The Best Gimbal For Nikon D810 Cameras!

Over the last few months, we have noticed a distinct increase in the number of people reaching out for advice on the best gimbal for Nikon d810 cameras so we have decided to publish this article to help any of our readers in this same situation. We are fully aware that the d810 has a hefty price tag as well as a hefty bodyweight to match and this can make some people question what gimbals they should be considering for their camera.

Thankfully, there are some great heavy lifting gimbal stabilizers on the market these days and even though your Nikon d810 camera body alone comes in at around 2.16 pounds, we have settled on three gimbals that we wanted to feature and recommend to our readers. Each of the three gimbals have their own strengths when used with the d810 but they all have great reputations within the community.

We have made a short, quick and easy to read comparison table below that goes over the basics of each of the gimbals. Below that we also have a short description of each of the gimbals and in what situation we feel that they are best suited for use with your Nikon d810. After that, if you have the time available, we have a deep dive into each of the gimbals where we go into much more detail on each of them and why we feel they are solid options.

Comparison Table

Last update on 2022-05-29 / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

As you can see, what we consider to be the undisputed king of DSLR camera gimbals at the time of writing, the DJI Ronin S is our primary recommendation for use with your Nikon d810. In our opinion, it is a great bit of kit and its versatility make it a great gimbal for use in a massive number of situations. When it comes to a general-purpose handheld gimbal for a heavy DSLR like your d810 we feel that nothing even comes close.

Next up, we have the Zhiyun Crane 3 that many people always seem to presume will be our primary recommendation. Now, the Crane 3 is an excellent gimbal that offers some great image stabilization for heavy camera rigs but its price tag is its main let down. We see no reason to purchase such an expensive gimbal for your d810 unless you know for a fact you need the additional payload capacity that it can offer you otherwise you are better off saving your cash and getting the .

The final gimbal that we have decided to feature is the Moza Air 3 and although we feel that it is a solid little gimbal unit, it is more of a budget-friendly version of the Ronin S in our opinion, especially for a professional level videographer. Although it can perform well, its lower price tag also means lower levels of performance so we included it as our budget option. That said though, if you can afford the then it is a better option in our opinion.

The DJI Ronin S

Now, when it comes to DSLR gimbals, many have come and many have gone but the DJI Ronin S has not only remained but it has remained in the top spot of the DSLR gimbal market pretty much since it was released onto the market. DJI really have managed to knock out an excellent gimbal stabilizer that we feel will suit your Nikon d810 well and meet all of your image stabilization needs.

With its great performance, outstanding build quality, fair price tag, and well deserved reputation within the community it is not surprising that we are such big fans of the gimbal. As you can see from its reputation, it would seem the majority of videographers who have given the Ronin S a try also agree with us too. It is a great general purpose handheld gimbal stabilizer that we feel should be able to meet the majority of your needs.

Performance And Functionality

Although the Nikon d810 is a heavy DSLR camera unit with its camera body alone coming in at 2.16 pounds with no accessories mounted on it, we are confident that the 7.94-pound maximum load capacity of the Ronin S will still be able to meet the majority of your needs. The spare 5.78 pounds of available payload weight can be used for pretty much any combination of lenses, microphones, video lights, and other accessories that you may need during your videography sessions.

Additionally, in the highly likely event that your d810 setup will take up a large amount of the available load capacity on the Ronin S, it is still likely to provide you with around twelve hours of battery life. This should be more than enough for you to get all the super smooth video footage that you need between chances to recharge the gimbal back to full.

Speaking of recharging the Ronin S, it can be taken from empty to full in just over two hours when plugged into a mains power outlet. In addition to this, some power banks are powerful enough to charge the gimbal for you while out and about too. If you know that you will be away from a power outlet for an extended period of time then the power bank charging option can come in really handy.

Now, the cinematic sample video footage in the clips above was recorded on a Sony A7II, not a Nikon d810 but it offers a great insight into exactly what the DJI Ronin S handheld gimbal stabilizers is able to provide for you. You can see how effortless the image stabilization of the gimbal is and it does a great job of improving the overall image quality of the clips as the image stabilization helps to provide that professional look.

Although a few years back, Glidecams did used to have an advantage when it came to the panning left and right and gimbals used to have the overall advantage when it came to image stabilization, times have changed and modern 3 axis gimbals dominate both aspects. The various gimbal modes on these modern gimbal stabilizers are able to duplicate that natural panning feel that the Glidecams provide while still ensuring the best possible image stabilization.

Click Here To Check Prices And Availability!

User Interface And Control System

If you own a Nikon d810 then we doubt that this is your first gimbal but if it is, the control system for the Ronin S shown in the image above is very straight forward and easy to pick up. You can pretty much take the gimbal right out the box and start to use it without issue and capture some great smooth video footage.

Now, if you are using an expensive DSLR like the d810 then there is a good chance that you have been around the block a few times and that you are familiar with how to control a gimbal. The Ronin S uses the same system as most other modern gimbal stabilizers on the market right now making it very easy to an old hand to pick up and get the most out of it.

Additionally, the joystick on the Ronin S is very responsive to your touch, even if your thumb is cold or wet. This ensures that you have maximum control over the gimbal at all times in all conditions too.

The DJI Smartphone App

The DJI smartphone app is without a doubt the most reliable gimbal app currently available. Not only does it look and feel professional to use but it really is very easy to sync up with your gimbal unlike some apps from competitors. In addition to this, once the app and your gimbal are paired up, they are unlikely to drop the connection randomly like some other apps.

Once you are using the app, the navigation menu is clean and easy to follow allowing you to easily get used to where everything is and how you are able to quickly and easily tweak the settings of your gimbal at the touch of a button. This ensures that no matter the situation, you are always able to tweak the performance of your Ronin S to meet the needs of your specific session within seconds.

Build Quality And Design

As you can probably guess, coming from a brand as well known as DJI, the Ronin S has one of the best build quality going. Not only is the gimbal a robust and tough bit of kit but it is also surprisingly lightweight when you take into account the payload and battery life it can support. Additionally, the handle of the Ronin S is also very comfortable and we would imagine that many of our users would be able to hold it for any long recording sessions, even with a heavier Nikon d810 rig mounted on it without having their hand or arm cramp up.

The design of the Ronin S really is second to none in our opinion, it looks as professional as you would expect coming from DJI while also being very functional. Just like the DJI drone range, the Ronin S has been designed to hide any ugly features that support its functionality so it looks as sleek and cool as possible.

Our Verdict

It is not surprising to us that the Ronin S is held in such high regard by the community. It just ticks so many boxes, even for a heavy DSLR like your Nikon d810. We have no doubt that even with some heavier camera setups, the Ronin S will be able to provide the image stabilization that you require for your rig and help you get the best image quality possible. All in all, we feel it will make a great addition to your collection of camera accessories.

Click Here To Check Prices And Availability! 

Click Here To Read Independent Reviews!

The Zhiyun Crane 3

The next option that we delected is the Zhiyun Crane 3 probably on of the most popular handheld gimbal stabilizers for Nikon d810 owners and if you have the budget available then it really is an excellent addition to your collection of camera accessories. If you know for a fact that you will be using some super heavy camera setups with your d810 then this is without a doubt the gimbal that you want and there is no two ways about it.

Although it has not been available on the market for long at the time of writing, it has quickly managed to earn itself a well deserved reputation within the community. With the great performance of the Crane 3 and its absolutely massive maximum load capacity, we would not be surprised if its reputation just keeps on growing over time just like the previous generations of gimbals from Zhiyun have.

In our opinion, the only reason that this does not take the top spot when it comes to the best gimbal for Nikon d810 cameras is its high price tag when the Ronin S can offer something very similar at a much lower price.

Performance And Functionality

As you probably saw in our comparison table back at the top of the article, the Crane 3 can support camera payloads of up to 10,14 pounds! This is absolutely massive and to our knowledge, at the time of writing, it is the largest payload capacity of any handheld gimbal stabilizer available right now. Everything about the Crane 3 has been built around you being able to get the most out of it when it is supporting these massive payloads.

Even if you do keep your Nikon d810 in a heavy camera cage and mount a bunch of heavy camera accessories to it during use, we are confident that the Crane Plus will have all the load capacity you could ever need. On top of this, the 3 axis gimbal also has the latest gimbal motors from Zhiyun to ensure that it is quick and smooth even when supporting these massive payloads.

That said, the Crane 3 does only have a seven and a half battery life. Now, we say “only” as by modern gimbal standards, twelve hours seems to be the absolute minimum that manufacturers will go for but Zhiyun have gone with seven and a half on the Crane 3. Still, we would imagine that this should be plenty for the vast majority of sessions and the less payload capacity that you take up, the longer the battery life of the gimbal will last.

The vlog above has been recorded using the Zhiyun Crane 3 and you can see how smooth the samples of video footage from the gimbal are. It makes light work of everything the user threw at it to produce the best image quality possible for the video. If you are an established videographer and you have paying clients who demand the very best and you have the budget available then the Crane 3 may be worth taking a more detailed look at.

Click Here To Check Prices And Availability!

User Interface And Control System

Unlike Zhiyuns previous generations of handheld gimbals, the Crane 3 uses a totally different system that has been specifically produced for the Crane 3 and its two handle design. The main control system shown in the image above is located on the top handle and offers you a surprising amount of control over what the gimbal is able to do.

The secondary control system on the gimbal is located on the bottom handle and is essentially just the joystick control for the gimbal when used in manual mode or when you need to use the joystick to select an option. Although some people have commented saying that they found this split control system on the Crane 3 confusing at first, it does seem that most people get used to it quickly and end up preferring this layout in the end.

Smartphone App

The Zhiyun is nothing compared to what the DJI app offers and in all honesty, it’s going to need an absolute ton of work even just to be close to the level of the DJI app. Not only does the Zhiyun smartphone app have connectivity issues, but the navigation menu is also confusing and it will sometimes not actually send your updated settings to your gimbal.

People have been saying that Zhiyun are overhauling their smartphone app for a few months now and we have no idea if this is true. That said though, you never know and by the time you are reading this, they may have pushed an update to their app live that corrects all these annoying issues.

Build Quality And Design

Like we said, everything on the Crane 3 is based around you being able to use heavier camera rigs with it as easily as possible. With a DSLR as heavy as the Nikon d810, this is ideal and the camera payload and gimbal weight can actually end up getting pretty high for some professional-level videography sessions.

The native two-handed system allows you easily support the weight of the rig with both hands and the new user interface control system ensures that you are still able to control the gimbal as required no matter the situation. Additionally, the two-handed design ensures that you are able to operate the gimbal with your d810 rig mounted on it for long periods of time without getting aches or cramps too.

Our Verdict

As we said, the Crane 3 is a no brainer if you know for a fact that you will need its ten-pound load capacity with your Nikon d810 setup. The image stabilization that the gimbal is able to provide you with when using a heavy setup really is second to none and you can definatley tell in your final image quality. That said, the Crane 3 is very expensive and the Ronin S is able to offer very similar levels of performance provided your Nikon d810 setup will be within its load capacity range.

Click Here To Check Prices And Availability! 

Click Here To Read Independent Reviews!

The Moza Air 3

The final featured gimbal for Nikon d810 cameras is the Moza Air 3 and in all honesty, we were actually in two minds about additing it to this article or not as it is more of a budget friendly gimbal option. If you are using a camera like the d810 then chances are, you have the budget available for a primary gimbal like the or the Zhiyun Crane 3. That said, we have seen people complaining in the past due to some of our articles not having a budget option so we decided to include the Air 3 in the article.

Anyway, considering its lower price point, it can pretty much be viewed as a more budget-friendly of the Ronin S. With its lower price tag comes a slightly lower level of performance, build quality, and design. That said, the Air 3 definatley has a niche in the market and a sizable userbase that have given it a pretty solid reputation within the community. That said, many of the people who do choose the Air 3 are using it with lower-level DSLR or mirrorless camera rigs.

That said, we will just be brushing over the Air 3 as quickly as possible as we would recommend any of the other two gimbals featured in the article over this one for a camera like the Nikon d810.

Performance And Functionality

The maximum load capacity that the Air 3 is able to support is 7.1 pounds of payload and with your Nikon d810 with out accessories taking up almost a third of the gimbals total payload, you may have to ensure you only use lightweight camera setups with the Air 3. The Air 3 can also have some slight yet noticeable issues when you pan the gimbal too that the Ronin S does not have. If you are looking for a gimbal for professional level, paid client work then the Ronin S would be the way to go.

When rigged up, the Air 3 is able to provide you with up to twelve hours of battery life and in all fairness to Moza, the gimbal actually does a solid job of getting close to the twelve-hour mark no matter what you mount on it.

Click Here To Check Prices And Availability!

User Interface And Control System

The user interface is very similar to what the Ronin S and the older generations of Zhiyuns range use and it is very easy to use. If you are moving over from a different gimbal brand or you are brand new to using gimbals then the control system for the Air 3 will not take long to use and it offers a decent level of customization too.

Smartphone App

In our opinion, out of all the major gimbal brands with decent products in the market right now, Moza is the only other company after DJI who have a decent smartphone app. Although its navigation menu can take a little getting used to, everything else on the app is pretty solid and gets the job done requiring minimal effort on your part.

Build Quality And Design

Like we said at the start of this section of the article, the Air 3 is basically a more budget-friendly of the Ronin S and its build quality and design reflect this. That said, we want to clarify that we are NOT saying that the build quality of this gimbal is cheap by any standards. In out opinion Moza has done a great job of putting the Air 3 together but they simply don’t have the budget of DJI available to them.

Our Verdict

Like we said, the Air 3 can be a great addition to your camera accessories if you are on a tight budget and need a source of image stabilization. In our opinion though, you would be much better off if you just kept saving until you could afford the DJI Ronin S instead as we feel it will provide a better image quality for you Nikon d810.

Click Here To Check Prices And Availability! 

Click Here To Read Independent Reviews!

Wrapping It Up

Well, that brings our article on what we feel is the best gimbal for Nikon d810 cameras to a close. We hope that you can see why we have decided to feature each of the three gimbals and that you feel that we have done a good job of explaining the specific niches where each should be chosen. We just want to quickly mention our ultimate DSLR Gimbal guide that pits five of the top gimbals against each other for the title of best DSLR gimbal.