Gimbals from Hohem are an old acquaintance in our test lab. Most recently, the iSteady MT2 kit impressed us in the test and won the Gold Award at the time. With the Hohem iSteady V3, there is now a particularly handy new gimbal that aims to score points with AI tracking and a detachable remote control. Find out what this gimbal has to offer in our test.
Technical data
| The product | iSteady V3 |
| Type | 3-axis gimbal |
| Dimensions | 98 mm x 44 mm x 160.5 mm (folded); 127 mm x 65 mm x 312 mm (unfolded) |
| weight | 420 grams |
| Tilt | -120° to 210° |
| Rolling | -195° to 135° |
| Pivoting | -35° to 45° |
| Number of modes | 4 |
| Battery life | up to 13 hours |
| Charging time | maximum 2.5 hours |
| Special features | AI tracking, integrated fill light, control panel with joystick, stabilizer, removable remote control |
| Price | € 149.00 * |
High iSteady V3 test: Compact and robust
- Folds up compactly; quite light
- Plastic construction, but good workmanship
- Control element can be removed
The Hohem iSteady V3 is a foldable one-handed gimbal with a handy design. Weighing just 420 grams and measuring 98 mm x 44 mm x 160.5 mm, it fits in any bag or rucksack.
It is therefore slightly more compact, but noticeably heavier than the Insta360 Flow, which is considered the top dog in this segment. In terms of design, Hohem relies largely on anodized plastic, which makes it possible to achieve the low price.
However, a metal construction would still have been nice – but there really isn’t much to complain about in terms of workmanship, the iSteady V3 leaves a pretty good impression here. The Zhiyun Smooth 5S AI, which I was able to test recently, looks much more valuable with its metal elements.
The iSteady V3 has a 1/4-inch thread on the underside so that it can be used on a tripod. However, this is not absolutely necessary, as a fold-out mini tripod can be found here. This fulfills its purpose, but is not exactly robust.
Practical: The gimbal has an extendable rod at the top (almost like a selfie stick), with which it can be extended significantly in length. This gives you a range of up to 205 mm and you can also easily bend the extension rod. The Insta360 Flow is slightly longer at 215 mm.
The control panel sits in the middle of the gimbal and has a special feature that I have never seen before from any manufacturer. It can simply be removed in order to control the Hohem iSteady V3 remotely. Extremely practical if you are planning your shots alone.
It can simply be inserted magnetically into the holder provided for this purpose. There is a charging LED underneath, which is also shown on the small display of the remote control.
Setup and operation
Compared to the Zhiyun Smooth 5S AI, the Hohem iSteady V3 is very beginner-friendly. To get started, simply open the gimbal arm, insert the smartphone and you’re ready to go.
Also practical: the enclosed instructions explain how to use the device and have several QQR codes that lead to video tutorials. Within the Hohem Joy smartphone app, you will also find an entire section dedicated to video instructions. Every detail of the gimbal is reliably explained here.
You can use the rear trigger to center the gimbal again by pressing it twice; pressing it three times rotates the smartphone by 180 degrees. The orange-colored rotary wheel on the side is responsible for switching the fill light integrated into the AI tracker on and off. The color of the lighting can also be set here between cold white, neutral and warm white.
Which brings us to the AI tracker. It attaches magnetically to the gimbal and has an on/off button on the side. It enables AI-supported tracking and activates gesture control, with which the gimbal can be operated quickly and easily.
Very practical: all these functions are possible in all apps on iOS and Android. Only the AI tracking of people or objects is only possible with the Hohem Joy app.
The rest of the normal operation is also simple and reliable. The joystick can be used to move the image, the mode button switches between the different operating modes and the shutter button switches between photo or video, records or stops recording.
Zooming is done using the up and down arrow buttons on the remote control, which also has a small, integrated display that provides information about the mode, the Bluetooth connection or the battery status of the gimbal. This all works very reliably and proves to be very beginner-friendly.
Hohem iSteady V3 in a practical test
The Hohem iSteady V3 presents itself as a beginner-friendly gimbal that has a strong feature set despite its simple and intuitive operation. The AI tracker in particular, including the built-in fill light, does an excellent job.
To start tracking, you simply drag an area around the person (animal) or object to be tracked with one finger in the Hohem Joy app and the gimbal keeps the target constantly in focus.
The tracking speed is excellent, so that even fast movements are kept securely in focus. The tracking also finds you again quickly if you move out of the picture and come back in. Speed and reliability are on a par with the Insta360 Flow.
The Fill Light also proves to be extremely useful in poor lighting conditions. It can be set to three temperatures: warm white (2,700K), neutral (5,000K) or cool white (6,500K) and the brightness can be adjusted between 4 % and 100 %. At a maximum of 110 lux, it is also relatively bright – the Zhiyun Smooth 5S AI is much brighter at 680 lux. However, the maximum brightness is completely sufficient in my eyes.
A unique and practical feature of the Hohem iSteady V3 is the detachable remote control, which makes it possible to control the image composition via joystick as well as the zoom from a distance. This works very reliably and without any noticeable delay. Very practical if you want to present yourself (or something).
Otherwise, the iSteady V3 offers the typical gimbal modes: PF (Pan Follow), in which the roll axis is locked, PTF (Pan and Tilf Follow), POV (Point of View) and an L mode, in which all axes are locked. The integrated stabilization works excellently.
The battery life of up to 13 hours is also impressive, despite the compact housing, and is even better than comparably equipped gimbals in this size category.
The (German-language) Hohem Joy app welcomes you at the first start with an eight-step tutorial that familiarizes you with the gimbal. In addition to a number of video tutorials, you will also find the camera section where you can record videos and photos and enhance them with filters if you wish.
There are also various scenes and so-called “moments” with which you can record stylized short videos. These include an effect that allows you to stop virtual raindrops or an inception mode that records videos with spins. So there are plenty of opportunities to get creative. Too bad: these moments are only recorded in 1080p at most.
Hohem iSteady V3 test: Conclusion
The Hohem iSteady V3 is an excellent and handy smartphone gimbal with which even beginners can quickly achieve convincing results. Thanks to extensive tutorials, laypersons are quickly introduced to the subject matter, whereby the operating concept is self-explanatory and you can quickly create beautiful videos even without assistance.
The AI tracker and fill light in particular do a great job of tracking people, animals or objects and keeping them reliably in the frame. The LED light can also be adjusted in terms of color temperature and brightness to achieve convincing results even in difficult lighting conditions.
The removable remote control is also very practical, allowing you to adjust the image section, zoom or control the gimbal mode from a distance. There really isn’t much to complain about.
The plastic construction doesn’t look quite as high-quality as some of its competitors and the base in particular seems a little fragile for my taste. If people and objects are partially obscured, the tracking sometimes loses sight of them – but the competition also has difficulties with this.
In the end, the Hohem iSteady V3 is an all-round convincing gimbal at an attractive price, which has some exciting unique selling points, especially for solo creators.
High iSteady V3
Design & Workmanship
Usability
Features
App & operation
Value For Money
91/100
Excellent 3-axis gimbal with strong stabilization, precise AI tracker and built-in light, which should convince amateurs and professionals alike. Only the workmanship could be a little more robust.
