FeiyuTech Vlog Pocket 2 Review Handheld Gimbal Stabilizer for Smartphone
The smartphone gimbal combo is one of the most efficient, lightweight and cost effective ways to get smooth looking footage! Before plunking down your hard earned money though, check out the Vlog Pocket 2 by FeiyuTech - a very affordable gimbal with all the bells and whistles!
The FeiyuTech Vlog Pocket 2 gimbal has two motorized hinges, one of which swivels around the body of the gimbal, allowing you to sweep the scene horizontally. The second motorized hinge connects the cradle to the arm extension and also swivels on its axis, allowing you to sweep the scene vertically.
The motorized hinges make no noise and allow you to smoothly pan and tilt (up to 160 degrees). The motorized hinges can be manually locked into place via a groove/notch mechanism to prevent the hinges from freely spinning while not in use. The FeiyuTech Vlog Pocket 2 body is entirely constructed out of hard plastic, including the grip handle which feels solidly made and has a textured hard plastic finish. Total weight is just 288 grams, making the Vlog Pocket 2 as light as a smartphone.
The shell of the phone cradle is also hard plastic and can accept phones up to 250 grams and, measuring between 4cm and 9cm wide. The phone clamp integrates two clamps with spring loaded metal bars. The dual clamp design of the Vlog Pocket 2 phone cradle is sturdy, although it requires both hands when fitting the phone, which is not as convenient as a single-sided clamp that can be operated with one hand. The Vlog Pocket 2 phone cradle measures 5cm long and 5cm wide. The main arm measures 10cm long and the smaller arm measures 6cm long. The grip handle measures 10cm long. Because the Vlog Pocket 2 phone cradle has two clamps you need to use both hands to extend the clamps in order to slide in the phone. The phone cradle clamps are rubberized and are wide enough to fit an iPhone X without a protective case cover.
The Vlog Pocket 2 thumb joystick is made of hard plastic, along with the other button controls including the Power button, Function button (M button), Camera button and Record button. The zoom switch is also made of hard plastic with grooved indents for grip. The Function button is very useful because it allows you to quickly go from landscape to portrait (and viceversa) without having to use the joystick.
There is a small trigger button on the opposite side, which is designed to be operated with your index finger. The Trigger button has several functions including re-centering the neutral axis of the cradle, as well as switching from rear camera to selfie camera (and viceversa). The USB-C charging port is protected by a small rubber grommet.
The FeiyuTech Vlog Pocket 2 gimbal integrates a Bluetooth 5.0 chip and requires connecting to a mobile app (Feiyu ON) in order to work. The Feiyu ON app is compatible with Android and iOS and can be downloaded from the Play Store and App Store. Account registration is required along with some permissions (location and photos).
The Feiyu ON app gives you access to quick settings such as tilting speed and panning speed, which basically increases or decreases the resistance of the thumb joystick, allowing you to pan (left to right) and tilt (up and down) slower or faster. You can also roll tilt the camera's horizon up to 320 degrees.
The Feiyu ON app also replicates most stock functions of your phone's camera app so, you still have access to basic functions such as timer, HDR, filter, gesture control, beauty, shutter sound, selfie mode, flash, picture resolution and video resolution options: 720p (30fps), 1080p (30fps), 4k (30fps), 720p (240fps) and 480p (240 fps).The Feiyu ON app also features a water marker. The pan and tilt speed is to set to low/medium by default but, you can adjust both pan and tilt speed from the Feiyu ON app if you want to sweep across the scene faster or slower. The Vlog Pocket 2 gimbal does not require elaborate calibration other than initially balancing the phone with the cradle when powering on the gimbal to get a proper horizon aim. If the gimbal is not completely unlocked or the phone isn't mounted on the cradle, the app will bring up a message prompt to alert you.
When it's time to put the Vlog Pocket 2 gimbal away, you can easily fold it by undoing the hard plastic thumb screw and collapse it down to reduce the footprint of the gimbal. A drawstring carry pouch is also included, although you ideally want a hard shell case to safely carry the Vlog Pocket 2 so, it doesn't get damaged during transportation. That said, the packaging box the Vlog Pocket 2 comes in can double as safe storage since it features a thick foam cutout.
The drawstring carry pouch is FeiyuTech branded and made of faux suede felt material, which doesn't seem water repellent. A quality USB-A to USB-C charging cable is included which has a flat outer sheath and rubbery plug connectors with thick strain reliefs.
A FeiyuTech-branded mini tripod is also included, which is made of hard plastic and features a rubberized built-in shoe plate with a 1/4 inch male screw. The tripod legs don't have twist or clip locks; hence they aren't lockable but the tripod legs rubber feet do a good job at keeping the legs secure at various angles.
With the tripod attached, the Vlog Pocket 2 weighs 46 grams and measures 32cm long (25cm long without it). The tripod alone measures 7cm tall (in closed position). The gimbal has a 7.4v 1300mAh battery built-in, which can give you a runtime between 6 and 9 hours, depending on the weight of the smartphone.
The Vlog Pocket 2 charging time is 1.5 hours when using a 5V/2A power adapter (not included) but, you can use a powerbank when operating the gimbal to extend the runtime. The Feiyu ON app automatically creates a folder and save videos and pictures on your phone's internal storage.You can buy the Vlog Pocket 2 gimbal from FeiyuTech and Amazon.
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