ZHIYUN WEEBILL 3 DSLR Gimbal

ZHIYUN, the favourite gimbal brand of professional filmmakers, has officially revealed the WEEBILL 3, its portable, high-performance gimbal for DSLR cameras. It adopts a new SLING 2.0 design for improved ergonomics, a built-in microphone, fill light and a powerful, inbuilt battery supporting all-day use. The WEEBILL 3 gimbal upgrades the filmmaking and photography experience by giving a dynamic, lightweight and easy-to-use professional device, allowing users to abandon the stress of cumbersome equipment to focus on pure artistic creation.

ZHIYUN has become the major force in the gimbal industry, pioneering new technology and making its stabilizer easier to use than most of its rivals. The most significant difference between the new WEEBILL 3 and its predecessor, the WEEBILL 2S, is the lack of a built-in live-view colour display. Initially, I thought this was a huge downgrade, but based on my experience, the screen was rarely used, mainly because it required an additional module to unleash its full potential.

ZHIYUN WEEBILL 3 key features

1. New SLING 2.0: Better Ergonomics & More Stable Shots

Built from lightweight, ultra-strong materials, the ZHIYUN WEEBILL 3 offers improved ergonomics with a new SLING 2.0 design. The SLING 2.0 system incorporates three important ergonomic upgrades: a restructured L-shape handle that’s more stable when self-standing, a new wrist rest, and a repositioned, extendable sling grip that provides over 40% more support to your wrist by shifting the weight onto your arm. The extra support reduces fatigue, allowing for extended use in comfort. By moving the sling grip to the bottom of the gimbal, it provides better stability and shake-prevention when shooting at low angles.

The grip includes thumb buttons, a mini control stick for movement, plus a finger trigger and wheel that can be customized according to preferences of shooting modes and action parameters, such as camera paras, movement along axes, follow focus etc.

2. Convenient Built-in Microphone & Light

The WEEBILL 3 includes a built-in Hi-Fi microphone and 1000 lumen fill light for a fast and efficient setup-to-shoot experience. These convenient, high-performance add-in accessories save filmmakers from the fuss of additional wires and the weight of extra accessories.

The microphone provides forward-focused cardioid recording with noise-cancelling functionality, while the bright fill light offers colour temperature adjustment to meet the requirements of each scene.

3. Ecosystem of Accessories

ZHIYUN offers a comprehensive ecosystem of TransMount accessories to extend the WEEBILL 3’s functionality, dramatically increasing on-location teamwork efficiency. Combining the WEEBILL 3 with TransMount Image Transmitter and MasterEye Visual Controller VC100 allows directors to monitor the shot via wireless image transmission and apply parameter adjustment, such as focus and zoom, via remote control. Other accessories include ZHIYUN’s Follow Focus/Zoom units and its ZY Play App.

4. Outstanding Battery Life & PD Fast Charging Support

Compared to the previous version, the WEEBILL 3 upgrades the large 7,800mAh internal battery, which now provides up to 21 hours of use for all-day filming support. With support for PD fast charging (0-100% in 2 hours) and pass-through charging of attached cameras (5V/1A), the WEEBILL 3 offers outstanding endurance with minimal downtime.

5. Next-gen Quick Release system

ZHIYUN’s latest quick-release system includes a dual quick-release plate with an embedded magnetic wrench. The camera requires balancing just once, then it can be repeatedly mounted and secured easily, fast and conveniently without needing to rebalance, saving time.

Price and availability

Starting on 15 July, the ZHIYUN WEEBILL 3 is available at $449 in a standard pack or $529 in a combo pack that includes a backpack, wrist rest, and extendable sling grip. You can order it from ZHIYUN’s official store or from their Amazon store.