Vimble 2 is so small, it can be recharged via a regular power outlet on the wall in around two hours. If you do decide to invest in a USB power supply then the recharging time is going to depend more on the power output of the power bank as there is a wide variety of products on the market these days.
That said though, you can see a slight lag at times as well as a slight overcompensation for movement but for this price point in the market, we feel that this is to be expected. If you do want the best possible image stabilization then you can look at spending around $40 more on the Zhiyun Smooth 4 and get professional level gimbal stabilization for your smartphone.
Although the Vimble 2 is a smartphone gimbal, it actually has a solid balancing algorithm in it that is able to quickly detect movement ensuring that the gimbal motors are quick to respond to even rapid changes. As we mentioned above though, sometimes the balancing algorithm on the Vimble 2 does tend to over predict for some reason and overcompensate on the stabilization.
This kind of results in a reverse vibration and a strange movement of the gimbal head. That said though, we doubt most people will really see it, it’s just when you spend so much time looking at professional level gimbal footage, things like that tend to stick out and be easy to pick up for videographers or high-level vloggers.
All in all though, we are not surprised that the Feiyutech Vimble 2 is as popular as it is amongst the community. For its price point in the market, it offers some solid performance and functionality and it is easy to see why people who use the Vimble 2 as their go-to handheld gimbal stabilizer have posted some glowing reviews for it.
User Interface And Control System
We would imagine that the vast majority of people thinking of purchasing the Vimble 2 just want a cheap gimbal that is as easy to use as possible that also has the ability to provide you with some solid image stabilization. If this is you, then the Feiyutech Vimble 2 is perfect as it ticks all boxes.
We are confident in saying that the majority of our readers won’t have any issues with the system and should be able to take the gimbal out of the box and get to grips with it quickly without having to waste hours learning it. The system is based on the standard handheld gimbal interface of a joystick and a few buttons and is a variant of the same system the majority of other handheld units use these days.
Considering the price point of the gimbal, the joystick on it is actually surprisingly responsive to touch offering some great control of the gimbal head during use. This ensures that you are able to accurately control the gimbal head with your smartphone mounted to it while in manual mode to capture the exact subject in frame as desired.
Smartphone App
At the time of writing, the app is in need of a major overhaul and due to the large number of issues that the Feiyutech AK gimbal range is having right now, we doubt that redoing their smartphone app is going to be a high priority on their to-do list. Download it and give it a try if you like, by the time you read this it may have been fixed but we aren’t going to hold our breath for it to be overhauled any time soon.
Build Quality And Design
This allows you to extend the gimbal to its maximum distance and capture selfies with large amounts of the background in frame. You are then able to collapse the body of the gimbal down and use it as a traditional handheld gimbal stabilizer with ease. Although this is just a small tweak, it actually works wonders when it comes to the entry-level smartphone gimbal market and pushes the Vimble 2 to the top of the pile.
Although common in the higher price point models, the Vimble 2 also offers a quick and easy way to smoothly rotate the head of the gimbal between both portrait and landscape modes as required. If you are a vlogger or social media influencer this is a great little feature for an entry-level gimbal. This is due to YouTube videos being better in landscape whereas Instagram videos tend to be better when recorded in portrait. Being able to quickly and easily switch between the two allows you to capture optimal footage for both platforms within seconds of each other and helps to save you time.
The actual build quality of the gimbal is solid for its price point in the market and considering the cheap price tag of the Vimble 2, it is very robust although a little heavy. That said, we would imagine that the vast majority of our readers will be able to carry the gimbal with them without issue or even noticing the additional weight in some cases.
The final great feature of the Vimble 2 when it comes to build quality is the handle grip on the gimbal. Not only is it comfortable but it is also fixed in place and we really wish they had used a similar handle grip on their AK2000 as its handle grip is causing a number of problems for its users. Thankfully, this is not an issue for the Vimble 2 and the grip is very comfortable, easy to grip and we can’t see you having any issues with it during use.
Our Verdict
That brings our dedicated Feiyutech Vimble 2 review to a close and if you are on a tight budget or aren’t too fussed about wanting the best image quality possible from your smartphone, the Feiyutech Vimble 2 is a solid little gimbal. It has a decent reputation amongst the community that is still steadily growing and can be a nice budget-friendly addition to your smartphone camera accessories.
That said though, if you want the best video footage possible out of your smartphone then the obvious choice is to go with the Zhiyun Smooth 4 over the Feiyutech Vimble 2 as it is just so much better in every single way. It offers superior performance and does not cost much more than the Vimble 2 and it is easy to see why so many people have posted excellent reviews for the Smooth 4 since its release.
