Review – If you like to use your mobile phone to shoot videos, then you should consider buying a pan/tilt head. When you are walking around while shooting, the gimbal helps to keep the lens stable. Some phones (such as iPhone and Samsung Galaxy phones) already have built-in stabilization, so you might think that the gimbal is not a necessary accessory for the video capture kit. Let me show you all the features of the PowerVision S1 gimbal, you may change your mind.
What is it?
PowerVision S1 is a pocket-sized pan/tilt. Its design not only keeps your video image smooth, but it also has many additional features that other smart phone pan/tilts do not have.This product comes from bringing us PowerVision PowerEgg X drone I reviewed it last year.
What’s in the box?
- PowerVision S1 gimbal
- tripod
- Magnetic phone holder
- USB-C charging cable
Optional accessories:
- Magnetic phone holder
- Magnetic phone holder
- Tripod selfie stick
Design and features
We have reviewed a lot Smartphone PTZ Over the years, but unlike all the gimbals I have seen and tested, the PowerVision S1 gimbal has a direct difference-its shape. It does not have a round shape more like a grip, but has a wide and flat shape. I will explain why soon.
Available in black, green or blue, I received the green version of the PowerVision S1 gimbal.
Although the shape of the universal joint is unconventional, the exterior of the PowerVision S1 has ridges that provide some extra grip.
The controls, ports, and status LEDs of the pan/tilt are located on one side. At the bottom, there is a USB-C port for charging. In the upper left corner, you can see a small status LED panel that provides visual charging and power status updates. Below the LED is the telephoto/wide-angle zoom slider switch, and next to it are the joystick, shutter button and power button for controlling the pan/tilt.
If you have been trying to figure out where the actual gimbal is, the design of PowerVision S1 is very clever. A door on the back of the gimbal exposes the arm of the magnetic phone holder.
The arm unfolds from the base of S1. Click on the image above for a better/larger view.
After unfolding the arm, the mounting plate on the top will also unfold, and you can install the smartphone at any time. For me, it will be the iPhone 12 Pro Max.
installation method
Magnetic phone holder
You can connect your phone to PowerVision S1 in 3 ways. You can use a specially designed phone case that they did not send me for review…or you can choose a magnetic phone holder attached to the back of the phone or an existing phone case with a sticker.
The cushion attached to the back of the phone has a circular magnetic slot that matches the mount on the S1. The magnetic phone holder comes with 2 steel plates, which you can stick to other surfaces for additional installation opportunities.
There is even a bracket built into the bracket.
Magnetic phone holder
There is also an optional magnetic phone holder, which I use to test the PowerVision S1 gimbal. The bracket also has a magnet and two spring clamp arms.
The backrest and armrests are lined with rubber or silicone (not sure which one) to prevent scratching your phone.
It took a little effort to pull the arm out far enough to install my iPhone 12 Pro Max in the Pitaka case, but I got the job done.
After installing the bracket on the phone, it can be easily connected to S1 because the magnet is great!
As for the grip and use of the S1, after a long period of use, it will feel heavy in the hand. The universal joint itself is 10.5 ounces. Add your phone, and depending on the model, the total weight can easily exceed one pound. It doesn’t sound much until you hang it in your hand for a few minutes. Fortunately, there are other ways to use PowerVision S1 without using your hands!
Has a built-in stand
The gimbal is a useful accessory for content creators, but if you are alone and want to capture yourself doing something worthy of live streaming, what would you do? Don’t worry, the base of PowerVision S1 has a small built-in bracket!
Can you say wow? I like this feature because I always seem to need an easy way to shoot videos hands-free. PowerVision S1 provides a very simple way to do this.
There is also an optional larger tripod stand with a built-in telescopic selfie stick. Double wow!
Wait, I haven’t finished yet!
PowerVision S1 can also be used as a wireless charger. Wait, what? ! This is real. There is a built-in wireless charger on the side of S1. Just turn on S1 and place your phone, earbuds, or any device that supports wireless charging on S1, and it will start charging immediately. Don’t have Qi-enabled devices? No problem, you can also connect the device to S1 with a USB cable, and it can also be charged in this way.
Then there is the PowerVision application, because there is always an application
To take advantage of all the special video and image capture features of PowerVision S1, you need to use it with the S1 application. This application allows you to capture photos and videos like the stock camera application that comes with your phone, but it also has additional features such as time-lapse video, slow motion, and panoramic views. You can also use gestures to trigger certain functions in the app.
To use the app, you need to make sure that Bluetooth is enabled so that you can pair your phone with S1. After the connection is established, you can start to use the gimbal to take videos and photos.The user interface is easy to understand, so you can switch to different modes such as panorama.
There are two versions of the panorama function. Basically, the difference between them is the width of the shot. The picture above is a narrow panorama (sounds weird, doesn’t it?).
This image is a wider shot. How does it work? When you press the capture button, the Powervision S1 gimbal will shoot, rotate, shoot again, rotate, etc.
See it in action
To see more examples on how to use the PowerVision S1 pan-tilt function and sample videos, please check out the video below.
You may have noticed in the video above that the calibration is not correct when I start the gimbal. I noticed it almost every time I go to use it. Recalibration is easy, but I think it is worth mentioning.
what do I like
- Real pocket size
- Doubles as a wireless charger
- The S1 app has special features not found in the common camera apps of your phone, such as time-lapse photography, follow, slow motion and gesture control
What will i change
- S1 includes all installation accessories, not sold separately
- Fix calibration issues
Final thoughts
All the gimbals I have reviewed over the years are huge, and they are definitely not as portable as the PowerVision S1 gimbal. But this is not the only purpose of this video gadget. The fact that it can be used as a wireless charger is cool. The special follow function and gesture control make this gimbal a valuable accessory for your smartphone.
Price: Starting at $226 (with universal joint and magnetic mounting clip)
Where to buy: Indiegogo is in high demand
source: The sample of this review is made by Granville.
