The GoPro Karma Grip Killer? The Feiyu Tech G5 Gimbal for GoPro 3, 4 and 5
If you have kept up with my writings and reports over the last year you will have noticed I have been reviewing quite a few gimbals for video, mostly GoPro use. I have reviewed several for the GoPro, and a couple for smartphones. See them below:
So far, they have all been good but only one has stuck with me for the long haul, and that is the EVO GP PRO. So far, no other gimbal I have used has been able to unseat it for my uses. Now, what are my uses? Well, I use my GoPro and Gimbal almost every single day as I also shoot videos for other projects outside of this website. I thought I had a new king with the latest GoPro Karma grip but muffled audio with the GoPro 5 and no out of the box use for the GoPro 4 (must buy an extra adapter) along with the fact that one really must buy the $59 supercharger to charge it quickly (without it a full charge will require about 10 hours of charge time) made this a gimbal that I really really liked A LOT but I still will use my EVO until I get the adapter for the Karma for my GoPro 4 Black as the GoPro 5 has audio issues (especially when used with the Karma Grip).
So far, this EVO GP-PRO has been my #1 gimbal, and it works well. While the GoPro Karma Grip offers the best stabilized footage, without questions, the audio is just borderline unusable.
I was informed about a new Gimbal coming out just this weekend and it is from Feiyu Tech. The new G5 Gimbal looks absolutely like the Gimbal I have been waiting for. I have one on pre order.
This is a gimbal that is splash-proof, just like the GoPro 5 so using it in light rain should never be an issue. It’s also Feiyu Tech;s most advanced gimbal to date and even has an app that allows you to connect via bluetooth for auto calibration when needed. It also has a unibody arm, and is compatible out of the box with GoPro 3, 4 or 5. No adapters to buy. It also has a replaceable battery, so you can have 2-3 on hand when doing long shoots. (unlike the GoPro Karma which when you run out, you are out until you charge again).
You can also use other action cameras by using the adjustable weight to balance many of the other NON GoPro cameras out there that many shoot with. Brushless motors for strong and smooth performance with better battery performance. This gimbal looks like it will be the one I have been waiting for. When it arrives I will do an involved shoot out against my EVO and the GoPro Karma Grip. The new G5 is actually shipping now at some retailers from what I was told.
Instead of using a gimbal with a 1-2 hour battery life (GoPro Karma) the G5 says it will run for 8 hours! This is awesome, and it seems that the new battery system is pretty powerful. The more I read about the new G5, the more excited I get about it.
Gimbals are starting to get very popular as they allow you to create professional smooth video even when running or when things get bumpy. This kind of tech in the 1980’s ad 90’s would have cost us several thousand dollars with a huge steadycam rig. This recreates a pro steadycam rig for $299. Truly. They also perform to a much higher level than any digital camera 5 Axis system for video as this is their one and only dedicated job.
So in 2017 look for more camera reviews, lens reviews and a couple of really fun drone reviews. I will also continue with Gimbal reviews, and the G5 will be the 1st one of the new year 😉
You can order the G5 Gimbal at the recommended dealers below:
Another good review, thanks !
Nobody is talking about the G5 audio with GoPro hero 5 Black. Is there anyway to use this and not pick up the motor sound. It stabilize’s fine and everything else is great but the audio. I returned the Karma because its crap, 90 minutes battery is a waste. I like the G5 but if i can’t get the motor sounds out then its worthless or I go back to Hero 4 I guess. Check out my channel link if you wanna see all the smooth shots I did around the world with my old G3 and Hero 4. I have upgraded fully and now im regretting it.
I talked about it, all GoPro 5 audio is awful with any gimbal made to date. The best gimbal solution I have found is using the Removu with the GP 4, which for me gives better audio even without a gimbal. After owning 3 GP5’s and returning them all for various issues, including AUDIO I have come to the conclusion the 5 was an awful update. I love my 4 Black, and will buy another while I still can. I will wait to upgrade until a GP6, if GP lasts that long. The 5 is awful for audio with ANY gimbal. The G5, for me was the worst gimbal I have ever tested.
Can you use any gimbal and attach an external mic for gopro?
Yes only the REMOVU but you must buy their wireless BT mic attachment (from REMOVU)
Hello my friend,
So to be clear, don’t buy a GP5, and don’t buy the Feiyu G5..rite?
U would the rather advice me (backpacker/musician making travel blogs and recording music) to buy a GP4 Black and ……gimbal?
Depends on what you want. If using a gimbal I would stay away from the 5 and 6, as both have horrendous audio when used on a gimbal. Now, many will say “but who uses audio when using a gimbal”. Many do, and many want to, including myself. I sue a GP 4 black with Karma grip and it is y fave gopro gimbal solution, by far. If you do not want to use a gimbal, then any GP will work but still, the audio from the 4 is better than the 5 and 6.
I’ve bought a G5 yesterday and it almost burned down my house due to a shortcircuit during charging… I returned it to the store today and I’ve now got the LanParte LA3D.
hey steve whats the ETA on your review? I haven’t ordered gimbal yet and would like to see your review to help decide if i should go with Feiyu tech or get the karma grip
I posted the review last week, it’s here on the site 😉
how about compare to Removu-S1, which also a splash proof gimbal .
I mention them in this review, did you miss it? I will not deal with Removu..worst customer service in history, and they took my money almost a year ago and never delivered my gimbal. 8 emails to them and nothing. The G5 just arrived and will be doing a new video for it against my trusty EVO today.
Looking forward to your review of it Steve
… sorry about that .. u are right, i must have missed the Removu part in the review .. They took you money and never delivery ? are u in their kick-starter campaign? Looking forward to see u video review!! good stuff. Thank.
I received mine a few days ago from amazon. I also have the go pro karma. I was planning on returning the karma and keeping the G5. After using the G5, I prefer the Karma. I like the integration of the start/stop button on karma. Also, footage seems more stable on the karma. G5 is smaller, great size. I also like the options of having threads on side and bottom. +/- of both. In the end, I might send G5 back.
I’m looking for a gimbal that can work with the GoPro 5 and an IPhone 7 plus. Any contenders out there that are usable and have decent battery life? Looking to get one in a hurry, thanks
Gimbals either work with a gopro or phone or other action camera. Ive never ever seen one that can use a gopro or a phone. They would require totally different mounts.
The spg from Feiyutech can take both, as the poster below mentioned. I also found out from EvO that their EVO SP and Sp Pro have a bracket that allows you to mount a GoPro.
Given your EvO Love should I go that route or do you think the Fieyutech SPG could be good? Or maybe just give up on shooting with an iPhone and only shoot GoPro.
I gave up on using my iPhone. When I shoot a 20-30 minute video (and I do this often) it’s a pain getting that video off of the phone. I prefer the GoPro for its wide field of view and ease of use. I have the G5 arriving any day now. Was delayed by UPS due to weather.
Great, let me know how things go with the G5.
I ended up buying the Evo SP , and I’m using it with both the the GP 5 and the iPhone 7 plus.
Pros:
– Stabilized image looks great on both
Cons:
– requires a counter weight to work with iphone 7 or gopro mount
– this counter weight gets in the way and keeps the gimbal from being able to pack flat
– if you use the gimbal vertically with a gopro, the back arms is visible in the frame (since the gopro is such a wide angle)
Overall its passable, and if you work with the limitations you can get great footage from both the iphone 7 plus and the gopro. Its a little too much work to be convenient, so I’ll probably return it and check out the Feiyu G5 of the Feiyu SPG that has an adjustable arm rather than counter weights.
Given I’m plugging both my GoPro and my iPhone straight into my macbook to get the footage off… I havn’t found shooting video on the iPhone to be much more of a challenge than the gopro. Plus I like being able to use the zoom on the Iphone to get long distance shots that are stabilized.
Looking forward to seeing your thoughts on the G5, as I do a lot of water sports and am interested in seeing how “splash proof” the G5 is!
Any ETA on your review for the G5, Steve?
Amazon dropped the ball on my delivery. Was supposed to be here 2 weeks ago, then last week, then today and turns out they never shipped and now shows OUT OF STOCK. Bummer, as I was looking forward to it. I ordered this a while ago on amazon while showing 7 in stock. Weird.
You should actually check out the SPG series from feiyu tech, I also just ordered the G5 but i was just checking out the SPG series and might think about getting one of these instead! But, definitely going to try it out, splash proof is definitely a big plus on keeping the G5 but we’ll see!
I saw that SPG, and it looks interesting. Is Feiyu tech any good or will it be a pain to use?
Did you end up getting an SPG?
I got the Evo SP and posted the pros and cons a few threads further up on this page. It works well enough, but is inconvenient enough with the counter weight that I’d consider the Feiyu SPG or just kill using the iphone for the waterproofing of the G5.
That being said, shooting the 2x zoom lens on the iphone was really nice, and a practical tool when you need to get closer than you can get with the GoPro 5.
Unfortunately I have had 2 FeiYu products and both failed me miserably.. along with their non-existing post sales service, its a brand I will not repeat in buying. If mine failed dry, I cant imagine how they will perfom “wet”. I will stick with DJI gimbals that so far have proven to be solid and durable.
Looks to cover up the power/mode button on the GoPro5. Powering on looks to be an issue… Thoughts? Might they have designed this before they got a look at the reconfiguration of buttons on the Hero5?
i’ve got one on pre-order as well, it should be on it’s way as we speak. So, so psyched to try it out with my new hero5!
I’ll be reading your review on the G5 as well.
Kind regards, Jeffrey
Do you know if this will charge the gopro at the same time?
Thanks for the info Steve. Have you looked into the Removu S1 at all, thoughts?
I talk about them in my GoPro Karma Review. IMO, they have the worst customer service I have ever encountered. They seemed to have ripped me off. Now, that’s not to say they are ripping others off, but they took my money abvout a year ago, and never sent me the gimbal and never reply to my emails of which there have been many. So it may be good, but I would not know as they took my money and never sent the gimbal even though it will be in stock everywhere within 3 weeks. So if I get it, I will review it and mention the awful CS. If I do not get it, I will send a 6th email to them and never recommend it to a soul.
I’m in the same boat Steve. But I have faith in them and hope to see our S1 THIS month! I do know that they have finalized the design for the GoPro Hero 5 adapter… they have it now for sale on their website (I ordered one) so it should be soon Steve! The S1 gimbal looks to be a strong contender against the G5! Please do a masssive shootout on all of these hand held gimbals!!!
Wow! Good to know. One last thing. Did you catch a lot of motor noise? Mainly in regards with the GoPro 5 since the mic sits pressed up against the gimbals gears.
Steve — great insight as usual! Do you know if FT will have any mounts that will fit gopro mounts?
No need for mounts with a gimbal..you just slide in the GoPro and fasten it in. Will fit a 3, 4 or 5. Mounts are of no use with a gimbal.
I disagree, a GoPro mount can be used to mount the gimbal on a car or bike. There’s no GoPro mount on the gimbal, but you can use the normal tripod thread on the bottom of the gimbal.