The Best Gimbal For Panasonic G80 Cameras!

We have noticed a steady increase in the number of people that we have seen reaching out about the best gimbal for Panasonic G80 cameras over the last few weeks so we have decided to publish this dedicated article to help any of our readers who own the G80 and are looking to add a gimbal stabilizer to their collection of camera accessories. Thankfully over the last few months both Zhiyun and DJI have released their latest mirrorless camera gimbals onto the market that are great for the G80.

Additionally, as the Panasonic G80 camera body is only around 1.1 pounds in weight, these latest generation gimbals ensure that they are able to easily support the weight of your camera as well as pretty much any accessory setup that you can think of. This lets you get very creative with your G80 setup while still getting the excellent, high-quality image stabilization that a modern handheld gimbal is able to provide for you.

We know that we tend to have two main types of readers. The first want a quick and easy answer due to them being short on time and having to get on with their busy lives. To try and help this group of our readers, we have our comparison table that goes over the main points of the gimbals we recommend for use with the Panasonic G80. The second type of reader that we get is the ones who want to know everything there is to know about our recommendations so we have covered each gimbal in more depth below the comparison table section of the article.

Comparison Table

Last update on 2023-09-10 / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

As you can see from the able above, in our opinion, the best 3 axis gimbal on the market at the time of writing for the Panasonic G80 is the Zhiyun Crane Plus that has some of the best tech available on offers you some of the best possible image stabilization too. Next up we have the DJI Ronin SC, the newest release onto the market at the time of writing and a close second to the Crane Plus that is also an excellent choice.

The final featured gimbal for Panasonic G80 cameras in our article is the Feiyutech AK2000 and in all honesty, we would take either of the other two gimbals featured over the AK2000 any day of the week. It has a number of known issues with it that the other two gimbals don’t have and the only reason that we featured it is due to its large customer base who seem to love the gimbal.

The Zhiyun Crane Plus

The majority of videographers and vloggers who have been involved in the space for over a few months will probably have heard of the Zhiyun brand. They are one of the few brands that have managed to stand the test of time in the gimbal space and consistently knock out excellent gimbal after excellent gimbal for every generation that they have released onto the market.

Although there are a fair few popular gimbal brands on the market right now, we would say that there are only really two premium brands with one being Zhiyun and the other being DJI that we will cover below. Purchasing a gimbal from the Zhiyun range gives you peace of mind that you are buying from an established company that has been working in the gimbal space for over a decade now and that have one of the largest users bases in the world.

The older Zhiyun Crane v2 has been the king of the mirrorless camera gimbal market pretty much since it was launched but the Zhiyun Crane Plus is the updated version of the v2 with all the latest tech and features. The Crane Plus has got off to an excellent start quicky earning an excellent reputation within the community due to its great performance, solid build quality, and very fair price tag.

Performance And Functionality

The motors in the Crane Plus have been totally overhauled to make them more efficient in two main ways. Firstly, they are able to easily ensure that this 3 axis gimbal is able to provide you with all the image stabilization that you could need for camera rigs up to 5.5 pounds in weight. Secondly, the motors require less power to provide more support meaning that the Crane Plus can also provide you with around 18 hours maximum battery life depending on how much of the load capacity you take up.

With your Panasonic G80 bing around 1.1 pounds in weight and then adding the weight of your lens, video light, external microphone onto the camera, we are confident that your set up will come in under the 5.5 pounds mark, potentially not even requiring half of the available payload depending on what you are using your camera for.

Due to the G80 being such a light bit of kit, this gives you a good chance of getting as close to the 18 hours of battery life mark as possible due to you not requiring much of the available payload to balance your rig. Once you have run the gimbal dry, you can recharge it to full in only three hours due to the Zhiyun quick charge technology in the Crane Plus to minimize your downtime.

The video above offers some cinematic sample footage that has been recorded using the Panasonic G80 mounted to a Zhiyun Crane Plus. As you can see, the handheld gimbal stabilizer is great for providing the G80 with all of the image stabilization that you could ever require. The video footage is very smooth and professional-looking so if you are doing any kind of paid videography work with your G80, you will easily be able to deliver what your clients require and keep them happy.

With Zhiyun and DJI always trying to one-up each other on each of their subsequent gimbal releases, the Crane Plus has seen some great changes to some of the most popular modes and functions on the gimbal. At the time of writing, the Crane Plus has the best intelligent object tracking system that we have seen to date. Additionally, the new and improved point of view mode is great as is the night lapse mode and the motion memory mode.

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User Interface And Control System

Although Zhiyun did get a little bit of stick from the community when they first released the Crane Plus for sticking with the more traditional control system for the gimbal as shown in the image above instead of going with a touch screen, we can see why they made this decision. The touchscreen systems on gimbals are not perfect yet and we fully expect Zhiyun to have their own in the works but want to perfect it before pushing it live on their products.

The control system on the Crane Plus gets the job done while ensuring that any advanced gimbal user is able to get the advanced features they require out of it. At the same time, anyone who is brand new to using a gimbal stabilizer is able to pick the Crane Plus up, mount their camera and get it working without having much of an issue.

This best of both worlds approach has proven very efficient as it allows Zhiyun to target their more entry-level and mid ranges price point gimbals at both entry-level and professional level videographers with the exact same user interface and control system.

The Smartphone App

There is no denying that the Zhiyun smartphone app is in need of a major overhaul to keep it competitive with the DJI app. The Zhiyun app has a number of connectivity issues that make it a nightmare to actually connect the app to any of the Zhiyun gimbals. If you do manage to get the app to pair with your gimbal, the user interface is confusing and then even when you push new settings to the gimbal via the app, sometimes they will not actually save.

We have seen a number of people saying that an update to the Zhiyun app is just around the corner but at the time of writing, the app is the only real weak point of the Zhiyun Crane Plus. Thankfully though, it is not an essential part of the gimbal and is usually considered a gimbal accessory that many people will never use anyway.

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Build Quality And Design

The design and build quality of the Zhiyun Crane Plus is without a doubt one of the best that we have ever seen in the sub $400 price point. You can definatley tell that Zhiyun has put all of their experience that they have gained from their previous generations of gimbals to work to ensure that the design of the gimbal is flawless.

The materials that Zhiyun have chosen to use on the Crane Plus are ideal as they are both lightweight and robust. As it is likely that many Zhiyun Crane Plus owners will end up having to travel with their gimbal at some point, this ensures that the Crane Plus can easily take any of the knocks coming its way during transit without breaking.

Our Verdict

The lower price tag of the Zhiyun Crane Plus, high load capacity, and massive battery life potential make it the obvious choice for the Panasonic G80 in our opinion. Even if you load your G80 up with a bunch of camera accessories, we are confident that the Crane Plus will be able to provide you with super smooth image stabilization and ensure that you are able to capture the best image quality possible.

If you would like a full deep dive into the performance of this excellent little handheld gimbal then you may want to check out our Zhiyun Crane Plus review that we have online. It goes into much more detail than we have in this post and covers all the key features and modes in more detail that the Crane Plus brought to the market.

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The DJI Ronin SC

Next up, we have the DJI Ronin SC that in our opinion is an excellent little gimbal with all of the latest technology on it and although we feel it is a very close second to the Crane Plus covered above, we just feel the Zhiyun gimbal has the edge for a Panasonic G80. The Zhiyun has a lower price tag while also offering you a larger maximum payload with a longer maximum battery life too.

Both the Zhiyun and the DJI gimbals also provide you with very similar levels of performance too meaning that the decision between which one to purchase is more likely to come down to price and the battery life/payload helping the Zhiyun edge ahead. That said, we know that many gimbal owners are DJI loyalists and love the brand and we can definatley see why.

At the time of writing, the DJI Ronin SC has only been available on the market for a few weeks but it has managed to earn itself a great reputation with the community that only shows signs of continuing to grow at a steady pace over the coming months.

Performance And Functionality

The DJI Ronin SC can easily support the weight of the vast majority of Panasonic G80 setups that we can think of with its maximum load capacity of 4.4 pounds making them a breeze for the gimbal. Unlike the Zhiyun covered above, the Ronin SC has a pretty consistent battery life of around 11 hours no matter what you load up on it and although it is a shorter battery life than what the Crane Plus offers, we are confident that you will be able to get all the footage you need with your G80 before the battery on the Ronin SC runs dry.

Just like the Crane Plus, DJI has their latest quick charging technology in the Ronin SC too with a lighting fast charge time for the gimbal. Once empty, you can recharge it to full via a mains power outlet in only 2.5 hours! That said, if you are out and about with your gimbal and are using a power bank to charge the gimbal on the go, this time can be extended to as much as five hours depending on the capacity and output of the power bank that you are using.

We feel that at the time of writing, the cinematic DJI Ronin SC sample footage above does the best job of showing off the potential of what this great little 3 axis gimbal stabilizer is able to provide for your Panasonic G80 camera rig. The image stabilization is absolutely outstanding in our opinion and DJI have done an excellent job of releasing the little brother to their DSLR based Ronin S into the mirrorless camera market to make a claim on the top spot.

As you would expect from a modern DJI handheld gimbal, the Ronin SC has all the latest functions and gimbal modes that you would expect too. This ranges from the DJI smart tracking tool to their version of the point and shoot mode to a number of other great little modes that although we feel are excellent, doubt many people will ever actually need or use.

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User Interface And Control System

Similar to the Zhiyun covered above, DJI has decided to put off the move over to the touchscreen control system for a future gimbal. The system used on the Ronin SC is pretty basic but again, this has its advantages as anyone can pick this up and use it efficiently, even if they have never used or owned a gimbal before. As the Panasonic G80 is a pretty popular mirrorless camera, we would imagine that a fair few people looking to pick up a gimbal for it will be brand new to using gimbals so the ease of use of the Ronin SC is a great feature.

The Smartphone App

In our opinion, the DJI smartphone app is without a doubt the best gimbal app on the market. Every since its launch it has managed to be reliable and easy to use with the best interface of all of the other gimbal apps out right now. Although many people never use the smartphone app for their gimbal, they are steadily becoming more and more popular within the community and the DJI one is outstanding.

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Build Quality And Design

There is a reason that DJI and their products have the reputation they do for their build quality and design and it is because DJI put the time and effort in during the planning stages of their products to ensure that they are perfect. This minimizes the chances of any bugs making it to the live versions of their products and ensures the best possible experience for the end-user.

Considering the maximum payload, battery life, and level of image stabilization that the DJI Ronin SC is able to provide your Panasonic G80, it is actually a really light bit of kit. If you know for a fact that you are going to be traveling by air a whole bunch and will have luggage allowance constraints on what you can take, this can help push the Ronin SC ahead of the Crane Plus as it is just over two pounds lighter.

Our Verdict

Even the critics seem to agree that DJI has done an excellent job with the Ronin SC and there is no doubt it will be an excellent addition to your Panasonic G80 camera accessories. It can easily provide the image stabilization that videographers need to capture the best image quality possible and the ease of use, build quality, and design just keep scoring the gimbal points.

That said, at the time of writing at least, the Crane Plus is around $100 cheaper than the Ronin SC while also having a higher load capacity and longer battery life. Unless you prefer to use the DJI brand, we feel that the Crane Plus pushes ahead of the Ronin SC and earns the title of the best gimbal for the Panasonic G80.

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The Feiyutech AK2000

 

 

The final gimbal that we will be covering is the Feiyutech AK2000 and just as we said back at the start of the article, the AK2000, unfortunately, has a number of issues that simply hold it back against the two main competitors covered above. In our opinion, Feiyutech had so much potential with this gimbal but they just dropped the ball and released the gimbal with problems that should never have made it out of initial testing.

That said, if you want to run the risk of adding the AK2000 to your collection of camera accessories and you are lucky enough to get one that does not have the issues with vibrations then it can actually be a decent gimbal stabilizer. Even with the problems the AK2000 has, it has managed to earn and maintain a decent reputation within the community and the people who use it really do seem to feel it is a great little gimbal.

Performance And Functionality

The AK2000 has the highers maximum load capacity of all three featured gimbals for your Panasonic G80 so if you prefer to use a camera cage with your G80 and some heavy accessories, this additional payload can definatley come in useful. The gimbal is also able to provide between eight and twelve hours of battery life per charge but the gimbals charging time from empty to full takes at least five hours.

The video above shows some cinematic video footage that was recorded using the Feiyutech AK2000 and shows exactly what it is capable of when you get an AK2000 that is performing correctly. As you can see, it provides some excellent stabilization that results in some beautifully smooth and clean footage.

Now, onto two of the three main issues the gimbal has. First up, the minor one with the gimbals smooth mode that we hope will be permanently fixed soon via a firmware update. Basically, when using the gimbal in smooth mode, the gimbal will automatically pan to the left at a very slow speed. Although it is largely unnoticeable most of the time, if you are trying to do a static timelapse, this panning bug will totally ruin it.

Next up we have the main problem with the AK2000 and as it is actually a confirmed hardware issue rather than a software issue, you have to do the fix yourself. Feiyutech was quick to identify what was causing around twenty to thirty percent of all AK2000 gimbals and AK4000 gimbals to randomly start to vibrate during use and upload a video on how to fix the issue for their customers.

Although most people report that this does correct the vibration issues, some people have said they have to put the gimbal through the fix process multiple times, sometimes during the same session. Additionally, a very small number of people have said the fix did nothing for them and the vibrations persisted. Now, this could be down to user error but when you are paying this much for a gimbal, you shouldn’t have to worry about you having to go through a fix process that should have been identified and corrected prior to release.

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User Interface And Control System

The strongest point of the AK2000 in our opinion is the user interface for the gimbal shown in the image above. As you can see, Feiyutech went with the touchscreen control system that performs very well and the navigation menu on the AK2000 is actually very easy to navigate too. Unfortunately, we rate performance and build quality higher than the control system when looking for a new gimbal and the AK2000 has issues with both so totally ruins its great control system.

The Feiyutech Smartphone App

The Feiyutech smartphone app is in a very similar place to the Zhiyun smartphone app where it needs a bunch of work doing before it is even close to what the DJI app offers. Even the Moza app for their gimbal range beats the Feiyutech and Zhiyun apps without a challenge so we hope some updates to the Feiyutech smartphone app are on the way once they fix the problems with their AK range of gimbals.

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Build Quality And Design

Now, this final issue with the build quality of the AK2000 may never actually occur for you when using a Panasonic G80 due to how light the camera body is. This issue requires a heavier load to occur during use so you will have to mount some sizable accessories onto your G80 for it to happen and become a problem.

Anyway, the rubber grip on the AK2000’s handle is not fitted and can move up and down the handle. If your Panasonic G80 camera setup is heavy enough then this will cause the grip to slowly slide up the handle during use and eventually reach the control panel. If it does end up getting this high up the handle it is able to start to randomly press the tilt button for the gimbal and totally spoil your footage.

Our Verdict

Like we said, the Feiyutech AK2000 really did have so much potential and much of the hype build-up prior to its launch was based around how this gimbal would allow Feiyutech to compete with both DJI and Zhiyun but the end result in our opinion is nowhere near whats required. Like we said though, the AK2000 does have a large user base that award the AK2000 a decent reputation all things considered. This is the only reason we featured it in our article and we feel either the Zhiyun Crane Plus or the DJI Ronin SC would be better gimbals for your Panasonic G80.

We also have a dedicated review of the Feiyutech AK2000 online that goes into more detail as well as a comparison post between the Feiyutech AK2000 v the Zhiyun Crane Plus. At the end of the day though, even though many people do like the AK2000, for its price tag we would avoid the risk of these issues and take either of the first two gimbals covered for your Panasonic G80 anyday.

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Wrapping It Up

That brings our article on what we feel is the best gimbal for Panasonic G80 cameras to an end. As usual, we hope that our readers have found it helpful and useful and now feel more confident moving forward with a gimbal purchase for their Panasonic G80. Additionally, we also have a massive in-depth article on the five best gimbals for mirrorless cameras that adds in a Moza gimbal as well as an Evo gimbal.