What gimbal and gopro camera will work for the FC40?

[GeneralKitFisto]

I've seen vids of footage from this model, and it looks pretty shaky and the video quality isn't that great (The camera records in 720p, right?). I plan on using my FC40 for aerial photography/filming for YouTube.

What is the cheapest yet sufficient gimbal and GoPro that will
A.) Fit the FC40
B.) Not weigh it down.

I really don't want to spend over $350, and I really don't like buying off of any site that's not Amazon.

 

[GeneralKitFisto]

I was thinking about buying these

 http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00GAY5YBU/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1425740840&sr=8-1&keywords=2+axis+gimbal+and+gopro

 http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00GXKTEUI/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1425740964&sr=8-1&keywords=Gopro+hero+3

 

[plymouthphantom]

It's good enough for hobby purposes in my eyes:

Change to hd
http://youtu.be/g8jf8RySjXk

That's a walkera g-2d gimbal and an sj4000 camera. A rough dollar cost would be 120

 

[plymouthphantom]

The gimbal you linked to is a cheap Chinese one, it's quite heavy and there have been a fair few I've seen with problems, however there are equally loads of people happy with them. The walkera I linked to is good. Plastic, so light weight, but not flimsy. Does the job.

 

[Holrits]

Buy the walkera G-2d plastic gimbal works perfect for me. And then i Got some one to make an3d printed camera holder for the fc40 cam so i could attached it to the gimbal

 

[PsychopathRC]

I'm using the Walkera G-2D Gimbal and SJ5000+. The SJ5000+ is like a budget GoPro. The best it can offer is 1080P @60FPS and 16 Megapixel Photos. Good enough for me!

 

[dwalterrealty]

I JUST finally finished up doing the same thing. I use mine for Real Estate photography and videos. I splurged on the gopro and got the 4 silver. You can shoot stills in extremely high resolution, and video up to 2.7k but it's a little sluggish. I also went with the Walkera G-2D, but metal one. The first one, the controller board was shot, and it took a while to figure out. I think half the board wanted to kick me out for annoying them... I ordered a 2nd from banggood.com, and it works just like I hoped it would, but it took over a month to get to the states. Feel free to PM me if you have any q's!

 

[Jermz]

Definitely the white plastic walkera g2d. Easy to install, only $85 on Amazon. You can get the fc40 camera to work on it, but you have to add some weight, the fc40 is 36g, a gopro 73g, you you need to add another 30g or so to it for it to balance right on the gimbal.
I had a gopro already, so it was a good fit for me. The Sony sj4000 is also a good choice.

 

[IflyinWY]

Yeah, a question I know the answer to.

GoPro 3+ Black, but I'm sure any GoPro would work.
Cheap Chinese Gimbal with Pitch Control for $ Fifty Eight Dolla Thirty Too Cent with Free Shipping
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00GAY ... UTF8&psc=1

I've beat the crap out of this gimbal, crashing into stuff, and if it acts up I just smack it a bit and it comes back to life.
Sometimes it gets a bit jumpy at temps around Zero, but I don't think that will be an issue for you.

Weighs in at about 200 grams. If you wreck it, you're only out $60 bucks. Can't beat that with a stick.

 

[toorboy]

I am running walkera G2D gimbal and gopro hero 4 black
my flights are about 8 mins each with 2200mah

 

[Zdrone]

Cheap Chinese Gimbal with Pitch Control for $ Fifty Eight Dolla Thirty Too Cent with Free Shipping
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00GAY ... UTF8&psc=1

I installed this gimbal on my FC40 today. I am using it with a Gopro 2 as that is what I had. The biggest problem I am having with it is balancing the camera and getting it to stay in that spot. The include strap holds it on the gimbal, but if I tilt the camera to look down, the camera shifts ever so slightly, but enough to really put the gimbal into jello mode. I have not figure out how to make the camera secure. Any ideas?

 

[IWCoburg]

I would stickdome thin rubber or foam to the frame to increase friction, and use some small bungie string and not a Velcro strap.
Mike.

 

[Jermz]

The cheap Chinese gimbals (goodluckbuy and several other names) are a bit of a mixed bag. Mine never really worked quite right. It always sat a bit unlevel, and the potentiometer was always a bit iffy on if it would work. Plus a bunch of cable you have to get secured everywhere. It worked ok, other than sitting at an odd angle.
The white plastic walkera g2d seems a better buy for me. You can adjust the level it sits at to get it correct. It looks better. and the biggest upside, the g2d weighs 125g, the cheap Chinese one 220g. That has a massive effect on your flight time.
You can get the cheap one for around $50, the g2d runs $85 at Amazon, actually from them, not through some other seller. For the little bit in price difference I think the g2d is a much better buy.

 

[Jermz]

Other points in the g2d's favor.

It has a means to easily come on and off the phantom, so you can remove it if your just flying without filming. The Chinese ones are a pain to come on and off.
Even though it's plastic, it is pretty well built. And your entire phantom is plastic, so there's nothing wrong with the gimbal being plastic.

First downside to mention, if you put a gopro or sj4000 in it, it takes a bit to get it out. You have to take a couple of tiny hex head screws out to get it out. That shouldn't be an issue for you, Fisto, as your putting the fc40 camera in it and probably won't use it for anything else. I use my gopro for other stuff, so it's a bit of a downside. So thumbscrews or something would have been nice.

 

[IflyinWY]

You should make sure that there are no wires binding as the gimbal tilts. I found that to be a problem.

Shifting weight on the gimbal is a serious issue. I hope you've found a way to resolve that.

The big difference in size and weight of your camera vs. mine is probably going to turn out to be the problem even though they say it will work with either.

I'm bummed for you dude.

 

[Mattsimok]

The Tarot 2d is great price, great function, light weight, works with the Gopro 4, I had great flight times with it about 10-11 mins. Easy to install if you know what your doing. The ONLY issue is the set up, its awful to set up, but I found a great video that solved all my problems. You'll need an adapter plate you can get the gimbal and adapter plate on ebay for about $100. If you choose that gimbal message me on here and I'll give you all the help I can!

 

[IflyinWY]

Cheap Chinese Gimbal with Pitch Control for $ Fifty Eight Dolla Thirty Too Cent with Free Shipping
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00GAY ... UTF8&psc=1

I installed this gimbal on my FC40 today. I am using it with a Gopro 2 as that is what I had. The biggest problem I am having with it is balancing the camera and getting it to stay in that spot. The include strap holds it on the gimbal, but if I tilt the camera to look down, the camera shifts ever so slightly, but enough to really put the gimbal into jello mode. I have not figure out how to make the camera secure. Any ideas?

Hello Zdrone,
Looks like I've got Hoof-N-Mouth disease. I thought you were the OP.
I confirmed what the seller says about the gimbal. It should handle the GoPro 2, even though it's larger and heavier.

I hope your issues are related to the camera moving

As I previously stated, make sure the wires aren't wrapping tightly around the motors, or anything else as you tilt.

Does this problem occur when you manually tilt, or when the bird tilts, or both?


The more I look at what's posted here, the more I like the plastic Walkera.

 

[IflyinWY]

The cheap Chinese gimbals (goodluckbuy and several other names) are a bit of a mixed bag. Mine never really worked quite right. It always sat a bit unlevel, and the potentiometer was always a bit iffy on if it would work. Plus a bunch of cable you have to get secured everywhere. It worked ok, other than sitting at an odd angle.
The white plastic walkera g2d seems a better buy for me. You can adjust the level it sits at to get it correct. It looks better. and the biggest upside, the g2d weighs 125g, the cheap Chinese one 220g. That has a massive effect on your flight time.
You can get the cheap one for around $50, the g2d runs $85 at Amazon, actually from them, not through some other seller. For the little bit in price difference I think the g2d is a much better buy.

I agree with Jermz.
Just to confirm though, we are talking about this gimbal:
http://www.amazon.com/Walkera-Brushless ... era+gimbal
Walkera G-2D 2 Axis Brushless Gimbal for iLook/ GoPro Hero 3 3+ / Sony Cam TE066
Correct?

Thanks

 

[Jermz]

I agree with Jermz.
Just to confirm though, we are talking about this gimbal:
http://www.amazon.com/Walkera-Brushless ... era+gimbal
Walkera G-2D 2 Axis Brushless Gimbal for iLook/ GoPro Hero 3 3+ / Sony Cam TE066
Correct?

Thanks

Ya, that's the one. There are a few different sellers with it on Amazon, and it's available through Amazon itself.

 

[Monte55]

What wiring has to be done for the Walkera G2d. Just power? I don't need the tilt. Does the mount attatch directly to the Phantom or is something else needed. I would like to use this off the quad also.