Hohem iSteady V3 review
The Hohem iSteady V3 is a gimbal with many useful features, but it requires patience to discover its potential.
Many people choose to use a gimbal to gain an edge when taking photos with their phone, whether they’re capturing memorable moments or creating social media content. While using a gimbal can take some getting used to for beginners, it can greatly increase your creative output.
Hohem was founded in 2014 and specializes in gimbals and photo accessories.
Hohem iSteady V3 – Design
The Hohem iSteady V3 is a three-axis stabilization gimbal that allows you to freeze your pan, tilt and roll axes, making it great for different shots and angles depending on what axes of freedom you allow.
The detachable remote has most of the buttons you would use and its own charging port. There’s also a built-in extension pole and tripod for setting it up on the ground and holding it in your hand as a selfie stick.
To further increase versatility, the V3 is foldable and fits into a cargo bag or pouch.
Hohem iSteady V3 Review – When folded, the V3 is portable and comes with a bag to store everything.
Just like the iSteady M6, the V3 features a magnetic and detachable fill light with “AI” capabilities in the form of gesture recognition. When filming alone, it’s helpful to use gestures to set the gimbal to track your face, switch between landscape and portrait modes, and adjust composition.
If you don’t want to turn on the AI function, there is an on/off switch on the side. The fill light can change from warm to cool tones and help to provide subtle or additional lighting to a subject – up to 110 lux.
Hohem also offers an app for the V3 and other gimbals that allows you to take full advantage of some of the tracking features and update the firmware.
Hohem iSteady V3 review – Overview of the Hohem Joy app.
If you only use the V3 occasionally, you can get by without it, but if you want to use the gimbal optimally for film templates or tutorials, it is worth it.
Hohem iSteady V3 – Specifications
| Product details | specification |
|---|---|
| Weight | 420g |
| Maximum payload | 300g |
| battery | 1400mAh |
| Loading time | ~2.5 hours |
| Mass | 5 inches x 2.56 inches x 12.28 inches |
| Folded dimensions | 3.85 inches x 1.73 inches x 6.32 inches |
| Extension rod | 25cm |
Hohem iSteady V3 – Usage
As my first gimbal, the V3 was easy to use but still required a bit of a learning curve. With nine buttons, including the remote, it took me some time to understand all the functions.
For an overview of how to use the V3, watch Hohem’s video below, but here’s a quick overview of most of the buttons:
The orange side wheel controls the fill light, the shutter button on the back controls the status of the gimbal, and the joystick allows you to tilt and pan the smartphone.
The mode button allows you to switch between different control axes and landscape/portrait mode. The shutter button allows you to take pictures and videos.
Hohem iSteady V3 review – Close up of the remote control with adjustment buttons, joystick, mode button and shutter button.
I’ve used the V3 in my review workflow, while shooting photos, and even on video calls. Thanks to the AI tracking and remote control, the V3 is extremely useful for remote setup and control when you’re alone or the designated photographer of your group.
I could imagine the gimbal being a useful device for FaceTime or Zoom calls, but the AI face tracking doesn’t work for video calls.
Initially the V3 had issues switching from portrait to landscape mode, especially with the fill light attached, but it’s important to position the phone as close to the volume/power buttons as possible to maintain balance, and this seemed to resolve the issue for me.
Hohem iSteady V3 review – extension pole in use.
Otherwise, if the gimbal’s payload is not balanced or aligned, the V3 will beep frequently, the motors will give up if it doesn’t auto-correct, and you’ll have to reset it. I don’t see this as a fault of the gimbal, but rather a reminder to be careful when using it.
Hohem iSteady V3 – Ideal for learning the basics of photography
The V3 is a lighter and easier to use gimbal in Hohem’s line of devices, but I wouldn’t buy a gimbal without doing thorough research to see if it meets your needs. This gimbal is for solo content creators, smartphone photographers, or anyone who wants a little extra flair when capturing their everyday life.
I would say that the price and compact features make it well worth it for the first gimbal.
Hohem iSteady V3 Advantages
- Foldable design
- Tripod, remote control and extension pole for versatility
- Many functions and good gesture control
Hohem iSteady V3 Disadvantages
- Learning curve for beginners
- AI face tracking doesn’t work on video calls
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Where can I buy the Hohem iSteady V3?
The Hohem iSteady V3 is available on Amazon for $103.20 (20% off) and in the Hohem store for $129 (14% off).
