Esta entrada también está disponible en:
Deutsch 
Español
The Weebill 2 is a gimbal stabilizer designed by the Zhiyun company, designed for DSLR and mirrorless cameras, with a compact format and with very strong motors, becoming an improved version of the Weebill S, a model that was released in 2019.
This model has a robust and resistant construction, without detracting from its portability and ease of use, with a design that saves effort and makes the most of all its modalities and functions. It features an integrated 2.88 ”flip-up and retractable screen and a new Infineon stabilizer sensor, further enhancing its compensation, tracking and response capabilities.
The Weebill 2 currently comes in four packages, each with different accessories. This time we will talk about the package Weebill 2 Combo and we will go over all the features of this gimbal.
Table of Contents
- Case
- Size
- Integrated display
- Buttons and joystick
- Battery
- Mango (Weebill 2 Combo)
- Stability
- Modes
- Combos
- Compatible cameras
- Conclusions
- Zhiyun Weebill 2 Review Video
Case
The Weebill 2 Combo comes with a case to store the equipment, as well as its cables and accessories. The case has an attractive design and feels very good quality. It is a noticeable improvement compared to the previous model, the Weebill S, it came in a mold that went straight to the trash.
The case provides greater comfort when moving with the gimbal. I consider the only disadvantage that in order to store it, the gimbal must be folded so that when you get to the place where you plan to record, you have to stabilize again with the camera.
Size
The Weebill 2 is slightly larger and heavier than the previous model, the Weebill S, and the construction is more robust and resistant. It weighs 1.7 kg, unlike the Weebill S it weighed 1.28 kg with tripod and batteries included.
Regarding the construction of the Weebill 2, it has improved switches to lock the axles, which on the Weebill S were delicate and would eventually stop working. The insurance of the Weebill 2 are now metallic, not plastic, and feel much stronger and better finished, as do the levers for adjusting the calibration, which on the Weebill S were plastic.
Integrated display
One of the most notable updates to the Weebill 2 is its retractable and folding screen. It is 2.88 inches in size, and in it we can change the recording modes, modify parameters and settings at any time, without the need to connect the gimbal to other devices via Bluetooth, facilitating its use. Everything is possible from the integrated touch screen.
It should be noted that the Weebill 2 is the first Gimbal on the market with a screen that you can also use as a monitor with an intelligent tracking option with which the camera follows the subject being recorded to never lose it within the frame. All this with a simple touch to the monitor.
Although this sounds amazing, in order to use the built-in display as a monitor, you must purchase the bundle of Weebill 2 that includes the transmitter that enables this function. Unfortunately, the package reviewed here does not include that transmitter.
Buttons and joystick
We must be grateful that, with respect to the model Weebill S, which had the joystick and the REC and OPV buttons on the handle, making it difficult and uncomfortable to operate while recording, on the Weebill 2 they moved them and put them on the left side of the gimbal.
The joystick now looks more like a joystick and they added a switch to switch between PF, L and F modes quickly without having to go to the screen.
The gimbal has a wheel that in theory allows us to control the camera through it: camera rotation, aperture, speed, ISO, electronic focus and zoom if we have the wireless follow focus (included in another of the packages). All of this is accessible by connecting the camera to the gimbal via different cables. I mention “in theory” because in my case, I could not control the settings of my camera (Sony a7iii) even though it was connected. The wheel only served to rotate the camera. This may be fixed with a Firmware update in the future.
Finally we have the REC button with two click levels. In my case, with the Sony a7iii, the recording mode, in AF, the first level of the button re-adjusts the focus and the next click starts the recording. If we place the camera in manual mode, the button does all the previous actions, but with the difference that if we leave the button pressed, the camera takes a photo. If I put the camera in Manual mode, and activate AF, the first click readjusts the focus and the second starts recording.
Battery
The previous model, the Weebill S, used two batteries that were charged independently with a charger included with the equipment. The Weebill 2 contains an internal battery that is charged via a USB-C cable. The charging time is approximately 1.6 hours and the maximum operating time, according to the manual, can reach 8 continuous hours. For reference, I was recording about 4 hours, with brief interruptions and the gimbal motors at half power and in the end the battery still had 60% charge.
The gimbal can work connected to a powerbank or external power source for long hours of recording in places where it cannot be connected to charge.
Mango (Weebill 2 Combo)
As I mentioned before, there are several combos in which the Weebill 2 come. This review is about combo number 2, which includes a very comfortable extra handle to use the sling mode. With this we do not have to be changing the tripod as we had to do with it. Weebill S.
Stability
The Weebill 2 has an Infineon chip that further optimizes dynamic stabilization. The sensor analyzes interruptions, accurately compensating for micro-shakes and improving stability, providing smoother tracking and faster gimbal response.
Personally, the previous model, the Weebill S, it had a stabilization capacity that I consider unsurpassed, even with a not light equipment like the one I used: Sony A7iii, cage small rig and a 16-35 lens. Even with the weight, I never had vibrations or destabilization with the Weebill S.
However, when using the Weebill 2 I was impressed because I really did not think that stabilization could be improved, but it has been. The streets where I did the test video were not regular and I was moving on the skateboard with enough speed and force, even so the shots were not super stable and no stabilization was necessary in post production.
Modes
The Weebill 2 has the same modes as the Weebill S, but includes a few new ones: Go mode in which the rotation axis is locked and the tilt and drive axes follow the handle.
Portrait mode: The gimbal places the camera in portrait mode, to facilitate the recording of formats that can functions for Instagram Stories, Tic Toks, etc.
Selfie Mode: It is not visible in the menu but it is activated in the same way as in the Weebill S, by pressing the reset button on the gimbal three times.
Combos
The Weebill 2 comes in 4 different combos or packages:
- The first includes only the gimbal and its tripod.
- The second (Weebill 2 Combo) includes the gimbal, tripod, extra handle, and a carrying case.
- The third ( Weebill 2 Pro) includes everything from the previous package plus the AI transmitter and the follow focus / zoom.
- The fourth ( Weebill 2 Pro +) includes everything from the Pro package plus the Master Eye, a portable external monitor with which you can control the gimbal remotely.
Compatible cameras
| Sony | A9 II, A9, A7R4, A7R3, A7M3, A7S3, A7R2, A7M2, A7S2, Α7C, A6600, A6500, A6400, A6300, A6100 |
| Canyon | 5D3, 5D4, 5DS, 5DS R, 6D, 6D2, 80D, 90D, M50, EOS R5, EOS M6 Mark 2, EOS R6, EOS R, EOS RP |
| Nikon | D850, D780, Z5, Z6, Z7, Z6 II, Z7 II, Z50 |
| Panasonic | G9, GH5, GH5S, S1, S1H, S5, DC-BGH1 |
| FUJIFILM | X-T3, X-T4, X-T30 |
| Z CAM | ZCAM E2 |
| Blackmagic | BMPCC 4K, BMPCC 6K |
| Sigma | SIGMA fp |
| Olympus | OM-D E-M1 Mark II |
Conclusions
Positive:
Among the positive aspects I can say that this gimbal is a workhorse, its capacity and the strength of the motors are incredible for its size.
Its design is much more robust, resistant and durable than the Weebill S.
The possibility of having an integrated screen with which to control and change the parameters of the gimbal is great, without having to open the application.
Negative:
Among the negatives I must mention that it is unfortunate that the screen can only be used as a monitor if you have the transmitter, in my opinion they could allow the screen to be used as a monitor and that the other functions such as monitoring, timelapse and other things were had what to do with the transmitter.
On the other hand, I feel that the screen is super small to really use it as a monitor, since we use external monitors since the camera screens are small and low resolution. I could not really say that such is the resolution of the screen of the Weebill 2, because I do not have the transmitter, but in terms of size, comparing it with the screen of the Sony a7iii it is not that it is much larger, it measures 2.95 inches, just a little more. But if it is a great one for those who do not want to use an external monitor and are used to working with their camera screens, but remember, the screen serves as a monitor only with the AI transmitter.
