The dream of having a gimbal that can auto-track your subject while leaving you free to focus on your own movement is finally a reality! I tested the new iSteady M7 smartphone gimbal by Hohem, and it's pretty remarkable. If this is the future of gimbals, we are in for a treat!
Lately, I've been shooting more and more video footage on my action camera and my iPhone, partially because I don't usually feel like hauling around my larger mirrorless cameras. So when our office manager, David, sent me Hohem's latest motorized gimbal, I thought it might be a good time to see what I have been missing in the world of smartphone stabilization.
Since it's been a hot minute since I've upgraded my years-old smartphone gimbal, I was not familiar with the brand Hohem or any of their previous products. Hohem is best known for their advanced full-sizecamera gimbals, like the iSteady MT2, but they also make smaller stabilization solutions for smart phones and action cameras, like the iSteady Pro 4 and iSteady X3 SE, respectively. However, the iSteady M7 gimbal is their latest and most advanced motorized gimbal, made for heavier smartphones often used by professional content creators, and it was just released to celebrate Hohem's 10-year anniversary.
I outline some of my favorite features and critiques of this brand-new gimbal in the hands-on video above, but let me summarize some of my favorite features below.
Human and Object Tracking
The biggest upgrade with the iSteady M7 over the previous M6 model is its ability to track objects without requiring any third-party app. Whether you need your smartphone to track your talent in front of your camera, maintain a specific composition on yourself while vlogging, or keep up with your pet as you chase them around the yard, the iSteady M7 can handle all sorts of complicated subject movement.
This tracking is accomplished by using a small magnetic AI tracking camera that you can position to work with your forward-facing cameras or flip so it can work with your phone's rear-facing camera. Then, by using very simple hand gestures, you can turn on and off the gimbal's follow tracking and even adjust the overall composition of your framing. I was skeptical when I first watched the demo, but after using it for a few days, I have to say it's one of the most pleasing implementations of visual hand gestures I've ever used.
What's also great is this AI tracker can be used with your phone's native camera app, third-party video apps, or you can unlock additional video features by using the dedicated Hohem video app. As someone who gets overwhelmed with dozens of proprietary iPhone apps, I really appreciate this working with Apple's native camera app as well as the Blackmagic video app, without necessarily requiring me to learn yet another piece of software.
The AI tracking camera also has a small RGBW LED light on top, which can help your smartphone achieve focus in low light and can also supply different-colored fill light in low-light situations.
Detachable Touchscreen Remote
If the tracking feature wasn't a big enough upgrade, the iSteady M7 now lets you completely control the gimbal with the addition of a wireless remote controller. The M7 now features a 1.4-inch touchscreen LCD that can be removed, allowing you to control your gimbal wirelessly while monitoring the AI tracking camera. If you want to start the tracking feature, all you have to do is tap the screen, and a green tracking box will appear over the subject you want to track. This wireless remote opens a lot of possibilities and removes any worry of filming yourself with improper framing. If you want to wirelessly control your camera and gimbal while it is mounted in a hard-to-reach area or even allow a friend to control the framing while you focus on your own movement, all of that is now possible.
The touchscreen also makes changing settings on the M7 much easier than previous gimbals that required pressing multiple button combinations that you had to memorize. Now, if you want to change how any of the Y, X, or Z axis motors behave, or if you want to switch from shooting horizontal footage to vertical video mode, you can easily do all of that using the LCD screen's menu. In just the short amount of time I've been using the M7, I have to say that having an intuitive menu has made learning this gimbal much easier than I would have thought.
Built-in Selfie Stick
There was a time when I thought selfie sticks were the most amateur and ridiculous-looking devices anyone could use. Times have changed, though, and I've realized how convenient and useful a short extension arm can be when trying to capture interesting camera angles on the run. Now, when I pack my camera bag—especially when I'm planning on shooting smartphone or action camera footage—I always make sure I pack a basic selfie stick so I have options available at my shooting location. Well, I think I'm going to start leaving that selfie stick behind because the M7 has one built right into the gimbal controller!
Unlike the older M6 gimbal, the new iSteady M7 now has a 7-inch extension pole ready at a moment's notice. This last week, I've been filming my 2-year-old son running around the playground as well as capturing him high up on the slides, and being able to place the camera exactly where I want it has not only made my footage look that much better, but it's also saved my back and arms from having to reach and bend awkwardly just to get the perfect camera angle. I do wish the extension pole was closer to 12 or 16 inches, but it still offers a lot of flexibility compared to not having anything. It also beats having to carry around a separate extension pole, which I rarely ever have with me when I need it.
A Few Extras
There are a few additional upgrades found on the iSteady M7 that have been added from the older M6 and aren't included with other gimbals I've researched. Below are just a few of these notable updates:
- Entire device and attachments can be charged with a single USB-C cable
- 12-hour battery life
- Reverse charging if your phone runs low on battery
- Full 360-degree "infinity" spin
- Attachable tabletop tripod included
- 500-gram max payload
- Axis locks on all three arms to secure the gimbal during travel
Overall Impressions
Normally, a new gimbal for my iPhone isn't the sort of production tool that would get me very excited. As I mentioned in the video above, I have a box of older iPhone gimbals from 5–7 years ago, and they are the most basic motorized stabilizers you can imagine. Maybe those older gimbals had simply set my expectations too low, but the new iSteady M7 is by far the best smartphone gimbal I have ever used. Most of the time when I'm filming content with an iPhone or action camera, I have this preconception that the footage is going to be fairly boring and often stationary simply because it is so difficult to get smooth-looking footage on a smartphone while walking and moving.
This is no longer the case, and I look forward to adding more dynamic movements and framing when shooting on my cell phone. Being able to mount my phone on a tripod and easily confirm that I'm standing in the correct spot and my composition is acceptable will be such a luxury I'm not used to having. Then, having a wireless remote that will allow me to adjust my framing while away from the gimbal is going to be nice too. If the gestures and tracking work as well out on location as they have indoors, that's going to add a whole other visual element to my cellphone footage.
If you are simply looking for a new smartphone gimbal or want to elevate your video productions by adding tracking to your smartphone footage, I definitely recommend checking out the new iSteady M7 by Hohem, available today.
