Ned Wilson
Well-known member
So, DJI sent me their wireless FF to give them feedback. Be noted, I do not work for them but they value my input.
Build: Top notch build quality. Excellent fit and finish. The weight of the controller and polished finish feels almost German.
Hand controller: is a good size. Weighty feel to it. Excellent damping. Four pre-sets. You can adjust the speed on the pre-sets. Internal battery charges via USB. LCD menu for fin tuning settings. Hard stops as well as easy auto calibrate.
Motor: It picks up where Cinegears left off in terms of combining motor and receiver. It's smaller than CG and weighs a bit over quarter pound. About the size of a Heden. I love this combo as it's one less piece of gear, cable, and less weight to deal with. It'll be a hit with the steadicam / gimbal crowd. It's can also daisy chain to more motors, so I'm sure DJI probably has a FIZ in the works. Clamp is universal for 15mm/19mm.
Performance: I just did a small preliminary test to checks its response. Excellent and accurate. There's no discernable delay. The action on the hand controller is super smooth, consistent and has a solid feel. Worked well for fine feathering back and forth. It'll be great for people rocking back and forth in long lens close ups. Something I couldn't do well with my Cinegear. For super fast racks (360 degrees as fast as possible) it lagged at the end ever so slightly. Not a deal breaker. My AC said she has no need to rack at that speed. Overall, it kept up with the most detailed of movement.
Usability: It came with no instructions yet we figured it out in about five minutes. Pre-sets worked like a charm. These are great for iris pulls where A could work inside, B for windows, C for Back light, etc. The transition on the pre-set is super smooth. Also, great for slates.
Power: I only used it with primes. Haven't tried it on big zooms yet or stiff lenses.
Durability: I take it on a feature in the coming weeks so I'll know fully what it can take.
Range: Haven't tested that. But considering it was designed to fly on their Inspire, I suspect range should be excellent.
RF: Testing tomorrow in NYC. Good stress test for RF interference.
Comparison: If it withstands my feature it'll be better than anything in it's price. Two grand. It's weight beats all budget motor/ receiver combos. It's response / accuracy is on par with a Heden Carat and in a league above cinegear, bartech, Ikan and Redrock. Not quite in Preston league as a Preston can keep up with the fastest of racks and will rip your lens apart before it breaks. But then again, I've little or no need for that fast a rack.
Summary: DJI has truly laid down the gauntlet on this one. It's a no brainer for the gimbal crowd. And it's accuracy is good enough for day to day focus pulling. I'll know in a month how it holds up to the rigors of a feature (true test for any gear). Stay tuned. Either way, this level of quality and feature set along with innovation was truly unheard of a year ago. If it works over the long term then it's a game changer. If it can pull a 24-290 on a cold winter's day, I'll be speechless.
Next week, I'm taking it to Garret Brown's to test some other new gear of his. Can't wait to hear his impression.
Check out the video.
https://vimeopro.com/user6325180/dji-wireless-follow-focus
Build: Top notch build quality. Excellent fit and finish. The weight of the controller and polished finish feels almost German.
Hand controller: is a good size. Weighty feel to it. Excellent damping. Four pre-sets. You can adjust the speed on the pre-sets. Internal battery charges via USB. LCD menu for fin tuning settings. Hard stops as well as easy auto calibrate.
Motor: It picks up where Cinegears left off in terms of combining motor and receiver. It's smaller than CG and weighs a bit over quarter pound. About the size of a Heden. I love this combo as it's one less piece of gear, cable, and less weight to deal with. It'll be a hit with the steadicam / gimbal crowd. It's can also daisy chain to more motors, so I'm sure DJI probably has a FIZ in the works. Clamp is universal for 15mm/19mm.
Performance: I just did a small preliminary test to checks its response. Excellent and accurate. There's no discernable delay. The action on the hand controller is super smooth, consistent and has a solid feel. Worked well for fine feathering back and forth. It'll be great for people rocking back and forth in long lens close ups. Something I couldn't do well with my Cinegear. For super fast racks (360 degrees as fast as possible) it lagged at the end ever so slightly. Not a deal breaker. My AC said she has no need to rack at that speed. Overall, it kept up with the most detailed of movement.
Usability: It came with no instructions yet we figured it out in about five minutes. Pre-sets worked like a charm. These are great for iris pulls where A could work inside, B for windows, C for Back light, etc. The transition on the pre-set is super smooth. Also, great for slates.
Power: I only used it with primes. Haven't tried it on big zooms yet or stiff lenses.
Durability: I take it on a feature in the coming weeks so I'll know fully what it can take.
Range: Haven't tested that. But considering it was designed to fly on their Inspire, I suspect range should be excellent.
RF: Testing tomorrow in NYC. Good stress test for RF interference.
Comparison: If it withstands my feature it'll be better than anything in it's price. Two grand. It's weight beats all budget motor/ receiver combos. It's response / accuracy is on par with a Heden Carat and in a league above cinegear, bartech, Ikan and Redrock. Not quite in Preston league as a Preston can keep up with the fastest of racks and will rip your lens apart before it breaks. But then again, I've little or no need for that fast a rack.
Summary: DJI has truly laid down the gauntlet on this one. It's a no brainer for the gimbal crowd. And it's accuracy is good enough for day to day focus pulling. I'll know in a month how it holds up to the rigors of a feature (true test for any gear). Stay tuned. Either way, this level of quality and feature set along with innovation was truly unheard of a year ago. If it works over the long term then it's a game changer. If it can pull a 24-290 on a cold winter's day, I'll be speechless.
Next week, I'm taking it to Garret Brown's to test some other new gear of his. Can't wait to hear his impression.
Check out the video.
https://vimeopro.com/user6325180/dji-wireless-follow-focus
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