dji Ronin (XL) Multi Test-Shoot/Review!

[Zeb B]

Ha ha...

Please SPANK me now... I deserve it...

No... There wasn't one...

But there will be one form on the set of the current film shooting in Mauritius I am DP'ing, we are suing the Ronin and also the Ronin-M with an RC monster Car and also couple of Inspires...

Bad, very bad on my part to let something like this undone for so long, but no one has really any idea of how things have progressed since making this process, and no one should really give a shit, I made a promise and never delivered...

I WILL!!

And it will be surely the best reviews gear ever, as it sure time give me the occasions to work the fuck out of the Ronin and now Ronin-M...

Well at least you don't criticize others when they fall short of your expectations.

Looking forward to seeing your movie . . .

 

[Ketch Rossi]

Thank you, Ketch.
I want to buy Ronin with longer arms.
And put the Raven with CP.2 21mm and DSMC2 Base Expander and Redvolt Module and Redvolt XL battery and Paralinx Ace.
So It's a 2 lbs in front with CP.2.
3,5 lbs Raven body in the middle.
And 3,02 lbs with Base Expander, Redvolt XL Module and Battery at the back.
So I guess I just move the camera a little bit in front.

Oh with the Raven and or Weapon you'll have no problem at all, but you'll still need to counter the back weight with proper balancing of rig, once you start playing with it you'll realize how easy it is to get it confirmed to your needs, but I do suggest to get the weight kit as well, so to better balance with any set up, the fact that Raven and Weapon is a all one and a half pound lighter, and that you can actually make it work with less accessories and has included WiFi will make things even easier.

Well at least you don't criticize others when they fall short of your expectations.

Looking forward to seeing your movie . . .

Thanks Zeb!

PS: It's not my movie, I'm just the DP, this is my friend Samir Khan directorial debut Feature film... Still finishing up Pre-production to see if we can make it work here in Mauritius.

 

[Karel Šimůnek]

Thank you again, Ketch, very helpful.

 

[Ketch Rossi]

Thank you again, Ketch, very helpful.

Always my pleasure Karel, and if we'll use this very set up I'll share some pics of it as well.

 

[Karel Šimůnek]

Always my pleasure Karel, and if we'll use this very set up I'll share some pics of it as well.

Nice! Thanks! And do you have some pics of your RoninRED set up from the past? With longer arms?
That would be really helpful for me to get some idea about how big the set up can be.
Thank you

 

[Ketch Rossi]

No longer arms, never got to use them... This is one of the heaviest set up I used, V-Lock battery via Battery-Belt and thin cable.

 

[Karel Šimůnek]

Thank you, Ketch!
Very Very nice set up!
I see that you use RED with side handle. I think this is the best power solution for RED on the Ronin. I really hope that RED will release the DSMC2 Side Handle with Redvolt. If yes I would be absolutely happy! The side handle sits exactly in the middle between the brain and the lens (if you use lens like you have in the picture). Is that Schneider Xenon FF-Prime?
I think that the Raven Brain with the new Side Handle a Redvolt battery and CP.2 21mm and only with Base Expander at the back would be really balanced.
What about the cable from the brain to the touch display? Is it OK for the motors?

 

[Björn Benckert]

Thank you, Ketch!
Very Very nice set up!
I see that you use RED with side handle. I think this is the best power solution for RED on the Ronin. I really hope that RED will release the DSMC2 Side Handle with Redvolt. If yes I would be absolutely happy! The side handle sits exactly in the middle between the brain and the lens (if you use lens like you have in the picture). Is that Schneider Xenon FF-Prime?
I think that the Raven Brain with the new Side Handle a Redvolt battery and CP.2 21mm and only with Base Expander at the back would be really balanced.
What about the cable from the brain to the touch display? Is it OK for the motors?

The side handle is a poor solution for being on a gimbal as it offsets the lens from the roll axis as it moves the center of gravity. When thats done the gimbal does not roll trough the center of lens and there is more perspective change introduced then needed when having shakes over the z axis.
So best possible is to take of as much as you can from the gimbal and if you need a battery down there then keep it aligned with camera, under the mount or above or behind. as that keeps the camera centered horizontally.
Then use the thinest cables possible to go to screens etc.

 

[Karel Šimůnek]

Thank you for the info Björn.
You suggest to use Redvolt XL rather than Side Handle (if It comes out for the Raven/Weapon). There is no other solution for me because I don't want to have no cables connected to the camera and me or handle bar. But I have to use the longer arms then.
Video can be wireless with Paralinx Ace and SmalHD on the handle bar.
RED's touch screen I want to use only for shots without the Ronin.

 

[Björn Benckert]

Thank you for the info Björn.
You suggest to use Redvolt XL rather than Side Handle (if It comes out for the Raven/Weapon). There is no other solution for me because I don't want to have no cables connected to the camera and me or handle bar. But I have to use the longer arms then.
Video can be wireless with Paralinx Ace and SmalHD on the handle bar.
RED's touch screen I want to use only for shots without the Ronin.

The XL´ s are not good as they can only be seated behind the camera. Using the gimbal with longer lenses is then a big problem. And adding extension arms to the ronin is not (as I see it) a good solution as the motor etc are not really built for it. The more compact and light weight the better and the ronin is (as I see it) capable of taking an epic with a small lens and light weight filter and ff system and not much more. Simply the ronin behaves way better with a BMPCC than an epic so putting on heavy batteries etc will only make matters worse. And what not many take into account is how important it is to keep lens nodal in a good position. Look at the new little 4k gimbal from DJI it´s small round and light weight and have the lens in center and there are very good reasons for making it such.

 

[Ketch Rossi]

Thank you, Ketch!
Very Very nice set up!
I see that you use RED with side handle. I think this is the best power solution for RED on the Ronin. I really hope that RED will release the DSMC2 Side Handle with Redvolt. If yes I would be absolutely happy! The side handle sits exactly in the middle between the brain and the lens (if you use lens like you have in the picture). Is that Schneider Xenon FF-Prime?
I think that the Raven Brain with the new Side Handle a Redvolt battery and CP.2 21mm and only with Base Expander at the back would be really balanced.
What about the cable from the brain to the touch display? Is it OK for the motors?

Most welcome Karel,

I have used often the Side Handle solution, and while Björn makes ism good points, not all the way there is an actual meed for Z axis or "Ducth" movement and therefor the Side Handle makes it great small and light solution, which we used very oft with great results...

The best results however have been made via Rear V-Lock Battery and or via Belt-Mount battery with super thin cable.

As of now you are not abel to have any side handle with power on the Weapon or Raven, so don't consider it as of yet.

Yes that is also a Schneider Xenon FF Prime, I have side them thru out last year and the year before.


While we used a Super Thin LCD cable to power the RED LCD, I now strongly advise every one to only use Wireless LCD's on the Gimbal, fat better results.

 

[Zeb B]

The XL´ s are not good as they can only be seated behind the camera. Using the gimbal with longer lenses is then a big problem. And adding extension arms to the ronin is not (as I see it) a good solution as the motor etc are not really built for it. The more compact and light weight the better and the ronin is (as I see it) capable of taking an epic with a small lens and light weight filter and ff system and not much more. Simply the ronin behaves way better with a BMPCC than an epic so putting on heavy batteries etc will only make matters worse. And what not many take into account is how important it is to keep lens nodal in a good position. Look at the new little 4k gimbal from DJI it´s small round and light weight and have the lens in center and there are very good reasons for making it such.

Few understand the importance of the sensor center / lens nodal and just load up these gimbals, shoot, then wonder why their footage looks a bit odd.

On the new DJI RAW camera / gimbal / copter: looks like they are backing into being a competitor of RED at a real fast pace. A gigabit, RAW, wifi enabled camera (X5R) on a 3 axis gimbal that weighs under 2 lbs . . . total. Not sure I would have them as a sponsor of my forum for much longer if I was RED ;-)

 

[Ketch Rossi]

Few understand the importance of the sensor center / lens nodal and just load up these gimbals, shoot, then wonder why their footage looks a bit odd.

On the new DJI RAW camera / gimbal / copter: looks like they are backing into being a competitor of RED at a real fast pace. A gigabit, RAW, wifi enabled camera (X5R) on a 3 axis gimbal that weighs under 2 lbs . . . total. Not sure I would have them as a sponsor of my forum for much longer if I was RED ;-)

Zeb,

I also agreed with you, and that is why I said that Björn makes a good point, however not all camera moves are one and the same, and if you know what you are doing and how you are doing you ca surely tae advantage of a given set up, even when you don't have a center balanced sensor to a nodal point leading to centering it's lens perfectly... I have done a bit of Compositions Multi'Pic shots and Panoramas for Giga Pics, and understood it's importance at large....

But again, on a Gimbal, not all movements involve the need for a precise nodal point and sensor centered to it's axis, however I have to say that if it always was would be better.

 

[Ned Wilson]

IDX E7 off the side using Movi Carbon plate. Simple, light, and powers all. Then I use a Redmote on the back of the EPIC for settings so I don't have to use the Red Monitor for op'ing. Works.

 

[Sabyasachi Patra]

On the new DJI RAW camera / gimbal / copter: looks like they are backing into being a competitor of RED at a real fast pace. A gigabit, RAW, wifi enabled camera (X5R) on a 3 axis gimbal that weighs under 2 lbs . . . total. Not sure I would have them as a sponsor of my forum for much longer if I was RED ;-)

DJI's scale of operations is of a much higher order. RED, except for the brief time when it promised 3k for 3K, is not focussed on having millions of customers. The money power due to the massive scale of operations will ensure companies like DJI, Go Pro have the resources to innovate at a faster pace. So it won't come as a surprise if some of the present day camera companies are left far behind in the next few years.

 

[Karel Šimůnek]

The XL´ s are not good as they can only be seated behind the camera. Using the gimbal with longer lenses is then a big problem. And adding extension arms to the ronin is not (as I see it) a good solution as the motor etc are not really built for it. The more compact and light weight the better and the ronin is (as I see it) capable of taking an epic with a small lens and light weight filter and ff system and not much more. Simply the ronin behaves way better with a BMPCC than an epic so putting on heavy batteries etc will only make matters worse. And what not many take into account is how important it is to keep lens nodal in a good position. Look at the new little 4k gimbal from DJI it´s small round and light weight and have the lens in center and there are very good reasons for making it such.

Thank you Björn for your info.
I will try to keep the Raven as light a possible

Most welcome Karel,

I have used often the Side Handle solution, and while Björn makes ism good points, not all the way there is an actual meed for Z axis or "Ducth" movement and therefor the Side Handle makes it great small and light solution, which we used very oft with great results...

The best results however have been made via Rear V-Lock Battery and or via Belt-Mount battery with super thin cable.

As of now you are not abel to have any side handle with power on the Weapon or Raven, so don't consider it as of yet.

Yes that is also a Schneider Xenon FF Prime, I have side them thru out last year and the year before.


While we used a Super Thin LCD cable to power the RED LCD, I now strongly advise every one to only use Wireless LCD's on the Gimbal, fat better results.

Thanks agaín Ketch.
I want to have LCD wireless on hudred percent.
But I have to find something light to power the Raven. Let's see what RED will announce until February.
Or maybe DJI will release the bigger Ronin. Who knows.

 

[Ned Wilson]

Zeb,

I also agreed with you, and that is why I said that Björn makes a good point, however not all camera moves are one and the same, and if you know what you are doing and how you are doing you ca surely tae advantage of a given set up, even when you don't have a center balanced sensor to a nodal point leading to centering it's lens perfectly... I have done a bit of Compositions Multi'Pic shots and Panoramas for Giga Pics, and understood it's importance at large....

But again, on a Gimbal, not all movements involve the need for a precise nodal point and sensor centered to it's axis, however I have to say that if it always was would be better.

I've never once been held back on a shoot due to less then perfect nodal centering on a gimbal. For the most part, my Ronin's used for tracking shots and rigs. Can't see where precise nodal centering makes a difference, except in extending my set up time.

 

[Ketch Rossi]

I've never once been held back on a shoot due to less then perfect nodal centering on a gimbal. For the most part, my Ronin's used for tracking shots and rigs. Can't see where precise nodal centering makes a difference, except in extending my set up time.

Neither have I Ned...

 

[Ned Wilson]

Neither have I Ned...

Add a few thousand Movi and Ronin owners to that.