DJI Ronin-MX

[Brody_B]

Thanks man, that's the answer I was looking for

Hope you're well. Those group buys are kicking butt!

Yes I second Chris's statement. I think the MX is definitely NOT the way to go. Very surprised with their marketing claims regarding Red camera use. To add to it, if you try and use the Lemo A on the side connection, it just doesn't fit. and as you can see from the picture above, the right angle Lemo is necessary to power the camera, even tho it still looks like it limits full directional use, not sure. Also you can't full tilt up because it hits the top of the camera body at only a few degrees, a total flop for low shots. You have to buy a separate Red accessory kit to make it even fit in the first place. And although I only tried briefly, I don't feel confident the motors can handle upright mode well at all. I was using medium weight glass, with no success. FWIW I rented an old Ronin and had it balanced and working great in 5 mins. As you can see I have nothing good to say about the MX. Save yourself the hassle and Don't Buy!

 

[Carey Lee Coffey]

I agree. The Weapon is slightly taller than the Dragon or MX... creates a problem. I took advantage of The MōVI M15 Flash Sale, and I am very happy I did. 5 minutes to balance, rock solid performance. The MōVI could have more bells and whistles, like the Ronin, but when it comes to stabilization, the MōVI's software is the best there is.

 

[Abiodun Shote]

I have one with my Raven and I think it works great other than the fact that I need to get a right angle Lemo that points down for the D-Tap. As long as you have the extension legs it only takes a few minutes to balance. I mainly run it with the 11-16 Tokina Cinema lens and that clears the forward battery.

Any idea where to get right angle Lemo that points down? The one I currently have points right.

 

[Azzie Scott]

I just wanted to chime in. Im a Ronin MX owner and I have been able to balance an Epic Dragon without any issues. I own a Weapon and was able to balance it as well with no issues. If your using RED cams you just need to purchase the 20mm 0r 30mm extension rods, so you can lower the camera more to balance. Im a little confused to see people retuning and stating that it doesn't work. Just like with all gimbals keep it light and your accessories to a minimum and your fine. I used to own a Helix as well, and I loved it, balancing was easier but again just like with all gimbals it takes practice. So as a Ronin MX owner I have successfully used it with an EPIC Dragon and Weapon.

 

[Marcel M]

since I was one of the ones that raised the topic & has you confused I will try to explain

1st: you made my point... I want to use my weapon with a cinema prime / & fiz or at least single axis control... as I have stated in earlier post If you are running a weapon or dragon stripped down the MX will work. I however am not one of those users running a stripped setup, I want all the sides... never said It didn't work just said It didn't work for my set up.

2nd you make my gripe once again... you need additional equipment ( red extension kit) to make even a stripped down version work. that is contrary to what dji's marketing was based on. I dont think I was alone in thinking the MX would fly a red out of the box. That being said I think its great for my A7SII a much better product than the Ronin M if they made a larger one I would buy it

I just wanted to chime in. Im a Ronin MX owner and I have been able to balance an Epic Dragon without any issues. I own a Weapon and was able to balance it as well with no issues. If your using RED cams you just need to purchase the 20mm 0r 30mm extension rods, so you can lower the camera more to balance. Im a little confused to see people retuning and stating that it doesn't work. Just like with all gimbals keep it light and your accessories to a minimum and your fine. I used to own a Helix as well, and I loved it, balancing was easier but again just like with all gimbals it takes practice. So as a Ronin MX owner I have successfully used it with an EPIC Dragon and Weapon.

 

[Peter Majtan]

I see people selling their Ronin MX gimbals and have heard they don't work great with Red setups. Is that true?

Just like any piece of tech - you have to know what you are doing. The MX works great with both DSMC1 and DSMC2. You are limited in your choice of lenses, but that is a given. 90% of the time we use it with the Sigma 18-35 f/1.8 and can't complain. It is the most compact gimbal that can handle the RED-heads and that is its main purpose. It also handles well the lateral G-forces you get when shooting from cars, helicopters, UAS, etc... at high speeds...

:sifone: Peter

 

[Marcel M]

Peter maybe you can chime in on why DJI did not come out in the beginning and just say "you need this kit to make it work"

To say "You have to know what your doing" is not always the case. I wanted my weapon to work with a cinema prime & follow focus just as DJI advertised

I had many discussions with people there (DJI) and now finally the extension kit is a "recommended accessory" I guess I was a bit chapped to get it home and find to make it work properly & I needed more equipment that was not disclosed up front....

It is a great tool but left a sour taste.

Just like any piece of tech - you have to know what you are doing. The MX works great with both DSMC1 and DSMC2. You are limited in your choice of lenses, but that is a given. 90% of the time we use it with the Sigma 18-35 f/1.8 and can't complain. It is the most compact gimbal that can handle the RED-heads and that is its main purpose. It also handles well the lateral G-forces you get when shooting from cars, helicopters, UAS, etc... at high speeds...

:sifone: Peter

 

[Peter Majtan]

Marcel - please correct me if I am wrong, but they have never said that "all you need is the MX". These gimbals (big Ronin, Movi, etc... included) all need series of accessories to be useable for professional work. Wireless video, FIZ, custom power, arm extensions - the list goes on... My guess as to why they didn't come with a "you need this kit to make it work" is because different users want to use different configurations.

We are currently working on a custom kit that will allow the MX to carry DSMC2 camera upright with the Sigma 18-35 (which is quickly becoming one of the must-have and preferred lenses for gimbal work) and all the needed accessories. Best part about the 18-35 is that there is only 5g difference between it and the 50 mm prime, so the kit will work with both lenses. This will feature in my final review of the MX and it is a great example how you can customise the MX setup for your preferred config...

P

 

[Marcel M]

Looking forward to the new kit and see your review.

I sent you a PM to further discuss. no need to get into it here

Marcel - please correct me if I am wrong, but they have never said that "all you need is the MX". These gimbals (big Ronin, Movi, etc... included) all need series of accessories to be useable for professional work. Wireless video, FIZ, custom power, arm extensions - the list goes on... My guess as to why they didn't come with a "you need this kit to make it work" is because different users want to use different configurations.

We are currently working on a custom kit that will allow the MX to carry DSMC2 camera upright with the Sigma 18-35 (which is quickly becoming one of the must-have and preferred lenses for gimbal work) and all the needed accessories. Best part about the 18-35 is that there is only 5g difference between it and the 50 mm prime, so the kit will work with both lenses. This will feature in my final review of the MX and it is a great example how you can customise the MX setup for your preferred config...

P

 

[James Drake]

Cool, thanks for your thoughts on it. Glad to know people have it working in various forms. Seems like such a divide. For now anyway.

I just wanted to chime in. Im a Ronin MX owner and I have been able to balance an Epic Dragon without any issues. I own a Weapon and was able to balance it as well with no issues. If your using RED cams you just need to purchase the 20mm 0r 30mm extension rods, so you can lower the camera more to balance. Im a little confused to see people retuning and stating that it doesn't work. Just like with all gimbals keep it light and your accessories to a minimum and your fine. I used to own a Helix as well, and I loved it, balancing was easier but again just like with all gimbals it takes practice. So as a Ronin MX owner I have successfully used it with an EPIC Dragon and Weapon.

 

[Guidofilippi]

Peter maybe you can chime in on why DJI did not come out in the beginning and just say "you need this kit to make it work"

To say "You have to know what your doing" is not always the case. I wanted my weapon to work with a cinema prime & follow focus just as DJI advertised

I had many discussions with people there (DJI) and now finally the extension kit is a "recommended accessory" I guess I was a bit chapped to get it home and find to make it work properly & I needed more equipment that was not disclosed up front....

It is a great tool but left a sour taste.

Excuse me Marcel... My partner is about to buy a Ronin MX and as we own an Epic I would like to know: when you say "extension kit" you refer to the "Ronin MX accessory kit for RED" as appears on DJI web site, and costs $45?

Thanks,
Guido

 

[Chris McKechnie]

Excuse me Marcel... My partner is about to buy a Ronin MX and as we own an Epic I would like to know: when you say "extension kit" you refer to the "Ronin MX accessory kit for RED" as appears on DJI web site, and costs $45?

Thanks,
Guido

I'd stay away from a Ronin MX Kit if your'e flying anything RED. It just doesn't take the weight/height of the camera well. You're better off flying it on something else.

 

[Brody_B]

Just like any piece of tech - you have to know what you are doing. The MX works great with both DSMC1 and DSMC2. You are limited in your choice of lenses, but that is a given. 90% of the time we use it with the Sigma 18-35 f/1.8 and can't complain. It is the most compact gimbal that can handle the RED-heads and that is its main purpose. It also handles well the lateral G-forces you get when shooting from cars, helicopters, UAS, etc... at high speeds...

:sifone: Peter

I don't see it as a given. I see it as a restriction. Great glass is typically heavy and that's what I use 90% of the time. From my experiences I was able to get my MX to balance. Not nearly easily as the old ronin, but the problem for me was the performance. There is a real difference when the gimbal is handling the weight and when the weight is handling the gimbal. Not to mention the body doesn't even fit in the cage so the tilt access is limited to move only a couple inches before it stops and hits the back of the camera. Btw I mostly used it with the sigma 20mm not any heavier cause there's no way it could take more than that. So from my take I would highly recommend Red users to go another route. Luckily I was able to return mine without any issues from BnH and now have the right one for the job.

 

[Jacobo Martinez]

Great video here, he can't balance like DJI official page:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDhU6TLAe3g

Here he did it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWuUVi2oVdA

 

[James Drake]

Ha! That guy was entertaining and his walk through was thorough. Interesting that he added 400g to the rear of the mini to make the balance come together more.

 

[Marcus Friedlander]

Hey everyone, a few days ago, I had the misfortune of being forced to fly my Epic Dragon on a stock Ronin MX, and it gave me nothing but trouble the whole time.

I'm not a gimbal expert, but I've flown my Dragon on a normal Ronin enough times to know what to do and what not to do. However, the MX gave me sooooooo many problems from the start, that I was about to call one of my Steadicam guys instead. However, on a whim, I decided to try and mount the camera upside down and it actually helped a lot. With it mounted right side up, I couldn't move the camera around in the cage properly to attain balance. However, probably more out of luck than anything else, I was able to balance it with the camera upside down.

However, even with just the brain, a mini mag, and a cannon 24-70, the weight was handling the gimbal, instead of the other way around (seriously great phrasing Brody_B, sorry couldn't help myself from stealing it!) I also, had major problems with where the new battery is placed. It's mounted directly above the lens, so not only does it stop the camera from tilting straight up, IT ALSO SERIOUSLY JEOPARDIZES THE SAFETY OF THE LENS!!!!! If your camera slips and the lens points straight up, it could smash into the bottom of the battery (like when you are initialy balancing the camera) and DESTROY the front element of the lens. We had FAR too many close calls, but luckily no damage to the glass. To me, this is an ABSOLUTE DEAL BREAKER!!!!

Speaking of the camera slipping, I don't know if other units have this same problem, but the front/back balance lock was faulty on my unit. Either, the lock was so lose that the camera would slip backwards when tilted up (causing the above mentioned lens scariness), or I could tighten the screw so tight that I couldn't open it by hand. But there was no middle ground.

Unfortunately, the one improvement I was looking forward to, the extra battery to power the camera and accessories, I couldn't test because the rental house these producers were using didn't have them in stock.

Maybe with all the extra accessories that you have to buy, the MX can handle a DSMC1 camera, but I can say with absolute certainty that the stock MX can not handle it in a professional setting. Get a normal ronin, or even better, a proper Steadicam!

 

[Abiodun Shote]

Hey everyone, a few days ago, I had the misfortune of being forced to fly my Epic Dragon on a stock Ronin MX, and it gave me nothing but trouble the whole time.

I'm not a gimbal expert, but I've flown my Dragon on a normal Ronin enough times to know what to do and what not to do. However, the MX gave me sooooooo many problems from the start, that I was about to call one of my Steadicam guys instead. However, on a whim, I decided to try and mount the camera upside down and it actually helped a lot. With it mounted right side up, I couldn't move the camera around in the cage properly to attain balance. However, probably more out of luck than anything else, I was able to balance it with the camera upside down.

However, even with just the brain, a mini mag, and a cannon 24-70, the weight was handling the gimbal, instead of the other way around (seriously great phrasing Brody_B, sorry couldn't help myself from stealing it!) I also, had major problems with where the new battery is placed. It's mounted directly above the lens, so not only does it stop the camera from tilting straight up, IT ALSO SERIOUSLY JEOPARDIZES THE SAFETY OF THE LENS!!!!! If your camera slips and the lens points straight up, it could smash into the bottom of the battery (like when you are initialy balancing the camera) and DESTROY the front element of the lens. We had FAR too many close calls, but luckily no damage to the glass. To me, this is an ABSOLUTE DEAL BREAKER!!!!

Speaking of the camera slipping, I don't know if other units have this same problem, but the front/back balance lock was faulty on my unit. Either, the lock was so lose that the camera would slip backwards when tilted up (causing the above mentioned lens scariness), or I could tighten the screw so tight that I couldn't open it by hand. But there was no middle ground.

Unfortunately, the one improvement I was looking forward to, the extra battery to power the camera and accessories, I couldn't test because the rental house these producers were using didn't have them in stock.

Maybe with all the extra accessories that you have to buy, the MX can handle a DSMC1 camera, but I can say with absolute certainty that the stock MX can not handle it in a professional setting. Get a normal ronin, or even better, a proper Steadicam!

IMHO Ronin-M is better than Ronin-MX, maybe a FW will change that. Really looking to Chris' upcoming GB on Tilta's though I still have faith that R-MX issues will be fixed with a FW though the new battery placement is not the best.

 

[Brody_B]

Hey everyone, a few days ago, I had the misfortune of being forced to fly my Epic Dragon on a stock Ronin MX, and it gave me nothing but trouble the whole time.

I'm not a gimbal expert, but I've flown my Dragon on a normal Ronin enough times to know what to do and what not to do. However, the MX gave me sooooooo many problems from the start, that I was about to call one of my Steadicam guys instead. However, on a whim, I decided to try and mount the camera upside down and it actually helped a lot. With it mounted right side up, I couldn't move the camera around in the cage properly to attain balance. However, probably more out of luck than anything else, I was able to balance it with the camera upside down.

However, even with just the brain, a mini mag, and a cannon 24-70, the weight was handling the gimbal, instead of the other way around (seriously great phrasing Brody_B, sorry couldn't help myself from stealing it!) I also, had major problems with where the new battery is placed. It's mounted directly above the lens, so not only does it stop the camera from tilting straight up, IT ALSO SERIOUSLY JEOPARDIZES THE SAFETY OF THE LENS!!!!! If your camera slips and the lens points straight up, it could smash into the bottom of the battery (like when you are initialy balancing the camera) and DESTROY the front element of the lens. We had FAR too many close calls, but luckily no damage to the glass. To me, this is an ABSOLUTE DEAL BREAKER!!!!

Speaking of the camera slipping, I don't know if other units have this same problem, but the front/back balance lock was faulty on my unit. Either, the lock was so lose that the camera would slip backwards when tilted up (causing the above mentioned lens scariness), or I could tighten the screw so tight that I couldn't open it by hand. But there was no middle ground.

Unfortunately, the one improvement I was looking forward to, the extra battery to power the camera and accessories, I couldn't test because the rental house these producers were using didn't have them in stock.

Maybe with all the extra accessories that you have to buy, the MX can handle a DSMC1 camera, but I can say with absolute certainty that the stock MX can not handle it in a professional setting. Get a normal ronin, or even better, a proper Steadicam!

Sorry you had those issues man, I went with Tilta Gravity and man I am impressed. Seriously good machine for the Red.

 

[Marcus Friedlander]

Sorry you had those issues man, I went with Tilta Gravity and man I am impressed. Seriously good machine for the Red.

Thanks for the suggestion man. I've never used one before. What do you like so much about it?

 

[Mike P.]

Hey everyone, a few days ago, I had the misfortune of being forced to fly my Epic Dragon on a stock Ronin MX, and it gave me nothing but trouble the whole time.

I'm not a gimbal expert, but I've flown my Dragon on a normal Ronin enough times to know what to do and what not to do. However, the MX gave me sooooooo many problems from the start, that I was about to call one of my Steadicam guys instead. However, on a whim, I decided to try and mount the camera upside down and it actually helped a lot. With it mounted right side up, I couldn't move the camera around in the cage properly to attain balance. However, probably more out of luck than anything else, I was able to balance it with the camera upside down.

However, even with just the brain, a mini mag, and a cannon 24-70, the weight was handling the gimbal, instead of the other way around (seriously great phrasing Brody_B, sorry couldn't help myself from stealing it!) I also, had major problems with where the new battery is placed. It's mounted directly above the lens, so not only does it stop the camera from tilting straight up, IT ALSO SERIOUSLY JEOPARDIZES THE SAFETY OF THE LENS!!!!! If your camera slips and the lens points straight up, it could smash into the bottom of the battery (like when you are initialy balancing the camera) and DESTROY the front element of the lens. We had FAR too many close calls, but luckily no damage to the glass. To me, this is an ABSOLUTE DEAL BREAKER!!!!

Speaking of the camera slipping, I don't know if other units have this same problem, but the front/back balance lock was faulty on my unit. Either, the lock was so lose that the camera would slip backwards when tilted up (causing the above mentioned lens scariness), or I could tighten the screw so tight that I couldn't open it by hand. But there was no middle ground.

Unfortunately, the one improvement I was looking forward to, the extra battery to power the camera and accessories, I couldn't test because the rental house these producers were using didn't have them in stock.

Maybe with all the extra accessories that you have to buy, the MX can handle a DSMC1 camera, but I can say with absolute certainty that the stock MX can not handle it in a professional setting. Get a normal ronin, or even better, a proper Steadicam!

I had the same tilt-slippage with front/back balance lock on a Ronin-M... I didn't have the tools to try to tightening it though, and figured that it could be solved that way.

OH, and you probably know this already, but DJI released a power-distribution plate for the Ronin and Ronin-M which also allows you to power REDs through the gimbal battery.

I still think DJI gimbals are a generation or two away from being really, really great. Along with fixing firmware kinks, they still need to add in LightBridge and Focus Motor control (which they probably could've done already).