The Ultimate Moza Aircross 2 Review!

With Moza having just released their newest gimbal from their Aircross range targeting the mirrorless and lightweight DSLR camera weight class, we are seeing more and more requests for a dedicated Moza Aircross 2 review. Due to this, we have decided to make the Aircross 2 the focus of today’s article and review it in full to help any of our readers who are considering adding the gimbal to their collection of camera accessories.

At the time of writing, the Moza Aircross 2 has only been available for around two months and unfortunately, it has got off to a pretty slow start. This is a shame as the Aircross 2 really is an excellent bit of kit and in our opinion, Moza has managed to outdo themselves and for a few weeks, they probably had the best 3 axis gimbal in its weight class on the market.

The thing is, the Zhiyun Weebill S has literally just been released a few days ago and not only offers slightly better performance than what the Aircross 2 is able to offer but is also around $150 cheaper depending on the retailer that you purchase it from. On top of this, Zhiyun has one of the best marketing departments going as well as an excellent reputation amongst videographers.

With Zhiyun releasing their teaser videos for the Weebill S around the time the Aircross 2 was released we feel that it managed to get people to hold off on any possible purchase of the Aircross 2 and wait to see what Zhiyun had to offer. Due to the better performance, native underslung mode, and cheaper price tag, the Weebill S has managed to get off to an excellent start and overshadow the Aircross 2.

In all honesty, we would highly recommend that any of our readers who are considering purchasing the Aircross 2 checkout the Zhiyun Weebill S as it probably the best mirrorless and lightweight DSLR camera gimbal ever made. Additionally, it is also a fair bit cheaper than the Aircross 2 at the time of writing making it the obvious option.

We just wanted to make our readers aware of this at the start of the article rather than have you read everything we have to say only to recommend another product and essentially waste your time. That said though, as we have seen a number of requests for a dedicated Moza Aircross 2 review, we will still be sharing our thoughts on the gimbal with our readers below.

Performance And Functionality

With this latest generation of gimbals, all brands are innovating as best they can to ensure that their customers get the best possible performance from their handheld gimbal stabilizer range and can get the best image quality possible. DJI (DJI Ronin SC), Zhiyun (Zhiyun Weebill S), and Moza (Moza Aircross 2) are all upping their game massively and leaving their competition from brands like Evo, and Feiyutech behind.

In our opinion, Moza has done an excellent job of taking on the constructive feedback that they have received from both the previous Aircross as well as their Moza Air range too. They have implemented the vast majority of suggestions that they have received and really knocked out a solid gimbal.

As the mirrorless camera gimbal space becomes more and more competitive, pushing out gimbals with the old school four pounds of maximum load capacity simply is not enough anymore. The majority of the front runners all have the ability to support light and medium DSLR camera rigs too and the Aircross 2 is no different. It offers a maximum load capacity of just over seven pounds of camera payload weight making it a beast.

This should easily be enough to offer its excellent quality image stabilization for the vast majority of mirrorless camera setups available today. Additionally, it is also plenty to support a large number of popular light and mid-weight DSLR rigs without having any drop in the quality of the image stabilization that it offers.

The Aircross 2 offers up to twelve hours of battery with each full charge putting it ahead of the eleven hours of the DJI Ronin SC and behind the fourteen hours of the Zhiyun Weebill S. The twelve-hour battery on the Aircross 2 should be plenty for our readers to capture all of the video footage that they need for their session before being able to recharge their gimbal.

If you do require more than twelve hours of battery at a time then more and more videographers and vloggers are starting to add high output power banks to their collection of camera accessories. Now only does this allow you to recharge your gimbal and camera in your downtime but also your other devices such as your smartphone.

One of our favourite features of the Aircross 2 is its quick charge system. Although we would argue that prior to the release of latest Moza system, Zhiyun had the best quick charge on the market coming in at just over three hours to fully recharge their gimbal batteries. Not one to shy away from a challange, Moza decided to improve their own system and it is excellent allowing you to recharge the Aircross 2 back to full from empty in only one and a half hours!

We have shared the video above with our readers in a few articles now and it is probably our favorite video that has been recorded using the Moza Aircross 2. It offers an excellent representation of the level of image stabilization that it is able to provide for you and how it is able to help you get the best image quality possible while recording. The footage is butter smooth and some of the cleanest that we have seen really helping Moza get back into the top three gimbal brands.

As you can see from the sample video footage, the stabilization is rapid and it has no lag or drag like some other brands have with their latest gimbals. This is due to Moza coming up with some excellent gimbal motors and sensors for the Aircross 2 helping push its motion detection and correction up to the next level. They have definatley put a bunch of work into their balancing algorithm too and it shows.

Even just a few months back we would have said that Zhiyun and DJI were way out ahead of the competition when it comes to their performance and functionality of their latest gimbals. Since then, we have had the Zhiyun Weebill S released as well as the Moza Aircross 2 upping their game with DJI now having to play catch up.

When it comes to performance, Moza has outdone themselves and really has managed to produce and excellent handheld gimbal stabilizer. That said though, even if their price tags were the same, we would still say that the Weebill S is ever so slightly out ahead of the Aircross 2 but with the much higher price tag of the Aircross 2, it just makes the Weebill S the obvious choice.

User Interface And Control System

Now, one area where we feel that Moza do jump ahead of Zhiyun is in their latest control interface system as shown in the image above. We absolutely love the system on the Aircross 2 and it does a great job of delivering everything that both entry-level and advanced gimbal users need out of a control system on a gimbal.

The system is very easy to learn and users are able to quickly work out the basics within minutes while picking the more advanced stuff up as they go. This is ideal for any entry-level gimbal user who has never even used a gimbal previously helping ensure that you need to invest the minimum amount of time possible to learn your new gimbal.

On the flip side of this, if you are an advanced level videographer then the system offers you all of the advanced customizations you would expect as well as a number of gimbal modes to help make your life as easy as possible. This ensures that if you are a professional videographer or established vlogger you can get exactly what you need out of the gimbal without issue.

This best of both worlds approach is very similar to what most gimbal brands offer these days but this latest version from Moza has absolutely nailed it in our opinion. Everything just works seamlessly together and lets you accurately control the gimbal head in manual mode without issue.

As you can see in the image at the start of this section, the system is based around the standard LCD panel with some buttons and a joystick so if you have used a gimbal before, you will see many similarities. The LCD panel is bright and clear though making it very easy to see if you are working in low light and the joystick is sensitive and easy to use even if your thumb is wet or cold.

The magic wheel is also a great feature but the manual focus control will depend more on what camera and lens combination you use rather than the gimbal. If you do have a compatible lens that fits the manual focus motor the magic wheel is able to ensure you are able to tweak your focus levels as required too.

All in all, Moza has smashed their control system out the park and definatley taken the top spot for this section. Although the Zhiyun system is not too far behind, DJI are going to have to up their game to keep up with their next-generation gimbal.

Smartphone App

Now, until a few months back both DJI and Moza were way out ahead of the competition when it comes to smartphone apps for gimbals due to the simple fact that theirs worked. The vast majority of other gimbal apps have a bunch of issues ranging from initial sync problems, random disconnects and a navigation menu that was a nightmare. Since then, Zhiyun and Evo have both overhauled their apps bringing them in line the DJI and Moza apps but in reality, there is only so much you can do with an app anyway.

The only feature of the app that is not native to the Aircross 2 is the wireless remote control feature anyway so you really don’t have to download the app if you don’t want to. In our opinion though, it is well worth the download as it is free and offers some quick and easy access to your gimbal settings to make tweaks in seconds rather than minutes.

This is only really handy for professional-level videographers doing paid client work as it can save a surprising amount a time over the course of a long gig. Although you can tweak your gimbal settings from the actual gimbal or from the downloadable software, it is much easier and quicker from the smartphone app.

Build Quality And Design

With Moza firmly setting their goals on becoming one of the dominant gimbal brands with their new Aircross 2, they have also upped their game when it comes to the build quality of the gimbal too. When it comes to the design space though, they have decided to stick to a more traditional handheld gimbal design and we do feel that they have missed a trick by incorporating the native underslung mode of the Weebill S.

There has been little to no innovation in the handheld gimbal design space for around five years now and then Zhiyun came up with the swappable handle design for their Weebill Lab around a year back and have improved upon the design with their newly released Weebill S. This allows you to quickly and easily switch from handheld mode to underslung mode within seconds and capture low angle footage and would have been nice to see on the Aircross 2.

The actual build quality of the gimbal is solid though, not only is it pretty robust for a gimbal, it is also lightweight meaning that you can easily hold it for those longer recording sessions without your arm cramping up on you. Additionally, the tough build ensures it is strong enough to take any bumps that occur when recording or while transporting your hear too.

Another thing that we are happy to report is that the handle on the Aircross 2 is very comfortable too! We know that our regular readers were probably waiting for this but we always preach the importance of a comfortable handle on your gimbal as it is the most commonly overlooked feature on a gimbal. Depending on what you are planning to use your gimbal for, you may have to hold it for hours at a time so ensuring that its handle is comfortable should be a high priority.

Our Verdict

That brings us to the end of our ultimate Moza Aircross 2 review and although we really do feel that the Moza Aircross 2 is a solid gimbal that could make a great addition to your camera accessories and blows gimbals like the DJI Ronin SC out the water, the Zhiyun Weebill S beats it on performance and price.

Due to this, we would recommend that our readers go with the Weebill S over the Aircross 2. Now, we have seen a few other people mention the difference in price tags and say that a price reduction on the Aircross 2 could help and we do agree. The problem is that even if Moza matches the price of the Zhiyun it still beats it in performance so the price reduction will likely have to be so big that it makes the gimbal unprofitable.

We totally agree that the Aircross 2 is an excellent gimbal and that Moza really has done an excellent job but Zhiyun has just snuck out ahead. Now, if you have an issue with using Zhiyun gimbals for whatever reason then the Aircross 2 is the obvious choice at the time of writing as the Ronin SC is probably in third place right now but the Aircross 2 blows it out the water.