Review: Feiyu Tech SCORP C 2 camera stabilizing gimbal with AI tracking $225

Amazon Affiliate Link: https://amzn.to/3WcKOST Price as reviewed: $225 (MSRP: $250) FeiyuTech SCORP-C2 Gimbal Stabilizer with AI Tracking, 7.72lb Payload, OLED Screen & Wireless Control | Quick Vertical Shoot, for Sony A7 III/A7 IV/ZV-E10/Canon EOS R5/R6 Mark II/850D/Nikon Z5/Z6 III From the FeiyuTech Store See the "unboxing and setup" video here: https://youtu.be/6B0S6Nb4moA I was impressed with this stabilizer. It appears to be a very good value for the price point. It offered all of the features I'd expect, and the built in AI Tracking module worked very well. Stabilization performance, while possibly slightly lower than the industry leaders, was very good, and close enough that I had trouble telling which stabilizer had been used for various pieces of footage I shot while testing them. (The performance is certainly impressive at this low price point.) The biggest downside I feel is the integrated battery. There is no way to hot-swap or replace the battery, so you will have downtime while recharging the unit. As long as you don't need it for super long sessions, this probably won't be an issue, but having the ability to replace the battery in the future does prolong the useful life of devices. I'm testing it with a Sony A6300 camera, that requires a special "Sony Multi" cable (not included, but I was able to purchase one from the manufacturer for $20). I tried some other "Sony multi" cables from generic manufactures, and neither of them worked at all, so you may be forced to buy the official cable from Feiyu Tech. The package does include a USB-C to USB-C camera control cable, so as long as your camera is more modern than mine and uses a USB-C cable, it should work out of the box. This cable allows you to use the record start/stop button on the suitcase handle, as well as the phone app to plan panorams, timelapse photos, motionlapses, and record motion paths for the camera to follow while recording. You can use the gimbal without the phone app for most standard stabilization tasks, but if you want to be able to upgrade the firmware or take advantage of the motion control programming you will need to use the phone application, as the SCORP C2 device only has a display screen, not a touch screen like the SCORP 2 device. I was impressed at how well the included AI tracker module works. You can use it to help keep a subject centered (it appears to do both face and humanoid tracking) while moving, or if you mount the SCORP C2 on a tripod, you can use hand guestures to start/stop recording and start/stop tracking to record yourself without a camera person. The box includes a quick start sheet, but you really need to download the online manual using the QR code to understand how to use all of the features of the gimbal. The build quality feels good and the gimbal motors work well, but there are a few flimsy plastic covers and areas where you can tell that this is the lower cost option. I feel that it is a very good value for the price, and so far it has held up well.