Customer Ratings & Reviews

very difficult to use great case seemed to be good quality

The Hohem M7 is a great gimbal system once you become accustomed to it. This is my first gimbal, I've typically barrowed friends previously and I am satisfied with this set up overall. The box itself is heavy which I was not necessarily expecting. Out of the box, the gimbal feels solid which is always reassuring, comes with a carrying case to keep everything in one place (main device, stand and cable). To get full function, given the detachable screen and AI capabilities charging with a USB-C is needed. To use the gimbal, I attempted to right out of the box, but found that the remote/settings were not straight forward at first and found myself benefiting from the instructional videos online - which were helpful. The features are not necessarily simple to catch on to for myself; however, I was able to learn them as was my wife (quicker than myself). I suspect a more seasoned user may not require as much training. The iPhone pro fits well in the device holder without concern. Ultimately, the most important aspect of a gimbal in my opinion is the stabilization of video capture. Once in the unlocked positions, the stability of video capture upon movement is solid without obvious shaking or concern. Definitely an improvement of holding the device or a fixed stand. Even with the extension used, stability is still there. There is a front facing camera which allows for preview of view, adjustment to lighting (warm vs cool and color option as well) and the initiation/use of the AI tracking. These features are accessed by a small touchscreen control which acts as a detachable remote control. This is a nice feature to have available without needing to rely on the device itself to know the view or tracking. The remote/screen is an awesome feature (although with a toddler it is hard to get her to give up the remote). The AI tracking appears to work at base value although not perfect - tracked myself fine, toddler out moved it a little. There is an app available, which opens ease of functionality as well. Overall the build and structure of this gimbal is solid where even without a screen or AI feature is a good device and with these added is a stand out piece of usable technology.

The Hohem iSteady M7 has been such a blast to use. Setup took just a few minutes, and we were out in the driveway filming my kids biking and playing lacrosse like pros. The stabilization is seriously impressive even when I’m jogging next to them or following fast action, the video stays smooth and steady. The app and controls are easy to figure out, and it really feels like holding a mini movie rig. My kids love it too and keep asking to make “action shots” with it. Battery life’s solid, and it handles my phone with no problem, even with a case. We’ve been using it every weekend now to capture highlights, replays, and just everyday moments. It’s turned simple family videos into something that looks straight out of a sports reel. I am looking forward to continuing trying out different uses for this, including taking it on nature hikes, bike rides and even on the boat next summer with my family to get great stable video of our ongoing adventures. It is quickly becoming an essential item for my family vacations and weekend excursions.

In the box you’ll find the gimbal, AI tracker with fill light, detachable touchscreen remote, tripod, carrying case, USB-C cable & USB-C to USB-C cable. The iSteady M7 gives a premium impression. The device feels solid and the carrying case it comes in is also premium. To start you need to decide whether you’re going to use your phone in landscape or portrait mode. Once you have decided you’ll need to put your phone in the phone clamp, which accommodates smartphone widths of 58 mm–90 mm and thicknesses of 6.9–12.5 mm. Hohem advertises the “iSteady 9.0” algorithm—a claim of high-level anti-shake performance even under walking, running, or motions. Real world results showed the stabilization to be very good for typical mobile vlogging, travel scenes, and even moderate action-shots (think walking briskly, turning, panning). This is not going to replace a shoulder mounted stabilizer but it will definitely do the job for most vloggers. Especially with the build in telescopic phone holder, tripod, and touch screen remote. The M7 comes with a detachable 1.4-inch color touchscreen remote that shows real-time preview and allows you to change settings decently quick. In order to track a target you double tap or drag to select the tracking target. I placed the M7 on a table on it’s tripod and had it tracking my son running around the living room. It lost my son twice because he was moving too fast and the other times the gimbal kept rocking up and down trying to track my son which rendered the video useless. When I did the same thing outdoors with more distance from the gimbal there were no issues. For reference, my son was running a diagonal path ranging from 1-3 meters away from the gimbal. I will give the gimbal a break since he was running in a crazy unpredictable way. Battery life is rated at approx. 12 hours but if you use the AI tracking feature you’ll only get 8hrs. The M7 includes a side roller for motor rotation, focus or fill-light adjustment, A/B button for timelapse start/end path setting, and a trigger for sport mode/recapture/centre. The responsiveness of these controls was good. However you definitely should look at the instructional videos Hohem has before using the product because you’ll most likely overlook features if you do not. If you are going to use this for solo videos/vlogging you might use the tripod and be far from your camera. In these instances you’ll want the remote with you or, if you went through the videos you’ll know how to use hand gestures which the AI camera will then read and start recording. The biggest con by far is the learning curve, once you have figured this gimbal out, you’re golden.

Everything today seems to be about what you can put on social media: Influencers, vloggers, media personalities, etc. All of them are constantly juggling mics, cameras, selfie sticks, and mode while trying to get the shot. This Hohem iSteady M7 is your extra set of hands! Immediately after unboxing this gimbal I could feel the quality. Solid construction, smooth movements, and even a sturdy fitted carrying case to keep your stabilizer safe. I have never owned a Hohem product before, however this product leads me to believe that they care about quality and I will be looking into more of their products in the future. I am not an instruction reading kind of guy, but ladies and gentlemen, give them a glance before trying to use this piece of equipment. There are so many features and shortcuts built into the iSteady M7 that you will not have any idea exist unless you do. For those of us that prefer visual learning, Hohem has a very useful video that outlines setup and features for this gimbal and will save you a lot of time. Pro Tip. download the Hohem Joy app and pair your phone with the iSteady. This gimbal can be used without the app, however it makes your life a lot easier. By pairing your phone, you can allow the detachable remote to control camera functions on your phone like zoom, record, etc. My favorite feature is the auto tracking function. You can use the detachable remote, however using your phone, you can literally just draw a box around what you want to track and let it cook! I will say its not perfect. It will start tracking a running subject, however speed and direction changes will fool it. Walking back and forth in a normal gait has no problems, but you can definitely fool the tracking if you try. Cliff Notes: This gimbal is so much more than just a stabilizer, its an extra set of hands! When paired with the app and given ample time to acquaint yourself with the product, the Hohen iSteady M7 will make your project so much easier to achieve and give it a far more professional and polished feel. Battery powered, quality built, and versatile piece of equipment with auto tracking, gesture recognition, and an app that expands and captures your horizons! Definitely worth the money if you want to create quality videos.

In the box: • iSteady M7 gimbal • Advanced AI Tracker (with fill light) • Detachable touchscreen remote • Tripod • Carrying case • Charging cables (USB-A to C and USB-C to C) • Quick Start Guide • Warranty card • Safety Guidelines Setup: hohem suggests that the gimbal, remote, and AI Tracker be fully charged before first use. This took between 3 and 4 hours. On first use, the M7 enters Bluetooth pairing mode and can be selected from the list of devices in the phone’s Bluetooth menu. Subsequently, Bluetooth pairing mode can be activated by pressing seven times on the button in the center of the side roller. The Hohem Joy app is recommended for initial setup but is not required for operation. The app is also needed for firmware updates if/when they are available. Balancing the phone in landscape and portrait orientation are separate operations since the balance offsets will be different in the two orientations. Balancing is done with the gimbal powered off and all three motors unlocked. Online videos are quite helpful when learning how to obtain proper balance. Good balance will optimize the available gimbal battery time and prevent overheating of the gimbal motors. With iPhone 15 Pro Max, balancing was best achieved without a case (even a slim one). After balancing, the M7 can be powered on and the gimbal will position the phone for operation. Design: The design of the iSteady M7 is incredibly well-conceived both in terms of form and function. With the legs folded in, the tripod becomes an integrated extension of the handle allowing two-handed operation. Many of the functions can be activated in multiple ways using the controls on the gimbal (side roller, A/B buttons, front trigger, and power button) or the remote (joy stick, mode button, remote trigger, shutter release, zoom switch, and touch screen). This complexity can be a bit daunting at first but allows controls on the remote to function either on or off the gimbal. The Bluetooth interface allows the gimbal to function with the phone’s native and third-party camera apps. This means minimal, if any, disruption to established workflows for post-processing. The detachable remote and ability to respond to hand signals allow the M7 to be used on a fixed platform with no assistant. AI-enabled automatic tracking works well in many circumstances but can get confused when the subject is temporarily obscured or when there are lots of moving objects near the subject. Balancing can be tricky and vary each time you attach the camera. The Motor Balance feature on the remote will quickly tell you whether any of the motors requires extra energy to maintain the proper shooting position. Thumb-wheels for micro-adjusting balance would be helpful. The AI tracking unit is detachable and locks into place with magnetic posts. This allows the gimbal to be used with or without AI tracking (and fill light) but I sometimes fumble with it when switching from the front to rear positions. A locking pivot head for the AI unit would make switching easier for me. Overall: The iSteady M7 is a small, flexible, and feature-packed motorized gimbal that is great for videographers (and photographers) using a smart phone. AI tracking will be excellent for vloggers and can be used to create a variety of cinematic effects.

Gimbals are really a mixed bag, I've used a few to varying degrees of success, and I would say this one ends up near the upper end of that range of success, though it isn't without it's own issues. Packaging: Really just what you'd expect, carrying case, device, AI eye, tripod, charging, and some documentation. No frills here, but none needed. Setup: It's easy to set up, but honestly as you get using it you realize there's a lot of options sure, but the options all seem to take a lot of effort to get to, multiple button presses to do single actions or set up single things. I think simpler would have been better in this case, or a different way to execute. That said, when paired and working, it does do the job well, it's just a matter of jumping through menus. You'll get used to it as with anything, I just feel like it's a needless learning curve for something that's supposed to make content creation easier. Use: I've hit the multiple button presses and learning curve hard enough, so outside of that, how does it function? For the most part, it's great. Tracking is good on individuals (it definitely seems to track people better than other things, such as animals or objects). The AI helps a lot, but if it loses track of the thing it is tracking it can do what most gimbals do in that situation which is swing around wildly until you stop it. Hopefully there will be some updates in the future to reduce the amount of tracking loss. As I said, it's better with people. I'm going to see if there's a way to finagle it into holding my gopro to allow for the stability and tracking with that instead. Overall: Worthwhile, especially for content creators, just be aware that tracking of non-human objects/animals may result in interesting outcomes, but still it's a worthwhile option in the gimbal market

PROS - Produces super steady video - Built-in wireless controller - AI tracking and gestures - Spotlight with RGB and different colors - Tripod mount and tripod attachment CONS - Occationally gimbal would go a little wonky when holding at weird angles First off, there are a lot of little features and ins and outs to familiarize yourself with. Out of the box it’s easy to get started using the device, but if you want to get the most out of it I highly recommend watching all their tutorial videos. The iSteady comes in a nice molded hardshell case which is plenty sufficient to protect it in a bag and on the go. It has a place for the gimbal, tripod attachment, usb cables, and an extra mesh pouch for any other small accessories. The gimbal itself is light enough to use for 15-30 minutes of shooting at a time, but I could see my arm getting fatigued if I wasn’t able to catch a break. That being said, the M7 does feel well built. The hard plastic is rigid and doesn’t flex at all. It has a rubber coating around the handle and also around the legs of the tripod. I found operating the gimbal very easy to operate. The trigger holds the phone in the same plane and the thumbstick provides easy adjustment to the scene. The control wheel allows easy control of the spot light color temperature and brightness. When using the Hohem camera app you can use the zoom toggle on the remote. The AI tracking allows easy control and activation utilizing hand gestures or by tapping or making selections on the touchscreen. It also allows you to reframe the shot an maintain that through the tracking. Utilizing the A and B buttons you can set waypoints and move between them as well as track slowly along the path. The AI tracking was good at tracking people, but also when I selected other subjects like animals or objects. Selecting objects works well not only when they are in motion, but also when moving around the objects to capture a dynamic scene. Overall, I found this to be a super versatile gimbal packed with features which are sure to support many different creators needs and video applications.