CAME-ACTION GoPro Gimbal with Encoders Product Review and Demo

• • 53 Comments

The recent advancements to support 'Encoders' in the SBGC firmware is now opening up the doors to more stable and more efficient 3-axis gimbals stabilizers. Although we've seen dozens of GoPro gimbals in the past, the first GoPro Gimbal to take advantage of the newly support feature is the CAME-ACTION.

Encoders are such an advanced option to have with SBGC gimbals, that other gimbals without encoders almost feel outdated already. Almost like comparing the old 8-bit SBGC controllers to the 32-bit controllers. It really does make a significant enough difference. So here's an overview of the CAME-ACTION gimbal and why I think it's the most advanced Gopro hand held system to date.

The way the front bracket has been designed, this system does not support the LCD or an extension battery BacPac, but the GoPro can be powered and charged through the gimbal batteries for longer run times. A 1/4-20 thread under the handle makes it convenient to add on top of a monopod or extension pole for extra high or low shots. The new CAME-ACTION GoPro Gimbal with Encoders is available now at https://CAME-TV.com (here)

came-tv action came-action gimbal encoders
VIEW-ITEM CAME-TV GoPro 3-Axis Gimbal with Encoders

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53 thoughts on “CAME-ACTION GoPro Gimbal with Encoders Product Review and Demo”

  1. Diego

    Can anyone help me with my Action Gimbal. First my daughter accidently delete my profiles and played around while i had it connected to the gimbal. Now i have no clue what settings and firmware it's in. It's saying it was upgraded to 2.60b4 and when i turn on the gimbal is going insane and none of my profiles are working. If anyone could get this to default i would be greatly appreciated

  2.

    @Russ - Hmm. I haven't had the issue, but since you are filming snowboarding about what temperature are you working in? There is a setting in SBGC to calibrate the sensors according to temperature as that will have an effect on the sensor. I wonder if that is the problem you are running into.

  3. Russ

    Hey Emm,

    Just wondering if you've had any problems with your came action's horizon drifting? I just bought one and it tends to drift quite a but when using it. I'm filming snowboarding so there's is quite a lot of movement when using I'm using it. Do you know what setting i'd have to change to stay level?

    thanks!

  4. OldDad

    @SKip My gimbal tilts to the left slightly after using it very gently...assuming it's the same problem you are having. Have you been able to fix it?

  7. Dean

    WORKED!

    I find the panning a bit slow and lagged. Would that be something you could suggest on tweaking in SBGC?

  8. Emm

     Post author

    @Dean - Yes I think it's charging when it goes green. Are you charging it via USB? Maybe try a different USB source?

  9. Dean

    Em, I cannot get a green power light on the gimbal.

    When I put the batteries in the charger, the light goes green for a few moments. Do the batteries charge while the green light is on?

  10. Alex

    I have experienced very poor customer service from CAME TV: they would not or could not tell me what kind of batteries I could buy here in Europe. Apparently there are different kinds of ICR123 batteries. I bought a set that were too long. There is also the matter of protected or unprotected batteries that they did not respond to. Very basic information that a company should be able to provide.
    Can anyone tell me if I should use protected or unprotected batteries and, if there are EU users, what batteries you were succesful with?

  11. Alex

    Mine came with bad batteries. Came TV's customer service is horrible. I ordered batteries here in Holland and they were a millimeter too long. I asked Came what specs the batteries need to have because apparently there are different 16340 batteries out there. You have protected and unprotected ones and different lengths. Came did not respond to several emails I sent them about this.
    I mean, how hard is it??!
    Your earlier link to batteries doesn't work anymore. Can you tell me what batteries you'd recommend?

  12. Darren Shroeger

    Thanks @Emm. Yes it would be great to use it with the GH4 as well. Now I need to get a Rokinon 7.5mm! 🙂

  13. Emm

     Post author

    @Shrigg - There are smaller hand held systems that may work with the LX100, but the SINGLE is the only small one with 'Encoders'. I think it's a better value because you can still use it with larger cameras if you ever need to.

  15. Emm

     Post author

    @Shrigg - The LX100 is very lightweight and won't balance perfectly on the SINgLE, but if you modify the profile and add some additional weights it will work well.

  19. Emm

     Post author

    @Skip - Not sure what's going on with yours, but it should stay level the whole time. Maybe your batteries are weak?

  20. Emm

     Post author

    @TheBasicPilot - Yup sounds like you just need practice. The gimbal keeps the camera's horizon level, but it can't compensate for excessive up/down motion. You still have to be gentle.

  22. Skip

    I received mine last week. Have you had an issue with not staying level? After a few minutes mine tilts to the side even when I'm just walking in a straight line.

  25. Emm

     Post author

    @Frank - I was shooting 1080/60. I think I should have tried 2.7K 60p and then set my Max ISO to 800-1600. I set it to Max ISO 400 (protune) and caused my shutter speed to slow down too much.

  27. Emm

     Post author

    @Jon - 1) I believe it's only a charging cable.
    2) Mounting a bacpac will make it off balance when it's off, but I feel it should be able to handle it if you can find the right screws. I will try this myself.
    3). Painter poles are great inexpensive extension poles. Just need the right adapter. Take a look at this article and how I dressed my little one up with Carbon Fiber stickers: httpss://cheesycam.com/seaport-digital-painters-pole-adapter-for-camera-or-accessory-mounting/

  28. Jon

    Thanks for the review, you have me sold on this! Had a few questions:

    1 - Regarding the supplied GoPro charging cable, is it a pass-through cable? Or is it only used for charging?

    Reason I ask: I want to be able to hook up an external microphone and simultaneously charge the GoPro using the GoPro "Combo" cable. Wondering if I can do that through supplied cable, or if the Combo cable needs to be hooked up directly to the GoPro. If it doesn't work, I'll have to carry around spare batteries since the charging port will be occupied by the microphone adapter.

    2 - Does it seem like all I need to fit a battery bacpac is a couple of longer captive screws?

    3 - Any recommendations on extension poles?

    Thanks in advance!

  33. Matthew

    Emm,

    Thanks for your earlier response. I've been reading other people's comments from your other page about this gimbal and wished this had a phone adapter to use with their smart phone instead of their GoPro . A hero 4 black weighs 83 grams and an iPhone 6s Plus weighs 172 grams. Is the iPhone 6s Plus payload too heavy for it? The lanparte gimbal can support this and I shouldn't see it as a problem, but the lanparte doesn't have encoders. Any thoughts? Thanks

  35. Emm

     Post author

    @Ankur - 1) Yes you can add a push on ND filter or polarizer and it will still work.
    2) Not sure, i'll have to keep testing. It's a long time.
    3) Brushless motors by design can be splashed with fresh water and have no problems. The issue is protecting the sensors and the control board from water. If you are handy, there are ways to brush on a 'conformal' coating. Apply a silicone layer, or even epoxy over the electronics. The reason people don't add these things is because if you need to repair it, you can't just scrub it off the IC board. Once it's on, it's pretty much on.
    4) You can attach an HDMI cable to the GoPro. The gimbal is strong enough to support a flexible HDMI Cable.

  36.

    Hey Emm,

    Thanks for the awesome review! Just a couple of questions:

    1) Will this be able to balance the weight of a GoPro Hero 4 Black with snap-on filters like ND, Polarizer, etc?

    2) Could you approximate the overall run time of the batteries that come with it? I presume we'll need to order in extra batteries while the originals get charged.

    3) The product website doesn't mention about its durability in adverse weather conditions. Do you think this will hold up against a few water splashes, dirt, etc. (Obv. not water submersible types).

    4) I wish there was a way to get video out of GoPro using a small monitor, because the app lags quite a bit. Whats your recommendation on this?

    Thanks for taking the time to put all of this together!
    Ankur

  37. Tyler

    What kind of batteries are needed? Are you able to provide a link to a website where we can buy extra batteries?

  38. Emm

     Post author

    @Matthew - It will not fit a Gopro with a housing. It cannot fit the extra battery, but you can power the GoPro from the Gimbal with the little cable (comes with kit). To mount a smartphone, I just used a friction arm and a cellphone tripod clamp. Here's a few links, there are a bunch of different products out there.

    Friction Arm: https://goo.gl/WxgqJA
    Smartphone Tripod Clamp: https://goo.gl/XhDK2w

  39. Matthew

    I think I'd rather get this than the DJI osmo becuase I already have the GoPro hero 4 black. Plus, I'm saving a lot of money.

    Just 2 questions:

    You mentioned it can't fit with exerted battery on a GoPro, but will it fit a GoPro with its standard housing or Skeleton case?

    Where can I get that mount for the iPhone if I do purchase this gimbal?

    Thanks

  41. Emm

     Post author

    @simon - Hard to say, I haven't had the chance to run for hours upon hours. When it dies, i'll try to figure out about how much time it took.

  43. Emm

     Post author

    @KF - The Beholder DS-1 does not have Encoders. If it did, it would really be bragging about it as it's a big deal for SBGC gimbals right now. You can also tell in the software when you click on the new 'Encoder' tab. It should show some values. If it doesn't have values, they do not have encoders.

  45. Emm

     Post author

    @eug - Without encoders, SBGC gimbals rely heavily on sensors to keep it's position. Sensors can be affected by magnetism, air pressure, temperature, or just over time can lose sync. With encoders it's tracking the position of the motors very accurately. Basically a gimbal without encoders could have more drift and sometimes just shooting for a few minutes could be off level. Then you'll have to recalibrate.

    I have (2) Z1 Gimbals, and the CAME-ACTION. I did a review on the Z1 Rider and even thought it's good, I can tell you right now, there's a big difference. Take a look at my Z1 Article and you'll often see questions and comments about trying to calibrate because the horizon is not level, and they use a proprietary software too (not SBGC). You won't have to deal with that with Encoders.

  46.

    G'damn technology changes. I just bought the Z1 Evolution two days ago 😛

    We have the lanparte and wanted to step it up with a second camera so I was planning on getting the Z1. Then I ended up dropping my lanparte and now it is not too happy when I turn it on.

    Looks like I will have to pick up the came action as my "second" gimbal now.

    Thanks for the review!

  47. eug

    Thanks for the review! But I think those of us who have never used a gimbal with encoders really wouldn't know what the real-life difference is between a gimbal with encoders and one without.

    This is what I got so far:

    - A gimbal with an encoder will track more accurately as it knows where the position is at all times. The stepper motors in gimbals without encoders like the Z1 and G4 might skip steps when there's lots of motion resulting in drift, e.g. a horizon that's off?

    - With this gimbal, you can change the angle of the camera by simply moving and holding it for a while, rather than with the joystick. Looks convenient.

    - This gimbal should be more efficient in terms of power usage, but Came TV don't mention the battery life on their website.

    I'm curious as to how large a difference there is in real-world usage between the Z1 and CAME-Action.

  49. KF

    Great video as well! How do one tell if a gimbal has an encoder? Will you review Beholder DS-1? It is quite affordable but I am not sure if it has encoder. You know?

  50. Emm

     Post author

    @D - I think you learned absolutely nothing from this article and video. Keyword: 'Encoders'. The Zhiyun does not have encoders.

  52. Emm

     Post author

    @T - There's a thread under the handle. I added a Friction arm and then just a smart phone clamp.

  53. T

    Hey mate,

    It looks like you have an attachment on that which holds your phone, what is that?

    Thanks!

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