Battery Charging

There is only one way to charge the batteries—by removing them and using the provided charger. You can use other chargers, but be careful when it comes to the batteries because not all 18650 batteries are compatible with the Weebill-S. The Weebill-S only works with Button Top 18650 batteries.


Two Li-ion 18650 batteries with a capacity of 2600 mAh each are included, which should not be mixed with others unless they have exactly the same characteristics. Zhiyun states that the batteries last for 14 hours, which depends on the weight of the camera and accessories, as well as how well the camera has been balanced, as the batteries deplete faster with heavy setups. Removing the batteries is easy since their compartment is in the horizontal grip and there is no obstacle in the way to opening the lid.

Balancing

Having reviewed a variety of gimbals so far, we often found the balancing procedure somewhat painful. Some DSLR cameras with excess weight are often a bit harder to balance than compact ones, and some models require setting adjustments in the software to work with gimbals. With the Weebill-S, we did not come across any issues regarding the balancing, as it automatically recognizes and balances the weight of most mounted cameras/lens combos.


For the gimbal to balance the camera and operate correctly, mount the camera with the right cables from the bundle and any accessories you may want to utilize. You will have to turn the gimbal on with its latches unlocked, and the camera after mounting it. Only with Sony cameras is it the other way around—turn on the camera first and the gimbal after if you have a Sony camera. However, if an issue with the balancing procedure arises, lock every axis and perform the balancing procedure again.

Begin balancing the axis by unlocking them one by one. If needed, push the quick release plate latch to move the camera forward or backward until it keeps still and is almost level with its lens facing towards the front as shown in the image above, and secure the quick release plate latch—you are now ready to turn the gimbal and camera on. Due to the individually lockable latches, the gimbal may operate as a camera stand, so you will not have to go through this procedure before each shooting session.


The gimbal is calibrated at the factory before it's packed, so you most likely won't have to calibrate it again once you start using it. However, calibrate it again if you notice any of the problems mentioned above.