Product Review: ZHIYUN Weebill 2 Pro Combo

Product Review: ZHIYUN Weebill 2 Pro Combo

1 other

Weebill 2 Pro Combo

ZHIYUN

4.9/5

4.9

Based upon3 reviews from Wedio members

Effectiveness

4.8

Usability

4.5

Value for money

4.9

Overall rating

4.9

What creators like

Compact and easy to take with you on shoots

Very easy to setup – turn it on & it’s ready

The monitor is great for high and low shots

What creators don't like

Tricky to set up, not acting the way I wanted

There's a learning curve – hard for beginners

Camera’s view finder is not good outdoors

See all reviews

Is it worth it?

Community reviews

Malcolm Modele

ZHIYUN Weebill 2 Pro Combo: The Ultimate Review by Malcolm Modele

In his ultimate review learn more about the key features, camera compatibility, prices, functionality and more. Also, compare it to the DJI Ronin and calibrate it properly with Malcolm 🎥

Trailer

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Intro

1

ueKN_2Yw5zc

Getting started

37

Key features

81

Touchscreen

149

Packaging

270

Pricing

298

Payload

342

Battery life

349

Weebill 2 vs. DJI Ronin

427

Price

435

Weight

509

Functionality

560

Battery life

762

Testing

815

Compatibility

945

Balancing

1071

Tilt axis

1129

Front & back

1165

Roll axis

1199

Pan axis

1244

Calibration

1292

Final thoughts

1354

Ending

1560

Why rent out your gear?

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Community reviews

Corry Raymond

ZHIYUN Weebill 2 Pro Combo: Hands-On Review by Corry Raymond

Quick review of the Weebill 2 taken everywhere from London to New York 🗽 Check-out Corry's quick review on ZHIYUN Weebill 2 Pro Combo 📷

Trailer

TTtrcGqBBd0

Intro

1

WGiX2bGIAgE

Key features

64

Control wheel

109

Battery life

160

Camera compatibility

176

Canon compatibility

196

BlackMagic compatibility

206

Payload

216

Focus control wheel

228

Side trigger

238

Accessories

243

Usage

270

Final thoughts

314

Ending

343

Meet Corry

Quick ZHIYUN Weebill 2 Pro review

The Weebill 2 Pro kit offers a compact gimbal solution for filmmakers using smaller mirrorless and DSLR cameras. The Pro kit builds on the already impressive standard kit but now adds a focus puller and a wireless video transmitter to the deal.

The Weebill 2 is an update from its popular predecessor, the ZHIYUN Weebill–S. The Weebill 2 shares its upside-down L-shaped body, but this newer model offers better handling; a more ergonomic body, and its vari-angle touchscreen is now easier to use. Its controls have also been rearranged, making menus much easier to navigate.

In addition, while it’s slightly heavier than the Weebill–S, it’s not nearly as big or heavy as the ZHIYUN Crane 2S.

The gimbal gives an instant feel of a professional filmmaking tool and offers excellent stabilization. For a price point of $569, it’s an exceptionally effective solution that provides an incredibly well-integrated stabilization system with only a few downfalls.

The Weebill 2 Pro works flawlessly with cameras such as the Sony A7 III, Nikon Z6, and Canon 5D Mark IV with a standard fixed lens. However, if you want to be working with larger camera systems and you want to be thinking about using matte boxes, larger lenses, bodies, V-log batteries, etc., you should consider looking for a more extensive gimbal system like the DJI RS2.

ZHIYUN Weebill 2 vs. DJI RS2

Complete ZHIYUN Weebill 2 Pro review

What’s in the ZHIYUN Weebill 2 Pro Combo package?

The standard kit simply contains the ZHIYUN Weebill 2 gimbal stabilizer. Then there’s the Pro Combo kit which offers a more sophisticated gimbal setup for larger productions.

The Weebill 2 gimbal is identical in the Pro kit to the one in the standard kit. However, in the Pro kit, you’ll also find the following:

• TransMount Handheld Tripod
• TransMount Weebill S Carrying Case
• TransMount Weebill 2 Sling Grip Handle
• TransMount Video Transmission Transmitter AI
• TransMount Focus/Zoom Control Motor 2.0
• Backing Base
• Lens Support
• USB Type-C Cable
• Canon Camera Control Cable 1 & 2
• Panasonic Camera Control Cable
• Sony Camera Control Cable
• 3 x 1/4"-20 Screw

While not all the components in the Pro Combo kit are essential to running the gimbal itself, they can greatly impact the quality of your footage.

The TransMount Video Transmission Transmitter (AI) gives you a perfect LiveView stream direct from the camera that you can see either on the LCD or in the mobile app. The transmitter fits in underneath the camera and connects to the camera’s HDMI port and the gimbal itself using a couple of short cables, all supplied in the kit.

The included zoom control motor 2.0 is attached to the side of the camera lens and is used to pull focus or change the zoom level. The motor can be controlled by the on-gimbal dial or the app’s controls using a tooth band for the lens and connecting to the transmitter.

Design and handling

The ZHIYUN Weebill 2 Pro is compact and can be folded for easier transportation.

It weighs just under 1.5kg, which makes it well-balanced, but can still be heavy to work with for many hours. The gimbal body measures just around 12.5 inches in height, 8.9 inches deep, and 2.4 inches wide, which means it works great with the accompanying Weebill Carrying Case.

The Weebill 2 Pro has a nice handle and a rubberized grip, so you’re sure it will not slip out of your hands.

As it is slightly heavier than its predecessor, the Weebill 2 Pro has more of a quality feel and a significantly improved control arrangement (at least for right-hand users).

ZHIYUN has, with this gimbal, completely removed all controls (apart from the trigger button around the front) and moved them to the left of the horizontal section, making it much harder to press or nudge any of the control buttons accidentally, and yet still provides easy maneuvering. Note, however, that if you’re a left-handed filmmaker, this “improved” control management will most likely not work that great for you.

The joystick has moved to a much more convenient spot so that you can easily adjust it with the thumb of your right hand. Unfortunately, they’ve also moved the focus wheel slightly towards the back, making it difficult to adjust with just one finger. Instead, you’d have to hold the gimbal with your right hand while your left adjusts the focus.

The Weebill 2 Pro has three rotating joints to help you balance and rotate your camera to your liking. It can do a 360° pan rotation, a 340° tilt rotation, and a 340° roll rotation. So, you have a lot of artistic freedom in your shoot, with complete control over every adjustment. It also has three sliding sections to attach various-sized cameras.

With the pro package, you get the Sling Grip Handle, which gives you much more freedom in handling, especially when you have a separate monitor attached. In general, you’ll find that the Sling Grip handle is a handy add-on as it enables you to hold the camera much closer to the ground.

Stabilization

The ZHIYUN Weebill 2 has an Infineon sensor, an upgraded algorithm, and a better motor. This means that it allows for better stabilizing than its predecessors, like the Weebill–S or Crane 2S.

Overall, it does a great job stabilizing your footage when using mirrorless cameras such as the Sony A7 III.

The Weebill 2 provides a three-axis stabilization, like most other powered gimbals, which works like a charm. It is also straightforward to set up and has many different modes to help you out.

Battery life

The ZHIYUN Weebill 2 Pro is fitted with a built-in battery, which unfortunately means you can’t switch it out if you’ve run out of juice. While this can be slightly annoying to some, you shouldn’t rule out the gimbal just yet.

Many gimbals on the market come with built-in batteries; the gimbal has a battery runtime of around 9 hours, which should be more than enough for a full-day shoot. Even when working with a larger camera system, we experienced that it kept its battery life up and wasn’t even close to running out of battery after 2 hours of intense shooting.

The battery lasts for a good amount of time, especially if you’re not using the monitor or in-between shoots; if you fold away the monitor, it will automatically shut off and save battery.

Mounting and balancing

When it comes to balancing, it becomes clear that this gimbal excels with smaller mirrorless and DSLR cameras, and not the heavier ones.

At the top of the gimbal is the mechanism used to hold your camera. It consists of three rotating joints and three sliding sections with a slide-out camera mount. This gives the possibility to attach cameras in all sorts of sizes.

In addition, the included slide-out mounting plate is long enough to provide you with more balancing adjustment once attached to the gimbal. However, it does somewhat lack on the roll axis for adjustments. Larger camera setups, for example, would struggle to balance accordingly, and you’d therefore need a counterweight to balance the camera properly.

Payload and camera combability

The ZHIYUN Weebill 2 Pro has a solid payload of 7.3 pounds, which means it will hold most DSLR and Mirrorless cameras on the market.

• Sony: A9 II, A9, A7R4, A7R3, A7M3, A7S3, A7R2, A7M2, A7S2, Α7C, A6600, A6500, A6400, A6300 & A6100
• Canon: 5D3, 5D4, 5DS, 5DS R, 6D, 6D2, 80D, 90D, M50, EOS R5, EOS M6 Mark 2, EOS R6, EOS R & EOS RP
• Nikon: D850, D780, Z5, Z6, Z7, Z6 II, Z7 II, Z50
• Panasonic: G9, GH5, GH5S, S1, S1H, S5, DC-BGH1
• FUJIFILM: X-T3, X-T4, X-T30, Z CAM & ZCAM E2
• Blackmagic: BMPCC 4K, BMPCC 6K
• Sigma: SIGMA fp
• Olympus: OM-D E-M1 Mark II

Performance

The Weebill 2 Pro’s ability to stabilize and create smooth-looking footage is fantastic.

When testing the ZHIYUN Weebill 2 Pro Combo kit, we wanted to shoot some artistic and creative slow-motion videos. So, we used its follow, lock, pan, and vortex modes. In all settings, we found that the motions and movements were smooth, and the transitions between quick and slow shots (despite being shot in slow-motion) were seamlessly smooth.

Gimbal modes and usage

On the left-hand side of the gimbal are all its primary controls, including a joystick to change where the camera is pointing and a mode selection switch to change how the gimbal responds to motion.

You’ll also find a record button that can be used to gain focus and take photos, including a front trigger for handling more commands. Towards the rear is a control dial, which you can configure to handle various functions, such as controlling the roll axis or adjusting camera settings. You can use all these control buttons when operating the gimbal with one hand.

The gimbal offers a quick command, which flips the camera to selfie mode, and a press-and-hold of the button takes the camera into POV mode. The mode selection dial lets you switch between Pan Follow, Follow, and Lock modes.

Let’s quickly break down which gimbal modes the ZHIYUN Weebill 2 offers:

Pan Follow mode (PF):
Used to lock the tilt and roll axis
Allows for smooth panning

Follow mode (F):
Used to lock the axis motor
It keeps the camera level but allows for panning and tilting.

Lock mode (L):
Used to lock the camera into a single position
The camera points only in the locked direction

Point of View mode (POV):
Similar to follow mode but allows you to roll the camera.

Vortex mode (V):
Allows you to orient the cameras 90 degrees up
The camera can roll entirely around while moving

Go mode (GO):
Allows you to lock the axis but pan and tilt the camera
It works like follow mode but a bit faster

Portrait mode:
Allows you to shoot vertical videos
Useful for videos on TikTok and Instagram.

Final verdict

This gimbal is perfect if you’re a vlogger or event photographer or need a gimbal that you can take with you on your travels.

The Weebill 2 Pro combo kit is a great stabilizer. In addition, its small size and relative lightweight, even when loaded, make it an attractive gimbal option.

The size and balance are all exceptionally well thought out. Once the follow focus is connected, the smoothness of the rotation and degree of adjustment make it a potent tool.

Considering the Weebill 2 Pro Combo kit’s price and size, it’s an excellent tool and certainly a worthy candidate, even compared to some of the more expensive and sturdier gimbals on the market.

What creators like

Malcolm

UK

After getting my hands on it, I was very impressed. It's versatile, the monitor is great for high and low shots and the odd shape makes it considerably more comfortable.

Corry

UK

It’s compact and easy to take with you on shoots. Could slip it into a backpack quite safely. Very easy to setup and you just turn it on and it’s ready to go.

Peter

DK

Smoothness of videos, after you get used to it, it’s good!

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What creators don't like

Peter

DK

Little complicated to set up, not acting the way I wanted to. Hard to twist manually, and camera’s view finder is not good while outdoors.

Malcolm

UK

Initially i was a bit sceptical about the Weebill 2, the monitor seemed like a gimmick and the shape seemed odd.

Corry

UK

Maximum payload of the Weebil won't hold your pro cinema setup with heavier camera and a lens.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Review by Malcolm Modele and 2 other community members

Weebill 2 Pro Combo Alternatives

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The research

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