Fisherfans 1-Axis Smartphone Gimbal with Tripod

In my experience this works really well in a hand held position but not as well on the stand in tripod mode. In my opinion the stand is not as sturdy as I’d like and on the highest level it can easily tip itself over if not careful, though I have found it doesn’t go up very high in the first place as I can’t record the top of my table from the ground with it,it doesn’t reach that high. So I would have to set it up on the table itself and use it on the lowest level. I also wish it could go the whole way back on both sides instead of just the one. I like to use my rear camera with my phone on a tilt and I can’t do that with this selfie stick. I can use my front facing camera to do that, (but for whatever reason the image is never as clear as my rear camera side so that is the camera I like to use best). What I do love about this product is that in my experience the rotating / self leveling part of it works awesomely and creates amazing videos that look so smooth in my opinion. I will definitely use this as a hand held selfie stick but for a tripod not so much.

The instructions to connect and how to use this gimbal were a bit complex but once we had it going it was good to go. The main issue we had was the usage time. Once fully charged, which took about 3-4 hours, we maybe got less than 1 full hour of non stop use. I would day this is ok, if you don’t plan on using it much.

I fully charged before using it tested it out for a couple minutes, then went on a trip across country. When I tried to use it the next day, it just started making weird noises and the power light turned off. I go back to my hotel room, not even able to charge it anymore And power on. I advise you do not buy this

Selfie sticks aren’t anything new, but getting one that also helps keep your images level at a reasonable price is a nice bonus!
The instructions are actually pretty good. In addition to the general operation, they recommend you attempt to balance the phone in the holder before turning on the gimbal. I also recommend you balance it in all directions you plan to use. If you’re going to shoot mostly landscape or portrait, it’s fine to have the weight slightly below the center of the gimbal. Note that the power button should be aligned to the side of the phone with the camera (top). The gimbal can be easily switched from portrait (social media) to landscape (TV) orientation with a short click on the power button. If you intend to shoot in both modes, get the center point balanced as close as possible to the axis. It will likely take a few adjustments to get the balance correct. Spin the phone on the mount before turning the gimbal power on – it should spin freely and slow to a stop without reversing direction. Slide the phone in the clamp and slide the clamp slightly to one side or the other to adjust balance. It’s worth taking a bit of time to get the balance point centered. The gimbal will still hold the phone level if not well balanced, but the battery life will be significantly shortened.
The rest of the mount is manually adjustable easily for multiple applications. The gimbal arm has a friction lock with thumbscrew tension adjustment. I found that setting it at about a 45-degree angle to the arm works well for self shots and as a typical camera shot. Doing so also allows simply turning the stick to adjust the vertical shot angle. Because the gimbal adjusts only one axis, turning the stick also can cause the camera to point up or down.
The stick comes with a Bluetooth remote button. It duplicates using the side button on the phone to take a picture or start/stop video. Pair the button with your phone before you get in a crowd with several other phones or it may pair with the wrong one. The instructions mention adjusting phone settings if the button connects but does not cause the camera to operate. I did not need to do that – the default Android (Samsung S22+) button settings worked as expected. I particularly liked that the button sides out of the stick for use a few feet from the phone. The button has a separate lithium button cell that is easily replaced. Serious users will want to have a spare, but the one provided should last for a pretty long time.
The handle converts to a small tripod stand. Simply pull on one of the three sides of the handle to create a small base to hold the phone. Slip the button out of the handle, frame the shot, then get in the picture! It’s Bluetooth, so the range is limited. It makes it much easier to get the photographer into the group photo and works better than using a timer to fire the shot.
With USB-C becoming the standard for phone connections, it’s nice that this mount can use the same charging cable as new phones whether Android or iPhone. Not having to carry multiple cords is handy.
When not in use, the unit folds down to a compact size that would easily fit in a purse, pouch, or cargo pocket. Keep it handy!