Do You Need A Gimbal in 2022?

Ever since 2019 when Apple released the iPhone 11 Pro (with its "Cinematic Stabilization" in the native camera app) a debate has been brewing about whether or not you actually need a smartphone gimbal anymore. So now in 2022 do you need one?

My answer is simply... It depends. :)

Check out these two videos below and judge for yourself. The first one looks at FiLMiC Pro's own version of "Cinematic Stabilization" (which was just recently added) and the second one compares a variety of gimbals using the heavy 13 Pro Max - and then shows the same shots done handheld with no gimbal.

One note regarding FiLMiC Pro's new stabilization... I've since learned after making the first video that its best use is probably shooting standard handheld shots like panning or tilting versus walking around like you're using a gimbal. Panning and tilting with it you can get mighty close to the look of using a tripod.

Check out the video below to see examples of that. This was shot using FiLMiC Pro with Cinematic Stabilization and all handheld.

So do you like using gimbals today or do you stick to tripods or handheld?

For me it really depends on what I'm shooting. If I'm doing a run & gun style job then I typically prefer handheld and today you can get really nice results using FiLMiC Pro or the native camera app. But if I'm doing something more polished like a short film or a music video, etc. then I'm often using a gimbal.

Happy filmmaking!

-BC