Zhiyun Crane 3 Lab User manual

The following features are available in
this PDF document.
Quick Keyword Search
Enter the keyword in the search box
and hit the search button
Quick Jump between
Chapters
Click the title of a specic chapter on
the Contents to jump to it
*Reading software such as Adobe Reader is
needed to support the functions above.

ZHIYUN-EN-v2.10
CRANE 3 LAB
User Guide

Contents
■Packing List
■Get to Know CRANE 3 LAB
Get to Know CRANE 3 LAB ··············································· 2
■Interfaces Instruction
Camera Image Transmission and Control Module··················· 3
■Charging Procedure
Charger and Battery Description ········································· 4
Charging Procedure ························································· 5
■Installation
Tripod Installation····························································· 6
Battery Installation···························································· 6
Camera Installation ·························································· 7
Data Cable Connection ····················································· 8
Balance Adjustment·························································· 10
■How to Use
Buttons Description ·························································· 12
OLED Display Description·················································· 14
Menu Option Description ··················································· 15
Motor Torque Adjustment ··················································· 16
Control Mode Description ·················································· 17
Manual Angle Lock ··························································· 18
DC 8.0 V Power Outlet Usage ············································ 19
■APP Operations
Instruction of Image Transmission System and ZY Play ··········· 20

Download APP ································································ 20
How to Connect Stabilizer to Smartphone/Tablet ···················· 21
ZY Play Main Functions····················································· 21
■Calibration and Firmware Upgrade
When do you need to calibrate the stabilizer? ························ 22
Initialization Method·························································· 22
■Calibration and Firmware Upgrade
Six-side Calibration ·························································· 23
■Calibration and Firmware Upgrade
■Calibration and Firmware Upgrade
Motor Fine-tuning····························································· 25
Stabilizer Firmware Upgrade ·············································· 25
Servo Follow Focus and Servo Zoom/Focus
Controller Firmware Upgrade·············································· 25
■Trouble Shooting
Trouble Shooting······························································ 26
■Product Specifications
■Disclaimer and Warning
■Warranty Terms
■Contact Card

1
The product package comes with the following items. In case that any item is
found missing, please contact ZHIYUN or your local selling agent.
Packing List
CRANE 3 LAB Stabilizer
× 1
Tripod × 1 Quick Release Plate × 1
HDMI Mini to HDMI Micro
HD HDMI Cable × 1
HDMI Mini to HDMI Mini
HD HDMI Cable × 1
USB 3.0 to USB Mini
Camera Control Cable ×1
USB 3.0 to USB Micro
Camera Control Cable × 1
USB 3.0 to Multi
Camera Control Cable × 1
USB 3.0 to Type-C
Camera Control Cable × 1
USB 3.0 to USB Mini 8P
+ φ2.5mm plug
Camera Control Cable × 1
Micro USB Cable × 1 18650 Li-Ion Battery × 3
18650 Li-Ion Battery
Charger × 1
Quick Start Guide × 1 USB Cable Storage
Box × 1
Storage Case × 1

2
Get to Know CRANE 3 LAB
Get to Know CRANE 3 LAB
1. Quick Release Plate
2. Quick Release Plate Latch
3. Quick Release Plate Thumb Screw
4. Camera Image Transmission
and Control Module (see more on
Page 3 )
5. Pan Axis Latch
6. 1/4" Threaded Hole
7. Power Button
8. Follow Focus Wheel
9. Joystick
10. Tripod
11. Thumb Screw
12. Roll Axis Motor
13. Roll Axis Latch
14. Control Stick (see more on
Page 12 )
15. Tilt Axis Motor
16. Thumb Screw
17. Tilt Axis Latch
18. Thumb Screw
19. Pan Axis Motor
20. Battery Compartment
21. USB Power Outlet
22. Mode Button (see more on
Page 12 )
18
16
17
15
19
20
21
22
1
2
3
4
5
11
12
13
14
7
8
9
10
6

3
Camera Image Transmission and Control Module
No. Interface Function Output Input
1 WiFi Switch Turn on/off the WiFi of the
stabilizer / /
2
Servo Follow Focus
& Servo Zoom/Focus
Controller Interface
Connect and control servo
follow focus or servo zoom/
focus controller
11V/2A Forbidden
3
Servo Follow Focus
& Servo Zoom/Focus
Controller Interface
Connect and control servo
follow focus or servo zoom/
focus controller
11V/2A Forbidden
4 DC 8.0V Power Outlet
Can be used to charge
cameras such as Canon
5D series (see more on
Page 19 )
8V/2A Forbidden
5 Mini HDMI Interface Receive HDMI video signals
from the camera / /
6Camera Control
Interface
1. Connect and control the
camera via the control ca-
ble. For more information
please refer to ZHIYUN
Camera Control Cable
Instruction (see more on
Page 8 )
2. Can be used to charge
mirrorless cameras such as
Sony mirrorless cameras
5V/1A Forbidden
7 USB Charging Outlet
Can be used to charge
external devices such as
mobile phones
5V/1A Forbidden
The stabilizer does not support direct charge from the USB interface or any
other interfaces above.
3
2
1
6
5
47
Interfaces Instruction

4
Charger and Battery Description
When using CRANE 3 LAB for the first time, please fully charge and activate the
batteries with the dedicated charging device contained in the package to ensure
normal use of the product.
Status Indicator Light
Micro USB Charging Port
1. It is recommended to use original ZHIYUN 2600mAh Li-ion battery with the
CRANE 3 LAB for longer runtime.
2. The ZC-18650-3 battery charger is designed for 18650 Li-ion battery only.
Please do not use it to charge batteries of other models or brands or else
accidents may arise thereby.
1. The stabilizer is equipped with high-energy density batteries, which may
cause fire, economic loss or personal injury when not properly used and
stored. Please read the disclaimer and warning herein as well as the de-
scription on the battery label carefully before using the batteries.
2. Please use batteries provided or approved by ZHIYUN only. ZHIYUN will
not take any responsibility for explosion, fire and/or accidents caused by
non-ZHIYUN batteries.
Charger Specifications
Name: 18650 Li-Ion Battery Charger
Model: ZC-18650-3
Input: 5V ⎓2400mA
Output: 4.2V ⎓800mA*3
•Shines solid RED light when charging.
•Shines BLUE light when fully charged.
Battery Specifications
Name: 18650 Li-Ion Battery
Model: 18650
Capacity: 2600mAh
Voltage: 3.6V
Charging Procedure
When the batteries are not in use, please be sure to put them in the
battery slot of the package or in plastic storage cases.

5
Charging Procedure
1. Insert the batteries into the charger in the right direction (positive/negative end)
accordingly.
2. Connect the charger to the adapter via the Micro USB cable.
3. Plug the adapter into a power outlet to start charging.
Micro USB Cable
Micro USB Cable
Adapter
Adapter
Power Outlet
Power Outlet
1. Micro USB 5V charging ports are on both sides of the charger. Users
are free to charge battery from one side of the charger or both of them.
Charging from both of the charging ports will take less time.
2. Charging the batteries may fail when the power supply is insufficient (for in-
stance, when the current of the adapter is lower than 1000mA). Conditions
may vary depending on the specific chargers used. It is recommended to
use an adapter with higher current capacity;
3. The battery cannot be charged through the USB port on the stabilizer.
1. Please use qualified standard 5V/≥2000mA adapter for battery charging;
charging time depends on the maximum input current of the adapter.
2. This stabilizer comes standard with dedicated high-discharge-rate batteries.
Please use batteries provided or approved by ZHIYUN only.
3. Please make sure the batteries are fully charged. Undercharged battery or
batteries can lead to the failure of the stabilizer.
Charging Procedure

6
Installation
• Mount the tripod to the bottom of the stabilizer, then unfold the tripod on a flat
surface.
• Please put the lifting strap at the
bottom of the battery compartment
for easy lifting of the batteries.
• Unlock the battery compartment
and remove the battery cover, then
insert 3 18650 batteries in the right
direction (positive/negative end).
Place one tripod leg in parallel with the handle of the stabilizer to achieve
maximum stability (as shown above).
Tripod Installation
Battery Installation

7
Installation
a. Take out the quick release plate, mount the camera on the quick release plate
then tighten the 1/4" screw at its bottom.
b. Adjust the lens support on the quick release plate to make sure the stability of
the lens.
c. Slide the quick release plate to the stabilizer with three axes locked, then lock
the quick release plate latch.
Before mounting the camera, make sure it is prepared ahead of time. Remove
the lens cap and make sure the camera’s battery and memory card are al-
ready inserted.
Lift the quick release plate latch
up if it gets stuck. Adjust the
position of quick release plate
latch to ensure the camera is
neither too tight nor too loose.
Camera Installation
• Each axis of the stabilizer is equipped with a latch. You can use these latches to
lock the axes for convenient installation and storage.
Locked for installation Locked for storage

8
Camera control cable
Mark: ①/②/③/④/⑤
HD HDMI cable
Mark: / /
ZHIYUN Cable Collocation Illustration
Mark ① ② ③ ④ ⑤
Connector
Type
USB 3.0 to
USB Mini USB 3.0 to USB Micro USB 3.0 to Multi USB 3.0 to USB Mini 8P + Φ2.5mm plug USB 3.0 to Type-C
Mark
Connector
Type HDMI Mini to HDMI Mini HDMI Mini to HDMI Micro HDMI Mini to HDMI
Camera
Model
Canon Nikon Sony Panasonic
5D3 5D4 1DX2 D850 A7M3 A7RM3 GH4 GH5
Photo √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √
Video √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √
Live Preview √ √ √ √ × × × ×
AV √ √ √ √ √ √ ×√
TV √ √ √ √ √ √ ×√
ISO √ √ √ √ √ √ ×√
EV √ √ √ √ √ √ ×√
Digital Zoom × × × × √ √ × ×
AF √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √
Manual Elec-
tronic Follow
Focus
√ √ √ √ × × × ×
Image Trans-
mission √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √
1. Please check the website for complete compatible list.
2. Image transmission is available only for cameras whose HDMI output are 720P or 1080P.
3. If your camera uses HD HDMI cable , please consult ZHIYUN service team for available
sellers.
4. When applying the image transmission function of the stabilizer or using external monitor
with Sony cameras, it is not recommended to use video mode as there will be no output
from the HDMI port.
5. In video mode, parameter settings are unavailable for Sony, Panasonic cameras and some
Canon cameras.
6. Please connect the control cable to camera and stabilizer in power off state and avoid
hot-swapping as possible.
Installation
Connect the camera and the stabilizer with the camera control cable and HD HDMI
cable that come standard with the stabilizer.
Data Cable Connection

9
Installation
To protect the stabilizer from being interfered with by the cables, you can tie
up the cables with the magic strap that comes standard with CRANE 3 LAB
as shown below.

10
Installation
To facilitate the adjustment procedure, we recommend locking the three axes
before the adjustment and unlock and adjust them one by one.
• Make the lens face up, slightly loosen the
thumb screw of the tilt axis, push the cam-
era to move forward or backward until the
camera can stay still with the lens facing up
(i.e.the camera stays still and vertical to the
ground as shown on the right). Complete
this step by tightening up thumb screw.
• Unlock the tilt axis and the quick release
plate latch, push the camera to move for-
ward or backward until the camera can stay
still and almost level with its lens facing
front (as shown on the right), then lock the
quick release plate latch.
• Loosen the quick release plate thumb screw
and make the camera grip as close to the
tilt axis motor as possible.
Balance Adjustment

11
Installation
• Unlock the roll axis, slightly loosen the thumb
screw of it, push the camera to move left or
right until the camera can stay still and hori-
zontal to the ground (as shown on the right).
Complete this step by tightening up thumb
screw.
• Unlock the pan axis, slightly loosen the thumb
screw of it, then adjust the pan axis until it
stays still and horizontal to the ground (as
shown on the right). Complete this step by
tightening up thumb screw.
1. Before turning on the stabilizer, please make sure the motors are unlocked
and are free to move. Turning on the stabilizer with the motors locked will
result in overheating of the motors and cause damages.
2. The balance of the stabilizer will help it to achieve the best performance
and prolong its runtime.
Pull the quick release plate thumb
screw out a little if it becomes stuck
during the installation.

12
How to Use
1. Power Button[ ]
• Long press for 3 seconds to power on/off the stabilizer.
• Double press to enter or exit standby mode.
2. Pan Following Mode
Single click to enter Pan Following Mode.
3. Locking Mode
Single click to enter Locking Mode.
4. Follow Focus Controller*
• Once Servo Follow Focus (Lite) is connected to the stabilizer, the follow focus
controller will be able to control it.
• Electronic follow focus control is available on some Canon and Nikon cameras
via the follow focus controller. For more information please refer to CRANE 3
LAB Compatible List.
5. Joystick
Four-way direction control of the camera/lens on the stabilizer.
6. Zoom Rocker*
• Once Servo Zoom/Focus Controller (Max) (sold separately) is connected to the
stabilizer, the Zoom Rocker will be able to control it.
• Connecting the stabilizer to Sony cameras with motorized lens, the zoom con-
troller will be able to operate optical zooming; connecting the stabilizer to Sony
2
3
4
5
1
6
7
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
10
9
8
13
21
12
11
Buttons Description
*TransMount Servo Follow Focus Motor Installation. Please refer to the user manual.

13
How to Use
1. When powering on the stabilizer, please hold the camera with one hand in
case of malfunctioned rotation.
2. When powering on, avoid shaking of the stabilizer hand grip which may
lead to start-up failure.
3. Single click ISO button and click Right button to choose ISO value.
cameras with non-motorized lens, the zoom controller will be able to operate
digital zooming. For more information please refer to CRANE 3 LAB Compati-
ble List.
7. Parameter Dial
Rotate the dial to quickly set camera parameters.
8. Following Mode [ F ]
Single click to enter Following Mode. Click again to return to previous mode.
9. POV Mode/Vortex Mode [ POV ]
• Single click to enter or exit Point of View Mode. Click again to return to previous
mode.
• Double click to enter or exit Vortex Mode. Click again to return to previous mode.
10. Reset [ RE ]
Single click to reset the motor to the starting point of the current mode.
11. TV [ TV ]
Single click to set shutter speed.
12. AV [ AV ]
Single click to set aperture value.
13. ISO [ ISO ]
Single click to set ISO value.
14. PhoneGo Mode [ GO ]
Press and hold to enter and stay in PhoneGo Mode which enables fast following
speed of the three axes on the stabilizer.
15. Video [ ]
Single click to start/end video recording.
16. Live Preview[ LV ]
Single click to control the camera to flip up the reflex mirror to enter Live Preview
mode.
17. Photo
• Half press to enable automatic zoom function of the camera.
• Full press to take photo.
18. Right [ ► ]
• In main screen, single press to move to next option.
• In menu screen, single press to confirm selection.
19. Dial
In menu screen, rotate the dial to switch between options.
20. Menu [ ●●● ]
Single press to enter or exit menu screen.
21. Left [ ◄ ]
• In main screen, single press to move to previous option.
• In menu screen, single press to return to previous screen.

14
OLED Display Description
Interface where camera
params settings are
available
Interface where camera
params settings are
unavailable
Menu Interface
Icon Description:
Camera successfully connected to stabilizer
Video Mode
Photo Mode
Battery Level (stabilizer)
PF Pan Following Mode
LLocking Mode
POV Point Of View Mode
FFollowing Mode
GO PhoneGo Mode
VVortex Mode
AV Aperture Value
TV Shutter Speed Value
ISO ISO Value
Exposure Value
How to Use

15
Menu Option Description
motor
(Motor Torque
Setting)
low Low-torque
medium Medium-torque
high High-torque
wheel
(Follow Focus Wheel
Setting)
sensi
(Follow Focus
Wheel Sensitivity)
low Low Sensitivity
medium Medium sensitivity
high High Sensitivity
ABpoint1
A Set the current wheel position as A point
B Set the current wheel position as B point
clear Clear AB Points
priority
(Priority on Wheel)
handle Prioritize handle control
external Prioritize external control2
off Disable follow focus wheel
reverse Control the wheel in reverse direction
joystick
(Joystick Setting) reverse
vertical Joystick in vertical direction
horizontal Joystick in horizontal direction
zoom rocker(Zoom
Rocker Setting)
sensi
(Zoom Rocker
Sensitivity)
low Low Sensitivity
medium Medium Sensitivity
high High Sensitivity
ABpoint1
ASet the current position of the zoom
rocker as A point
BSet the current position of the zoom
rocker as B point
clear Clear AB Points
reverse Control the zoom rocker in reverse direction
calibration
(Calibration Setting)
yes Enter six-side calibration
no Exit calibration setting
angle
(Fine-tuning on motor
angle)
pitch Fine tune the tilt axis motor
roll Fine tune the roll axis motor
focus
(Follow Focus and
Zoom/Focus Control-
ler Setting)
Lite upgrade Upgrade firmware of Servo Follow
Focus (Lite)3
Max upgrade Upgrade firmware of Servo Zoom/Focus
Controller (Max)3
about Information of image transmission firmware version, names of WiFi and
Bluetooth. Press Right button for stabilizer firmware version.
“1” AB point settings are only available when connecting to ZHIYUN Servo Follow Focus cor-
rectly.
“2” External control refers to remote control via Bluetooth or cable controls other than local con-
trols via the stabilizer. (remote controls need to be purchased separately).
“3” Servo Follow Focus (Lite) and Servo Zoom/Focus Controller (Max) need to be purchased
separately.
How to Use

16
Motor Torque Adjustment
The motor torque of the stabilizer needs to be adjusted (3 levels) to adapt the sta-
bilizer to cameras and lens of different weight for ideal use.
How to adjust:
Motor torque levels that are too high or too low may result in shakiness of the
stabilizer and affect its performance.
Option Weight Capaci-
ty Compatible Camera & Lens Examples
low
(default) Low Sony A7 series+Sonnar T* FE 35mm F2.8 ZA
medium Medium Canon 5D series+EF 50mm f/1.4 USM
high High Canon 5D series+EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM
1. Single press the Menu button and rotate the dial to "motor",
then press Right button to enter motor torque setting.
2. Rotate the dial to choose the appropriate motor torque level
and press Right button to confirm.
How to Use