Hohem iSteady V2 Review: AI Face and Object Tracking Make This a Great Beginner Gimbal

An affordable, lightweight, and responsive smartphone gimbal, enhanced with AI motion detection, and some snazzy video templates.

Camera shake is the bane of every smartphone videographer. You can hold your phone as still as you can, but without a solid tripod, you'll expect some sort of shake. There is an alternative to a cumbersome tripod, of course. Gimbals keep your phone steady, providing smooth, jitter-free video.

Gimbal technology has improved considerably over the past few years. One example, the Hohem iSteady V2 adds AI visual tracking into the mix, along with considerable portability. But can this approach really revolutionize how you make videos?

Hohem iSteady V2: A Feature-Packed Gimbal

The Hohem iSteady V2 features AI visual tracking thanks to a built-in camera. This has various possibilities, from locking the subject's position and moving around it to the subject passing camera and being automatically followed. The phone and gimbal, via the app, can detect objects and faces.

Gesture control lets you film solo, meanwhile, without having to press a button to record. With the tripod detached, the Hohem iSteady V2 gimbal's anti-shake algorithm prevents juddering, which keeps the image stable. Shooting can be performed using your preferred camera app, or using the dedicated Hohem Pro app, available for Android and iOS.

As well as being charged using USB Type-C, the Hohem iSteady V2 can also act as a power bank, enabling you to keep your phone charged during filming projects.

With heading, pitch, sports, slow motion, and moment modes (movie-inspired presets inspired by Alfred Hitchcock, Christopher Nolan, and others), the gimbal and app offer all the tools you need to make your movies look truly unique.

What's Inside the Hohem iSteady V2

With a folded size of 179x79x39mm (7.05x3.11x1.54 inches), the gimbal features built-in Bluetooth and a USB Type-C port for charging. The 2800mAh lithium-ion battery lasts for up to nine hours and the battery adds little to the 585-gram weight of the device.

An adjustable ring light is mounted around the AI sensor. This has three brightness settings, ideal for low-light shooting.

Three-axis stabilization offers 320-degree tilt, roll, and pan, with individual motors for each axis.

Note that the Hohem iSteady V2 is not waterproof and as such isn't suitable for shooting in the rain or underwater. It's available in black or white.

Is Your Phone Compatible With the Hohem iSteady V2?

Most phones should work with the gimbal. It supports phones with a width of 55-90mm, with a thickness of 11mm or less, and weighing at most 280 grams.

We tried the gimbal with a Sony Xperia and an iPhone 12 SE, both of which fit perfectly. One phablet-style device, however, the Doogee S95 Pro, did not fit the Hohem iSteady V2. As you might want to use a rugged phone with the gimbal, this is a potential shortcoming, but with the right hardy case and screen protector, you can arguably get the same results.

Setting Up the Hohem iSteady V2 for Use

Before starting with the gimbal, it's worth taking a moment to install the mobile app. This lets you use the gimbal controls over Bluetooth, while also featuring a camera app. Various bells and whistles can be found in the app, which you can learn more about below.

With the app installed, and Bluetooth enabled on the phone, the device can be mounted in the gimbal. This is done by slackening the securing knob, unfolding the mount, then placing the phone in the clasp. It is vital that this is done before the gimbal is switched on, otherwise, the device's motor will repeatedly run through its startup motions. This can potentially damage the gimbal if done repeatedly while "closed."

With the gimbal fully opened, the phone mounted, and the knob secured, you can hold the power button on the Hohem iSteady V2. Once powered up for the first time, it will attempt to pair with your phone. Follow the instructions in the app to complete the process.

Using the Hohem Pro App With the Hohem iSteady V2

Completing the iSteady V2 experience, the mobile app is straightforward to use. Simply open the app, hit Start, ensure Video is selected, choose the right camera, and hit record.

For AI tracking, you can select a face or an object. Both options enable you to use the gimbal with relative confidence that the subject is going to remain in the frame if you don't radically move the camera. A faster motor setting will ensure better framing, but this can lead to faster battery loss and jerkier motion compensation.

Extra features are included in the app. Along with the video and stills mode, there is a selection of filters, along with a "gesture to record" system. This covers enabling and disabling the AI vision sensor, and switching between landscape and portrait modes. Of course, these controls are duplicated on the gimbal's physical controls.

A time-lapse tool is also included, along with a collection of snazzy effects. Panoramic videos, "Inception" style rotations, a dolly zoom mode, rotating in time to music, and smart time-lapses, can all be created. These are perfect for quickly uploading to Instagram, Twitter, or YouTube.

Meanwhile, settings can be configured for the camera and the gimbal itself, which lets you switch things around slightly. So, the gimbal joystick might let you pan the camera, or you can switch this to roll to rotate the camera. Speed, motor response, and other settings can be adjusted.

Use the Hohem iSteady V2 Gimbal for Vlogging

Thanks to the handy tripod (which has a standard quarter-inch screw for attachment), the gimbal can be set up for relatively static videography on your smartphone.

This has multiple purposes. As noted, the app supports some time-lapse projects, but you might just as easily use the tripod for filming passing objects. Alternatively, switch cameras and use the AI face detection to be sure you won't go out of shot should you move around a bit.

Combining the tripod and AI face detection makes the Hohem iSteady V2 gimbal ideal for vlogging.

Does the Hohem iSteady V2 Gimbal Deliver Steady Images?

What you really want to know about is the Hohem iSteady V2's suitability for running around outdoors. To get a better idea of how steady the device is and how adept it is at absorbing the jitter and jolts of sudden handheld movement, I took it to some local woodland and filmed my 10-year-old twins as I chased them.

You can see the results of this in the accompanying video. Obviously, I was expecting the motion to be smoothed thanks to the motors and gyroscopes in the gimbal. However, I wasn't prepared for exactly how much jitter would be removed from the footage.

The mobile camera simply glides across the landscape, regardless of what was happening with my feet.

Hohem iSteady V2 – A Smartphone Gimbal Enhanced by AI

Easy to set up and lightweight, the Hohem iSteady V2 is pleasing to look at and simple to use. The grip is easy to hold, the two main buttons responsive, the zoom slider reasonably accurate, and the thumbstick as reactive as you need it to be.

Throw in gesture controls and a remote controller, and the option to use the gimbal without the feature-packed app, and you've got a great, portable movie-making kit that weighs little more than your phone.

Perhaps the biggest surprise with the Hohem iSteady V2 isn't the weight or the quality of the app, but the price. It's far more affordable than you might expect for what it does, and for this reason alone it should be considered ahead of any competitor gimbals.

We hope you like the items we recommend and discuss! MUO has affiliate and sponsored partnerships, so we receive a share of the revenue from some of your purchases. This won’t affect the price you pay and helps us offer the best product recommendations.

About The Author