The Best Gimbal For Sony RX100 Cameras!

The Sony RX100 is without a doubt one of the best point and shoot cameras on the market right now and Sony has just released the seventh version of the camera to further cement its crown as king of the point and shoots. Although it is popular within the videography community, the RX100 is one of the most popular entry-level vlogging cameras on the market too and we often see people reaching out for advice on the best gimbal for a Sony RX100 cameras.

Now, like we said, there are currently seven variants of the RX100 on the market and each one of them is better than the last and each has a slightly different weight. That said, they are all around the 0.5-pound mark meaning that most of the entry-level gimbals on the market right now can easily support the camera’s weight without an issue. As you are unable to swap out the lens on the RX100 and only the Sony RX100 VII variant allows you to plug in an external microphone, the weight of your camera body will not be changing much.

We know that our readers are busy people so we have a comparison table below with three featured gimbals that we feel will serve your RX100 well. We have covered some of the key points about each of the cameras in the table as well as highlighted our recommended product. That said though, for any of our readers with some spare time on their hands, we have also published a more in-depth breakdown of what each gimbal offers you below the comparison table.

Comparison Table

Last update on 2024-03-27 / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Although the data in the chart above may make it look pretty close between the Zhiyun Crane M2 and the Feiyu Tech G6, the Zhiyun gimbal comes out on top due to it having modern technology that results in better overall image stabilization for your RX100. Additionally, the Moza Aircross 3 is a great gimbal that is surprisingly popular with RX100 owners but it was designed to be used with mirrorless cameras and feels a little clunky when you use it with a tiny point and shoot.

The Zhiyun Crane M2

If you have been involved in videography or vlogging for more than a few months, chances are, you have heard of the Zhiyun gimbal range. They have pretty much maintained the top spot when it comes to gimbal stabilizers in all categories since their initial launch. Although every now and then, a DJI gimbal will take the top spot from Zhiyun for a few month, they are quick to get their latest gimbal out and reclaim their crown.

The Crane M2 (Click here to check for product prices and availability) is the follow up to the original Crane M that was specifically designed to be used with the smaller, lightweight point and shoot cameras like the Sony RX100. Zhiyun has compounded all of the experience they have gained over the years and taken a bunch of feedback for the original Crane M onboard to produce the Crane M2 that is an excellent bit of kit.

After its release, the Crane M2 was quick to establish an excellent reputation for itself within the community and we feel that it has managed to earn Zhiyun the crown for the point and shoot gimbal market for the next few years.

Performance And Functionality

The gimbal can support a maximum load capacity of 1.58  pounds ensuring that it is easily able to support your Sony RX100 that comes in at around a third of the Crane M2’s payload weight. Additionally, the gimbal can also provide you with up to seven hours of battery life per full charge and although this may not seem like much when compared to the other gimbals in this price range, the snappy response time of the Crane M2 and its smooth image stabilization more than make up for it in our opinion.

Additionally, the Crane M2 will take around three hours to charge from a power outlet or a transportable power bank. This ensures that you can have a high capacity power back with you when out and about with your gimbal and keep it charging when you are unable to get to a power outlet. If you are a travel vlogger this really can be a godsend and keep you recording your video footage without issue.

The gimbal is based around the standard 3-axis gimbal stabilizer design that has proven to be popular amongst the community for the last decade or so due to how easy it is to set up, use, and maintain even if you are brand new to using a gimbal. As both the Sony RX100 and the Zhiyun Crane M2 are entry-level products, it is likely that some of our readers may be looking at this as their very first gimbal and knowing its ease of use can be a big selling point.

The video above shows some sample footage that was recorded using the Crane M2 handheld gimbal and gives you a good idea of exactly what you can expect from it. As you can see, the image stabilization is flawless and the motors on the gimbal work seamlessly with the algorithm to produce some very smooth video footage for you.

You are able to use this to your advantage with your Sony RX100 by getting the best image quality possible for the video footage you capture when your camera is mounted to the gimbal. If you are doing paid videography work then the smooth footage is sure to keep your clients happy, if you are using the footage for sites like YouTube or other social media platforms then we are sure that the high-quality footage will help your video stand out amongst the competition.

In addition to an overhauled balancing algorithm and some new and improved motors, the gimbal also has some other new tricks up its sleeve. The gimbal now supports six different use modes with most of them having been either totally overhauled or coded from scratch just for the Crane M2 to help ensure you get the best performance possible. There are also a number of other upgrades for the gimbal that we will cover in the relevant sections below.

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User Interface And Control System

Getting straight into another section that has been totally overhauled, the control system for the Crane M2 shown in the image above is flawless in our opinion. It allows you to support the weight of your Sony RX100 and the gimbal in your hand and continue to use it while you tweak the settings on the gimbal with just your thumb via the controls on the gimbal handle.

We know that this has been the accepted system on most modern gimbals for years now but something just feels more natural with the setup for the Crane M2. We don’t know if Zhiyun has slightly tweaked the position of the joystick or something but it just feels better in your hand.

Now, we wouldn’t class this next point as a downside for the gimbal, more like something we would love to have seen that was not added but the modern Feiyutech gimbals like the AK2000 (Click here to check for product prices and availability) have a great touchscreen system that is very effective. We definatley thought that Zhiyun would implement something similar in this generation of their gimbal range but they, unfortunately, did not.

The Smartphone App

Although technically not something that has been upgraded on the Crane M2, the Zhiyun smartphone app is also being overhauled again to better meet the needs of this current generation of Zhiyun gimbals, the Crane M2, the Crane Plus, and the Crane 3. It is a well-known fact that the Zhiyun smartphone app seems to have problems on a regular basis so we are hoping that this upcoming update helps to fix all of its issues.

Anyway,  the image above shows what the app currently looks like but chances are, it will look different when this update rolls out but it does a decent job of providing you with some wireless remote control of your gimbal. For example, say you are a travel vlogger and you want to start the video clip with your Sony RX100 looking at an epic landscape view and then pan around to you laying in a field or something, you are able to use the app to get this footage easily.

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Build Quality And Design

Although it is pretty much expected from Zhiyun products now due to their reputation of constantly being the dominant gimbal brand. the build quality and design of the Crane M2 are great. The gimbal is made from some of the lightest possible materials available ensuring that it is as light as possible. The gimbal comes in at only 1.1 pounds making your life so much easier if you have to hold it when recording footage for extended periods of time as your arm won’t ache.

Additionally, even though the gimbal is very lightweight, it is also very robust too. We have full confidence in the gimbal and its ability to take any potential bumps coming its way in the future and come out the other side without issue. As gimbals are more expensive camera accessories, we always recommend that you take extra care when packing them in your photography kit bag but somewhere down the line they are inevitably going to take a few knocks and its nice to know that they shouldn’t present an issue.

Our Verdict

We hope that we have done a good job of explaining why we feel that the Zhiyun Crane M2 is the best gimbal for your Sony RX100 camera currently available on the market at the time of writing. Zhiyun has smashed it out the park again with the M2 and we doubt that any competing gimbal stabilizer is going to knock it off the top spot in this generation of gimbals.

It will provide your RX100 with all of the image stabilization that it could ever need and ensure that you are able to capture the best image quality possible on your videos. We have no doubt in our mind that it will be a great investment and make a solid addition to your Sony RX100 camera accessories.

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The Feiyu G6 Plus

Although we would say that the Feiyu G6 Plus (Click here to check for product prices and availability) is a close second to the Crane M2, we will be trying to get through the two remaining sections as quickly as possible to save our readers some time as these next two gimbals are not our primary recommendations for use with a Sony RX100. We decided to feature three gimbals instead of just one as we prefer to give our readers some choice as although we are making a recommendation for the RX100, you may own a heavier camera or need your gimbal for something else.

That said, the Feiyu G6 Plus is an excellent bit of kit and it would definatley have been our primary choice if we have written this article a few weeks earlier and the Crane M2 has not yet been released. Although some of the other Feiyutech gimbals on the market right now have a controversial reputation, the G6 holds a great reputation within the community and we doubt that this will change any time soon.

We would also like to quickly point out that this is the Feiyu G6 plus that we are featuring, not the regular Feiyu G6 (Click here to check for product prices and availability) that is designed for smartphones and action cameras. The plus has the increased payload that you need to support point and shoot cameras like the Sony RX100.

Performance And Functionality

At the time of writing, the Feiyu G6 Plus is the latest in Feiyutechs G series gimbals and in all fairness, it is the Feiyutechs AK series that are having major problems with the G series being as reliable as ever. The G6 is able to provide you with a maximum load capacity of 1.76 pounds ensuring that it is able to easily support your Sony RX100 camera without having any trouble at all.

At the time of writing, the G6 also has the best battery life available for any gimbal designed for point and shoot cameras although its charging time is a little slower than the Crane M2. This extended battery life can be handy for you depending on what you are planning to do with your gimbal, especially if you know you will be away from power outlets for longer periods of time.

Although the G6 Plus did work with the Feiyutech charging handle that acted as a power bank for the gimbal, the product has been discontiniued now and it a total nightmare to source. That said, the higher power regular USB power bank can also work to extend your battery life depending on the power bank you pick up.

The sample video footage above shows exactly what kind of image stabilization you are able to expect from a Feiyu G6 Plus and a Sony RX100. This particular footage was recorded on a RX100 V but you can expect the same from pretty much any generation of the RX100. The video shows samples of video recorded while walking with the camera regularly and then samples recorded with the handheld gimbal and the difference is obvious.

If you are planning on putting a videography portfolio togeather, doing any type of paid videography work or trying to stand out in the vlogging community then the smooth video footage that a 3-axis gimbal like the Feiyu G6 Plus can make all the difference. At the time of writing, we would say that the only gimbal that offers you better performance is the Crane M2 (Click here to check for product prices and availability) covered above but we are definatley looking forward to the next generation of the Feiyutech G series to see what they pull out the bag.

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User Interface And Control System

As shown in the image above, the control system on the G6 Plus is sleek and easy to use. If you are new to using a gimbal stabilizer then it is also very easy to learn without having to invest much time or effort either making the G6 Plus a solid choice for a first gimbal. Unlike some of the newer Feiyutech AK range, the G6 has an actual power indicator giving you an idea of how much battery life you actually have left rather than just flashing a low battery light at you too.

The magic wheel to the left of the main control screen shown in the image above is a great little feature that we actually expect other gimbal brands to rip off for their products but to date, none of them have. The manual roll adjustment control also allows you to quickly and easily flip the gimbal through 180 degrees making it ideal if you are planning on vlogging with the gimbal too.

The Smartphone App

Although the Feiyutech smartphone app shown in the image above has had its problems in the past, it seems to be in a solid place at the time of writing and offer some great wireless functionality for the G6 Plus. This lets you place your gimbal with your Sony RX100 mounted on it at one location and then control it by using your smartphone as a wireless remote control to capture some unique footage.

The app can also allow you to tweak some settings on the gimbal quickly without having to faff on but if you are an entry-level gimbal user, chances are, you won’t be doing much tweaking, especially with a camera body as lightweight as the RX100.

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Build Quality And Design

The G6 Plus is a great little gimbal and it has been put together and designed very well and is one of the main reasons it managed to earn itself a great reputation and stand out from the competition. Although the gimbal is listed as being “splash proof” keep in mind that this is NOT waterproof by any stretch!

The gimbal is pretty lightweight too coming in at only 1.46 pounds so with your Sony RX100 mounted on top of it, you will only be supporting around 2 pounds of weight during use. This ensures that you are able to hold the rig for as long as needed to ensure that you get all the footage you need without having to take breaks due to your hand or arm cramping up.

Our Verdict

As we said, we really do love the Feiyu G6 Plus and feel that it is an excellent bit of kit that can make a great addition to your camera accessories. Although we feel that it will improve the image quality of your video footage via the image stabilization, it is from the last generation of gimbals give the tech on the Crane M2 an additional edge over it.

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The Moza Aircross 3

EDIT – Since writing this article, the Zhiyun Crane Plus (Click here to check for product prices and availability) has been released and pretty much outclasses the Moza Aircross 3 in every way. If you do want a future-proofing gimbal for future camera upgrades, we would recommend the Zhiyun Crane Plus over the Aircross 3. 

The final gimbal that we will be covering is the Moza Aircross 3 (Click here to check for product prices and availability) and although it is actually a gimbal designed for heavier mirrorless cameras, a surprising number of Sony RX100 owners use it as their go-to gimbal of choice so we decided to included it in our list as it is a great bit of kit and has earned solid reputation within the community. That said, we would choose either of the gimbals above if you only ever intend to use a Sony RX100 with the gimbal as the Aircross 3 is much heavier than the other two featured gimbals.

That said though if you are planning to upgrade your RX100 and make the jump from a point and shoot camera to a mirrorless camera then the Aircross 3 is a solid gimbal to future proof yourself for future camera upgrades. The Canon M50 (Click here to check for product prices and availability) is probably the dominant mirrorless camera at the time of writing for vloggers and a popular upgrade from the RX100. The Aircross 3 is well suited to the M50 and allows you to use it with your RX100 and then progress directly to your M50 without having to purchase a new gimbal when you upgrade your camera.

Performance And Functionality

The Moza Aircross 3 has the largest payload of the three gimbals that we chose to feature in our article and is able to support a maximum load capacity of 3.9 pounds. As you can probably tell, with your Sony RX100 being around 0.5 pounds and even if you have the RX100 VII with an external mic mounted on it, you will not come anywhere near the 3.9-pound load capacity.

The Aircross 3 can also provide you with up to 12 hours of battery life too and also has a charging time of around 4 hours. This should be more than enough battery life for your needs, especially with a camera like the RX100 as it is so light it required a tiny amount of the payload of the gimbal meaning less power is needed by the gimbals motors.

The sample video above was recorded using a Sony RX100 mark V and a Moza Aircross handheld gimbal stabilizer. Although the video does include some drone footage, we feel that it does offer a decent insight into what the gimbal is able to provide for you and shows how good your image quality can actually be when using it.

User Interface And Control System

The control system for the Aircross 3 shown in the image above is similar to the systems on the other two gimbals on our list and is easy enough for anyone to pick up. The lack of an LCD panel or touchscreen to display key information does put it at a slight disadvantage though.

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The Smartphone App

Out of the three gimbals featured, we feel that the Moza smartphone app is the best one going. Both Zhiyun and Feiyutech have had nightmares with their apps in the past while the Moza and DJI apps have remained pretty consistent over the years.

Build Quality And Design

Now, in our opinion, the main disadvantage of the Aircross 3 over the other two apps on our list is that it comes in with a 6.55-pound weight! This is really heavy compared to the other two gimbals and if you are having to use it for extended periods of time then we would expect your hand and arm to start cramping up. The additional weight on the gimbal is due to it having a much higher payload due to having been designed for use with mirrorless cameras rather than point and shoots like the Sony RX100. The actual build quality of the gimbal is solid though and it is very robust and has a solid track record of being able to take punishment without breaking.

Our Verdict

The Aircross 3 is a solid gimbal and it is easy to see why it is so popular with the community and has the reputation that it does. Like we said at the start of this section though, if you only ever plan to use a Sony RX100 with your gimbal stabilizer than either of the other two gimbals featured in our article will be much better choices for you in our opinion.

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Wrapping It All Up

That brings our article on what we feel is the best gimbal for a Sony RX100 camera owner to an end. We hope that you have found our article helpful and feel more confident in moving forward with your gimbal purchase. Either of these gimbals will provide you with all of the image stabilization you could ever need while also helping to improve your image quality too.

Image Licensing

Shared under Creative Commons – https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

Kārlis Dambrāns – Sony RX100 – https://flic.kr/p/fK9EBz