As you might know, I’m (mostly) using a GoPro Hero 7 Black for shooting kite aerial videography. This camera has a built-in function called Hypersmooth which does an amazing job stabilizing the footage. When the GoPro 7 Hero Black was launched a couple of years ago, this function was a real game-changer and was nicknamed the “gimbal killer”. And, yes, It does a very good job!
However, I wanted to even further improve my KAV footage so I started looking for a gimbal for my kite aerial videography. It didn’t take long until I found the WG2X by Feiyutech. I read many reviews and watched a ton of YouTube videos and, yes, it seemed like a very good gadget for my KAV projects! It came at a reasonable price too, and I spent some time on the internet In after some searching I found a second hand one for an even (much) better price. Done deal and a few days later the gimbal arrived in my mailbox!
On April 19th, I did an unboxing in the AERIALIS Kites YouTube Vlog looking like this…
The Feiyutech WG2x Gimbal
The piece of hardware made a nice first impression, the look and feel seem like a good construction, build quality and quality. So like said in the unboxing video above, I downloaded the app and can use it to remotely control many features. One downside though is the Bluetooth range. It’s not more than 8-10 meters, so when the KAP-rig is lifted into the air, I must do all the adjustment before it goes too high. Not quite what I wanted, but, I’ll have to live with that.
All right… So with everything looking good so far, what is the gimbal like in use? Will it deliver those smooth and stable video shots and what will the video look like when combined with the Hypersmooth stabilisation feature of the GoPro?
The gimbal in use
Yes, I was definitely curious, but I didn’t get to try it out for some time due to several reasons. But for the last couple of weeks, I’ve found a few occasions to put it to the test and on the first one I was in for a really strong and somewhat turbulent wind putting the gimbal to its test!
This is what the final, edited result looked like:
As you can see from the video, the flying line is really bouncing around a few times, but the video is surprisingly stable! You can take a closer look at the bouncing flying line at 4:16 in the video. The flying line is really rocking and rolling but the footage is really stable.
At 6:05 in the video, you can see another example of how the line is bouncing around but the combination of the Hypersmooth feature and the WX2G gimbal for making the footage as stable as possible. Awesome actually!
Yes, I was really impressed with the result. Like said the wind was really strong (a bit too strong for that large Power Sled almost pulling me out of my socks!) and kind of turbulent from time to time as it blew along the coastline.
When you get the KAP rig closer to the ground, let’s say 6, 7 meters above the ground, you can really see how the gimbal is working to stabilize the camera. It’s quite amazing how stable the gimbal manage to keep the camera despite the line bouncing around like crazy. And even when the line is taking on some really abrupt moves, the gimbal still does a very good job!
Some days later the flying conditions were much better. The wind was lighter but more than enough to lift the rig. It was coming directly in from the sea too, making for smooth conditions. This time I used a Rokkaku as a lifter for the KAP-rig and this combo is my current favourite for KAP’ing. And you can see from this video the gimbal and the Hypersmooth combo is making ground for some seriously stable footage!
But even in really good conditions like this day, you can still see the flying line bouncing around from time to time, but the footage is really stable despite the … line dancing!
Even when I had another Rokakku snagging the KAP-kite’s flying line making quite a havoc the footage is surprisingly stable. Yes, of course when another kite, its tail and the flying line is spinning fast around the KAP flying line there must be some shaking and instability in the video, but still, I’m amazed what the gimbal can make out of such an extreme situation!
Finally, I’ve put together a little video of the gimbal at work, so that you can see how it works to keep the camera stable. It’s a split-screen video so you’ll get to see me giving the gimbal a good shake and the footage captured by the camera when shaken … not stirred! (Sorry, I couldn’t resist!)
My conclusion!
After some use of this wearable gimble WG2X from Feiyutech, I’m really impressed with the job it does to keep the GoPro camera stable. Even in quite extreme situations, the footage is far more stable than I’d thought it would be and I find the combination of the WG2X gimbal and the Hypersmoot feature of the GoPro camera a perfect solution for kite aerial videography!
I can really recommend this setup and if you – like me – can get both the camera and the gimbal second hand (and in good condition of course) for a good price you’re really getting value for money!
More on the Feiyutech WG2X
By following the links below, you can read and watch others’ opinions about the Feiyutech WG2X wearable gimbal and if it’s something for you! I just might think it is! ?
