You may remember the pistol grip 3-axis stabilizer craze that started last year with the Nebula 4000 from FilmPower, which spawned numerous competitor products namely gimbals from budget manufacturers such as CAME-TV and Pilotfly. The latter had the H1 and later H1+ which offered a lightweight single hand gimbal that produced smooth shots with mirrorless cameras such as the Sony A7s, Sony RX10 II or Panasonic GH4. And while FilmPower followed up the Nebula 4000 with the 5-axis (sort of) Nebula 4200, that goes into two hand territory, a major departure from the design of the original, even though they have a version similar to the 4000, Pilotfly released the H2 – sporting a very similar, but upgraded design to the H1. Below you can find some new footage from their latest Pilotfly H2 single grip 3-axis gimbal stabilizer that you might find useful.
For those not familiar with these type of gimbals, the Pilotfly H2 is a single hand type 3-axis gimbal with a 32bit AlexMOS board with Triple-MCUs and 2 integrated IMU sensors that offers a more powerful and stable shooting experience than ever before. The Pilotfly H2 features an intuitive and easy to operate 4-way joystick, and 3 x integrated standard 1/4″ 20 screw holes (one on each side and one at the bottom) allowing users to mount accessories.
An improvement over the design of the original H1/H1+ is that on the H2 the handle is now detachable. The material used in the construction of the H2 is CNC aluminium alloy and the design is also tool-less. The new brushless motors were designed with integrated MCUs and Pilotfly claim they’ve achieved a weight reduction of around 30% compared to standard motors on other gimbals.
The gimbal can do inverted mode, and the Yaw and Roll axis have a full 360° rotation, without obstructing any cables. The Pilotfly H2 can take camera/lens combos up to 2.2 kgs (around 5 lbs.) making it a good fit for the Sony A7sII or the Sony a6300.
Pilotfly H2 3-Axis Gimbal Features and Highlights
- 32bit Alexmos with Triple-MCU technology
- High pay-load motors with integrated encoders
- Tool-less design / Quick-release plate
- 2.2kg payload
- 360° Yaw (no limitation)
- 4-way joystick
- Detachable handle
- 3 x ¼“ screw holes (one on each side and at bottom of the handle)
- 5 pre-configured profiles (Follow Mode, Pitch Lock, Full Lock, Follow Roll and Home Move)
- Auto-Invert-Mode (all profiles can be also used in this condition)
- Roll axis 180° turnable to mount cameras with flip screen
- Integrated 4S Li-Po battery with an operation time up to 26h
- Status LED for power and battery level
- Integrated Bluetooth module for remote control (RM-01 remote controller is coming soon)
A 2-hand grip handle is available as an additional accessory. The Pilotfly H2 package includes also a carrying case as pictured below:
Specifications
- 32bit Alexmos 3 axes gimbal
- integrated Triple-MCUs with 2 IMU sensors
- Weight appox. 1200g (including battery)
- Dimension 370 x 190 x 190mm
- Max. motor payload up to 2.2kg
- Integrated Li-Po battery 14.8V 1800mAh
- Operation time up to 26 hours
- 4-way-joystick
- Integrated Bluetooth module
- Supported temperature accelerometer calibration
- 5 user-configurable modes of system operation with a toggle button
- Pitch and roll angle can be controlled by 4-way-joystick
- Adaptive PID-algorithm for preventing vibrations in big angles
- “ACC low-pass filter” to improve the stability
- Low-voltage protection for integrated battery
- System beep sound alert for low voltage / mode change / calibration / Wireless remote control with Android App via Bluetooth
- Firmware upgradeable to be always up-to-date
- System configuration via different platforms possible (Windows, MACOS, LINUX)
Our friend Dave Dugdale from LearningVideo.com has done a first test video on the Pilotfly H2 and you can check out his thoughts on the gimbal so far in the video below:
The Pilotfly H2 can be ordered directly from the manufacturer here for $998 or if you are in the US you can order yours from B&H here.
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate partner and participant in B&H and Adorama Affiliate programmes, we earn a small comission from each purchase made through the affiliate links listed above at no additional cost to you.
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Great review. Very tempted!!!
Very nice, thank you for the info! I’m very tempted by it.
Do you have the original site address or a way to buyit in Europe?
We never know where to buy these things in the EU. I’ll probably buy the CAME SINGLE TV just because I can actually get it here. Such a shame these companies have great tech and no worldwide distribution. I really dislike buying from the States and then being taxed afterwards by the borders.
You can buy it also in Europe (Germany) at http://www.pilotfly.de
Very nice! Should work well with our a7sii compared with glidecam we use now.
what do you think on the DS1 beholder vs the pilotfly h2?
This product and company are a joke, do not buy anything from them. My Pilotfly H1+ has failed twice in 10 months (same issue), I was told to pay for the second repair and when it came back to me it was broken. The repair has left a screw thread compromised meaning the motor cover will fail. I have been insulted and now I feel like I have been robbed. Below is the post I left on their Facebook wall on the 17/10/2016, you can tell I am angry as this has wasted my time, money and patience:
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PILOTFLY H1+ COMPLAINT – 2 Faults Within 6 Months + Bad Repair: *FAULTY PRODUCT, POOR SERVICE, FAULTY REPAIR*
Please explain to me why I just spent £152 on a “repair” for a product that is under 12 months old, has failed twice and now the “repair” has been returned faulty? The Pilotfly H1+ gimbal has been returned to me with a screw loose which fell onto the floor as I opened the box, this screw can not be tightened which means the thread has been compromised. Is this the quality of product and repair you offer? Your company is a joke, you blame me for tampering with the unit (which was only 2 weeks old when the first problem was found) and now you take money off me and make a “repair” which leads to the product being broken?
I demand a refund and I urge all customers to be weary of such a dire company. I have been insulted and now I feel like I have been robbed by a incompetent corporation who does not know how to treat creative professionals. I will make sure my thoughts and reviews are heard all over the internet as this is disgusting behavior. I am happy to send anybody the full Facebook chat we have had over the past 10 months so everybody can see how useless you are and how you treat your customers.
I warn everybody that Pilotfly do not sell quality products, I warn everybody that Pilotfly do not do quality “repairs”, I warn everybody that Pilotfly do not have a quality after sales service. This company is a joke, the only thing worse than there products is their service. DO NOT BUY PILOTFLY.
Below are some pictures I took today, this is the paid “repair” Pilotfly made to my gimbal which is under 12 months old and has failed twice already. You can see the screw is not tight and will not hold the motor cover on, it is only a matter of time before the unit fails again. Please note, the unit had a faulty USB port twice and Pilotfly has the nerve to say I had opened the unit (within 2 weeks of owning the product) and then closed it back up with non-official parts! Clearly their unit is at fault and I get the blame and have to pay. Again, disgusting behavior from a company of thieves and liars.
A very disappointed, angry and upset customer.
*******
STAY WELL AWAY FROM THIS COMPANY, I can provide any pictures and copies of Pilotfly’s communication if you need any proof of how they treat customers.
YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.
I am a professional videographer who uses a Sony A7S, Sony & Canon glass, DJI Drones and a custom i7 GTX1080 64Gig PC rig to produce my work. I will never use Pilotfly again.
thx for sharing but i ear exacty same story for other companies selling gimbal