about Zhiyun Rider-M for the insane

1. Gimbal is a device with motors that eliminate shock by using a complicated system of rotation
2. The most sensible choice for a cyclist seems the so-called "wearable gimbal", meaning one that has no integrated stick, and instead we can screw it to the steering wheel. The choice is limited to Zhiyun Rider-M and Feiyu Tech FY-WG (which is supposedly less durable, slightly worse stabilizes, but it is handled with one button)
3. Shots of the hand with Zhiyun Rider-M attached to selfie stick they are masterful. However, it can not be used while driving due to uncomfortable handling and difficulties in pulling out of the pocket
4. Zhiyun Rider-M complete with GoPro mounted on the steering wheel or other rigid element does not work at all. Large and sudden shocks make the picture worse than with bare webcam.

Is it worth being nice if you have a good interior (content)?

An old proverb of the Youtubers says that the technical quality of the material does not really matter - the content counts. Even a movie shot with a 5-year-old smartphone with the right content and decent montage (or accidents and a funny cat) should defend itself ... although it is known that nicer things are better. You know, it's a bit like studying IT. You do not need them to become a good specialist, but if you do not feel your knowledge as a Senior Backend Developer Team Lead, then the right paper will make your life a little easier. It's the same with video material that we shoot amateurly on trips. I know that as a man with a staggering 300 subscribers on youtube (daaaaj suuuuba tuuuutaj, oh yeah, yeah) I'm not supposed to say something authoritative here, but the ugly video from a nice video can be distinguished even by the visually impaired.

While the problems with colors can be quite easily improved, and the shortcomings in difficult lighting conditions are the secondary subject in bicycles (unless we drive ultra and we like to record in the dark), there is one more key problem. A trifle that can cause epilepsy: STABILIZATION. This aspect is particularly important with small webcams, where the smallest movement shaking from cold or hand fatigue makes the viewer feel as if he was riding a bicycle without a saddle. This problem was solved by the Zhiyun gimbal: Rider-M. Has this happened? Does the equipment worth more or less the same as my GoPro 4 Silver makes life easier?

Can not the webcam itself handle it?

We divide the cameras into 4 (apparently) types in terms of stabilization (I will include only the ones recommended by me here - buying any one will not make a mistake).
- lack of stabilization: ie Gopro from 1 to 4, Xiaomi YI, SJCAM S4000 and SJ CAM S5000. Lack of stabilization means that every movement of the lens will be accurately reflected on the screen. The effect is well known. The only advice here is post-production. It works so that we put in some kind of Adobe Premiere program or free equivalent, which "can do all the same, but in the end it turns out that it was better to buy Premiere", we choose a ready stabilization effect (in this case Warp Stabilizer) and for a change, move the sliders and change the options until the effect will be satisfactory. It works by cutting the edge of the video and smoothly centering the image. The effect is very average, even when recorded in 4K ... and I do not know how you, but me on one of the most powerful macbooks on the market, mounting anything in 4K shortens life quite drastically.

- electronic stabilization (EIS) is roughly the same but it is already done during image recording in the device, additionally sometimes supported by the equipment (gyroscopes / accelerometers). Eg GoPro 5, Firefly S7, SJCam x5000 Elite, M20 and my favorite in this category: GitUp Git2. Comparison of stabilization in these few webcams: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kThzbcJrLCo 

- optical stabilization, which is currently the best possible. This is where he leads privately Sony FDR-X3000that can do something out of the greatest hopelessness. A side effect is the cosmic price (PLN 2,400) and large sizes. Sony comparison with new GoPro: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfbNjQbOOzQ

- built-in gimbal. A solution unprecedented in the market, but ZeroTech (the originator of probably the best pocket drone) has recently released a webcam to stores: ZeroTech Rollcap i am looking forward to any reviews or sample materials. 

and here we go to what this entry should be:

How to make a stable video?

There are a few tricks that allow you to minimize vibrations like holding the webcam at your mouth (then the head slightly stabilizes), or rotating the selfie stick so that the camera always hangs, and was not above it, but what if we want to mount it directly on the bike? The cheapest and not necessarily the simplest solution is to buy a hen. The hen stabilizes perfectly: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEGZ7hGaMNI

The hen has one serious disadvantage - it's hard to attach it permanently. Even if we use a large amount of silvertejpa, weak batteries make it stay overnight, can permanently break down. Replacing a hen covered with silvertempe is problematic. We can also attach the mentioned webcam to your head or chest and recognize that we are one with the bike, but it is also not the optimal solution. So what to do ?! The Internet writes that buy a gimbal, which costs more or less as much as GoPro 4 or half more than Chinese webcams from EIS.

Zhiyun Rider-M: for sale cheap

The choice fell on Zhiyun Rider-M and it seems to me that it is almost the same as the most popular Feiyu Tech FY-WG (only that the more expensive - you know, I assumed that the more expensive it is) and works probably the same. There is no big competition because it's basically the only gimbals that are not permanently mounted on the selfie stick. If you can mount something on a stick or have it permanently with it, then the decision seemed simple. How did it work out?

When it comes to running with a webcam, stabilization works like Michel Jordan in 1996 - flawlessly. You can run, jump, hold in any direction, and the picture looks like an expensive drone. Only, that's not why I bought it ... (riders are not running)

If it works so well on a stick, it's the second test. Since, anyway, I always carry a stick in my pocket, an additional 166 grams should not make a difference. And actually it does not do it worse with the shape. Gimbal has a lot of moving elements that make removing it from the back pocket, requires prestidigitators skills - it will not last long. Unfortunately, even when it is successful, it requires pressing the side button and then holding the upper one to activate it in the last used mode. Then, just run the recording ... and the things we wanted to shoot are gone. And the modes are 4 and confusing them results in serious consequences.

In contrast to cheaper counterparts, Rider-M stabilizes in 3 axes instead of 2. It can go slowly in either direction, stabilize only from side to side or always look the same way. The last mode means that after a few turns we record our knees instead of the road. The latter, in turn, that when going down a large hill we only record the horizon, not the asphalt (because the camera keeps looking the same way forward).

Mounting a set on the head or chest makes it look like a Robocop. Giro Synthe, in which I ride weighs 223 grams, Rider-M with a webcam over 300gr. Even when we can fix it steadily, our accustomed to the luxury of the neck will make itself known faster than it seems. Fact, the shots are very good, if we tighten the handles properly, but then they lack dynamics. Bike instead of going - it flows, and it is not always the desired effect.

I bought the device with the hope of being mounted on the steering wheel or under the saddle. It failed on the entire line - the picture is worse than without. Because, of course, 90% of the material is much smoother and all steering movements are eliminated, but every unevenness on the road is so violent and strong that small size motors are unable to cope with it. This makes the remaining 10% (in which stabilization was most needed) become hopeless - they are simply stabilized jumps. To make sense, a perfectly level road would be needed (eg a track in Pruszków).

The batteries in the set are 4 (two sets) and last for an incredibly long time. It seems to me that one set is able to calmly experience the GoPro4 set + an extra battery at the back.

In addition, we can install on the smartphone an application that will allow us to control the camera - what for? I do not know. Additional cables will even allow live viewing or loading of the webcam from the gimbal battery.

With further disadvantages: if you like your webcam it probably hurts you that it can not be mounted in the housing. Not only that, even with a filter on the lens that I use for protection purposes, it will not fit.

Summary, because no normal person will read so many letters

Zhiyun Rider-M is very cool. It works as it should, it is perfectly stabilized, it can be screwed to any accessories from GoPro or anything with a stand thread ... only that it finds no use in cycling, except running with it on a stick during cross-country competitions. If you are looking for stable material from the steering wheel, invest in a webcam with optical stabilization or record in 4k / 2.7k cut on the computer. In the case of accelerated movies, for example, an application from Microsoft with a lot of speaking name: Hyperlapse.

But what would be a video device test without an overview movie? 

For comparison, the video that was recorded from the steering wheel and passed through Microsoft Hyperlapse Pro: