I am eagerly awaiting the arrival of my recently ordered m5 but have a question regarding the weight capacity of the gimbal. I currently have a 5d mark iv and one of my favorite lenses for video is my Canon 70-200 2.8 is ii. I weighed this setup on a paint scale and it weighs in at 5.2 lbs, just 0.2 lbs above the weight capacity rating of the m5. My question is, will using this setup with the m5 cause major issues since it is at the capacity rating? I don't plan on using it for action shots where I would probably be causing a lot of stress, but rather slow panning shots that I just need to be smooth/steady. I saw in the advertisment for the m5 where the user had a larger lens similar to mine on the gimbal but a smaller camera. Is using a setup that weighs a tad more than 5 pounds for very limited amounts of time something i should be worried about or should I use a lighter less powerful camera with that lens so I don't damage my gear? Thank you!
The 5lb. weight limit isn't really the problem -- the motors will certainly be strong enough, especially if you balance it properly. I think they're the same motors as the M10 and M15, but the cage and gimbal frame are smaller. Your bigger hurdle, which can certainly be overcome, is how do you balance the tilt axis with a camera that long and front-heavy. You may need to add counterweight to the back of the camera in order to get it to balance. Not sure how you plan to pull focus on this rig (or are you planning to use auto-focus?). But if you mount the base plate to the lens instead of the camera, that will help you slide things back a bit. You could also bolt some weight to the bottom of the Canon body, into the 1/4-20 hole. If you put the base plate forward on the lens, hopefully you'll have enough length on the camera's top-plate to get a bite on it, because it will be set back a bit if you put the top plate into the hot-shoe of the camera. Anyway, you won't damage the motors by overweighting them, but if you run the rig out of balance, eventually the motors will shut down as they get hot and can't handle the load.
Thank you so much for the response! Knowing the motors will be okay makes me feel a lot better. I'm super excited for my m5 to arrive. I will have to worry about the weighting once it arrives. Thanks again!
And I am planning on using autofocus with that lens. My main subject are stationary cars so the fast autofocus on the 70-200 is satisfactory for how slow my panning is.
If you want to spend the $$ and are struggling to counterweight the camera, Cinemilled makes a baseplate and counterweight system: https://cinemilled.com/p/pro-dovetail-for-freefly-movi-m5/ You may start finding it more cost effective and convenient to buy a used M10 or M15, though, depending on your usage. They're selling for pretty cheap these days.
Thank you. I appreciate it. I won't usually use the 70-200 for video, the m5 will work great for the majority of what I need it for. There are just a few instances where the 70-200 is more ideal for the shot I'm trying to get such as longer distance or night time slow panning clips. I'll have to see what I'm up against when my gimbal gets here but I will definitely look into those counterweights. Thank you