It’s been a couple of weeks since I got my Xiaomi Fimi Palm gimbal (review), enough for all my parcels to clear customs and arrive safely. I have ordered a couple of accessories for FIMI Palm online to make the Xiaomi Fimi Palm even more awesome! Picking the right mount for the job is crucial so I’m going to talk about the accessories in detail. Here is the list of the accessories for FIMI Palm you should definitely consider!
Charging dock
I still cannot believe this gadget isn’t included in the set. The charging dock is almost mandatory for a couple of reasons. Reasons that Xiaomi is using to extort extra £24 from you! Yes, this small adapter is very expensive, and yet brings crucial use improvements to the table.
The dock does two things. It adds the 3.5 mm jack for an external microphone (something you can achieve with $2 dongle) and changes the orientation of the USB-C socket. To access the content of the storage without taking the micro SD card out, FIMI Palm has to be turned on. At the same time, you can’t really put the gimbal flat on the surface without blocking the gimbal’s motor. You can spend £24 for this convenience or balance the gimbal on the edge of the table.
Phone grip
FIMI Palm comes with WiFi. You can link it up to your smartphone and stream the video feed there. It’s easier to frame the video, focus on details, but you will need a good phone holder to do so. I got a very nice set just for that. Don’t worry, you don’t have to be a blogger to enjoy this one. It’s modular and you can pick accessories for FIMI Palm:
- a phone grip
- magnetic gimbal grip
- selfie rod
- stand
- LED light
- ball joint
It’s a mix and match, but I took the most expensive set (featuring all add-ons) and I don’t regret it. The set uses horseshoe & ¼ inch screws to mount the accessories and it’s made of aluminium. The quality is really good, and I have been using it with my other accessories.
The phone clamp can accommodate big phones, the selfie stick extends far and it’s very stiff and the associated LED light lasts 2 hours. It’s the first accessory for FIMI Palm you should consider.
Chest (burster) mount
From time to time, it’s good to have both hands free. What do you then? You use this rather silly looking strap-on. These braces come with a universal mount (I was able to mount my action cam accessories on it) and the bracket for the FIMI Palm. Yes, you will look silly. Given enough imagination, FIMI Palm will look like a chestburster sticking out from Kane’s body.
Alien references aside, this is probably the best accessory for FIMI Palm if you love cycling. The footage is butter smooth, captures the scenery, gives the perception of speed and shows handlebars just enough so others would believe I’m not motorbiking!
Another use case are project videos. It seems like this rig can be very useful when filming a hands on project moments. showing your hands almost from the perspective of your head.
Predator mount
If running with FIMI Palm strapped to your chest isn’t your thing, you can turn yourself into another creature from Alien universe and mount the gimbal in the shoulder cannon position thanks to backpack mount. This is a great option if you don’t want to stand out too much, and still capture footage without keeping your hands busy.
My personal experience with the predator mount was split 50:50 as the model I received had a badly 3d printed gimbal bracket that never worked. Fortunately, I already had one compatible from my chest mount and the clamp was made to a much better standard. You don’t have to wear it on top of your shoulder, but you are missing the Predator vibe!
This clip will be the most useful if you have a backpack on, but you can also try with with a belt. The mount will work best for hiking, you can also try it for cycling if you don’t mind the video being offset to one side.
Carrying Case
I’m going to finish this list with an item I don’t have yet as I’m waiting for the delivery. FIMI Palm could use a much better carrying case, and this case looks like it could fit the bill without breaking the bank or taking too much space.
I only hope that this gimbal will finally get the underwater cases (similar ones to DJI Pocket) so you could try the gimbal in more crash-friendly scenarios.
Bonus Items
There are a couple of listings that deserve a honorable mentions. While they didn’t end up in my shopping cart, I will reconsider some of them once I have a spare balance to spend. These looks interesting and come with decent feedback:
- Tripod bracket – small in size, metal, compatible with 1/4 and 3/8 screws
- Macro lens – a magnetic macro adapter for the gimbal
- Lanyard – if anything else fails
Final thoughts
Xiaomi Fimi Palm has an attractive price. Unfortunately part of that is thanks to lack of accessories. So if you want to fully enjoy your new gimbal, you probably need to spend a little more on some cool accessories. Thankfully, these are not expensive (apart from the dock) and if you are happy to wait 2 weeks you can treat yourself to a nice add-on. What other accessories for FIMI Palm would you recommend? Let me know in this Reddit thread.
