I have reviewed a lot of gimbals over the years. Some were good, others brilliant and others ranging from mediocre to downright unusable. Which is what you’d expect.
And price is always the determining factor between quality and features, and usability and construction.
To date for me at least, the only brands worth looking at are Zhiyun and of course, DJI.
Up until now, I have always thought of reviewing gimbals as being a little like reviewing a printer or a modem. In other words, not the most exciting items in the known Universe. They have a single job to do and that is allow the user to shoot stable video. How well they do it comes back to point 1 above.
End of. Sort of.
But now, along comes DJI with not just a gimbal, but an entire gimbal ecosystem unto itself. And this takes some explaining so bear with me. It took me a few weeks to get my head around the entirety of it.
DJI RS 4 Pro Components
Normally when I get a gimbal to review, it arrives in a parcel the size of a couple of shoeboxes at tops. But the RS4 Pro from DJI turned up in a ginormous shipping carton – somewhat unexpected.
Breaking it down to the individual components that DJI sent me, there was of course the gimbal itself, but additionally were add-ons, namely a Focus Pro Hand Unit, Focus Pro Grip, Focus Pro Motor, and Focus Pro LIDAR.
But wait there was more!
Two Pelican style cases contained all the gizmos necessary that make up the DJI Transmission Combo system.
DJI RS4 Pro Gimbal
Compared to a “standard” gimbal that typically comes with the base and gimbal arms as one piece, separate tripod attachment and a slider plate for the camera, the RS4 Pro could be classified as a little intimidating. The gimbal section and grip are separate items to start with. And along with the standard fare of assorted USB cables, I also got a grip extension, a lens fastening support, the Focus Pro Motor and Rod Mount Kit, the RAVEN EYE Image Transmitter system and the LiDar even-better-transmission-system. Oh and a phone holder.
First off though, lets look at the gimbal proper.
Without question, the RS4 is aimed at the better than beginner shooter, who has something more than a basic camera. The Pro in the name gives that away, I guess. Indeed the cameras that are compatible with the RS4 Pro also reflect this. You can see that list here.
Thankfully, all of my cameras were compatible – a Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K Pro, Fujifilm X-S10 and Canon 5D. For the larger cameras, the RS4 Pro is rated to around 3Kg to give you an idea so even some of the larger cine cameras will fit.
One immediate gripe I have though, and I researched this to make sure I am not alone, is the lack of documentation provided to set the system up. A small leaflet with diagrams goes through the basics of charging, connecting the bits together and the app, but that is about it.
To get more than this, you’ll need to refer to online tutorials of, thankfully, there are quite a few.
As mentioned, the RS4 Pro is aimed at the better than beginner. If you have ever used a gimbal before, then getting your camera mounted to the appropriate mounting plate (you get a few options to play with) and balancing the system is not that strenuous a task.
If you have never done it before, I suspect that would be less so, so I’d be allowing a few hours to get this just right. To reinforce what has been said a thousand times, getting the correct balance between gimbal and camera is critical, so take that time to get it perfect.
If you are one of those that likes to shoot in portrait mode by the way, the RS4 Pro accommodates this with an additional plate.
The camera is normally connected to the gimbal via USB cable, but some models (see the specs inside the compatibility list) can also connect via Bluetooth.
You can also use your phone via the Ronin app downloadable from the DJI website (any DJI apps from the Play Store are to be avoided from experience, especially the drone app). And in a first for me, although I couldn’t test this, apparently you can also use an XBOX or PS4 controller as a joystick.
Who’d have thought!
The rest is pretty straight forward gimbal fare, albeit of the heavy-duty kind.
But now we add the extra toys.
Focus Pro Motor, Raven Eye and LiDAR
As its name suggests, the Focus Pro Motor allows you to control the focus on your camera via the gimbal. In simple terms, a focus wheel on the gimbal connects to the Focus Control Motor and this motor than turns the focus on the camera.
And it works like a charm, making using the RS4 Pro a much easier proposition in my book.
If you have an external monitor from DJI (which I had in the form of the supplied transmission kit), then the addition of the RAVEN EYE (brilliant name innit!) lets you send the image from the camera /gimbal to it, or your mobile phone. Ideal if you are working remotely from the gimbal or wish to send the imagery to a third party such as a director.
By drawing a box around them, you can even select someone in the video, and the gimbal / camera will follow the subject as they move around.
But if you want to up even that ante, enter the LiDAR system.
LiDAR, which stands for Light Detection and Ranging, is a remote sensing method that uses light in the form of a pulsed laser to measure ranges so when tracking a subject, you can also tell how far away it is. You can view the image on the LiDAR’s smallish touch screen.
Additionally, the LiDAR and Focus Motor can be connected so that the subject being tracked will stay in focus. Nifty huh?
With all these “toys” in place, you have as I suggested, what you have is a complete almost robot-based camera.
As per anything this sophisticated, you will need time to “play” and get used to it and its nuances, quirks and little tricks.
I have had the system for a few weeks now, and still coming to grips with it, so this is pretty much what I have found so far as a preliminary investigation.
A comparison in my mind is a race car; you take it to the track for the first time to get a “feel” for it, but it takes a few more visits to even start to post fast lap times.
But I suspect with a little more practice (and good weather which has been lacking here for the last month or so, negating any outdoor activities) I’ll start to see in physical output just of what the full RS4 Pro system is capable.
And I am looking forward to that, DJI permission pending of course.
Cost
The base DJI RS4 Pro Combo gets you the gimbal of course, plus the DJI Focus Pro Motor, Briefcase Handle and a carrying case and costs AUD$999. For what you get, a bargain by any measure in my book.
If you want the extended battery grip, that adds another AUD$159, and I’d suggest if you do a lot of shooting, then this is almost a must.
The RAVEN EYE Transmitter will set you back another AUD$239, and if you want to go the whole hog and add the LiDAR, a further $879.
The RAVEN EYE I’d recommend, but the LiDAR, as nice as it is, is really only for those that need it (or can afford such a toy I s’pose).
Finally, completing the possibilities is the transmission system letting you send your imagery over a distance of 6Km at 1080p. This puts another AUD$1429 on the bill, rounding out the whole DJI 4 Pro ecosystem at a shade over AUD$3700.
For your weekend shooter, this might be well and truly unable to be justified, but in the pro world, this is a bargain to say the least. Marry all this with something like the Blackmagic Pocket Camera 6K Pro and you have almost video Nirvana in my book.
I’d use this sort of setup for anything from motor sport to following kite boarders. Throw in a DJI MAVIC 3 Pro drone say, and you have one hell of a mobile shooting system.
If you want more information, and I bet you do even if you are only a weekend shooter (we all look at the Ferrari even if we only own an old Holden hey), then:
The gimbal details are at: https://d1store.com.au/categories/dji-rs4-series
The accessory details are at: https://d1store.com.au/categories/dji-rs4-pro-accessories
If you want a video on the setup of the DJI RS4 Pro, RASVEN EYE and Focus Pro, have a look at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcf3VokG7_Q or watch below.
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