Handheld gimbals have been the trend of recent years and many Chinese companies have now established themselves on this market. In addition to the well-known companies such as Feiyu and Zhiyun, there are also smaller producers of mobile image stabilizers that are shaking up the market. LanParte is a manufacturer that specializes in camera technology and has all kinds of accessories in its range. For this article, we took a closer look at two handheld gimbals that are suitable for action cams as well as smartphones.
The LanParte handheld gimbals work with so-called brushless motors, which compensate for the smallest imbalance at lightning speed. A position and acceleration sensor records every movement and ensures that the camera is held in position.
LanParte LA3D
The LanParte LA3D is a 3-axis gimbal that is suitable for action cams the size of the well-known GoPro. The special thing about this gimbal is the removable motor unit, which means that it can also be operated remotely. The actual handle, which also contains the control unit, functions as a wired remote control. This function is particularly interesting for all those who want to attach the gimbal to a vehicle with the appropriate bracket.
We operate the gimbal with two 18350 batteries, which provide an active runtime of 2 hours. In total, the LA3D gimbal offers three functional modes. In “Following Mode” the camera follows individual movements, but these are gently compensated. The “semi-following mode” limits the camera tracking to left and right movements only. Up and down inclinations are completely compensated for. In "locking mode" all movements are locked, which is why the camera always remains rigidly aligned.
The gimbal can supply the connected camera with power via a USB Type-B port. In the future, the manufacturer would like to add a wireless function to the LA3D gimbal. This allows the gimbal to be operated wirelessly, presumably via Bluetooth. However, whether and when the function will appear is still questionable.
LanParte HHG-01
The HHG-01 gimbal is suitable for both action cams and smartphones. The technology used is also a so-called 3-axis gimbal, which operates with brushless motors. The design is elegant and more "casual", making the HHG-01 much more suitable for the general public. If you want to use the action cam, you unscrew the corresponding smartphone holder and replace it with the appropriate action cam holder.
The battery also differs from the gimbal described above. Although this is also exchangeable with the HHG-01 gimbal, it has a magazine-like design, which is why you have to rely on the manufacturer's special battery. The active runtime for this gimbal is 3 hours.
Both LanParte gimbal are also distributed in Germany. On the official homepage www.lanparte.com (Website no longer available!) you will find a list of official dealers.
