Zhiyun Smartphone Gimbal: Crane M2 - Tutorial . Balancing . Modes . ZY Play App

Zhiyun Crane M2 – A Hybrid Gimbal for Big Smartphones

The Zhiyun Crane M2 is what’s known as a hybrid gimbal – it’s designed for smartphones, action cams and small mirrorless cameras.

The gimbal itself is actually pretty small. When it’s folded up, it’s not too much bigger than a DJI Osmo Mobile 4. Not too heavy either. But when it comes to balancing, the gimbal is a little more complicated than the DJI.

I think there’s like 5 or 6 parts which need to be maneuvered and finely adjusted to get the camera well balanced. If it’s not well balanced before you power on, the gimbal will sound an alarm and shut down.

Some Zhiyun Crane M2 users have told me they struggled to mount and balance a big phone like an iPhone 12 Pro Max plus accessories. But I have got 3 methods for you, which worked for me.

Bluetooth Connection

How to connect ZY Play app to your Zhiyun Crane M2 via Bluetooth. First you need to instal the ZY Play app, which is Zhiyun’s gimbal app.

Once installed, open it up and allow permissions to access your photos and so on. At least there is no need to activate the gimbal or register with Zhiyun.

You are presented with a series of gimbal options and I guessed you need to choose the Crane M2. But as I couldn’t find the Zhiyun Crane M2, I chose Other. However, this resulted in “device not found” messages, using both my iPhone and my Samsung.

So, you really need the specific Zhiyun Crane M2 listed in the app and it’s a bit of a puzzle to find. So

1. find swipe right to left until you find a Crane gimbal, it doesn’t matter which one.
2. tap the menu button top left corner and you will get a list of all the Crane gimbals.
3. Select the Crane M2
4. Tap Connect now
5. Choose between Camera and Smartphone – depending on what you’re mounting on the gimbal
6. Tap Enter to enter the camera mode

Once in camera mode, you can now use the gimbal with your smartphone, using the zoom rocker to zoom and so on.

Unlock the gimbal

Before you can start using the gimbal you need to unlock it. There is a lock at the top of the handle. Then loosen the screw holding the main arm and lift it up so that it can rotate freely.

Crane M2 Smartphone Clamp

The Zhiyun Crane M2 comes with a sturdy, spring-loaded smartphone clamp. Getting my iPhone 12 Pro Max with Moment thin case into this clamp was a slight struggle. The clamp’s grip is not quite wide enough and so it pulls the case. But it does hold it ok.

The Samsung Note 20 Ultra with a Moment thin case has rounded edges, so it fits much more easily and snuggly in the clamp.

The clamp itself is made of metal so it’s quite heavy. And this weight is needed as a counterbalance when balancing the phone.

I tried swapping this with a plastic clamp I have which is wider and fits the iPhone 12 Pro Max much better. However, you then lose the weight which is helping to counterbalance the smartphone.

How to Mount a Smartphone on the Zhiyun Crane M2

Here’s how to mount your smartphone.

1. Place your smartphone in the clamp.
2. Bolt the clamp to the mounting plate
   1. There’s 2 slots, the shorter one is for smartphones.
   2. There’s 2 holes on the clamp. Choose the one furthest from the back of the clamp. This pushes the phone forwards and helps balance.
   3. The position of the bolt in the plate needs to be adjusted later.
3. Place the mounting plate into the gimbal arm.
   1. Make sure this lock-screw is loose.
   2. Make sure the plate slides all the way across.
4. Lock the plate in place by tightening the screw-lock.
5. Make sure the smartphone is level by tightening the thumb screw for the quick release plate holder.

Balancing a Smartphone on the Zhiyun Crane M2

If you’re used to using simpler gimbals, like the Osmo Mobile 3 and OM4, the Hohem iSteady X, or the Zhiyun Smooth Q2, this is pretty complicated. Whereas in the OM 4 for example, all you need to do is slide the phone left and right, the Zhiyun Crane M2 has a number of adjustments required.

Your phone needs to be balanced on 2 axes: Roll and Tilt. But adjustments can be made in 5 places, but there’s 2 which are most important – this long arm and the position of the smartphone clamp itself.

Balancing a smartphone on it’s own is relatively easy. Even big devices like the iPhone 12 Pro Max and the Samsung Note 20 Ultra. But once you add a lens and a filter, it becomes more problematic.

The gimbal can carry over 700 grams and my phone plus extras is well under that. The problem is, the weight ends up too far to the side. The lens is at the far end of the phone and it’s at the wrong end.

When I first tried it, I couldn’t get it to balance. But I hoped the motors would be strong enough that it wouldn’t matter. I just tried to get it as close as possible. But no – after a few seconds an alarm sounds and the gimbal shuts down.

Method 1

One fix is to flip the smartphone upside down, so now the lens is on the inside and the weight actually works for you, rather than against you. To make this work, the mounting plate needs to be moved to the opposite side, so it’s as extended as possible. The clamp needs to be bolted into the longer slot for a camera, instead.

One advantage of this method is I can use this lighter plastic clamp, which fits my iPhone 12 Pro Max and thin case much better. Because we can now slide this arm across to balance, we don’t need the metal clamp’s extra weight. For the iPhone 12 Pro Max you want a clamp that has a wide, square grip (see above).

You can get a plastic clamp like this for about $5 or $10.

Now adjust the long arm left to right until the phone is balanced on the roll axis. It doesn’t have to be perfect, just so that it feels like it isn’t leaning heavily on one side.

Next adjust the position of the clamp on the mounting plate, so that the smartphone is balanced on the tilt axis. Again, it doesn’t have to be perfect, just so that most of the weight is in the middle.

Power on the gimbal, using the power slider on the handle. Push it up and hold until the little screen shows the Zhiyun logo. If your smartphone is not balanced enough, after a few seconds it will sound an alarm and shut down the motors.

Downsides of this method is that the iPhone’s ON button is now blocked by the plate. Also, the Zhiyun ZY Play camera is reversed, so the record button is on the left.

Method 2

This is my patented counterbalance method, so if you use it you have to pay a royalty. The royalty is about 5 quid, because you’ll need some coins and some Blue Tack (or equivalent). I’ve used this method before, on my Zhiyun Smooth Q.

To counter the extra weight on this side, we need to add weight on this side. Unfortunately, the Zhiyun Crane M2 does not have a place to add counterweights, like the Osmo Mobile gimbals, so we need to improvise.

Using coins, try to pick the heaviest coins you can find. Or you could use something else like heavy washers. Each coin is stuck to the next with a pinch of Blue Tack. Then the stack of coins is stuck to the outside of the tilt motor with another pinch of Blue Tack.

Just keep adding coins until the smartphone is more or less balanced.

Downsides are that it doesn’t look pretty and the coins are prone to fall off unexpectedly. Some people add counterweights using a velcro strap, which is probably more stable and nicer looking.

Method 3

When you’re trying to balance a big smartphone with extra lenses, really we want this arm to extend further. But there’s a lock to help you remember the best balance point.

The idea is, you find the best balancing point and then so you don’t have to keep balancing, you can lock this in place by twisting it. Now you know to lock the arm when it’s snug against this marker.

But, if this lock-marker wasn’t here, my theory is that the arm will be able to extend further out. We can still use this red lock here to stop it falling out. So, let’s see what happens when I remove it.

The lock actually comes out quite easily, if you have a small hex key like this. I have a set of precision screwdrivers for working on electrical devices, like computers. Just unscrew it and keep these stored away in case you want to put the memory lock back.

Now the arm can extend a bit further. In fact there’s still a bit of extra you could go, if you have a heavier lens and filter. There’s a ribbon holding the arm in place, so it won’t fall out even if you forget to tighten this screw.

I think this is the best option. I have my iPhone Pro Max, blus Moment Anamorphic, 67mm mount and K&F variable ND and it balances no problem. Because the lens makes the phone very top heavy, you can’t get the tilt balance perfect. But as long as it is pretty close the gimbal motors are fine – no alarm, no shut down.

Zhiyun Crane M2: Modes

The Zhiyun Crane M2 has 3 basic modes, which you switch through using the M button on the gimbal handle. One tap switches to the next mode. The mode the gimbal is currently in is displayed in the little display screen.

These modes are pretty standard for any camera gimbal. So if you’ve used one before, you will be familiar with them.

Pan Follow (PF)

In Pan Follow mode the gimbal will follow your pan movements, left and right. But it will maintain the tilt and roll level.

Point of View (POV)

In Point of View mode the gimbal will follow all your movements, in a steady smooth motion, on all 3 axes: tilt, pan and roll.

Lock (L)

In Lock Mode the gimbal keeps the camera facing the same direction, no matter which way you move the handle.

Those are the 3 basic modes. To access more advanced modes, you need to use different methods.

Follow (F)

Hold the trigger down to put the gimbal in Follow mode. In this mode, the gimbal follows tilt and pan movements, but not roll. It will keep the camera level with the horizon.

GO (GO)

Double tap the M button to enter Go Mode. This is like sport mode in other gimbals. The gimbal will react quicker to your movements.

Vortex (V)

From Go mode, double tap again to enter Vortex mode. The gimbal will switch the camera angle so it faces away from the top of the gimbal handle. This mode allows you to shoot a barrel roll.

Aim the gimbal like a torch. Hit record and then use the joystick to start the camera rotating.

Some people experience a loss of balance in the gimbal when they enter this mode.

ZY Play App

Zhiyun has simplified the ZY Play app, since the first version was released. In fact, when you instal the app, you get both versions. By default, the app opens up in the new version. But you can access the old version by opening settings and tapping “Switch to Normal Camera”.

You now find yourself in the old ZY Play camera app. Except, in my iPhone all I get is a black screen and the interface. The only reason to use this, as far as I can see, is to access the old calibration functions.

Zhiyun says, if you power up the gimbal on a flat surface, then you should not need to calibrate. Which is why they have removed the feature from the new version. But you can also access other settings, for example, fine tuning how fast the gimbal reacts to your movements.

To get back to the new app, tap the house icon Home button and then reconnect again.

ZY Play Features

The features are quite limited, compared to the DJI Mimo app.

One extra feature the ZY Play app has is being able to live stream. This feature is accessed via the TV button icon.

As well, the Mo-Timelapse mode allows you to choose from a long list of options for different styles of timelapse.

The iPhone version of the app allows you to switch HDR on and off.

Other than the, the ZY Play app features are pretty straight forward – photo, video, slow motion, Timelapse. PANO creates a panoramic photo from multiple photos.

Unfortunately the app does not seem to be able to access the iPhone 12 Pro Max’s tele or ultra wide lenses. But you can always switch back to your native camera app for those.

The dotted circle in the bottom right corner is to switch object tracking on and off. Enable this so that you can have the gimbal track a subject – either a person or an object.

Once enabled, draw your finger across the screen over the object you wish to track. The gimbal will now attempt to keep that object in frame.

Smartphone Video – Beginner to Advanced

If you want to know more about smartphone filmmaking, my book Smartphone Videography – Beginners to Advanced is now available to download for members on Patreon. The book is 170 pages long and covers essential smartphone filmmaking topics:

Things like how to get the perfect exposure, when to use manual control, which codecs to use, HDR, how to use frame rates, lenses, shot types, stabilisation and much more. There’s also my Exploring the Film Look Guide as well as Smartphone Colour Grading.

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