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DJI Ronin Balance with Ultra Primes


AlejandroGomez

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Hi guys we were in a production last week. We were shooting with a Red Epic and ultra primes. We get a lot of problem to balance the Ronin because it was way to heavy, we used a battery belt clip in order to have free movement on the back part. Anyways was really heavy in the front with the Lens and the ND direct attached.

 

Here it comes the question, how you can get the perfect balance when using a complete rig of lenses, ND, Video transmitor (teradek) and a bunch of things.

 

It exists some small counterweight to put in the back?

 

Thanks guys

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yeah you need a counterweight on the back of the camera. our DP uses small lead blocks with Ronin and F5+raw recorder but I don't know for sure where he gets them, they may be part of his Gates housing.

 

maybe you can make something out of metal which can be attached to the top/bottom behind the camera. like a cheeseplate with lead added to one end or something like that? should not be complicated as long as the weight is right

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What kind of Ronin are you using. Are you using the Ronin M, Ronin Mx or the Original Ronin. If you plan on using a full rig and a whole bunch of stuffs that add weight to your camera in total, my advice would be for you to go for a steadicam instead. It will save you a loy of headache. If you cant use a steadicam, why not remove the weights

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  • 3 weeks later...

I tried an Epic on a Ronin and a Movi and was never happy with the results. The Movi balanced easier but both rigs never gave me good enough operating performance. And the rig was so heavy I could not hold the shot for too long. We never really could balance the Epic correctly on the Ronin

 

You should do what I do now. I run a tiny Sony A7s into a Atomos 4K recorder mounted on the smallest Movi, the M5. I use the Movi ring instead of the handles for easier operating. The camera and lens are dedicated to the Movi so we balance the rig at the start of the day and we are good to go. Switching from A camera to the Movi is very smooth. It takes about 30 seconds to turn on the rig and get shooting. The light weight of the total Movi rig allows me to operate comfortably for long periods of time. And I get fantastic shots! My AC uses the tiny Axis 1 wireless focus from the UK - a lovely piece of gear. For wireless video we use the inexpensive Nyrius Pro system mainly because it's so small. The key here is to keep your overall weight down and the rig compact so it balances easier and results in improved operating performance.

 

If you use a good lens and shoot wide open with the Sony A7s feeding into the Atomos 4K recorder you can get images that are so close in quality to the Epic no one will know the difference. That's my view. If you want to to stick with the Epic I would suggest spending the money to get a good Steadicam operator with lots of experience.

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I tried an Epic on a Ronin and a Movi and was never happy with the results. The Movi balanced easier but both rigs never gave me good enough operating performance. And the rig was so heavy I could not hold the shot for too long. We never really could balance the Epic correctly on the Ronin

 

You should do what I do now. I run a tiny Sony A7s into a Atomos 4K recorder mounted on the smallest Movi, the M5. I use the Movi ring instead of the handles for easier operating. The camera and lens are dedicated to the Movi so we balance the rig at the start of the day and we are good to go. Switching from A camera to the Movi is very smooth. It takes about 30 seconds to turn on the rig and get shooting. The light weight of the total Movi rig allows me to operate comfortably for long periods of time. And I get fantastic shots! My AC uses the tiny Axis 1 wireless focus from the UK - a lovely piece of gear. For wireless video we use the inexpensive Nyrius Pro system mainly because it's so small. The key here is to keep your overall weight down and the rig compact so it balances easier and results in improved operating performance.

 

If you use a good lens and shoot wide open with the Sony A7s feeding into the Atomos 4K recorder you can get images that are so close in quality to the Epic no one will know the difference. That's my view. If you want to to stick with the Epic I would suggest spending the money to get a good Steadicam operator with lots of experience.

 

Thanks for your Help Derek! it make so much sense. Normally we use A Ronin-M with a A7S for some shots, but we are always switching btw. handheld and gymbal with the Epic and this of course this take a lot of time if everytime we need to balance the Ronin. But as you said having a pre-maid rig for gymbal shots its just right on the point.

 

I will check that video transmitor! Normally we use teradek I think its also not to heavy and really lightweight, what about your experience with the Nyrius Pro? How much range signal it covers?

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Alejandro, you may want to stick with the Teradek if are happy with it. I like Teradek products. They are a good professional solution for most needs on set. I went with the Nyrius setup strictly to keep the budget down on my Movi rig. I had spent more $$ on my wireless focus over what I had in my budget so I took a risk getting the cheaper pro consumer Nyrius. It has worked out fine for the documentary and doc- drama work I do. We keep our setup simple. Most often the director is looking over the shoulder of the AC at his monitor while I operate the rig. In a 40ft range the Nyrius signal has always worked. We have never tried it farther away. If I was doing TV commercials or a drama series I would upgrade to a Teradek or another robust system. Often on those sets you need to provide a video signal to multiple monitors that could be in different rooms.

Edited by Derek Rogers
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