good video. You might want to mention that you used the extra camera riser on the base plate to prevent the plate from rubbing against the focus and zoom control on the lens.
When I’m using my 24-70 with a Nikon z7 I have to slide the camera back so far that I can’t effectively balance the up and down motor because the eyepiece for the camera hits the back motor when I tilt up.
Sam sorry to hear you’re having trouble. I can certainly make a few basic suggestions. Before you turn it on, make sure all the joints swivel smoothly and that nothing is blocking or stopping the motor from moving. Ensure the battery is charged, attached completely to the gimbal, and locked securely. Start with a light setup balanced on the gimbal. Make sure to balance both tilt axis, the roll axis on the back motor, and the pan axis motor on the base of the gimbal. Once everything is balanced turn the gimbal on. Connect to the ronin app on your phone and go ahead and start with a “low” auto tune. This should at least get the motors running correctly and balancing your gimbal. Once it’s working properly play around with the settings to find a good feel for your own shooting style. Again, sorry if this is too basic, but let me know if this workflow still does not work. Cheers!
Wedding Film Coach I tried to put on my 18-105mm lens for the Sony a6300 but for the life of me I can’t get it to balance! Works fine with my smaller lens though. Got the plate as far backwards but it still falls forwards 😭
Charlie Drives yeah, I can see that happening. So you have a small camera body with a large lens, that is definitely going to make it front heavy. You could try adding some weight to the body side. If you don’t want to have a monitor or mic on your hotshoe, you could try something as simple as adding some metal washers from a hardware store. You could put these between your camera and base plate.
Hey man, I know you posted this video a ling time ago, but I was wondering if you could balance a canon camera with the sigma 24-70 f2.8, I currently have it with the ronin, yet it has been impossible for me to balance it with the sigma lense because of the shape of the lense, that is not letting put the gimbal plate straight
Jose Diaz hey man. Thanks for stopping by the channel. Have you tried attaching the riser included with the ronin s to your camera and then attaching the base plate of the ronin s to that riser? That should give you enough clearance with the thick lens.
absolutely. If for some reason it seems to not have enough weight on it, you could try adding an on camera mic, or some people grab some washers from a hardware store and use them for counterweights. Good luck!
Thank you so much for making and posting this video you literally saved my life I just purchased the sigma 18-35mm art 1.8 for my Canon 80d and my ronin s wasn't doing a 360 roll and watching this video helped me so much I had to subscribe keep being awesome
Great! I tried balancing a Canon 70D with a Sigma 18-35mm f1.8 and it works fine! A heavy combo and to be used only for some moments but it sure works. Thanks
@@WeddingFilmCoach yep...I also added a Smallrig wooden side handle to help carry the load and I will add a strap with a clamp so that I can rest a bit..a bit of a workout but the Canon 70D with the Sigma lens really look nice. I may "upgrade" to a Sony a6400 and I already have a Sigma 16mm f.15 for it...IBIS is not an issue when using a good gimbal...
@@TheFandangovideoguy Good question, Erick. In my experience, the autotune functions get the gimbal in working condition, so no jitters or anything like that, but the different settings are more for your preferences. I would start out with a medium autotune level. Test it out, and if it's too sluggish try the high, if it's too responsive and you want a bit more fluidity, try lowering it to the low autotune. Once you find which one you like best, you can even manually adjust each of the settings from there to tweak it.
Hi Wedding Film Coach, Recently subbed to your channel and really appreciate your humble character and how you’re making video content to help others. We need more people like you giving more than taking. I have the Weebill lab and it’s great for travel and run and gun on light setups but the app and payload limits my workflow. Since the Ronin S has it all except the weight, I was looking into all the accessories and how to carry it on an all day shoot and I’m hoping if you have time to do a video with the S after one year use and real world behind the scenes. Most videos are tutorial for setup, unboxing, or promoting the product, which has it’s place. But there’s not much on how to add mounting accessories for workflow, real world battery life (what good is any product if you can’t power it on, so what options are out there to get unlimited power), zooming and/or focusing (what options are out there and for which cameras), techniques to get good shots, balancing with and without counterweights for heavy setups, and some real life shots with and without editing. I know some video as described above would take time but I am sure it would attract a lot of viewers who are on the same boat and get to see a real world test than a lot of post edits. Peak Design does a great job to produce “how to” videos of their products and I hope DJI and others would copy and provide same/similar videos for potential buyers and/or their existing customers. The ramp up learning curve would be shortened. Again, thanks for this video to demonstrate that the S can handle a heavy setup. Just out of curiosity, what is the total weight (cam + 85mm lens) in this setup?
Hey Nomad, thanks for stopping by the channel! And thank you for the kind words. I apologize for my delayed response. I'm just finishing up with peak wedding season in my market so I haven't had the luxury of investing time into my channel. But yes, I would love to make some videos like you're suggesting. I can speak specifically to the battery life. If you make sure you have a full battery I can get an easy 10 hours of filming in. And that is really a "full" 10 hours. I use my gimbal all day on wedding shoots. The only time where I thought I could feel the power start slipping from the motors was at the end of a reception for a 12 hour wedding shoot. If you're looking to maximize batter ensure that you balance well, rebalance after changing lenses, and when using a zoom lens don't have the lens extended for too long at a time. I'm not sure what the total weight of that setup was, that would have been helpful to mention, haha. I would imagine 5-7 lbs, can't say for sure. I'll be hard at work on developing my online wedding education platform this winter and hope to launch by late spring or summer in 2020. If you'd like to be updated on it's progress check out my website and sign up for the update list. www.weddingfilmcoach.com Thanks again for the kind words. Best of luck
Great video. Have you ever balanced a larger camera/lens on the Ronin-S? I'm currently trying to balance a Canon C200 with a 24-105 lens + monitor. This is well below the 8-pound payload capacity advertised, but I'm not having any success at all.
Hey Jay, thanks for stopping by the channel. I have balanced my Nikon d750 with 24-70 lens, it is far heavier than I would ever want to operate with, haha, but I was able to balance it nonetheless. I will say that balancing heavier rigs requires more precision as any imbalances are accentuated by the weight. I would start with a general balance of the forward/backwards axis (just get it close), then move to the up/down axis and get this precise, then move back to the forward/backward axis for precision adjustments, then to the left/right axis with precision. Once all these are balanced don't forget the bottom axis where you tilt the gimbal on it's tripod base to ensure the entire gimbal mechanism is balance. If you get it close and there is no drastic imbalances the motors will compensate and take care of the rest. I would try autotuning it on "high" then tweaking the advanced settings and the smoothtrack to your preferences. I hope that helps. Let me know on here in case others need help too.
Hey thanks for the quick response! I'm beginning to think that the c200 is simply too heavy for this device, despite what DJI claims. I still can't get the camera truly balanced. The best I've been able to do is get it level enough to take my hands off the camera. At that point, it will remain level if untouched. However, any movement at all would send the camera downwards or backwards, and the lens or viewfinder would slam into the gimbal. Despite the far-from-perfect balancing, I did turn on the gimbal and it seemed to work, but I was worried this would be hard on the motors long term and could cause damage?
Hey Jay, seems like you're on the right track. Sounds like it is top heavy, if you have anything that you don't need on top of the camera maybe try moving it to another adapter rigged to the handle and not on the camera is possible. And to your question about long term damage, I suppose anything mechanical has a life span and any amount of exersion will contribute towards premature failure. However, I think this gimbal is by far the best in the market and you might as well use it for a few projects and see how it integrates into your workflow and improves the quality of your footage. Even if you have to buy a new one every six months, I think you'll see a huge return on investment for $699. Best of luck man. What kind of work do you typically do?
Thanks! Gonna keep working with it and see if I can get a little closer to right balance. I'm a freelancer but about 75% of my work is for my church. I primarily create bumpers and announcements, but also capture some footage during services. Mobility is key so I hope I can get this thing working haha. Thanks again for your advice!
Awesome man. That's where I started... hope to end up there again some day, haha. You might even consider working in a mirrorless camera into your gear bag if mobility and workflow are important. Not that I would ever recommend buying a new camera just so it works with a gimbal, but they are small, discrete, and provide great quality. I hope to stay connected. Feel free to reach out if you ever need a sounding board. Thanks for what you do for your church.
wish I saw the footage of such a heavy lens i constantly have panning micro jitters when I try to balance my 85 Gmaster. I think that would have been the tell all is if you showed the fotoage. But all good...
Nice tutorial. My problem is the supplied usb cable will not make my Nikon d500 function. So i'm unable to use the shutter/record button on the "S". Does it work with your Sony?
Hey Daniel, thanks for stopping by the channel. I hear you, man. I'm a bit frustrated with the camera compatibility issues as well. While it's not a deal breaker for me, it would certainly be nice if it worked well. The IR cable is supposed to work with Sony, but in testing with my a7iii it was extremely inconsistent and there's no way I'm depending on it for a gig. I'll have to hit "record" old school style for now, haha. What kind of work do you do?
Thanks for the reply, right now i'm flying my drone and taking photographs on my spare time, nothing professional at the moment, but i'm out here learning new things.
Very cool! Keep hustling at it and the work will pick up. I would suggest developing a portfolio on your instagram where you could easily promote your work and point potential clients to it. Best of luck!
Hey Cilo, thanks for the compliment and thanks for stopping by the channel. Good question. The best way I know is to use riser plus maybe some additional counterweights at the back end of the camera so you don't have to slide it back so far. You could pick up bolt that fits the M4 threads on the riser and then pick up some washers to attach to that bolt. It might take some trial and error but that s the best way I know. Also remember you don't have to balance it perfectly due to the strong motors. If you get it close to balanced the motors will compensate for the rest, just keep in mind this might affect the battery life and overall life of the motors in the gimbal. If you're not going to be shooting all day with that particular rig then I think it shouldn't provide too much wear and tear over just a few hours. Best of luck man, hope that helps!
@@WeddingFilmCoach i have the d850, I was thinking about putting the battery grip mb-d18 to counter some weight. (I am a little new to this, what is a riser plus? And M4 threads?) Thanks in advance :D
@@ciloeis you're very welcome man. The battery grip should do the trick for the extra counter weight. The riser is just a small base plate that you can optionally connect between your camera and the base plate that connects to the ronin. I believe they come with each ronin-s. The m-4 threads I mentioned are just small places to connect peripherals to the base plate. Try the battery grip and let me know how it goes.
I've been having the toughest time trying to balance my A7SII with a 50mm Sigma Art and a battery grip on the bottom of the camera. Any advice? I was able to get it to balance just fine once I removed the battery grip but I really don't want to sacrifice that extra battery life. Would some counterweights work?
Hey Jonathan, thanks for stopping by the channel. Sorry you're having a rough time. For your situation I would suggest leaving the riser off, just attach the base plate directly to the battery grip. Make sure you're balancing your z-axis (the part that slides up and down). I would also recommend trying to add something to your hotshoe on top of the camera like a mic or monitor to help distribute even weight towards the top to compensate for the extra weight of your battery grip on the bottom. Let me know if this works. Thanks again, and best of luck!
Why does no one cover the use of the Lens support. Using this large lens as you do is perfect for the tutorial. Not using the lens mount I accidentally pulled the bottom plate off my Sony a7rii. Unboxing mine I could find no screw for it.
Thanks for stopping by the channel. Yeah, I've never had a need to use the lens support add-on. I can see where it might help if you're using it for a while with a heavy lens, but it will handle it ok if your just using a heavy lens for a little while. Try it out and let me know how you like it.
Super useful video. I've just purchased an S however I'm using a much light camera setup GH5 and M43 native lenses. Should I adjust the motors for a lighter lens setup or just use the autotune function to work it all out?
Hey Ferhan, thanks for stopping by the channel. You're in for a great experience. For a lighter set up, yes I would use the autotune setting, probably start out on "medium" and then tweak the settings from there. If you want a more fluid feel turn the settings down, and if you want a more responsive feel turn the settings up under the advanced options. Hope that helps. Let me know if you have any more questions. Thanks again.
Hi, first, thanks for the tutorials, very helpful. Then, I want to buy a Ronin S, to use with my Sony A7III and a 24 - 105 lens. My concern is that the zoom ring of this lens could rubs against Ronin plate. And I thinks that if I move the plate back, the lens will falls to the front. In this case, what can I do? Many thanks.
Hey Gonzalo, thanks for stopping by the channel and for the compliments. And yep, I think you're right about both of those things. HOWEVER, there is a super easy fix. The DJI Ronin-S comes with a "riser" that you can install between your camera mount and the ronin base plate. It comes with either the Essential or Standard kit: click.dji.com/AHUKPG4nUADFGdGMPYPXfA?as=0002&ch=youtube%20links&pm=custom This fixes both of those issues. I've used the 24-105 with my a7iii before and it worked fine. On another note, I personally did not prefer this lens, it was a little too bulky for my preferences and I found the extra focal length did not help with my workflow that much. Have you considered the Tamron 28-75 2.8? That lens is a great addition to your kit. You can check out reviews here: amzn.to/2KE41rl
Hey CP, thanks for stopping by the channel. I currently don't have a focus motor to try out or I totally would. Seems like a great asset for a scheduled production, however I wouldn't worry about it for run and gun scenarios.
It's a great lens to use on a gimbal because it has such a smooth and loose zoom mechanism. I find the 24-70 GM and the Sony 24-105 not able to do this as easily.
Thanks for a great video! Just what I was looking for. I just got the Ronin S, and I’m having some problems with jitter from the motors when I tilt it left and right. And it feels almost like a slack in the back motor when I go heavy right. I’m using a Sony a7iii with the 16-35mm f4. You think it could be some micro balance that is off, or need to change any settings in the Ronin app? From your video it doesn’t look like it should be a problem with the balance being a little off? It’s my first gimbal so don’t have much experience with it. Hope you got some ideas :)
Hey Snorre, thanks for stopping by the channel. I'm glad I was able to help a little bit. For the app settings, once balanced, auto tune to the "low" setting, then open advanced settings and decrease the stiffness levels by about 3 to 5 in each section, do the same for the filter. This should decrease the motors' work level and reduce the jitters. The side effect of this might be a bit of "sluggishness" in your gimbal's responsiveness to your movements. If that is the case increase a few of the levels until you find your sweet spot. Let me know if that works.
Thanks for the help, it helped a little bit. The main problem is that it jitters like crazy when I tilt it right to horizontal and goes down to the ground. Is that a movement that I’m not supposed to do? Does it have to be tilted straight forward before going down? A little hard to explain it, but do you understand what I mean? Thanks again!
Ah, I see what you are saying. The long answer is: to invert the gimbal so you are holding it upside down with the camera closer to the ground and the handle pointing up, you must pull the trigger to lock follow mode, tilt the gimbal straight ahead forward until it is upside down, then release the trigger. If you attempt to do this movement to the side (like other gimbal without the 45 degree axis) it will give you jitters because the motors start working against themselves due to the engineering of the gimbal. Short answer: tilt forward, not to the side.
Yes that works much better! :) Thank you for the help. I think the way i was doing it wrong before was so that it got a pan and roll movement so the motors working against themselves like you are saying. Makes sense now, hehe. Thanks man and keep up with the great videos and helping out filmakers!
Thank you for video. I’m really struggling with the pan axis and just can’t seem it get it balanced. It appears to be ok, using the methods you describe. However, the balance test tells me the pan needs balancing. Could you please help?!
So you’re referring to the last balance where you tilt the gimbal over to it’s side? I’d say get it as close as you can where it is not moving to one side or another or only moving slowly, then the motors and software will take care of the rest. Start with a low auto tune setting and see how it does. If it’s too sluggish try medium. If it’s too sensitive turn the settings down manually through the advanced option.
Hey Yuan, thanks for stopping by the channel. Do you mean the Sony 24-105? Yes, I’ve used that lens with the ronin s and it balances well and works great. The only thing I don’t like is that the zoom mechanism is a bit tighter than the Sony 24-70 so it is a bit harder to zoom on the fly.
@@WeddingFilmCoach I mean the 28-135 sony lens. Im trying to balance that lens on ronin S but im having hard time doing that. Lol I don't know if its possible to use that lens of ronin S.
YuanThirdy ah, I see. Wow, yeah that’s a big lens. I can’t say for sure without hands on exp with that lens, but try these things: 1- I imagine this lens is front heavy, so you’re going to want to put as much weight as you can towards the rear of the gimbal. This means, attach the gimbal base plate to your camera where it is as far towards the front of the camera as you can. 2- I would try to balance it without anything on the hotshoe mount to cut down on weight. You might even consider removing any filters you may have on the front of the lens to reduce the weight of the front of the lens. 3- probably balance it as far to the rear as you can at first and then tweak from there. If it is still front heavy you might try adding washers between the base plate and your camera to help with the balance. Also keep in mind, if you get the balance close enough the motors and software in the ronin s are good enough to where it will compensate for the rest. It will drain your battery a bit faster but I doubt you would want to operate this kind of rig for 8 hours anyways, haha. Let me know if any of that helps.
Hey there, I just recently received the Ronin S. I’m using the Sony A7R3, and have the G master 24-70 attached. Should I be using that extra lift plate on the release plate as well for that lens? Secondly, I can get balance on most of the axis, however on the role, even though the lens doesn’t tilt from left to right, it is centered, I cannot get the roll axis to hold a angled position. It always goes back to flat. Is this because I am using that lens, or another issue? I know I’m well under the weight limit for the Ronin, so I’m just curious what I should do.
Hey I Am Toys, thanks for stopping by the channel and grats on getting the Ronin-S. That's a great camera and lens combo you got there, and yes I would recommend using that lift plate just to give you a bit more vertical weight, however with that lens you may be able to go without it if you prefer. For the Roll axis, I know exactly what you're talking about. Because the roll axis is 45 degrees instead of the usual 90 degrees of most gimbals, it doesn't always hold it's position if you roll it to one side or another. My suggestion would be to get it as close as you can, make sure it isn't over correcting too much, and make sure your settings in the app are correct and you should be good. With that camera and lens setup I would start with a medium autotune and then dial in your settings in the advanced functions. Hope this helps, but it looks like you're on the right path.
Has anyone had success balancing a Canon EOS-R w/RF 28-70mm f/2 (bulky, heavy lens) on the Ronin-S? The combination is front-heavy, but sliding the mounting plate all the way back causes the plate and/or the eyecup (non-removable) to hit the rear axis of the S. Can you remove the eyecup? How? Note: it doesn't just slide off like others.
Hi Orange Records, thanks for stopping by the channel. Sorry the video wasn't helpful. It definitely wasn't intended to be a review, just a quick tutorial on how to balance a heavy lens. I didn't quite have enough time last season to get a full review together. Was there something specific you were wanting to know about the gimbal? I'd be glad to help in any way I can. Cheers! P.S. I see some of your videos are in Norway, I'd love to visit sometime. I hear it's absolutely beautiful!
Thanks for stopping by the channel Mc Arthur. We’re all here to learn and I always appreciate feedback. Would you mind sharing how you would balance differently? My balances always work and lots of people have said this workflow has helped, but I’m always ready to learn a better way. We’d love for you to share your method. Thanks.
good video. You might want to mention that you used the extra camera riser on the base plate to prevent the plate from rubbing against the focus and zoom control on the lens.
When I’m using my 24-70 with a Nikon z7 I have to slide the camera back so far that I can’t effectively balance the up and down motor because the eyepiece for the camera hits the back motor when I tilt up.
Where did you get your really long plate?
How do you do your text graphics?
Hi wtpanos, thanks for stopping by the channel. Could you be a bit more specific? Which graphics are you referring to?
Those heavy lenses are tricky
When I turn my ronin-s on it doesn’t stabiliser it just makes the noice, any help ?
Sam sorry to hear you’re having trouble. I can certainly make a few basic suggestions. Before you turn it on, make sure all the joints swivel smoothly and that nothing is blocking or stopping the motor from moving. Ensure the battery is charged, attached completely to the gimbal, and locked securely. Start with a light setup balanced on the gimbal. Make sure to balance both tilt axis, the roll axis on the back motor, and the pan axis motor on the base of the gimbal. Once everything is balanced turn the gimbal on. Connect to the ronin app on your phone and go ahead and start with a “low” auto tune. This should at least get the motors running correctly and balancing your gimbal. Once it’s working properly play around with the settings to find a good feel for your own shooting style. Again, sorry if this is too basic, but let me know if this workflow still does not work. Cheers!
your videos are great mate thanks!
Charlie Drives thanks Charlie! Hope they are helpful. Let me know if you have any issues.
Wedding Film Coach I tried to put on my 18-105mm lens for the Sony a6300 but for the life of me I can’t get it to balance! Works fine with my smaller lens though. Got the plate as far backwards but it still falls forwards 😭
Charlie Drives yeah, I can see that happening. So you have a small camera body with a large lens, that is definitely going to make it front heavy. You could try adding some weight to the body side. If you don’t want to have a monitor or mic on your hotshoe, you could try something as simple as adding some metal washers from a hardware store. You could put these between your camera and base plate.
my shots are wiggled when i glided do u have any idea why is that happening tnx
Hey man, I know you posted this video a ling time ago, but I was wondering if you could balance a canon camera with the sigma 24-70 f2.8, I currently have it with the ronin, yet it has been impossible for me to balance it with the sigma lense because of the shape of the lense, that is not letting put the gimbal plate straight
I have a canon 77d
Jose Diaz hey man. Thanks for stopping by the channel. Have you tried attaching the riser included with the ronin s to your camera and then attaching the base plate of the ronin s to that riser? That should give you enough clearance with the thick lens.
I was wondering about the Sony a6300 with the sigma 18-35 + mc-11 adapter? You think that will balance w/ a riser??
absolutely. If for some reason it seems to not have enough weight on it, you could try adding an on camera mic, or some people grab some washers from a hardware store and use them for counterweights. Good luck!
@@WeddingFilmCoach I use a Smallrig cage with the a6000 and it balances nice
Thank you so much for making and posting this video you literally saved my life I just purchased the sigma 18-35mm art 1.8 for my Canon 80d and my ronin s wasn't doing a 360 roll and watching this video helped me so much I had to subscribe keep being awesome
So glad it was able to help you out! Let me know if you come across any other issues.
@@WeddingFilmCoach no problem I definitely will!
im tryna balance a canon eos 90d with a ef 100-400mm L lens haha
Great! I tried balancing a Canon 70D with a Sigma 18-35mm f1.8 and it works fine! A heavy combo and to be used only for some moments but it sure works. Thanks
Awesome! Glad you got it balanced. That's an awesome set up!
@@WeddingFilmCoach yep...I also added a Smallrig wooden side handle to help carry the load and I will add a strap with a clamp so that I can rest a bit..a bit of a workout but the Canon 70D with the Sigma lens really look nice. I may "upgrade" to a Sony a6400 and I already have a Sigma 16mm f.15 for it...IBIS is not an issue when using a good gimbal...
@@WeddingFilmCoach one last question...if using the 70D with the Sigma...should I use the High setting in the autotune? the combo is under 4 lbs
@@TheFandangovideoguy Good question, Erick. In my experience, the autotune functions get the gimbal in working condition, so no jitters or anything like that, but the different settings are more for your preferences. I would start out with a medium autotune level. Test it out, and if it's too sluggish try the high, if it's too responsive and you want a bit more fluidity, try lowering it to the low autotune. Once you find which one you like best, you can even manually adjust each of the settings from there to tweak it.
@@WeddingFilmCoach great! Thanks so much!
Hi Wedding Film Coach,
Recently subbed to your channel and really appreciate your humble character and how you’re making video content to help others. We need more people like you giving more than taking.
I have the Weebill lab and it’s great for travel and run and gun on light setups but the app and payload limits my workflow.
Since the Ronin S has it all except the weight, I was looking into all the accessories and how to carry it on an all day shoot and I’m hoping if you have time to do a video with the S after one year use and real world behind the scenes.
Most videos are tutorial for setup, unboxing, or promoting the product, which has it’s place. But there’s not much on how to add mounting accessories for workflow, real world battery life (what good is any product if you can’t power it on, so what options are out there to get unlimited power), zooming and/or focusing (what options are out there and for which cameras), techniques to get good shots, balancing with and without counterweights for heavy setups, and some real life shots with and without editing.
I know some video as described above would take time but I am sure it would attract a lot of viewers who are on the same boat and get to see a real world test than a lot of post edits.
Peak Design does a great job to produce “how to” videos of their products and I hope DJI and others would copy and provide same/similar videos for potential buyers and/or their existing customers. The ramp up learning curve would be shortened.
Again, thanks for this video to demonstrate that the S can handle a heavy setup. Just out of curiosity, what is the total weight (cam + 85mm lens) in this setup?
Hey Nomad, thanks for stopping by the channel! And thank you for the kind words. I apologize for my delayed response. I'm just finishing up with peak wedding season in my market so I haven't had the luxury of investing time into my channel. But yes, I would love to make some videos like you're suggesting. I can speak specifically to the battery life. If you make sure you have a full battery I can get an easy 10 hours of filming in. And that is really a "full" 10 hours. I use my gimbal all day on wedding shoots. The only time where I thought I could feel the power start slipping from the motors was at the end of a reception for a 12 hour wedding shoot. If you're looking to maximize batter ensure that you balance well, rebalance after changing lenses, and when using a zoom lens don't have the lens extended for too long at a time.
I'm not sure what the total weight of that setup was, that would have been helpful to mention, haha. I would imagine 5-7 lbs, can't say for sure.
I'll be hard at work on developing my online wedding education platform this winter and hope to launch by late spring or summer in 2020. If you'd like to be updated on it's progress check out my website and sign up for the update list. www.weddingfilmcoach.com
Thanks again for the kind words. Best of luck
That’s good to know it can balance such a heavy lens! I hope they get them in stock soon!! Thanks Luke!
Thanks for stopping by the channel, Adam.
Great video. Have you ever balanced a larger camera/lens on the Ronin-S? I'm currently trying to balance a Canon C200 with a 24-105 lens + monitor. This is well below the 8-pound payload capacity advertised, but I'm not having any success at all.
Hey Jay, thanks for stopping by the channel. I have balanced my Nikon d750 with 24-70 lens, it is far heavier than I would ever want to operate with, haha, but I was able to balance it nonetheless. I will say that balancing heavier rigs requires more precision as any imbalances are accentuated by the weight. I would start with a general balance of the forward/backwards axis (just get it close), then move to the up/down axis and get this precise, then move back to the forward/backward axis for precision adjustments, then to the left/right axis with precision. Once all these are balanced don't forget the bottom axis where you tilt the gimbal on it's tripod base to ensure the entire gimbal mechanism is balance. If you get it close and there is no drastic imbalances the motors will compensate and take care of the rest. I would try autotuning it on "high" then tweaking the advanced settings and the smoothtrack to your preferences. I hope that helps. Let me know on here in case others need help too.
Hey thanks for the quick response! I'm beginning to think that the c200 is simply too heavy for this device, despite what DJI claims. I still can't get the camera truly balanced. The best I've been able to do is get it level enough to take my hands off the camera. At that point, it will remain level if untouched. However, any movement at all would send the camera downwards or backwards, and the lens or viewfinder would slam into the gimbal. Despite the far-from-perfect balancing, I did turn on the gimbal and it seemed to work, but I was worried this would be hard on the motors long term and could cause damage?
Hey Jay, seems like you're on the right track. Sounds like it is top heavy, if you have anything that you don't need on top of the camera maybe try moving it to another adapter rigged to the handle and not on the camera is possible. And to your question about long term damage, I suppose anything mechanical has a life span and any amount of exersion will contribute towards premature failure. However, I think this gimbal is by far the best in the market and you might as well use it for a few projects and see how it integrates into your workflow and improves the quality of your footage. Even if you have to buy a new one every six months, I think you'll see a huge return on investment for $699. Best of luck man. What kind of work do you typically do?
Thanks! Gonna keep working with it and see if I can get a little closer to right balance. I'm a freelancer but about 75% of my work is for my church. I primarily create bumpers and announcements, but also capture some footage during services. Mobility is key so I hope I can get this thing working haha. Thanks again for your advice!
Awesome man. That's where I started... hope to end up there again some day, haha. You might even consider working in a mirrorless camera into your gear bag if mobility and workflow are important. Not that I would ever recommend buying a new camera just so it works with a gimbal, but they are small, discrete, and provide great quality. I hope to stay connected. Feel free to reach out if you ever need a sounding board. Thanks for what you do for your church.
wish I saw the footage of such a heavy lens i constantly have panning micro jitters when I try to balance my 85 Gmaster. I think that would have been the tell all is if you showed the fotoage. But all good...
Good tip, I'll do that next time. Thanks for stopping by the channel.
Nice tutorial. My problem is the supplied usb cable will not make my Nikon d500 function. So i'm unable to use the shutter/record button on the "S". Does it work with your Sony?
Hey Daniel, thanks for stopping by the channel. I hear you, man. I'm a bit frustrated with the camera compatibility issues as well. While it's not a deal breaker for me, it would certainly be nice if it worked well. The IR cable is supposed to work with Sony, but in testing with my a7iii it was extremely inconsistent and there's no way I'm depending on it for a gig. I'll have to hit "record" old school style for now, haha. What kind of work do you do?
Thanks for the reply, right now i'm flying my drone and taking photographs on my spare time, nothing professional at the moment, but i'm out here learning new things.
Very cool! Keep hustling at it and the work will pick up. I would suggest developing a portfolio on your instagram where you could easily promote your work and point potential clients to it. Best of luck!
Hey man! Nice video, I have a question about big lenses, is there a way for the back motor not to hit part of the camera when using bigger lenses?
Hey Cilo, thanks for the compliment and thanks for stopping by the channel. Good question. The best way I know is to use riser plus maybe some additional counterweights at the back end of the camera so you don't have to slide it back so far. You could pick up bolt that fits the M4 threads on the riser and then pick up some washers to attach to that bolt. It might take some trial and error but that s the best way I know. Also remember you don't have to balance it perfectly due to the strong motors. If you get it close to balanced the motors will compensate for the rest, just keep in mind this might affect the battery life and overall life of the motors in the gimbal. If you're not going to be shooting all day with that particular rig then I think it shouldn't provide too much wear and tear over just a few hours. Best of luck man, hope that helps!
@@WeddingFilmCoach i have the d850, I was thinking about putting the battery grip mb-d18 to counter some weight. (I am a little new to this, what is a riser plus? And M4 threads?) Thanks in advance :D
@@ciloeis you're very welcome man. The battery grip should do the trick for the extra counter weight. The riser is just a small base plate that you can optionally connect between your camera and the base plate that connects to the ronin. I believe they come with each ronin-s. The m-4 threads I mentioned are just small places to connect peripherals to the base plate. Try the battery grip and let me know how it goes.
@@WeddingFilmCoach Ohhh i see, I just found the m-4 haha. Sure I will let you know!
I've been having the toughest time trying to balance my A7SII with a 50mm Sigma Art and a battery grip on the bottom of the camera. Any advice? I was able to get it to balance just fine once I removed the battery grip but I really don't want to sacrifice that extra battery life. Would some counterweights work?
Hey Jonathan, thanks for stopping by the channel. Sorry you're having a rough time. For your situation I would suggest leaving the riser off, just attach the base plate directly to the battery grip. Make sure you're balancing your z-axis (the part that slides up and down). I would also recommend trying to add something to your hotshoe on top of the camera like a mic or monitor to help distribute even weight towards the top to compensate for the extra weight of your battery grip on the bottom. Let me know if this works. Thanks again, and best of luck!
Why does no one cover the use of the Lens support. Using this large lens as you do is perfect for the tutorial. Not using the lens mount I accidentally pulled the bottom plate off my Sony a7rii. Unboxing mine I could find no screw for it.
Thanks for stopping by the channel. Yeah, I've never had a need to use the lens support add-on. I can see where it might help if you're using it for a while with a heavy lens, but it will handle it ok if your just using a heavy lens for a little while. Try it out and let me know how you like it.
Something that might help with the weight on your arm is a mogocrane belt kit. All the weight goes to the belt area and easier on your hands.
Super useful video. I've just purchased an S however I'm using a much light camera setup GH5 and M43 native lenses. Should I adjust the motors for a lighter lens setup or just use the autotune function to work it all out?
Hey Ferhan, thanks for stopping by the channel. You're in for a great experience. For a lighter set up, yes I would use the autotune setting, probably start out on "medium" and then tweak the settings from there. If you want a more fluid feel turn the settings down, and if you want a more responsive feel turn the settings up under the advanced options. Hope that helps. Let me know if you have any more questions. Thanks again.
Hi, first, thanks for the tutorials, very helpful. Then, I want to buy a Ronin S, to use with my Sony A7III and a 24 - 105 lens. My concern is that the zoom ring of this lens could rubs against Ronin plate. And I thinks that if I move the plate back, the lens will falls to the front. In this case, what can I do? Many thanks.
Hey Gonzalo, thanks for stopping by the channel and for the compliments. And yep, I think you're right about both of those things. HOWEVER, there is a super easy fix. The DJI Ronin-S comes with a "riser" that you can install between your camera mount and the ronin base plate. It comes with either the Essential or Standard kit: click.dji.com/AHUKPG4nUADFGdGMPYPXfA?as=0002&ch=youtube%20links&pm=custom
This fixes both of those issues. I've used the 24-105 with my a7iii before and it worked fine. On another note, I personally did not prefer this lens, it was a little too bulky for my preferences and I found the extra focal length did not help with my workflow that much. Have you considered the Tamron 28-75 2.8? That lens is a great addition to your kit. You can check out reviews here: amzn.to/2KE41rl
@@WeddingFilmCoach Great tips. Now I have the 24 -105, but I will considere the 28-75 2.8. Thanks from Chile. Big fan!
Great video! Helped me fix one of my issues with the balancing! Thank you!
Awesome! Glad it helped you out. Thanks for stopping by the channel. What kind of video work do you do?
@@WeddingFilmCoach Mostly car videos. I just starting :)
@@LIVEINPICS Very cool! I'm excited for you.
@@WeddingFilmCoach Does this work with a lens collar? I can't get my canon 70-200 f2.8 to balance
Hey man. Thanks so much for the video! I did have a question. Can you do a video on using a focus Motor on the DJI ronin s? I’d really appreciate it.
Hey CP, thanks for stopping by the channel. I currently don't have a focus motor to try out or I totally would. Seems like a great asset for a scheduled production, however I wouldn't worry about it for run and gun scenarios.
how does using 24-70 zoom work while on gimbal? can you change the zoom smoothly?
It's a great lens to use on a gimbal because it has such a smooth and loose zoom mechanism. I find the 24-70 GM and the Sony 24-105 not able to do this as easily.
LOL - mine seems a little stiff but it's fairly new. i'll find out Saturday. have a wedding booked.
Thanks for a great video! Just what I was looking for. I just got the Ronin S, and I’m having some problems with jitter from the motors when I tilt it left and right. And it feels almost like a slack in the back motor when I go heavy right. I’m using a Sony a7iii with the 16-35mm f4. You think it could be some micro balance that is off, or need to change any settings in the Ronin app? From your video it doesn’t look like it should be a problem with the balance being a little off? It’s my first gimbal so don’t have much experience with it. Hope you got some ideas :)
Hey Snorre, thanks for stopping by the channel. I'm glad I was able to help a little bit. For the app settings, once balanced, auto tune to the "low" setting, then open advanced settings and decrease the stiffness levels by about 3 to 5 in each section, do the same for the filter. This should decrease the motors' work level and reduce the jitters. The side effect of this might be a bit of "sluggishness" in your gimbal's responsiveness to your movements. If that is the case increase a few of the levels until you find your sweet spot. Let me know if that works.
Thanks for the help, it helped a little bit. The main problem is that it jitters like crazy when I tilt it right to horizontal and goes down to the ground. Is that a movement that I’m not supposed to do? Does it have to be tilted straight forward before going down? A little hard to explain it, but do you understand what I mean? Thanks again!
Ah, I see what you are saying.
The long answer is: to invert the gimbal so you are holding it upside down with the camera closer to the ground and the handle pointing up, you must pull the trigger to lock follow mode, tilt the gimbal straight ahead forward until it is upside down, then release the trigger. If you attempt to do this movement to the side (like other gimbal without the 45 degree axis) it will give you jitters because the motors start working against themselves due to the engineering of the gimbal.
Short answer: tilt forward, not to the side.
Yes that works much better! :) Thank you for the help. I think the way i was doing it wrong before was so that it got a pan and roll movement so the motors working against themselves like you are saying. Makes sense now, hehe. Thanks man and keep up with the great videos and helping out filmakers!
Awesome, glad to hear it! Have a great weekend!
How do you add the lens support? I have the Sigma 18-35 1.8
Thank you for video. I’m really struggling with the pan axis and just can’t seem it get it balanced. It appears to be ok, using the methods you describe. However, the balance test tells me the pan needs balancing. Could you please help?!
So you’re referring to the last balance where you tilt the gimbal over to it’s side? I’d say get it as close as you can where it is not moving to one side or another or only moving slowly, then the motors and software will take care of the rest. Start with a low auto tune setting and see how it does. If it’s too sluggish try medium. If it’s too sensitive turn the settings down manually through the advanced option.
How about the 24-135 sony lens? Is there anyone here try to use that lens on a gimbal?
Hey Yuan, thanks for stopping by the channel. Do you mean the Sony 24-105? Yes, I’ve used that lens with the ronin s and it balances well and works great. The only thing I don’t like is that the zoom mechanism is a bit tighter than the Sony 24-70 so it is a bit harder to zoom on the fly.
@@WeddingFilmCoach I mean the 28-135 sony lens. Im trying to balance that lens on ronin S but im having hard time doing that. Lol I don't know if its possible to use that lens of ronin S.
YuanThirdy ah, I see. Wow, yeah that’s a big lens. I can’t say for sure without hands on exp with that lens, but try these things:
1- I imagine this lens is front heavy, so you’re going to want to put as much weight as you can towards the rear of the gimbal. This means, attach the gimbal base plate to your camera where it is as far towards the front of the camera as you can.
2- I would try to balance it without anything on the hotshoe mount to cut down on weight. You might even consider removing any filters you may have on the front of the lens to reduce the weight of the front of the lens.
3- probably balance it as far to the rear as you can at first and then tweak from there. If it is still front heavy you might try adding washers between the base plate and your camera to help with the balance.
Also keep in mind, if you get the balance close enough the motors and software in the ronin s are good enough to where it will compensate for the rest. It will drain your battery a bit faster but I doubt you would want to operate this kind of rig for 8 hours anyways, haha. Let me know if any of that helps.
@@WeddingFilmCoach Thank you so much! more power to you!
YuanThirdy you’re very welcome! Let me know if it works.
Awesome video, thankyou!
You're very welcome, Tactus. Thanks for stopping by the channel. What kind of work do you do?
Thanks for this video. Helped me a lot.
Hey there, I just recently received the Ronin S. I’m using the Sony A7R3, and have the G master 24-70 attached. Should I be using that extra lift plate on the release plate as well for that lens? Secondly, I can get balance on most of the axis, however on the role, even though the lens doesn’t tilt from left to right, it is centered, I cannot get the roll axis to hold a angled position. It always goes back to flat. Is this because I am using that lens, or another issue? I know I’m well under the weight limit for the Ronin, so I’m just curious what I should do.
Hey I Am Toys, thanks for stopping by the channel and grats on getting the Ronin-S. That's a great camera and lens combo you got there, and yes I would recommend using that lift plate just to give you a bit more vertical weight, however with that lens you may be able to go without it if you prefer. For the Roll axis, I know exactly what you're talking about. Because the roll axis is 45 degrees instead of the usual 90 degrees of most gimbals, it doesn't always hold it's position if you roll it to one side or another. My suggestion would be to get it as close as you can, make sure it isn't over correcting too much, and make sure your settings in the app are correct and you should be good. With that camera and lens setup I would start with a medium autotune and then dial in your settings in the advanced functions. Hope this helps, but it looks like you're on the right path.
Very helpful by the way
Ronin sc smaller version but the ronin s air would sound cool Haha, since i tried the sc and it was quite plasticky so,ronin air haha.
Has anyone had success balancing a Canon EOS-R w/RF 28-70mm f/2 (bulky, heavy lens) on the Ronin-S? The combination is front-heavy, but sliding the mounting plate all the way back causes the plate and/or the eyecup (non-removable) to hit the rear axis of the S. Can you remove the eyecup? How? Note: it doesn't just slide off like others.
"It turns on like a lightsaber..." This is why I bought my ronin S.
Lance Halzen lol, my inner child coming out
super helpful!! thanks man (:
You're very welcome. Thanks for stopping by the channel. What kind of video work do you do?
Thanks for posting this video. You just got a new subscriber :)
Thanks for stopping by the channel, Baby Jay. Hope it saved you some time and frustration. What kind of work do you do?
1. How to balance?
2. Fast Forward.
3. Done!
Awesome! Glad the video helped get you out and shooting quickly. Good luck!
dude, you saved my ass!! thx so much for this video!
José Castañón You’re very welcome! Thanks for stopping by the channel. What kind of work do you do?
Can you do another video that actually shows you balance the camera. You literally didn’t show it.
"You could probably stab someone with this." **BOOM** Demonitized!
haha, yeah, probably not an appropriate joke. Thanks for stopping by the channel, hope the video helped.
ok,l but dont jsut sit ther and talk and ....hmmm, oooh, youh, ...."this is about ". You have to USE the gimble to make a review .
Hi Orange Records, thanks for stopping by the channel. Sorry the video wasn't helpful. It definitely wasn't intended to be a review, just a quick tutorial on how to balance a heavy lens. I didn't quite have enough time last season to get a full review together. Was there something specific you were wanting to know about the gimbal? I'd be glad to help in any way I can. Cheers!
P.S. I see some of your videos are in Norway, I'd love to visit sometime. I hear it's absolutely beautiful!
Wrong way of balancing hahaha. I'm sure that when you open the ronin app and test the balance it will ask for rebalance again haha.
Thanks for stopping by the channel Mc Arthur. We’re all here to learn and I always appreciate feedback. Would you mind sharing how you would balance differently? My balances always work and lots of people have said this workflow has helped, but I’m always ready to learn a better way. We’d love for you to share your method. Thanks.
never supply a problem without the solution, it only causes a bigger problem
you a real nigga keep it up
Thanks for stopping by the channel, Gio H. Let me know if I can be of any help.