With support for smartphones, action cams, and mirrorless cameras it appeals to those looking for integrated lighting and audio options in one.

For those after an all-in-one professional gimbal, the Zhiyun Crane M3 can greatly simplify your camera kit. Not only does it offer support for smartphones, action cams, and mirrorless cameras; it appeals to those looking for integrated lighting and audio options in one inclusive set-up. While there are a few rough edges, if you're willing to invest in the Zhiyun Crane M3, it'll work for most use cases.

When choosing a gimbal, there always seems to be a trade-off. Whether it's the price point, balance, or device coverage, it can be challenging to sift through and balance the options. However, the Zhiyun Crane M3 seeks to rectify that issue by offering all of these in one compact package.

But can the Zhiyun Crane M3 serve both your action cams, smartphones, and mirrorless cameras without a performance dip?

With Zhiyun's gimbals, visual design elements are crucial to the final product alongside functionality. With the Crane M3, we see this not only in the sizing but also in its color contrast. Zhiyun has moved away from the typical black and gray colors gimbals use and toward a more stylish balance of black and white contrast with some red highlights.

For the Zhiyun Crane M3 sizing, you'll see it's around 11 x 6.2 x 3 inches (280 x 157 x 75 mm) when fully folded. However, it expands to around 10.2 x 5.3 x 5.9 inches (259 x 135 x 150 mm). So this tiny gimbal without its tripod is equal in size to around a standard water bottle.

If you compare this relative to Zhiyun's Smooth Q3 and Weebill 2, you can get a feel for the sizing compromise that can still manage mirrorless cameras while weighing just 735 grams.

If you're looking to capitalize on the compact nature of the Crane M3, it's effortless to stash it on the go.

For purchasers of the Combo or Pro Package of the Crane M3, Zhiyun has continued their trend of offering a portable backpack that offers ample storage space for the gimbal, camera, lens, and accessories. In addition, if you don't care for the default compartments inside the bag, you can easily adjust the velcro straps.

However, for those looking to go with Zhiyun's standard package, everyday tote bags or a personal backpack will adequately house the compact gimbal without any damage during transit.

Besides the need to have a gimbal that can go with you on the go, one of the more important aspects is the ease of balance of a gimbal. And for a compact gimbal like the Crane M3, you might wonder how it handles the weight of a mirrorless camera.

With the Crane M3, checking out Zhiyun's camera compatibility list is more important than ever. Because it's all about finding a camera and lens combo that works. In this case, you're not just worrying about added gimbal feature controls—it's about getting an appropriate weight combination that the gimbal motors can handle.

Even if you have a compact lens already, there are cases where the viewfinder eyepiece cover will hit the roll axis when tilted backward, so you want to see if your lens falls into that category.

For testing, I ended up using a Sony a7R III with a Sony FE 50 mm F2.5 ultra-compact G series lens. For this, I experimented with both the Crane M3's standard quick release plate and the Crane M3 universal quick release plate accessory.

Overall, balancing didn't heavily differ between the two units. With both, you want to get the camera close to the tilt axis once mounted; you want to balance the tilt vertically and horizontally like normal.

However, there are some minor benefits to using the universal quick release plate. First off, the level mount lock screw located at the front can be a problem during the initial balance. You want the camera close to the tilt axis; the lock screw will hit the camera body.

You have to loosen the quick release screw and move the camera away; that's more of a fiddly measure. With the universal quick release plate, you loosen the quick release plate latch, slide the camera out momentarily, and adjust as needed. While a small convenience measure, it makes the initial balance much smoother.

A more challenging matter comes with the roll axis. If you check out the Crane M3 manual, it notes that you want the camera to stay still and just horizontal to the ground. But typically, with the roll axis, you'd like it not to fall when tilted to the left or right.

So the roll axis never feels perfectly balanced on the Crane M3; it may throw off users not using the manual during their initial set-up. However, this may be due to the arm length of the axis and the compact nature of the Crane M3; the gimbal's motors are fine to compensate for it. With that taken into account, balancing the gimbal is relatively speedy and only gets faster.

Once you've managed to balance a mirrorless camera on the Crane M3, everything else is much easier. Unfortunately, I didn't have access to an action cam for testing, but I did two separate cell phone mount tests.

I used a Google Pixel 3 XL and then a Google Pixel 6 Pro to test the weight capacity. Both balanced much faster than the camera; I did have to pay attention to which of the smartphone grip's different mounting holes. If you have issues balancing your camera, these are an excellent place to check first since they can throw off the overall balance.

The Crane M3 comes with a 1.22" touch screen; it's pretty snappish and responsive. Tap input responses are quick, and I never found myself unintentionally making selections from the compact main screen or sub-menus. Similarly, the screen is adequately bright, so you don't have to worry about struggling to read any of the text while actively using the gimbal.

While you can jump between modes quickly by scrolling through the mode screen, your first stop may be to check your balance or the screen settings. You might feel inclined to run a quick auto-calibration from the screen settings, especially when working with a mirrorless camera. After considering your camera weight and lens from there, the gimbal will default to one of the low/medium/high presets for motor torque.

After running this, it's best to check if your gimbal's motors seem to be working too hard with a mirrorless camera. For instance, the medium motor settings would cause the gimbal to vibrate lightly from the strength of the motors while resting atop a flat surface on its tripod feet. If it proves distracting, you can lower the motor torque to low until you're ready to start recording.

Beyond the touch screen, the Zhiyun Crane M3 aims to keep everything in quick finger reach.

To the left is the 1/4-inch expansion port that allows for extensions such as a grip, while beneath it is the fill light control wheel. Finally, your joystick, your M button, and the Photo/Video button are directly under the touch screen. Meanwhile, the right side of the Crane M3 houses its power button and Type-C charging port.

If you've used a Zhiyun gimbal, the shortcut keys operate in a familiar series of taps. For example, you can tap the front trigger button twice to reposition, thrice to enter selfie mode or hold it down for quick access to Go mode. The control wheel at the front just offered roll control by default; you can check the Zhiyun Crane M3 camera controls to see what options are available for specific cameras in coordination with the Crane M3 Bluetooth control unit.

At the front, the M (Mode) button works like Zhiyun's other gimbals by allowing a quick toggle through various gimbal modes. A single press of M lets you go between pan follow, lock, and follow. Similarly, a double press lets you go between POV and vortex mode.

If you hold down the M button, you can either put your gimbal to sleep or wake it up. The nearby joystick felt like it had a good weight and was responsive to minor tweaks. And when connected by a camera-appropriate cable, the Photo/Video button provided quick access to video recording.

Like the Zhiyun Smooth Q3, the Zhiyun Crane 3 features an integrated fill light, and its operation follows a similar press-and-scroll pattern. To turn on the light, press and hold the fill light wheel.

After turning it on, a single press will allow you to alternate between the brightness and color temperature settings with a flick up or down the wheel to raise or lower your selections. When changing the brightness, the Crane M3 increases or decreases in intervals of ten percent. While the Zhiyun Smooth Q3 had three brightness settings, this puts the Zhiyun Crane 3 at ten different presets with a bright maximum of 800 lumens.

For the color temperature, you can go between 2600 and 5400k. Furthermore, there are magnetic fill light filters to adjust the color of your light. These come in red, yellow, blue, and orange; you can pull from their lipped edge to peel them off.

The only use complaint with the light comes from this same settings menu. If you aren't actively tweaking a setting, the Crane M3 will return to its default home screen. So if you're taking in the color or light brightness for too long and trying to decide it for your shot, you'll have to re-enter the menu each time to make adjustments.

So how does it feel to use the Crane 3 while taking video? The solid metal axes and the gimbal arm provide sturdiness. The body is a lightweight plastic with a comfortable rubber gripping. The detachable tripod also provides extra stability and has a rubber coating for a comfortable and non-slip grip.

I typically take advantage of the outdoors by using the gimbal in a natural environment for test shoots. For a compact gimbal like the Crane M3, tackling different inclines, walking, and running gives a good illustration of its smoothness. Plus, you want to consider that when heading back from a long off-trail journey, you don't want a massive gimbal to haul around, whether it's in your arms or a backpack.

In these respects, the gimbal succeeds well due to its compact nature. While I wouldn't advise doing exceptionally stressful shots on the motors like an underslung shot, it did a great job at stabilizing uneven footing in general. Plus, you get all the benefits of a mirrorless camera where you might otherwise limit yourself to an action cam or a smartphone gimbal for portability.

Similarly, if you take the Zhiyun Crane M3 to a public location, you'll find its compact nature quite beneficial. If you've witnessed some of the more massive gimbal rigs for mirrorless use, you can certainly appreciate the more subdued look of the Crane M3 in public, as well as the ability to pack it up much more easily when not needed.

The Crane M3's standard quick release plate covers the battery compartment when swapping out your camera battery. So you'll have to dismount your camera entirely for access. Whereas with the universal quick release plate, it's easy to slide it off the plate and swap batteries as needed.

To elongate your camera's battery life, you can also check if your camera supports charging via the gimbal's included cables. For the Sony A7R3, the multi-USB handled this. When it comes to charging the gimbal, the PD power port means you can charge the Crane M3 in around two hours.

While the Crane's M3's operating times range between six and eight hours based on the motor usage, charging your camera alongside operation will quickly deplete this.

However, you can also attach the Crane M3 to a power bank during its use and charge-up. So if you're planning to shoot for longer, you can certainly extend the battery life of all your devices with some preplanning.

So should you buy the Crane M3? This depends on exactly what you're after—if you want a stylish compact gimbal you can use for professional purposes with multiple device types, it definitely fulfills there.

With that said, are there any reasons not to consider it? Despite its integration, you'll still need a compatible camera and lens. In addition, there can be some minor hurdles during initial balancing and most accessories are locked to the initial Crane M3 bundle you purchase.

There is a universal quick-release plate that provides some convenience improvements. However, if you're looking to use it with professional microphones or for the wireless receiver, the expansion base isn't available for separate purchase at this time.

But overall, that's more a matter of research, and Zhiyun's package-based accessories may be available separately in time. So overall, if you're after a compact yet powerful gimbal—there's good reason to consider the Crane M3.

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James is a Staff Writer for MakeUseOf and lover of words. After finishing off his B.A. in English, he has chosen to pursue his passions in all matters of tech, entertainment, and the gaming sphere. He hopes to reach, educate, and discuss with others via the written word.

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