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Dji Ronin?

Discussion in 'MōVI M10' started by Sam Fleishman, Apr 8, 2014.

  1. Sam Fleishman

    Sam Fleishman Member

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  2. Urs Clement

    Urs Clement Member

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    really a serious competitor.... especially at this price... If they do an aerial version for the same, i think i'd give it a try...
     
  3. Tuukka Ylonen

    Tuukka Ylonen Member

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    Well I just changed my Zenmuse 5D into Movi M5 because the roll accuracy was more like 20 degrees instead of 0.02 degrees. And the first one I had had a broken tilt motor. Plus the DJI customer support is abysmal.

    Based on my Zen 5D experience I would never, ever invest my money on any DJI gimbal again. Too much false advertising, too much frustration, too much wasted time.

    And I was not alone. Both on RCGroups and Multi rotor forums there is a thread about the 5D Zen and the comments surely are not flattering.
     
  4. Rob Drewett

    Rob Drewett Member

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    Pic.jpg

    Why does not the MoVI have the measurement markings down the tilt bar like on this rig.
     
  5. jim mundell

    jim mundell Member

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    Interesting for sure.
    Ronin likes- the measurement markings are great. It seems to be a bit lighter then Movi. It holds camera on side better if using in suitcase low mode then the Movi…well at least from what I could tell at NAB. If using like a suitcase shot it folds flatter then using the Movi from top handle. Easier to walk with. One button tuning could be nice, if it works well. Like the battery and meter better then Movi.

    Dislikes..or unknowns- None of the Ronins at NAB had a working monitor at any time. Could never tell exactly how smooth the shot could be. Although their demo video had some nice shots without any weird lens rocking that you see in some Movi videos from not being steady. The footage was real time instead of the slowmo that hides some lens movement.
    None of the displays were balanced well. Some of the time they pointed downward or to one side. At a tradeshow with a million people at them, so I can see them not having time to fix maybe.
    The follow or majestic mode seemed sloppy. Could that be tweaked, they say so but noone knew how to do it nor would adjust at all. They said it had the smooth lock mode, but noone could or would switch it to that mode. Maybe not fully functioning at NAB, beta models?
    It says 16 lbs payload, but none of the cameras had follow focus or extra cables or rods or anything to make it a fully functioning system. Again at a tradeshow so maybe didn't have all that, but how can you judge it without all the weight and length on it. Their app was on IOS so that was nice, but couldn't tell if it had all the adjustments the Movi has. Only one guy had the app and he was being pulled in a million directions so i couldn't fully work it. And when I did it wasn't paired to unit.
    Non of the Ronins were setup to do second person rf operator. They said it does, but were not showing that function at NAB. At least when I was there and I stopped by many times in 2 days.

    Like the price and the fact that I could talk to a local reseller if I had issues. Freefly takes a bit to get back to you. I know one person who couldn't reach Freefly when on a shoot with problems. Hoping that gets better over time. Need phone support.
    Like that Movi is a US company and not chinese made.
    Tough call.
     
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  6. Lael Camak

    Lael Camak Member

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    As big and nice as the Ronin's booth was, I was surprised they had on display only one handheld gimbal. Yes, there wasn't a monitor on it. Flipping it upside down and the sideways suitcase mode were nice features. Wednesday afternoon I walked by again and their one unit wasn't on display. I asked about it and a guy pulled it out of their booth storage unit. I thought it was interesting they had put it away.
     
  7. jim mundell

    jim mundell Member

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    At one point I saw 3 out around booth on monday. Two on tue morning and one tue afternoon. I am guessing they were not fully functioning yet?
    The flipping upside down was cool but from what I saw the camera was upside down. You could flip monitor image but an extra step and not a continuous shot…unless you can think and frame upside down that quick.
     
  8. Gary Haynes

    Gary Haynes Administrator
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  9. Austin Glass

    Austin Glass Active Member

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    I saw the DJI guys hovering over an M10 at the Freefly booth, and I could see them just trying to find something wrong with it. They ended up turning the handles into some contorted position to get the gimbal to start oscillating, and then that was enough for them to dismiss it. Nevermind that if for whatever reason you needed to be in that position you just tune it down.

    It was kind of funny to see the "competition" trying to figure out how it works. Me, I'm mostly unimpressed with the other gimbals. I tried out so many, and tried to be objective, and there were only a couple that seemed to have any merit. I'm still not sure where I landed on the Ronin, but time will tell.
     
  10. Hi Jim...I am the Director of Customer Service here at Freefly and we always appreciate candid feedback as it helps us grow. Our Technical Support operational hours are 7am-7pm Pacific Time M-F with all of our Support Engineers in the US. We do currently handle all technical support via email. We recognize the need for telephone support and are working on the infrastructure and resources needed to put that in place shortly. As with our products, we do not want to make anything available that doesn't meet the high quality standard that we hold. Thanks again for your feedback.

    Cheers,
    Denise
     
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  11. jim mundell

    jim mundell Member

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    Hi Denise,

    Thanks for replying. Good to see that the forums are watched.

    As you know I feel that phone support is a must. Email takes too long, especially if there is a problem encountered. Can't imagine not being able to talk with someone on a shoot if the Movi goes down. Let me also say I am not implying that it will go down, but I own a ton of gear and even the best made stuff goes down at times.
    Actually, think the Movi is the best made gimbal out there. Also like your crew that you brought to NAB. Good to know those people are behind the product. Could not have been more helpful with questions all while being pulled in a million directions.

    You may want to follow up with someone in Philly who just bought the M5. He called me in a panic last week needing help. I didn't have the time and couldn't figure out what he was talking about over the phone. Can't remember his name, nor want to post it on here. He was hoping for a phone number and person to get help.

    Thanks for caring,
    Jim
     
  12. Augusto Alves da Silva

    Augusto Alves da Silva Active Member

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    I don´t know what experience you have with DJI products but I have 5 of their gimbals and the quality and precision are top notch. I don´t like DJI business policies specially as they have no respect for customers (selling beta test products like their controllers etc..)
    Speaking only about their gimbals I still say they are very very good. I guess Ronin will be the same standard but I still prefer my Movi. Anyway bearing in mind that it will cost $5000 with a 16lb payload it might be a good commercial move to get one (to rent whenever people couldn´t afford the M10). Of course I would be very upset if Freefly would lower the price of the M10 just to jump on their market....so let´s hope it doesn´t happen. Finally my question is: Who would want to hold and walk with a 20-25 lb gimbal + camera + etc.... on a shoot? :)
     
  13. Gary Haynes

    Gary Haynes Administrator
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    Jim besides email the this forum is watched and read 24/7 and many times a simple post will get quick if not immediate answers.
     
  14. Joe Lawry

    Joe Lawry Member

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    Played with the Ronin at NAB.. it weighed a ton (well not quite) but way more than the M15... no thanks, not even for 5 grand.
     
  15. Chris Corsello

    Chris Corsello New Member

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    For all the talk about weight if you use you Movi or Ronin with a easy rig you can be on your feet all day with either.

    This is my take on these gimbals. The hardware on both is there no doubt. Software is another story. It looks like DJI focused on the software side of this to great results if it works as advertised. I have run into more then one person who has a Movi and likes it but they say they can be touchy. DJI running on iOS as a guy who works as a camera assistant in the business, its dominated by apple. Why no Apple support Freefly?

    Design both of the gimbals are pretty slick. No tool adjustment rocks. Both have a quick detatch to mount to a multirotor The line markers are a simple but awesome add-on. The suitcase and overhead mode give you a even bigger bag of tools to get your shots. The new Movi's are a improved design but the Ronin might edge it out the extra 4 pounds of weight it can hold.

    I have since day one said the Movi was nice but over priced I feel DJI with its sub 5k (4999.99 my guess)is confirming this.

    I have my concerns with quality control with DJI. They suffered from getting really big really fast and having terrible customer service and QA. But in the last 2 years the have opened up a US base of operations that is helping very much. And have improved quality look at the Phantom as a huge success in mass production and QA.

    On a side note DJI is looking to be the Apple of drone usage. With their FC's the A2 is damn nice, the Zenmuse/Ronin gimbals, The amazing lightbridge (if it also works as advertised) even the data link. One working system.

    To me DJI took its Phantom money and spent it well in development. Freefly in my honest opinion needs rethink what we need out in the field when shooting. On my average field shoot day I can have 5-6 lens changes. A one button calibration is a solution to an AD yelling "WAITING ON CAMERA"......... Words you never want to hear.

    Its the software Freefly......
     
  16. Brad Meier

    Brad Meier Active Member
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    I'm not going to say much about this but before everyone gets wild about "suitcase" and "inverted" modes, both of these work with the MoVI and have worked since NAB last year with the pre-production M10s.
     
  17. Austin Glass

    Austin Glass Active Member

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    I have no idea what the fuss over auto calibration is… every gimbal ever will always have to be properly balanced, even after a lens change, and if it takes you longer than 15 seconds to re-tune after a lens change (if it's even necessary), then you're doing something wrong.

    Auto-tune ≠ auto-balance
     
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  18. Tuukka Ylonen

    Tuukka Ylonen Member

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    Well Augusto just take a look at this video. This is the second Zenmuse 5D I was sent directly from the factory - inspected before shipping - because my reseller wanted to make sure I got a proper one the second time. As you can see, the horizontal drift is just ridiculous.

    The first Zen 5D came with a broken tilt motor, a feature in around 30% of the gimbals delivered to my reseller. So I was told.
    Plus the reset function of the gimbal did not work in either of the units I had.

    So eventually I was overly happy to return the second Zenmuse to my reseller to be replaced with a Movi M5.

    For someone who tries to do aerial imaging professionally, Zenmuse is not an option based on my experiences. I made the initial Zen 5D purchase on Jan 30 this year and I still don't have a working unit. Thanks to sending the broken ones back and forth with my own expense off course and writing emails to DJI support and testing the new one that worked as bad as the first one.

    If someone asked me whether he/she should go with Zen 5D or Movi M5, the answer is a no brainer. Go for the M5. It is for pros. Zen 5D is a poorly working toy. I have the Movi M10 and it is a solid tool. The only gimbal of the numerous ones I´ve tested that works the same every time.

     
  19. jim mundell

    jim mundell Member

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    Good to know, thanks. Still think phone support in the field would be nice too.
     
  20. Chris Corsello

    Chris Corsello New Member

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    I disagree. Depending on the lens weight it will take you a fair bit more to retune/balance then 15 seconds. You could always post a video of this feat. I would love to see the technique.

    One touch calibration is just a better approach.
     

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