The CRANE 3S Handheld Stabilizer from Zhiyun-Tech is a powerful redesign of previous Zhiyun gimbals with the addition of detachable handle options, more powerful motors with a large 14.3 lb payload, an updated axis-locking system, external power input, and the ViaTouch 2.0 remote control system. The 55° angled roll axis allows you to fit your camera without blocking the view, and it is also modular so you can add an included extension arm to fit larger cameras.
The CRANE 3S features an angled, ergonomic handle that provides two-handed operation for optimal stability. The handle enables you to seamlessly switch to underslung mode, whether with one or two hands and achieve creative shots such as 330° roll shots as you move closer toward a subject. It also has numerous advanced features such as remote control of camera record/stop/shutter using the included cables, an improved zoom and focus system from its predecessor the CRANE 3 LAB, and compatibility with the separately available Transmount Image Transmission System for wireless video transmission. It can also accommodate a wide range of camera sizes by utilizing a separately available extension module to extend the horizontal arm.
The 3S has two options for the detachable, angled handle. Included is the SmartSling, which offers an ergonomic handle with an integrated joystick and control buttons, and the optional EasySling provides a simple, comfortable handgrip without controls. All the controls you need are provided at your fingertips at the top of the main handle along with an OLED status screen. The free Zhiyun iOS/Android app provides many of the same control functions, as well as special features such as panorama, focus time-lapse, motion time-lapse, long exposure time-lapse, camera settings, and more.
You can power the 3S using the three included batteries for up to 12 hours. However, if you need extra shooting time, a DC port allows you to plug in an optional battery pack such as the Transmount PowerPlus that contains six 18650 batteries, extending your shooting time to up to 18 hours. The CRANE 3S can be controlled using the updated ViaTouch 2.0 iOS or Android smartphone app via Bluetooth 5.0 for remote motion control and to manage the gimbal settings.
Nine accessory mounting threads are available around the gimbal to add a variety of Transmount or third-party accessories. Another major feature of the gimbal is a redesigned axis latch lock system consisting of a separate latch lock on each axis that provides solid locking in place without excess sway. This feature allows you to lock the individual axes to remember your balance positions when powering the gimbal off so you won't have to rebalance for each use.
Join Bild Expo 2025 - Presented by B&H
- 14.3 lb Payload, Zoom and Focus Wheel
- Redesigned Detachable SmartSling Handle
- Updated Axis Locking System
- ViaTouch 2.0 Remote Motion Control
Zhiyun Crane 3S Overview
Zhiyun Crane 3S Specs
| Gimbal Design | |
| Load Capacity | |
| Number of Axes | |
| Camera Control | |
| Mobile App Compatible | |
| Display Type | |
| Dimensions | |
| Weight |
| Load Capacity | |
| Number of Axes | |
| Rotation Range |
| Camera Control |
| Inputs/Outputs | |
| Wireless | |
| Mobile App Compatible |
| Battery Type | |
| Battery Runtime |
| Operating Voltage | |
| Operating Current |
| Display Type | |
| Operating Conditions | |
| Accessory Mounting | |
| Dimensions | |
| Weight |
| Package Weight | |
| Box Dimensions (LxWxH) |
Zhiyun Crane 3S Reviews
I’m in love
I recently acquired the Zhiyun crane 3s and have made some short films and I must say, I love it. The payload of 14lbs is amazing the extended handle helps smoother motion. I hope the gimbal stays on the market for time to come!
The perfect gift for someone you despise.
Excitedly pulling the case from it's box, the trapped air loudly breaks wind back at you, mocking your purchase. It is a harbinger. Once constructed, you begin to get an inkling that something isn't right. The feeble electronic menu winking from the distant past perhaps. Or the battery cover that refuses to lock correctly, its designers no doubt smirking at the thought of you turning around a flat object over and over like a confused toddler, attempting to reason with yourself that surely it must fit somehow. The slow trolling of your mind continues as you realise that there isn't a power button. There is a red switch that does nothing. Other buttons labelled with letters. Finally you submit to YouTube and endure endless review videos until you finally find one showing a person switching on The Crane, zooming in and squinting at where you must press. Sure enough it is an unlabelled small dot surrounded by meaningless letters, like a cypher. It glows blue, the universal colour of refrigeration or the emergency services causing yet more confusion. Is The Crane now 'on'? Unfortunately it is. But once power is finally achieved, your problems have only just begun. Attaching a camera, you plug in the accompanying cable (in my case to an FX6) and your device halts in USB mode, refusing to communicate. Unable to take the hint from your own trusted technology, you must press on through this madness. When finally you lift the contraption, you realise it has been designed for some kind of cyborg with unlimited arm and back strength and two horrifically-sized hands - one of a 5 year old child to hold the puny tripod grip, the other that of an ape to handle the enormous protrusion you are supposed to steer this thing with. Sadistically angled towards your body, it offers no support at all, rather a constant feeling that you are falling backwards, a waking nightmare come to life. As your muscles begin to register that you are under unusual physical stress, you instinctively lower the machine and hold it like a briefcase. This is far more comfortable, and perhaps reveals a sinister motive behind this design : a worldwide conspiracy to force every video ever shot to be from the point of view of a cat. As you realise you have used this 'flying cats view' on a job only once before in your life, you raise the contraption to waist height to achieve an at least useable frame. You soon give up though, and try once more to film at eye level. Instantly the device again mocks your puny arms, along with the inability of your wrist to bend like rubber, so grimacing with pain you place the device on any flat surface close-by before reviewing the results. Now your soul yearns for a time machine, to take back your foolishness at being lured by photographs of the strangely enticing Crane. The footage bounces - not in rhythm with your cumbersome shuffle, but completely independently, the resulting footage nodding back at you with glee. This is because the default motor settings are factory-set to their lowest, so that any mid-sized camera - the exact type that this thing is supposedly made for - will suffer from this. Only those willing to download the accompanying app to their smartphone or navigate the myriad menu system will possibly be able to deduce this. I stared at this nemesis for a day and a night, as if by studying it I would be able to work out it's hideous riddle. I even searched for vests and support arms that would help me wrangle The Crane. It seems that they are out there, coming in at the princely sum of around one thousand dollars. At this point, on the very brink of madness and a bottomless financial pit, I pulled back from the edge. Why was I doing this? Let others arrive on set dressed as if in a reboot of RoboCop. This was not for me. I don't know why it is for anyone.