Why I Still Use a Gimbal in 2026

It seems everybody is retiring their gimbals. Every time I look at social media, I hear people talking about: does anybody use a gimbal anymore? Or you'll see videos where people are talking about gear they regret buying, and a gimbal is usually on that list.

Whether it's for content creation, filmmaking, or anything in between, people are often bought into the cool factor of a gimbal in that it gives you such stable footage, until you get it and it just sits on the shelf. Or does it? After hearing many of these people say such things, I started thinking and realized I don't share the same opinion.

And here's why.

I've had one gimbal for many years and have also used many other variations over time, where I have a particular opinion of them overall as well as individual opinions on different models specifically. My first gimbal was the Zhiyun Crane 2, and in fact I still use it to this day.

It was the first time that a gimbal could carry a larger payload that was still a compact size, unless you were looking at the time at something like the Movi or the original DJI Ronin.

Before the advancements in compact gimbal technology, this was essentially the ideal, and I haven't particularly looked to upgrade because it still does the job for my needs. Some reasons why people may not care to use a gimbal often include that it's bulky and takes up too much space in a camera bag, that it takes too long to balance the camera, that if you change a lens you likely have to rebalance the camera, that they thought they were going to use it for getting a lot of stabilized motion and they just find they don't, or that now they have IBIS in their camera and don't see the need for a gimbal.

These are all quite frankly valid points. And if that's what works for your workflow, fantastic. But I'm not about all the gimbal hate, because a gimbal does work for me, and here's why I use them.

The main obvious reason is stable footage in a way that can handle a small to medium-sized mirrorless camera and a good-sized lens on it as well. I've definitely pushed my particular gimbal to the limits of what it can achieve in terms of weight and have seen it struggle, but ultimately made it work. And yes, gimbals do take time to balance, but I don't mind that, and it's usually a quite intuitive process for me that doesn't take terribly long. But yes, it is worth noting that it does take time.

Now, that said, I have not just used the Crane 2, but I have also used a Ronin 2 with an Alexa 35 on it with a series of cinema primes connected to an EZ-Rig with the Ergo Arm, to eliminate the up and down motion, which is a much, much heavier rig where somebody else is controlling the focus.

It seems everybody is retiring their gimbals. Every time I look at social media, I hear people talking about: does anybody use a gimbal anymore? Or you'll see videos where people are talking about gear they regret buying, and a gimbal is usually on that list.

Whether it's for content creation, filmmaking, or anything in between, people are often bought into the cool factor of a gimbal in that it gives you such stable footage, until you get it and it just sits on the shelf. Or does it? After hearing many of these people say such things, I started thinking and realized I don't share the same opinion.

And here's why.

I've had one gimbal for many years and have also used many other variations over time, where I have a particular opinion of them overall as well as individual opinions on different models specifically. My first gimbal was the Zhiyun Crane 2, and in fact I still use it to this day.

It was the first time that a gimbal could carry a larger payload that was still a compact size, unless you were looking at the time at something like the Movi or the original DJI Ronin.

Before the advancements in compact gimbal technology, this was essentially the ideal, and I haven't particularly looked to upgrade because it still does the job for my needs. Some reasons why people may not care to use a gimbal often include that it's bulky and takes up too much space in a camera bag, that it takes too long to balance the camera, that if you change a lens you likely have to rebalance the camera, that they thought they were going to use it for getting a lot of stabilized motion and they just find they don't, or that now they have IBIS in their camera and don't see the need for a gimbal.

These are all quite frankly valid points. And if that's what works for your workflow, fantastic. But I'm not about all the gimbal hate, because a gimbal does work for me, and here's why I use them.

The main obvious reason is stable footage in a way that can handle a small to medium-sized mirrorless camera and a good-sized lens on it as well. I've definitely pushed my particular gimbal to the limits of what it can achieve in terms of weight and have seen it struggle, but ultimately made it work. And yes, gimbals do take time to balance, but I don't mind that, and it's usually a quite intuitive process for me that doesn't take terribly long. But yes, it is worth noting that it does take time.

Now, that said, I have not just used the Crane 2, but I have also used a Ronin 2 with an Alexa 35 on it with a series of cinema primes connected to an EZ-Rig with the Ergo Arm, to eliminate the up and down motion, which is a much, much heavier rig where somebody else is controlling the focus.

And even sometimes with these shoots, although in most of my cases I'm also directing where the camera is being pointed, you can also have a different operator pointing the camera in different places. For larger commercial or film and television sets, these gimbals are still used all the time.

You'll see the Ronin 2 as a regular tool, if not even larger, more expensive remote heads that go up to a quarter of a million dollars in price. Which is to say that gimbals definitely do have their place. I think working in that industry has given me an appreciation for the tool and the ability to see how it can be used to create really dynamic shots. And in doing so, it's shown me that there are shots that you can use a gimbal to get that are just much harder to do with IBIS.

If I am handholding the camera, my movements are a lot more limited compared to when I am handholding a gimbal. That is because I like, when it makes sense to do so, these larger almost jib or crane-like moves that add a certain level of dynamism to a shot.

I can start really low and end really high, all while tilting down or up and getting it all in super stable motion. Now yes, you do have to perfect the ninja walk, but it is something that you do get better at over time, and with careful practice it can give you a solid image. I have even tried out the Ronin 4D, which does account for this up and down motion in its chicken camera style. I am even currently looking into buying one of these myself, which tells you pretty much all you need to know: that it does allow you to create some really unique shots with a certain level of stability that you just can't get otherwise.

Now yes, I'm all for new technology, and I think IBIS is really cool, but I think it is just like anything else: a tool. There are multiple times that I want to use a gimbal and sometimes it does get in the way. But overall, it is a tool that I will regularly carry with me, and if I'm doing a lot of video shooting, it's something that I would definitely rather have in my kit than not. Even recently, I used mine on a bunch of different projects to accomplish a lot of shots that would have been difficult to do otherwise.

I think the trap that some people can get into with gimbals, that I was careful to not do, although I fell into it when I first got the gimbal, is that you are doing motion for motion's sake. You are spinning around your subject, getting these crazy angles and just almost adding too much motion to a frame, because it becomes unmotivated. When an intricate gimbal move can be motivated by the frame, ergo the action in the scene dictates the movement of the camera, then it can work to tell a really interesting story. And I think that is when this tool is best used.

If you want to dig deeper into the craft of moving the camera with intent, Introduction to Video: A Photographer's Guide to Filmmaking is a solid place to start.

So, IBIS or not, I can say I don't think I'm going to hang up my Zhiyun Crane 2 anytime soon.