Customer Ratings & Reviews

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