Hohem iSteady X, a cheap, compact and very practical gimbal

We tested Hohem’s iSteady X gimbal, a compact stabilizer with a very attractive price and with functions that will give your videos a professional touch without having more than your iPhone in your hands.

An essential accessory for your mobile videos

Smartphone cameras have improved dramatically in recent years, with better videos and photos in adverse situations, and they’ve also improved a lot in terms of stabilization, but a gimbal will always improve your videos, not only providing better stabilization. , with smoother movements, but also They offer us other functions such as access to video and photo control buttons from the gimbal itself, and very “pro” effects. thanks to smartphone applications.

All this is possible with this small stabilizer from Hohem, in a very compact and also very light format, which will allow us to take it everywhere thanks to the small bag included in the box. It also includes a charging cable, a wrist strap that will prevent it from falling out of our hands and a tripod base that we can place on the lower thread so that in addition to being a timpani, it can act as a stand totally. stable Support.

This compact size is obtained thanks to a small hinge on the arm where the iPhone is placed, which we will have to unfold before placing our phone, and fix it with a wheel that we will have to tighten. A minor drawback which is more than offset by the fact that it is much more compact For transport. Its lightness is achieved through a plastic construction, which creates a “lower quality” feel than other more expensive gimbals, which also makes sense considering its price tag. However, the plastic does not make the construction bad, it is just something “visual”. It has a built-in battery with an autonomy of up to 8 hours and rechargeable via USB-C.

Easy to use

The first thing we need to do is place the iPhone on the iSteady X clamp. It is a conventional clamp, like that of any selfie stick or stabilizer, it grips the phone well, even the huge iPhone 13 Pro Max with which I did this review. Care should be taken to place the iPhone well balanced, otherwise the gimbal will not calibrate well and it will not work properly. You don’t have to be precise, just be careful to place it in the center. In addition, when you put the sticker on the clamp, the camera should be on the left.

Now we can turn on the gimbal, which will make a sound, turn on some LEDs, and put the iPhone in a horizontal position. Now is the time to connect the iSteady X to the Bluetooth of our iPhone and also open the Hohem Pro app (link) to get the most out of this stabilizer. It is also available for Android devices. This app is a substitute for the iOS Camera app, and with it we can use the physical controls of the Gimbal to change the Zoom, focus, apply effects …

The physical controls of the Gimbal include a joystick to move the iPhone, buttons to capture photos or videos, change the camera, change zoom and focus, change the position of the iPhone from horizontal to vertical, etc. Better watch the video to see how each button works. With just a few buttons, many functions are achieved thanks to the fact that we can press once, twice, etc. The controls are very accessible and easy to learn.

Special effects

In addition to all of these controls and the stabilization that the gimbal gives us, we have a good handful of additional functions that manage to use the harmonic and smooth movements of the gimbal to get some really curious effects that your videos will level up with. Panoramas, Dolly Zoom, Time Lapses, turns … in the video I show you some examples of what it is possible to do with the iSteady X and the iPhone application. These effects, together with stabilization, zoom controls, filters, etc., which we can easily perform with one hand, result in videos that will impress your friends.

Editorial review

Hohem El iSteady X Gimbal get the advanced functions of other much more expensive stabilizers in a lighter, very compact and very easy to use device, all this at a very low price thanks to a plastic construction. Its stabilization, effects and filters functions, as well as its mobile app are really good, and make it a very interesting copy for those looking to enhance their videos without having to spend a lot of money on other devices more. expensive with very similar functions. You have it available on Amazon for 75 $ (connect).