Zhiyun Crane M3S vs M3: Should You Upgrade?

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The Zhiyun Crane M3S looks almost exactly like the Zhiyun Crane M3. But there are certain differences and in this post I'm going to tell you about what those differences are so that you can decide which one you should be getting by the time you finish reading this.

In case you haven’t had the chance, I have a full video talking about the Zhiyun Crane M3 which provides a better understanding of the features of that gimbal. I really love the M3 for its compact size and its ability to carry full-frame cameras with a smaller lens. This is really great for traveling when I don’t want to bring a ton of gear or a huge gimbal. I actually brought this to Maui and even used this for a commercial shoot when I was out there, and it handled my A74 Full Frame Sony mirrorless camera pretty well. 

In the few days that I've had to test this M3S gimbal, it seems to be a little bit more powerful and the moves that I'm able to get with it are a little bit smoother compared to the M3. The M3S looks pretty much exactly the same; it still has this nice sleek look, but there are a few improvements on this gimbal that sort of addressed some of the annoying things I have experienced with the M3.

Stronger Motors

Right off the bat, the Crane M3S has stronger motors and therefore it's more compatible with more camera and lens combinations, so it can take slightly heavier setups. However, because the body is pretty much still the same as the M3, you're still pretty restricted in terms of what combinations you can use. This is because you won't have enough clearance at the top of the gimbal. 

New Locking Mechanism

The second difference is that this gimbal comes with a brand new locking mechanism. In my opinion, this is a great upgrade. On the M3, it used to be this lock at the top that I would accidentally bump into all the time and it would lock the gimbal without me wanting that. The new lock design is nicer and it's much more optimized. In terms of the body and the handle, they're both pretty similar. You still get the trigger button and the scroll wheel on both of these. The fill light is also on the same side but one of the differences comes in the locking mechanism. The roll axis lock is hidden on the M3 and on the M3S, this is more convenient and easy to access. 

Bluetooth Shutter Control

The next difference is that the M3s comes with the Bluetooth Shutter Control Function which means you can now connect the gimbal to your camera via Bluetooth. That allows you to wirelessly control the shutter button on your camera by pressing the recording button on your gimbal.

2-in-1 Quick Release System

The next improvement is a brand new two-in-one quick release system. You can now keep the gimbal balanced even if you take off the camera. Also with this new quick release system, you're able to quickly swap batteries (which was a challenge with the previous quick release system on the M3). The only negative side of this is that now you need a screwdriver to tighten this plate to the camera, whereas on the M3 you could just tighten this directly from the camera plate.

Battery Life

In terms of battery life, the M3S has slightly less battery life compared to the M3. The M3 had 8 hours of battery run time and the M3S has about 7.5 hours. In my opinion, this is not a huge difference as all the other upgrades make up for this slight reduction in battery life. Like the M3, this also takes about 2 hours to charge using PD fast charge.

Fill Light

There is a slight improvement as well on the built-in fill light on this gimbal. The M3 spill light was about 800 lux. The M3S’ fill light is a little bit brighter at 1000 lux. 

Lack of Microphone Module

The other difference is that the M3S does not come with the microphone module anymore, which was on the M3. In my opinion, this was kind of useless. I never really used it and because of the removal of the microphone module, the Crane M3S only comes in two options: the Standard Version and the Combo Version. The M3 also had the pro version that was the version that came with the microphone kit and microphone module.

Which One Should You Get?

So which of these two gimbals should you be getting? Well, if you already have the Crane M3, I would just stick with it. Although the M3S has some pretty good improvements, it might not be worth upgrading since those improvements are slight. If you do not have the Crane M3 already and are looking for a compact gimbal of this size, then I would skip the M3 and go directly to the Crane M3S. I like the new improved locking mechanism, the Bluetooth Shutter Control Function, and I also like the new quick release system. Some of the things that I don't like though is that if you have other quick release plates built in your workflow, like an ARCA Swiss plate or a manfrotto quick release plate, then this is not going to work for you all that well. 

All in all, the Crane M3S is a really good gimbal. It's not a brand new gimbal and I think that's why it's not called the Crane M4. It's a slightly improved crane M3, so that's why it's called the Crane M3S. 

Thank you for reading through this blog post. I hope you found this information helpful!