When it comes to gimbals, there are a few brands that essentially dominate the market. This forces everyone else to really up their game and throw as much as they can at the consumer to try and make some sales. One of those brands is FeiyuTech and this, the new AK4500 embodies this motto.
If you’re new to FeiyuTech, the AK4500 is essentially an upgrade to the AK4000. I personally did not have a good experience with the AK4000 and publicly said that it was the worst gimbal that I’ve ever tried, but how is the AK4500?
First off, the AK4500 comes with many of the same accessories as the AK4000. We get the follow focus, carbon fiber extension pole, tripod feet, along with a bunch of other minor things.
Looking at the handle, we see that the controls are the same. Same touchscreen, same joystick and same button layout. We have an updated multifunction knob but that’s not too big of a deal.
Turning on the gimbal, I did notice that there were a few updates to the firmware. First, the menu system looks a lot cleaner and easier to navigate. I find the settings to be pretty straightforward and easier to understand on a first look basis. Someone who’s used to electronic gimbals can pick the AK4500 up and get going pretty quickly. Even if you’ve never used a gimbal before, this menu makes it pretty easy to figure out the modes and settings.
However, it does seem like FeiyuTech is focusing more on the firmware side of things. It seems like they’ve added more features to the touchscreen’s firmware but have actually taken away some of the features of the physical buttons. With the AK4000, the mode button allows you to switch between panning and lock mode with a single tap. Double tap and the gimbal will switch to follow mode. Triple tap and it’ll enter all follow mode. The AK4500 only allows you to switch between panning and lock mode with the single tap and gets rid of the double and triple tap functions. With the AK4000, aside from turning the gimbal on/off by long pressing the power button, a single tap will enter rolling follow mode and triple tap will rotate the pan axis 180 degrees to enter selfie mode. The AK4500’s power button gets rid of all other functions and only allows you to turn the gimbal on/off. With the Ak4500’s missing features on the mode button, that’s really only a problem if you need to be on any other screen besides the default which allows you to switch between the modes with a single tap. However, as a vlogger, I’m really missing the selfie mode shortcut on the power button. I really hope FeiyuTech adds that back or give me another button to assign it to because activating it in the menu is a pain when you have to do it over and over again while vlogging throughout the day.
Aside from the firmware, there are some other nice upgrades with the AK4500.
The AK4500 can now support a maximum payload of 4.6kg, upgraded from the AK4000’s 4kg max payload. The difference may not seem that much on paper, but the more the merrier because I found that the AK4000 often times struggled with payloads nowhere near the advertised max payload. The AK4500’s stronger motors are going to make using larger camera setups much more enjoyable.
This gimbal now features a lock button on the three main axis. This means that you can individually lock the pan, tilt and roll axis. This feature is nice because it makes balancing a lot easier. Say you’re balancing the roll axis and the other axis aren’t balanced and they’re moving around everywhere, well now you can just lock them down and focus on the roll axis. This feature also makes traveling with the AK4500 much easier than other gimbals. Being able to lock these axis down means that when you’re moving around with the gimbal, the upper section of the gimbal and your camera isn’t shifting around as you move. This is a simple feature but has become a must for me because it is so useful.
Another big update with the AK4500 is the quick release plate system used to mount and dismount a camera. This is now more of a double quick release system because it utilizes two different plates. There is a longer bottom plate that attaches to the gimbal and it is Manfrotto compatible. The shorter plate attaches to the camera and that one is Arca Swiss compatible. The idea behind this is that when you get everything balanced out, you can still quickly and easily remove the camera without having to rebalance after putting it back on. The longer plate that attaches to the gimbal is the one that adjusts your balance while the smaller plate is strictly used to mount the camera to the longer plate and gimbal so it doesn’t have an effect on balance. This is a pretty smart system and works pretty well. The only drawback is that you’re essentially locked into using the smaller plate that comes with the AK4500. You have to be committed to this plate and Arca Swiss or you’ll have to install another quick release plate system if you want to use another plate or just switch the plates on and off.
Perhaps the most notable addition to the AK4500 is this new handle which FeiyuTech calls the Hyperlink Controller. You can attach the handle to the gimbal for a more comfortable carry during underslung mode or you can take it off completely and use it as a wireless controller. The handle allows for mode changes and adjustments of the gimbal either via the joystick or just by moving the handle around. This can be extremely useful in many situations. One would be when there are multiple camera operators. This handle allows for one person to control and focus on moving the gimbal around an area while another person can focus on adjusting the gimbal’s parameters. This accessory opens up a whole new world of possibility and just a few years ago, something like this would cost us thousands of dollars to achieve. To have it here in this package is simply amazing.
This brings me to the price. The FeiyuTech AK4500 retails for $749. That’s not exactly cheap, but it is competitive. Considering all the accessories that you get and the capabilities of this gimbal, it is hard to overlook. Like I said earlier, to compete FeiyuTech has essentially thrown everything at us in terms of features and I would have to say that it worked. The AK4500 as a whole is a very compelling package and one worth checking out.
If you're considering on buying any of the products mentioned, please support my work by using the links below.
FeiyuTech AK4500 https://amzn.to/2lfsXN5
FeiyuTech AK4000 https://amzn.to/2lfPpWp
Want to support my work?
Consider visiting the shop and buying "Absolutely Nothing" https://www.HaiHoangTran.com/shop/absolutely-nothing
or
Become a Patron!
https://www.patreon.com/HaiHoangTran
or