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  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

Letus Helix vs. DJI Ronin - Pros and Cons???

Now Mike the million dollar question...the Junior or the Senior :)
 
@ Eric
I got a sweet heart deal from a guy who couldn't get it working right on A 7 . So I grabbed it for a shoot we've got coming up in forest with uneven terrain .

The stuff I needed it for is fast light set ups. Which means on the JNR no MB or big cinema glass , no wifi follow focus either ( shooting wide & deep ). However I have foolcontrol for focus if required, Paralynx for video split. But that's about it . For ND, Lee filter holders or blu tack ; ) .

Im assuming with helix SNR you can have all of the above elements which means a bigger payload. There is also the benefit of steadicam mounting , like the clip you posted, which JNR can't do.

The only issue with JNR is because it's smaller there is less scope to fine tune balancing ie the Martian arms weights. But if your smart & stick the 5inch screen of the back and off centred it's no big deal, as long as your glass is not a Zeiss MP.

After all of that and as I'm not a gym junkie or a steadicam op. for me despite its low total weight , I'm not sure I would want much than what's there.

PS. This system is incredibly compact , I can see a lot of uses in car etc. can't say I could see a ronin doing that.
 
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Mike Garrick said:
It seems the people having issues with Helix are the IOS guys (I was one of them).

Fortunately I had a pc computer lying around and used that to get a Helix Jnr going. With the provided pc UI software its pretty easy. Just download the Epic User profiles and your good with some minor mod-ing.

The other thing I would recommend everyone get bluetooth/ wifi module when buying new .....no hook ups , fast & easy for a $100 whats not to like.

When Letus release the IOS App., Helix will be the gun gimbal IMO.
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I got the bluetooth installed when I bought it, does that also include wifi? Or is that a new module altogether?

I also synced the Helix (Sr.) to my Mac and I'm using Letus' version of the SimpleBGC GUI software (has corrected roll/pan/tilt labels). But Letus' documentation leaves much to be desired. The manual is currently missing a bunch of sections (because it's a "rough draft") and the SimpleBGC manual has stuff like a section with 5 steps and multiple paragraphs for "Auto-Tuning", which is fantastic feature of the Ronin, but this whole section is followed by bold text "Unfortunately testing of this feature at Letus has not shown very accurateresults with the Helix, often giving values of P, I, and D that are too high for smooth operation,even with the largest safety margins." What is the point of showing a feature and listing steps for using it if it isn't actually working correctly? Once it's functional, add the steps to the manual. But in the meantime, just say "This shouldn't be used at this time."

Additionally, it's been a bit strange navigating across different sites from Letus (Letus35.com, LetusDirect.com, and LetusHelix.com)... A bit confusing. And there are lots of support documents on their site, as well as bundled into the downloads on the LetusHelix.com site, but sometimes it feels like some are outdated (with references to how the SDI port should be facing upward on the "roll" axis, but I have a new magnesium version where that doesn't appear to be the case) and many are incomplete.

On top of that, forum activity regarding the Helix is almost nonexistent. The nice thing with Movi is that there is a big, active community. Lots of support through communities.
 
Josh Becker said:
I got the bluetooth installed when I bought it, does that also include wifi? Or is that a new module altogether?
Click to expand...

+1 on the question above. Can someone at Letus chime in?
 
Yes ........Bluetooth & wi fi are the same unit & you have to add it on to the order in a drop down box when buying a helix from Letus.
 
Mike Garrick said:
Yes ........Bluetooth & wi fi are the same unit & you have to add it on to the order in a drop down box when buying a helix from Letus.
Click to expand...
Well... according to their site right now, yes it's the same. But when I ordered mine a month or so ago, it was only listed as "Bluetooth module" and not "wireless module". I've got my fingers crossed that I'm good to go, but I don't know if I'd bet money on it!
 
I was on a shoot two days ago where the Cameraman had to be assisted by his assistant to keep the Ronin high up due to the weight and repetitive takes. There was a robotic feel to the whole thing, I felt very glad I was the owner of a Helix and not a Ronin....
 
Enrique Blein said:
I was on a shoot two days ago where the Cameraman had to be assisted by his assistant to keep the Ronin high up due to the weight and repetitive takes. There was a robotic feel to the whole thing, I felt very glad I was the owner of a Helix and not a Ronin....
Click to expand...


I got to watch this also in action during a full feature.

What saved the DOP was his makeshift EZ Rig.

https://instagram.com/p/21g2vByflj/?taken-by=ianim8er

https://instagram.com/p/23vc02yftD/?taken-by=ianim8er

After talking to DOP he states he will never use a RONIN without one.

It was just killer on his back without it.
 
Josh Becker said:
Well... according to their site right now, yes it's the same. But when I ordered mine a month or so ago, it was only listed as "Bluetooth module" and not "wireless module". I've got my fingers crossed that I'm good to go, but I don't know if I'd bet money on it!
Click to expand...

Im not sure it matters as all smart devices have both wifi & blue tooth. I've been using Bluetooth without any problems .
 
Talked to Letus today, they confirmed that they only started installing the new bluetooth+wifi chip in the last two weeks. So for those of us with older bluetooth-only installs, the units have to be sent in for the wifi. I guess I didn't ask explicitly if the new iOS app is wifi only or if it has bluetooth support. But I have confirmation that mine does not have wifi.
 
Just a quick clarification:

Bluetooth: Allow wireless connection to desktop/laptop GUI and SimpleBGC App (Android device only)
Wifi: Helix iOS app.

The Helix iOS app does not work via the BT due to Apple compatibility issue and that's why we went with Wifi.

From this point forward Wireless option = BT and Wifi module

If you previously purchased a Helix with the BT option and would like the WiFi module added, please contact me at info@letus35.com
 
You mentioned two weeks ago that the Letus iOS app would be released right about now. Is this still the plan? I just received my Helix back from Letus Corp and I am still experiencing issues with it. I am hoping the app helps sort these issues out.

Also, the RC controller that Ken bound to my unit is no longer bound to the Helix. It lost the connection after about an hour of use.
 
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