DJI Ronin S - first thoughts

Snake79

Following on from another thread on photographers and video making I thought I'd create a new thread and give an update on the Ronin S that I got a couple of weeks ago. I've not had a lot of time with it however I have set it up a number of times now that I will give my initial thoughts.

As someone who is relatively new to DSLR video the setup process seems quite daunting at first but after a couple of goes it does get easier and certainly quicker. I think the first time took over an hour to build and balance, constantly making small adjustments but I can now do it in about 25 minutes.

I had problems with the android app as it could not see the Ronin with Bluetooth enabled. The app is pretty much essential to configure the gimbal, make calibration and fine tuning as well as being able to do some of the programmed functions like panorama, motion timelapse, and tracking. I restarted both devices but it didn't work. It was only after several days of trying that I was able to connect to the gimbal.

I updated the Ronin S firmware to the latest version then ran through the auto tune for the motors. Once this was done I started to move the gimbal around to see how it worked. I had the 6DmkII and the 50mm f/1.2L attached and although quite weighty, the long handles on the Ronin make it relatively easy to hold and move around. Depending on which mode you are in the gimbal responds differently with certain axis enabled/disabled. The joystick works well and the speed can be adjusted to suit.

So far so good however I noticed the camera was not moving accurately when moving the gimbal around, the tilt would start to go up or down and progressively get worse and could not be brought back without having to use the joystick or the reset trigger. The pan axis is fine, if I turn left or right it follows and moves accurately but with the tilt it seems to have a mind of it's own. For example if I lean backwards a bit the lens tilts upwards but it I lean forwards it does not tilt down but if I lean backwards again it continues to tilt up until it's facing the ceiling. You would assume the tilt balance is off but the same thing happens once you tilt down from centered, it will keep going down but not back up when you lean backwards. Another example is if I move the gimbal into the underslung position the camera does not face straight but either tilts forward or backwards.

As far as I am aware the tilt has been balanced correctly as I have read the manual and seen several videos where I move the camera on the tilt axis and it stays still, not swinging in any direction. The motors know where the centre is as when you double tap the trigger it returns to the front facing position so the calibration is good. Playing back the footage does show some bobbing movement without walking just moving the gimbal around. I'm not sure if it's user error or a fault with the gimbal. If I can't find a solution soon I will have to return it as it's too unpredictable to use.

Snake79

A little update on the Ronin S. Any issues I was having was purely user error. Spending more time using the gimbal has helped a great deal and I now have a better understanding on how to control it.

I've added the multi control cable so I can control focus and recording using the gimbal rather than on the camera which is easier and more intuitive.

I've downloaded and installed the Technicolor Cinestyle picture profile on my 6DmkII to get the closest to log I can achieve. I've also spent some time doing basic editing and grading using DaVinci Resolve. It's a lot to learn but I'm seeing some good results and the image quality is superior to any of the baked in picture profiles of the camera. The 6DmkII gets a bad rap for video quality which is partly justified as anything straight out of camera doesn't look good. It's too contrasty with crushed blacks and no fine detail, however if you are willing to invest time and effort you can get some clean video out of it that can be brought to life in post. So far I'm just shooting random test footage but I have a couple of personal projects that I will be shooting soon so I hope to have some actual video to show when they are done.