Overview
Gudsen Technology is a China based manufacturing company, that specializes in high-precision motion control products that have revolutionized the film making industry, by making professional grade film making tools at affordable prices, changing the once high costing barrier of entry into the field, to be much more accessible to students, vloggers, and small production firms.
Their latest consumer product release, the Moza Mini-S is a cellphone stabilizer designed to be a compact and light accessory that will take your video footage to the next level. Designed to assist professional vlogger or your average cellphone user, the created a product that lets you slap a phone on the device and go out making video content. For the more avid cinematographers that are looking for more control, the Moza Genie application has many options that can be adjusted and tweaked to get the exact look you are looking for.
The main selling features of this particular stabilizing gimbal is ease of use with a large number of customization and feature options, lightweight but durable design, and a small and compact design that can folded down and stowed when traveling or transporting.
Design and Build Quality
The Moza Mini-S is constructed of high-quality aluminium alloy for the stabilizer motors and arms with the main body, buttons, interface and mobile device adapter made with durable resin. Because the main body is designed with resin and the aluminum parts are hollow, the total weight being 1.09 lbs. makes for a very light accessory which can be easily deployed all day.
In order to maintain rigidity in the design of the main body of the stabilizer, it uses two solid faces for the front and back of the handle. The stabilizing motors are then mounted to the front of the handle using a platform that attaches to the handle using 3 T-5 screws located just above the trigger.
With a maximum payload of 0.57 lbs, it can support majority of the mobile devices on the market. Tested devices include all flagship devices from Apple, Huawei, Xiaomi, and Samsung with a width between 55mm – 88mm.
The stabilizer can be folded and locked by rotating the gimbal motors upward, clockwise, to deploy and downward, counter clockwise, to disengage. The lock is found on the main body and can be disengaged by sliding the button towards the back and will lock once the gimbal heads are in position.
The stabilizer supports use in either portrait or landscape orientation of the device and can be quickly adjusted by twisting the device mount clockwise to change to portrait and counter-clockwise to change to landscape orientation.
The Moza Mini-S includes a low profile plastic tripod stand, allowing the device to be placed on a flat surface unsupported for when you want an impromptu tripod. When the tripod is attached, it sits at 10 degree angle towards the back of the device, providing a slight tilt upward.
The tripod also doubles as an extended handle which allows for a little more reach to give the opportunity to capture more higher angles to mimic a miniature jib shot.
Technology and Features
The button layout of the Moza Mini-S is similar in design to the other flagship products by Gudsen.
The red button located on the left of the device is your on / off switch. While the device is on, it will put out a Bluetooth signal that your device can sync to to use the Moza Genie app.
Below the power button, there is a USB-C connector for charging the device.
Located at the top is a full 360 degree joystick that controls pan and tilt functions of the controller. The speed of the camera movement is based upon how much the joystick is pointed in any direction. To make slow cinematic movements, it will take some practice to get a feel for how far you have to point the joystick.
Under the joystick is a 4 direction pad which serves as controls for the feature selection. When used with a mobile device loaded with the Moza Genie application, a number of features can be accessed directly from the controls on the stabilizer, without having to make selections on the mobile device.
The center button is to start and stop recording (only in video mode). If the button is pressed twice, it will take a photo (useable in any mode).
The top button, pressed once will access the menu. Press the top button twice will switch video and photo modes. If the top button is held down for 3-seconds, it will switch between the front and rear camera of the device.
The right button allows for a quick playback in the album and pressing it again will return back to the main shooting screen. Pressing the right button twice will start and stop Timelapse mode. Holding down the right button for 3-seconds will set recording points in the timelapse recording.
The bottom button, when double pressed turns on Sports Gear mode and triple press activates Inception mode.
The left button turns on and off roll follow.
Below the 4-direction pad, the blue LED indicator represents the current battery level.
- Three blue LED: 70% – 100% Battery Life
- Two blue LED: 40% – 70% Battery Life
- One blue LED: 20% – 40% Battery Life
- Blinking blue LED: 20% Battery Life
- Solid red LED: Device is Charging
- LED off: Charge Complete and Device is off
On the right side of the stabilizer, there is two buttons labeled with a “T” and “W” which allows for zoom in and out function.
The trigger located on the front of the stabilizer, when held down activates tilt follower. When the trigger is double pressed and held down, it will lock movement and maintain the camera orientation. When double pressing the trigger quickly, it will center the device and camera.
The Moza Genie application is the software used to bring all the amazing features of the Moza Mini-S all together. The app is simple to use for the novice, but has the features for your advance filmmakers.
The application has both a selection for focus point and also exposure point. This allows you to focus on the object you want and meter the exposure on another point. For the more advance user, you can go full manual on the exposure setting, which allows you to lock the exposure at the shutter speed for cinematic motion based on your frame rate. The focus can also be locked as well by taping on the focus point, which will turn red so it won’t auto focus while filming.
The frame rates and quality of video will differ from one device to another, but my iPhone 7 Plus is capable to shooting at 4K at 24 FPS. It is also able to get up to 120 FPS slow motion video at 1080p. This is rather impressive as $3,000 SLRs usually perform to the same level (Professional SLR cameras have their advantages, but that is for a different post).
The application allows you to select the lenses you want to use as well. The iPhone 7 Plus has the regular wide angle, telephoto, and the combination of both lenses to create the faux shallow depth of field effect.
If filming landscapes and sunsets are on the schedule, the app has a built in gradient tool which mimic the effect of a gradient filter which allows part of the frame be exposed differently than the rest of it. This allows the camera capture the extreme EV difference between the sunset sky and the foreground.
The application also has the ability to connect to a Bluetooth external microphone so better audio can be captured directly to the video file. This is a big deal when trying to shoot interviews and dialogue and the increase in audio quality greatly improves the production value. This minimizes the gear you need to carry around, as you won’t need another audio recording device.
Another cool feature added into the application is the ability to live stream directly from the phone. You just need the RTMP address and you can start broadcasting right from your mobile device.
The application includes advance features like subject tracking, timelapse mode, and inception mode. This creates neat camera effects and allows users of all skill levels produce footage that often takes years of practice to execute.
The stabilizer also has 1/4″ mounting points on the bottom which allows adaptation to extensions, tripods, and other accessories expand your creative options.
Different Colors Meet Your Needs
What is in the box?
- Moza Mini-S Gimbal
- Mini Tripod
- Micro Fiber Cloth Bag
- 3.5mm Control Cable
- USB-A to USB-C Cable
- Instruction Manual & Quick Start Guide
- Moza Stickers
Moza Genie Download
Pro and Con
As with everything else in the world, nothing is perfect. But the goal is to have the pros outweigh the cons and the Gudsen Moza Mini-S accomplished that admirably.
Pro
- Design so the device has an unobstructed view of the screen for composition and framing
- 8-hours of battery life for sunrise to sunset filming
- Simple and intuitive controls to use with auto calibration and no tool setup
- 0.57 lbs max payload to use with pretty much any mobile device
- Built-in filming modes including subject follow, inception, and timelapse modes
- 1/4″ -20 mounting points on bottom for accessories
- Many adjustable options and features in Moza Genie app
- Lightweight setup at only 1.09 lbs
- Ability to be folded down into a very small and compact size for transportation
- Ability to use application wired to device vs. over Bluetooth
- Charging port available for mobile device on stabilizer
- Responsive and helpful customer service, quick to solve problems
Cons
- Mobile device should be mounted on the device as balanced as possible to increase ability to stabilizing movement
- Does not have a removable battery, so 8-hours is all you get until you can charge
- Included charging cable very short
- No included USB charger
If you are looking into a stabilizer for your mobile device, especially if you are new to such accessories, this is a very inexpensive way to get your feet wet and learn the basics on how to use a motorized stabilizer. Professional filmmakers use motorized stabilizers to create smooth footage and this is a very inexpensive way to increase your production quality of your video. At only $79.00, you will be hard pressed to find a better stabilizing product on the market.
If you have a newer device that has wireless charging capabilities, I recommend the $99.00 Moza Mini-Mi which has all the features of the Mini-S, but with wireless charging capability.
For more information about the Moza Mini-S, please check out their website linked below.
https://www.gudsen.com/moza-mini-s
If you are looking for a quality place to purchase the Moza Air 2, I recommend Amazon. When purchased through those channels, you can get extra gifts for the regular price.
I have no affiliation with Gudsen and have not been paid or compensated for this review. This review is solely my opinion only and your experiences may vary. I get compensation from the links, so I appreciate your support so I can bring you more content.
Thank you very much for the Informative article, I received my Moza-Mini S Essential
in the mail a few weeks ago and have been frustrated with how to use
it…my partner and I finally figured out how to balance the iPhone 6 plus
on the carrier and now when I use the bluetooth to connect it disconnects
right away,I tried using the plug for the phone and it gives me an encode error,
I also tried to use the joystick and it does not respond and same with t
he trigger tilt in the back…I’m not sure if I bought the right gimble,
I wish it worked better. Thank you again and keep up the brilliant work,
Arhlene in Miami Beach/NYC
Thanks so much for the kind words.
Couple things I would check is to ensure your phone app and the stabilizer has the latest firmware installed on it.
In terms of the joysticks not working, those aren’t controlled by the phone in anyway, so it may be that you have a mechanical issue. I would definitely try to contact Moza’s customer support as they are very responsive. Try to troubleshoot with them and if they have exhausted all their recommendations, request for a replacement.
Hope everything works out arhlene!