Zhiyun’s Crane 2 is a bit of a stalwart of the video world, so it was about time the veteran gimbal was given a refresh in the Crane 2S.
With the success of the Crane 2, it’s perhaps no surprise that Zhiyun hasn’t reinvented the wheel with the Crane 2S – in fact, set the two side-by-side and you’d be hard-pressed to spot the difference.
The biggest upgrade is to the motor power and load capacity. Right now Zhiyun says it doesn’t actually have an official max load capacity for the Crane 2S, which it boasts can support even chunky cameras like the BMPCC 6K, Panasonic S1H, EOS 1DX Mark II. If you don’t have anything quite that bulky then you might be just as happy with the compact Weebill-S, which can still support most DSLRs.
Additional mounting points should add flexibility for professional users – there are now four, instead of the Crane 2’s single point, so you’ll get a lot more options for additional gear to attach. You’ll find one 1/4in screw hole on the back of the quick release plate, another two at that size with crown gear, along with a single 3/8in screw hole.
Speaking of the quick release plate, it’s been adapted to allow you to quickly switch to a vertical shooting mode on the fly – ideal for anyone needing to shoot vertical video for social media without compromising on quality by using a phone camera and a smaller gimbal like the Crane M2.
Beyond that, refinements are small. A few extra buttons give more quick access to the six shooting modes – all the same as before – and battery life is an impressive 12 hours.
The Crane 2S launches today, and there are three packages to consider. The standard setup will set you back £599/$599, and includes only the gimbal itself and the tripod leg mount – though if you order from Zhiyun itself at the moment you’ll get a free mini dual grip thrown in too.
Jump up to £649/$649 and you get the Combo package, which throws in an extra set of batteries and the mini dual grip – so at launch that doesn’t make much sense, but once the free dual grip offer ends this pack will probably be the pricing sweet spot.
Finally, a Pro package will also throw in a phone clamp, follow focus, and image transmission module, but that set won’t launch until later this month, and Zhiyun hasn’t revealed pricing yet.
If you want to know more about the 2S or see it in action, Zhiyun will be showing it off in a YouTube livestream at 1pm UK time tomorrow, which you can watch right here:
Author: Dominic Preston, Deputy Editor
Tech Advisor's Deputy Editor, Dom covers everything that runs on electricity, from phones and laptops to wearables, audio, gaming, smart home, and streaming - plus he's a regular fixture on the Tech Advisor YouTube channel.