While action cameras boast built-in stabilization, gimbals like the Hohem iSteady Pro4 elevate video smoothness to a whole new level. Gimbals offer distinct advantages that take your action footage from good to incredible. They maintain the camera’s full field of view, ensuring you capture everything the lens sees without sacrificing that wide-angle perspective. This is particularly valuable for action shots where you want to capture the entire scene. Additionally, gimbals excel in low-light conditions, keeping your footage crisp even when built-in stabilization might struggle.
But the true power of gimbals lies in their ability to unlock creative potential. With the iSteady Pro4, precise camera movements become achievable, opening doors for unique visual effects and storytelling techniques that push the boundaries of action cameras. Imagine smooth timelapse sequences, seamless panoramic vistas, or stunning slow-motion tracking shots – all with gimbal-powered stability.
Unboxing
The Hohem iSteady Pro4 arrives in a convenient and protective hardshell travel case, keeping your gimbal and accessories safe from bumps and dings during transport. Inside, you’ll find everything you need to get started:
- The iSteady Pro4 gimbal itself
- A versatile mini tripod that doubles as an extended handle
- A USB Type-C charging cable for the gimbal
- A thoughtful set of three camera charging cables (Type-C, Micro USB, and Mini USB) ensuring broad compatibility with popular action camera models like GoPro HERO, Insta360 ONE R, and DJI Osmo Action.
Design
One of the first things that impressed us about the iSteady Pro4 was the intuitive and user-friendly design. Ditch the time-consuming fiddling with screws! The innovative quick-release clip mounting system allows you to effortlessly slide in your action camera with a spring-loaded buckle that snaps shut for a secure fit. This design makes swapping between the gimbal and other mounts, or simply detaching the camera, a breeze. The entire setup process takes about 30 seconds, so you can be capturing smooth footage in no time.
Performance
At the heart of the iSteady Pro4 lies its impressive 3-axis gimbal with brushless motors and the upgraded iSteady 5.0 anti-shake algorithm. This powerful combination guarantees silky smooth footage, even during dynamic movements like running, jumping, or biking. Whether you’re a passionate vlogger, an extreme sports enthusiast, or simply looking to elevate your home videos, the iSteady Pro4 can take your action camera footage to the next level.
The iSteady Pro4 boasts an impressive rotation range, empowering you to capture a variety of creative shots. With 360° of rotation, 600° of pan control, and 320° of tilt control, you can frame your shots precisely and tell your story from unique perspectives.
The iSteady Pro4 is built to endure the elements, making it a perfect companion for outdoor adventures. Its IPX4 splash-proof rating means it can handle light rain and sweat, providing peace of mind during your explorations. While most action cameras are already waterproof, it’s fantastic to see gimbals following suit and offering additional water resistance.
Remember, the iSteady Pro4 is not waterproof, so avoid submerging it and exercise caution around heavy rain or pools. The inclusion of weather-resistant seals on the charging ports offers an extra layer of protection.
Multiple Shooting Modes
The iSteady Pro4 goes beyond just stabilization, offering a variety of shooting modes to ignite your creative spark and capture stunning footage:
- POV Mode: Experience the world through your own eyes with this mode. The pan, tilt, and roll motors work in harmony to keep your camera perfectly stable, even during the most action-packed moments, ensuring your POV footage is smooth and immersive.
- Motion Timelapse: Capture the movement of clouds drifting across the sky or create a captivating timelapse of a bustling city street. The motion timelapse mode allows you to set the track, and the gimbal will handle the rest, automatically panning the camera to capture the movement over time.
- Trigger-Button Sport Mode: Ideal for fast-paced activities, Sport Mode with a dedicated trigger button allows you to effortlessly keep up with quickly moving subjects, whether you’re filming athletes, wildlife, or your adventurous kids. The gimbal reacts instantaneously to your movements, ensuring your footage stays focused and shake-free.
- Pan 360-Degree Rotation: Unleash your creativity with 360° pan rotation. This mode allows you to capture stunning panoramic shots or create those trendy “inception-style” videos where the horizon remains perfectly level while the rest of the world rotates around you.
Intuitive Controls and App Connectivity
The Hohem iSteady Pro4 takes its user experience a step further with the dedicated Hohem Gimbal app. This app, downloadable on your smartphone and connecting via Bluetooth, acts as a powerful remote control and customization hub for your gimbal. Imagine having a virtual extension of the gimbal right in your pocket. The app empowers you with precise control over camera rotation through an intuitive on-screen interface. This is ideal for making subtle adjustments or framing shots remotely, ensuring you capture exactly what you envision. But the app’s functionality doesn’t stop there. It goes beyond simple remote control and delves into advanced settings, allowing you to personalize your gimbal’s behavior. Fine-tune dead zones to match your shooting style, adjust sensitivity for optimal performance and even configure custom operation modes for a workflow that perfectly suits your needs. Note: wireless remote control is activated by pressing the “PAIR” button twice.
Battery
The Hohem iSteady Pro4 boasts a long-lasting 14-hour battery life on a single charge, keeping you filming for extended sessions without interruption. But that’s not all! The gimbal can also double as a power bank for your action camera, providing an extra boost when you need it most. This is a fantastic feature for long days out adventuring or capturing marathon events.
Audio
If you’re looking to boost your action camera’s sound quality with an external microphone, like the GoPro Hero 10, the Hohem iSteady Pro 4 gimbal offers potential. However, its 150-gram payload limit is crucial. We haven’t found any information online about seamlessly attaching a microphone while maintaining balance.
Despite this, the possibility of improved audio is exciting! We’re actively exploring ways to integrate a lightweight, compact mic without disrupting gimbal performance. We’ll update this review with detailed instructions and compatible microphone recommendations if successful. Stay tuned, as we’ll do our best to find solutions and unlock this potential benefit for iSteady Pro 4 users!
Final Thoughts
We’ve explored the features of the Hohem iSteady Pro4, examined how it tackles camera shake, and discovered the variety of creative possibilities it unlocks. So, can the iSteady Pro4 truly transform your action camera footage into masterpieces? Our answer is a resounding yes!
In our tests, we found that the Hohem iSteady Pro4 gimbal is a great combination for capturing high-quality, stabilized footage with an ultra-wide field of view, especially when used with a GoPro Hero 10 Black even with the Max Lens Mod mounted. The gimbal’s stabilization effectively eliminates shakiness, and the wider field of view allows you to capture more of the scene in your shots.
Overall, the Hohem iSteady Pro4 is a powerful and versatile action camera gimbal that delivers exceptional stabilization and creative control. While it might not be the most compact option, its user-friendly design, long battery life, and feature-rich set of shooting modes make it a compelling choice for action camera enthusiasts of all levels.
If you’re looking to elevate your action camera footage and capture stunning, smooth videos that truly tell your story, the Hohem iSteady Pro4 is a fantastic investment.
Price and availability
The Hohem iSteady Pro4 is a great buy for action camera enthusiasts! It’s normally priced at ₱6,543, but there’s a fantastic deal right now that brings the price down to just ₱3,799 on Shopee (that’s 42% off!). This is a perfect opportunity to snag this powerful gimbal at a much cheaper price.
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