Zhiyun has a wide range of gimbals to choose from, and the new offering is the Cinepeer Crane 4E. In this article, I put the gimbal through its paces and give my opinion as a first-time user.
Straight off the bat, the Cinepeer Crane 4E is a slightly toned down version from the popular Crane 4, as it omits just a couple of features such as a built in fill-light and balance indicator lights.
The fill light is something I can honestly live without. The balance indicator lights would have been a nice feature for a first-time user, but this by no means is a dealbreaker if you know how to balance a gimbal.
Compared to the Crane 4, the Cinepeer 4E weighs 1,630 g, and the Crane 4 weighs 1,673 g.
Design and Build Quality
The handle is ergonomically friendly and feels comfortable in my hands. The position of the buttons on the gimbal does take a bit of getting used to when using the gimbal single-handed. This is only a small learning curve and will just take time to get used to.
The color is a combination of gray and black. To be honest, I am not a fan of the gray, as I would prefer the color to be more sleek, like the Crane 4, which is all black, but I am sure this is Zhiyun's way of separating the models. I am nitpicking on the color, though, as it is just my preference. I just feel an all-black design would look more premium.
There is a small display screen on the back of the gimbal that allows you to select the different modes, customize the control wheel, and perform a balance check. It is a good-quality screen for its size, with nice clarity.
On the front of the device is a control wheel, which is customizable, and to the left of the screen is the record button, which you fully push in to record or hold for autofocus.
On the right-hand side is the power button next to another small wheel, which is also customizable.
For the price of the gimbal, it would be nice to have a small carry bag or case included.
Balancing
Using a gimbal like this for the first time was a learning curve for me. It took me several attempts and a YouTube video to learn how to balance this gimbal correctly, which became quite stressful for 10 minutes. However, the actual process of balancing the gimbal, once you know what you are doing, is simple enough. It was more my lack of experience with gimbals like this that caused my frustration at first. This model does not include the balancing lights that were on the Crane 4. It certainly would be a nice feature on this model just to help out.
On each axis, there is a small lock switch that you need to unlock as you go through the balancing process. There are also small levers on each axis, which allow you to move the brackets or arms to the position that best fits. This did become somewhat fiddly at times, trying to go back and forth to find that optimum balance where even a millimeter could result in the camera going one way or the other. That is where you then need to look at another axis.
Performance
One thing that certainly impresses me with this gimbal is the payload capacity. While the payload capacity is not advertised, I have balanced my Sony a7 IV and Tamron 35-150mm f/2.8 lens, which is by no means light, and it can handle that weight very well. There is a handy compatibility guide on the Zhiyun website that allows you to view the large number of cameras and lenses they have tested on this gimbal.
This gimbal is certainly suitable for larger camera setups and offers a full range of motion, with many shooting options available to you, such as Pan Follow, Lock, Follow, POV, Vortex, and Go modes.
Vortex mode is fun as it allows a full barrel-roll effect. However, with my heavy camera and lens setup and no wrist support, the weight did feel overwhelming on my arm in this mode. There is a thread on the gimbal body to attach certain extras, such as a wrist support and handle, so this is something I highly recommend and will need to purchase myself in due course.
The gimbal has great battery life, rated at up to 12 hours of use, and only takes around 2 hours to charge via USB-C. One feature I love is that when my camera is plugged into the gimbal using the included cable, my camera receives some charge from the gimbal as a power bank.
Summary
The Zhiyun Cinepeer 4E is a fantastic gimbal for the price of $499 and certainly packs a punch in terms of potential payload capacity. Being able to take my Sony a7 IV along with the heavy Tamron 35-150mm lens and still have full functionality impressed me, as well as the overall design of the product.
Sure, there are a couple of things I would like to see on this model, such as a more sleek color design, balancing lights, and a carry bag, but what you are getting is an incredibly versatile gimbal that is well-designed and works beautifully for your filmmaking needs.
The things I would like to see or have included are pure nitpicks and just down to my own individual taste. I would still highly recommend this gimbal for purchase, and I very much look forward to creating content with this in the future.
If you are new to gimbals in general, there is a learning curve, but it is not steep, and practice makes perfect. It took me a few attempts to balance the gimbal, but now that I know what I am doing, it takes no time at all. It is a reliable and versatile gimbal, making it a worthy investment for both amateur and professional videographers.
Pros
- Affordable price for a high-quality gimbal with great features.
- High payload capacity—while not directly advertised, you can use Zhiyun's compatibility list to see if this gimbal supports your camera and lenses.
- Reasonable weight at 1,630 g.
- Multiple shooting modes, such as Pan Follow, Lock, Follow, POV, Vortex, and Go.
- 12 hours of battery life, as well as quick charging, and can be used as a power bank for your camera.
- Options to add accessories, such as wrist supports and more.
- Customizable wheels.
Cons
- A small learning curve. The booklet that comes with the gimbal features a QR code to watch videos; however, when I used the QR code, no videos were available for my model (at the time of writing). However, the design is the same as the Crane 4, so you can watch videos for that model instead.
- Balancing lights would be a nice feature to help confirm you are balanced, just like the Crane 4.
- I would love for a nice carry bag to be included with the gimbal.
