DJI's new Ronin gimbals, the RS 2 and RSC 2, have been updated a ton of important ways: better stabilization algorithms, built-in color displays, heavier payloads... heck, even the carrying cases are better. Jordan takes a closer look at what's new and how they function in the field, both as tools for videographers and fitness buffs alike. Yep, you read that right.
There's a scene in the new Borat movie where they're chasing a girl down the road, and it's completely shaky.
if it was done with a gimbal, it would have made you feel like you were some third-party observer, instead of being in the story as a person chasing down the girl, causing suspension of disbelief.
Not sure about DJI but my old EC1 gimbal has a lot of settings for stabilization. You can setup any amount and any axis to reduce only most frequent turns.
I'm not sure I could one hand the RS 2 at full weight. Seems like I'd want an over the shoulder or a two handed setup at that point. The RSC 2 on the other hand seems like a nice balance and that's a pretty impressive level of stability for that kind of price.
A 1.3 kg gimbal with a 4.5 kg camera+lens adds to 5.8 kg or almost 13 pounds. That is indeed quite a hefty rig to hoist around for very long. Unlike an exercise barbell, however, it won't survive a fall. To walk around tracking something with a camera inherently means not watching your step. Amateurs are probably better off with a rugged wide-angle or 360-degree action camera. Some of the latest models offer excellent gyroscopic stabilization. Framing can be done in post. One can track a subject without looking at it or worry about framing or focus. Falls or collisions become less likely and less calamitous.
There is a small Lidar module that you can mount on the camera shoe, it communicates with the Gimbal to control the focus wheel, it is intended for Manual focusing lenses. It is cool but has limited use because you can’t really control what exactly it is focusing on, but I guess it could work in certain scenarios.
The gimbal damps pitch and yaw very well, but not vertical and horizontal translation. The bobbing that results from walking remains, and is enough to convey the "verity" feeling.
Besides the "Blair Witch Project," I can't say I've seen anything non-robotic worth watching, and I only lasted 10 minutes watching BWP.
Bear in mind I’m pretty ignorant about video and just starting to be interested in making it, but:
There are scenes in movies, especially the kind of movies I like most, which consist of a camera pointed at an interesting scene for seconds or even minutes at a time. In cases where the scene is almost completely static, such as a building’s façade, I do prefer to see a little camera movement. I haven’t figured out why. Maybe just to make it look like moving pictures rather than a still photograph?
Video is heavy in technology, but the hard part is where to point the camera, when, and for how long. Panning is generally frowned upon, but a short, slow lateral slide creates a 3D effect which is quite effective. If you want to learn how to speak with a camera, watch how others do it. See how they work with light. Movies are great, but on a less elevated plane BBC television dramas often have great cinematography (I'm in the US).
Take your time. Enjoy the movie and suspend your disbelief. Then come back for a more critical view. Learn the rules, like the 4th wall, but be prepared to break them if you have a reason to do so. Almost nothing in a movie is there by accident.
I sold my gimbal. They're great, but you need to have amazing auto focus or be really good at keeping focus distance with your feet - my GH4 obviously did not have great AF and I am not a skilled videographer.
I have a background in video production and know the amount of work that goes into planning, shooting and editing these pieces. I am amazed how prolific Jordan and Chris are. The videos are always informative and fun. Keep the good work guys!
It is a shame these gimbals are mostly limited to Video applications. There are tons of things they can do when stationary but DJI software is very limited. For instance, there is nothing for Astrophotography yet people are willing to pay more than $1000 for dedicated celestial tracers. These gimbals can also double as versatile tripod heads, yet there is little the software has for that. Users have no option to hard-lock an axis while the Gimbal is powered on a tripod, so you have to balance ALL the axis making it tedious for the lack of such a simple firmware feature. There is no way to save your configurations as files, etc Another inexplicable thing is why their cool Goggles don’t work with these now that they have Wireless Videos capabilities? BTW, DJI came one year later copying Zhiyung Wireless Video module, it looks the same. It bugs me that DJI products have a short lifetime support of about a year when a new product is announced. Warning, the USB-C connectors are proprietary.
I doubt the Ronin is steady enough for astronomical purposes. They tend to quiver when at rest on their tripod. Like image stabilization, the Ronin works best when being moved.
There is a built-in feature to program 3D panoramas, automatically taking an exposure at position after a brief settling out time. You can also program a set of motions and stops.
I would like to have remote operation, with the gimbal on a mount with the handle removed and connected with a cable.
The Panorama function is an afterthought. In such mode you can not hard-lock the Roll axis, therefore you need to add counterweights to make sure the entrance pupil is aligned. A simple pause roll motor function would have made this much easier. Also you can not save preconfigured panoramas positions, nor waypoints. All of this is just simple firmare. You could have it track the Moon or Sun or the ISS given the GPS location, etc but the firmware is limited unfortunately. DJI could sell more of these if they put more effort and features in the “Tripod” mode. When properly balanced it can be precise and more so if they would allow users to hard-lock the Roll axis. Immersive shooting experience with the DJI Goggles would be an unique competitive advantage and also fun.
There are polar tracking motors, including relatively inexpensive ones, which are well suited to this task. Only two axes of ration are required, azimuth and declination. Some mid-range models even offer computerized location and automated object tracking.
Yes but why spend money plus carrying more equipment when this Gimbal can do that job as well and more ? If your concern is precision, for Astro, Active Track could help with that, but the firmware is not designed for such use case. It is mostly Video stabilization and that is my main point of critique. You would think they want to make and sell products that target a wider market.
As a product manager, I know that in many cases a product designed to be “all things to all people” will fail because it doesn’t do any of those things very well. There is a reason for gimbals and the special things they do, and there is a reason for astro trackers and what they can do.
Once you get the hang of it, balancing doesn't take more than 3 minutes. The irritating thing is you have to collapse everything to make it fit in the carrying case.
The S motors are very strong. I couldn't quite get the fore-aft balance right with a Sony A7iii and a big 28-135/4 PZ video lens. After calibration it worked well, without shakiness.
In order to use the gimbal for star tracking, you would need to align the handle with the North Star (or thereabouts). That's too much weight to cantilever on a tripod, or the base of the handle for that matter. If you use it as an alt-azimuth mount, everything revolves around the object you're tracking.
Ramblac, and do you know this how? Do you own one of these have you even tried tracking ? What focal length are we talking about? What celestial bodies, the moon, the sun, a satellite or a distant star ?
I have built my own tracker. I was shooting in 1000m equivalent. Gimbal brushless motors are not able to rotate precisely, their control is done through rotating back and forward around some angle sensor like Hall sensor, and it's ppr is around 1000. That means it will do one step in about whole second, and this means everything gets smeared. But because positioning is not precise it's even worse. Plus gimbals are not strong enough to prevent even light wind shaking.
You need a handle to operate the Ronin, and batteries are built into the handle. You get over 8 hours of operation in the original S. I'm personally good for less than an hour with this beast.
It’s the proprietary handle-shaped battery that bothers me, especially from a Chinese company with a history of short product life-cycles and poor long-term support.
No doubt the batteries are the cheapest li-ion cells they can find, too, meaning they won’t last long (three years, max?).
But about 10× more than eneloops and 20× more than the Li-ion cells inside.
But that’s not my main beef with them. Will I be able to buy one of these DJI batteries in 10 years or even three?
Besides, what’s the advantage of Li-ion in this case? I’d never need more than 20 minutes of battery life and you say you’re good for an hour. Yet the battery life is tens of hours. The high specify energy of Li-ion chemistry is wasted here, leaving only its many major downsides.
I realise I’m probably one of ten people who care … and the only one with a perfectly good 12-year-old Garmin sat-nav he can’t use because of the same dumb problem: Li-ion batteries where they don’t belong.
Mechanical stabilizers are much heavier and bulkier because of long arm and additional counterweight. They are also unable to stabilize wind. And balancing them would take an hour instead of a minute.
Cute ending, creative sub-theme. Keep it going, guys.
The micro adjustment would be very welcome, far better than the pinch-and-jiggle actions needed on the original S. I like the concept of the RavenEye transmitter with the no-fuss mount. I would like to see a more versatile receive so the camera could be used as a steady-cam in a multi-camera operation. There are TX/RX devices which do this, but not as convenient to mount.
Rights for that song are a bit expensive right now. Fortunately, it should enter the public domain in 2076, and there's a very small chance I'll still be alive to release that version!
Image stabilization takes care of small, high-frequency disturbances. A Ronin gimbal smooths out larger, slower and deliberate actions. How and where to use on is limited only by your imagination. Some suggestions are ...
* Travelogues and street videography where tripods are inconvenient or not allowed * Music videos * Roving camera for live-streaming * Simulated dolly, boom and slider effects
Ed yes, I know what they're used for by those who need them. I just don't think I'd ever use them which is why I said "I would ever do with these." They're awesome tools just not for me.
It'd be fun to find a situation where I needed one, however. Hmm. Some homework for myself.
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