As a passionate landscape photographer, I often emphasize that a phone will never fully replace a professional camera. However, in an age where social media dominates and more photos and videos are being captured on personal phones than ever before, it's important to acknowledge the innovations enabling phone users to capture incredible footage and photos. The Zhiyun Smooth 5S AI is one such innovation worth noting.
Ten years ago, the idea of content creators making money from daily content created entirely on their phones would have been laughable. Phone technology has advanced significantly since the days of one-megapixel cameras that produced grainy images. Today, phone capabilities often rival those of traditional cameras, especially for social media content.
For video footage on platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, where videos are typically short, stable and high-quality footage is essential. Modern phones, like the iPhone 15, offer excellent video quality and image stabilization, but sometimes they need additional support to achieve the best results.
The Smooth 5S AI is more than just a stabilizing gimbal; it comes with features that help phone users enhance their content. One standout feature is the bolt-on AI tracker, which turns your phone into a tracking device, allowing it to follow subjects continuously within the frame. This is particularly useful for legacy phone users looking to upgrade their video creation capabilities. Another notable addition is the bolt-on light, which allows shooting in lower light conditions. The additional light comes with four different color filters, allowing users to change the color of their light to suit different scenes. The built-in light offers a brightness of 680 lumens and can be positioned for either forward or selfie shooting, providing versatility in various shooting scenarios.
For many users who find traditional gimbals for mirrorless or DSLR cameras cumbersome, the Smooth 5S AI offers a lightweight alternative. It’s compatible with your phone, making it significantly lighter and easier to handle. The gimbal features familiar controls, including a dedicated focus and zoom button for quick adjustments and the ability to switch between multiple phone cameras seamlessly. It also boasts a 360-degree rotation capability, giving filmmakers greater creative freedom.
Solo filmmakers will appreciate the gesture controls, allowing them to start and stop recording without touching the phone. While the gesture controls for starting the tracker work reliably most of the time, stopping it can be intermittent. This feature simplifies the process of creating content, making it more efficient. Additionally, having footage directly on your device facilitates quick uploads to social media platforms.
To maximize the gimbal’s features, users need to download the ZY Cami app from the App Store or Google Play. The app provides greater control than the native phone camera app and enables live streaming and perfect pano photography. However, it does require registration, which some users may find cumbersome. For those seeking even more advanced features, an additional app called StaCam is available, offering pro features for a cost of €20. However, having multiple apps can add complexity for users with multiple products.
Using the Smooth 5S AI with my iPhone was much easier than using its larger counterparts, such as the Weebill 3S/3E. The lighter weight and built-in AI controls resulted in significantly improved video quality. The gimbal includes a 5D button for multi-directional movement, speed control settings, a dedicated record button, and various modes like lock, follow, POV, and vortex. It’s easy to set up and balance, thanks to the auto-calibration tool. Additionally, the battery life is impressive, lasting up to 26 hours on a single charge. The gimbal uses PD charging via USB-C and can also charge your phone with a dedicated USB-C port, offering a load capacity of up to 300 g.
For content creators looking to elevate their videos with innovative controls and enhanced stabilization, the Zhiyun Smooth 5S AI is a strong contender. It comes with a well-designed ergonomic carry case that keeps all components secure and organized.
Pros
- Lightweight and easy to handle compared to traditional gimbals.
- Integrated AI tracker for continuous subject tracking.
- Bolt-on light for low-light shooting with four color filters.
- Gesture controls for hands-free recording.
- Seamless switching between multiple phone cameras.
- 360-degree rotation capability.
- Easy setup and balance with auto-calibration.
- Dedicated focus and zoom buttons for quick adjustments.
- Impressive 26-hour battery life.
- Uses PD charging via USB-C and can charge your phone.
- Live streaming and pano photography capabilities via the ZY Cami app.
- Load capacity of up to 300 g.
- Built-in light with 680 lumens brightness.
Cons
Cons:
- Requires downloading and registering the ZY Cami app.
- The app registration process can be cumbersome.
- Additional app (StaCam) for pro features costs €20.
- Gesture control for stopping tracking is intermittent.
- Does not fold, making it less portable and unable to fit in a pocket.
The addition of the LIDAR and light which connect magnetically is nice, but I have found that they can pop off at times, and this might be a game-changer when it comes to users who need to be on the go at all times, and when you need the sensor or light it might be after falling off in your bag or worse still lost. I think a good improvement would be to have this built-in going forward.
In conclusion, the Zhiyun Smooth 5S AI is a versatile and powerful tool for anyone looking to improve their smartphone filmmaking capabilities. Its features and ease of use make it a valuable addition to any content creator’s toolkit. I have created some video footage of this gimbal in use, you can see it on the video linked above, which will give you an idea of just how easy it is to use and also the finished results that can be achieved. Will I transition to this for my video content? Possibly yes, when I need to have a run-and-gun scenario, plus when I need to enhance my smartphone footage by adding the many features that come with this gimbal. If you are someone who uses their smartphone for content creation, then this gimbal will tick many boxes for you. Will it tick them all? Possibly yes and possibly not, but I am not sure if it is missing any features that others on the market offer. Perhaps you can let me know in the comments below.
