DJI RONIN 4D | I WAS WRONG
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- čas přidán 23. 08. 2024
- I thought the DJI RONIN 4D was a bizarre and narrow user base camera system, but admit that I was very wrong. In this video, I use the 4D on a commercial job and it really surprised me. I walk you through what I loved about it and when you may not want this to be your only camera.
Final film has been published in Harper's Bazaar (November 2022):
harpersbazaar....
Links mentioned in the video:
DSLR Video Shooter Review: • The DJI Ronin 4D is Up...
Philip Bloom Review (be sure to watch his follow up as well): • THE DJI Ronin 4D Revie...
Make Art Now Review: • The Ronin 4D is better...
CineD Latitude Test (article): www.cined.com/...
DJI RONIN 4D and Accessories Available at Vistek
DJI RONIN 4D at Vistek: www.vistek.ca/...
DJI Transmission Monitor at Vistek: www.vistek.ca/...
E-Mount for the 4D at Vistek: www.vistek.ca/...
Focus Motor for the 4D at Vistek: www.vistek.ca/...
#DJI4D #Professional #review
I have just received the 8K Ronin 4D combo (here in the UK) its a beast! Comes with 8K sensor and 17-28mm zoom lens - SSD preinstalled. Loving it so far!
Just received my 4d 8k with 17-28, Sony 50mm f1.4, Flex, wireless monitor system and accessories. Definitely a learning curve. Videos like your's have helped. Cheers.
I was about to pull the trigger on a FX6 for my production company... For shows and movies as you said in the video, normally you end up using the camera that the DP and the network want you to use... I saw the Ronin 4D and I got it instead. We shot a feature documentary with it last month and really enjoyed the camera. First because we got to shoot it with less people and you can get a lot of money shots and production value out of it really fast. So now I have a film lined up for the end of the year and I´m really tempted to go with the Ronin 4D as my main camera. It looks good enough (comparable to RED, Sony and ARRI) but you can move between takes really fast. And in my opinion is a fun camera to use.
Great comment Sergio! Thanks!!
Hey man, I’m trying to decide between the 4d and a c70. I know they’re totally different, but what would you recommend considering I want to do mainly short film projects, some interviews and a little CZcams ?
Hi there. I think the C70 is still the better choice. It's much more versatile and you can still place it on a small gimbal. The 4D is very much a one trick pony.
@@vistek DSLRs are not profesional cameras, they are buggy, overheat, the menús are cumbersome and You end up spending a lot of money on accesorios to rig the correctly and make them usable.
I mostly shoot feature films and tv shows and never could use a DSLR that didnt slow down the production. I prefer something that You can taie out of the box and shoot with minimal set up.
This was the most helpful CZcams piece I've seen on this camera, just because I am still on the fence about adding one to my equipment list. I regularly find jobs where the original DJI OsmoPro with the X5/focus wheel/Crystalsky works better than just about anything... like hanging out of a helicopter this weekend. The fact that the 4D uses the same batteries as our Inspire 2 is also great. I'm a focus puller at heart too, so I guess when the rolling shutter is sorted out you may have just given me the best reason for keeping this one on deck for a future purchase.
Nicely done Dale. There is a mirror mode for cloning the exact monitor interface. Thanks for not putting Blue and pink tube lights in your interview background. Lol.
I wish I knew that! Thanks for the tip Justin! ...and you're welcome for my basic bones youtube studio set up. 🤣
Hmm this camera is tempting - rigging up gimbals with big cinema cameras takes ages and then you also have a bit of Easyrig diall fiddling which takes longer than a lot of people are willing to admit. It also has such a low footprint especially when compared to a DP carrying a weighty Ronin 2 with a cinema cam/heavy lenses attached and running off a pair of tiny external batteries.
Next time you rent, go into the Transmission menu on the main camera monitor and hit the Mirror Control Mode virtual switch. The camera resets and its user interface is represented on the remote monitor. You lose a little screen real estate and the camera's HDMI output but gain the main monitor's red frame in record mode.
Thanks W2D. Someone else mentioned that as well. Wish I knew about this when I was shooting!
Excellent tip. Thank you.
Great review and amazing that you gave it another shot but I disagree with you about the rolling shutter. Who shoots like that specially when you have 4-Axis Stabilized footage? This is a Parallax and Jib making machine so the little rolling shutter adds to the cinematic blur. It's the first camera that benefits from rolling shutter as the 4-Axis allows for more motion blur. Support is not 100% needed at 11 pounds. Get a table top tripod for placing on the ground.
Thank you GOTW! Ultimately everyone uses cameras differently. I personally wouldn’t use this camera without support. It’s just not how I use cameras. This camera is great at the extreme ends. Either moving a lot or not moving at all. Rolling shutter has no correlation to or effect on motion blur. Shutter speed yes, rolling shutter no. Turn your shutter angle to 90 or 45° and you’ll get lots of slanty and wobbly footage with almost zero motion blur. All this to say, it’s one of the camera’s Achilles heals. It just cannot do hand held (gimbal locked and seated) very well. But again - I suspect you shoot very differently from me, and that’s totally fine!
Rented last week and just ordered one. Most fun I’ve had shooting in years. Got world class shots without even trying.
Great to hear! Yeah, it's really good what it's really go at - and really terrible without the gimbal engaged (unless it's on a tripod and you don't touch it)
I pre ordered it and sold my Canon C500mk2 and was able to completely kit it out with all its accessories for what I got for the Canon. It was a no brainer for how diverse this rig is. I also already owned the ready rig and almost sold it but instead I modified it to a single arm which works great! Another big one that sold me was the wireless monitor and the sdi expansion adaptor. I do live streaming and multicam video production for events and tested it as a wireless roaming rig and it worked amazingly to my Tricaster TC-1!! I also just recently rigged it to my 10ft. jib and did a full live concert with the auto focus and made it work to an extent lol 90% accurate and the types of movements I was able to do compared to pan tilt motorized head was 2nd to none. I pair it with my Sony a7siii and sometimes with my Canon R5 now that they have the new firmware update that removed the overheating shutdown. So in short, its a future proof game changer that has some auto focus firmware fixes and yes they need to mirror the wireless monitor to the same menu and the camera monitor, it is frustrating. Also enable touch focus to the wireless monitor. Then id be set :)
Anywhere I can get a look at how you set up your 4D? I do a lot of multicam as well. Thank you!
I have a C300 mk3 plus an R5, so I think I’m gonna keep up with your channel to see how the transition from similar gear to the 4D is working for you
That shot at 3:08 has that same DJI drone artifacting in the grass on the left. Just looks odd. Also not sharp? I was interested in this set up when it dropped. It was all over CZcams but it faded fast. I've seen enough footage of the focus dropping out. Amazing concept, I just don't think it's there yet.
A great review & really good & practical INTEL !!! 🎥🎥🎥🖋💪🏼💪🏼💪🏼
Very good review. If they bring out a version with improved rolling shutter and the ability to use it well handheld and on a tripod, I could well be interested in getting one. I love the Z-axis gimbal solution, the lidar and built-in remote control features and focus pulling.
well my friend they did what you asked the 8K version has a substantially better rolling shutter and they introduced a flex system that allows you to use the camera without
having the rest of the camera directly behind it
Very informative and sober analysis. Thanks!
How was it filming with the ready rig?
I can’t image not using a rig….
Biggest question is…did you end up buying one? 2nd are you on the limited beta firmware update? What is your main cam prior or currently? Great informative video
Hi Dominic. Not yet. I don't move quickly on camera buying decisions. I need to feel the waters a bit to see if it's something I'm going to benefit from. I'll likely rent it a few more times to see if it is a viable purchase (meaning can I rent it out to productions and make my money back). I don't own a main camera, because either production pays for that, or I beg borrow and steal from other DPs. The Alexa and the Venice are my two go to production cameras (don't love RED's UI tbh), and when it's more low budget stuff I typically reach for the Sony FX9 or FX6.
I hate to be that guy, but 23.98 (and 29.97 for that matter) is soooo dead now. As a refresher, it's from the (now completely) bygone era of analog NTSC televisions. They needed that extra .02 for audio if I remember correctly, and was a design decision based on how the NTSC TV's scanned the image from top to bottom (someone correct me if I'm off on this detail!)
Either way, as both a Cinematographer and a Colorist/Finishing Editor who has also done a fair share of VFX work, PLEASE DON'T SHOOT IN 23.98!
The rolling shutter is a very big problem. Just try to do a pan at a distance of 20 to 1,000 feet. The footage is not useable. I tried work arounds for three weeks, like super slow pans at the 5% joystick limiter, and was unable to solve the problem. I had to return the camera.
Yeah it's one of the achilles heels of the camera. I suspect this is something DJI will address if they continue to develop this camera further. I've been using this camera on a few other jobs since this video, and I still stand by what I said in the video - which is, being used for it's general intent, it's an incredible piece of technology - but it's in no way a camera that "can do it all." In so much that I wouldn't recommend it to someone as their "only" camera. Colour science to me seems to be somewhere in the realm of Blackmagic or Classic Alexa - so those two bodies could potentially give you the closest match with the least work in the grade (this is hypothetical/anecdotal - this hasn't been actually tested by me).
A basic Pro camera RIG set up = 10K + Sony, Panasonic,… I won’t mention BM because BM are S#@! - All CAM rigs - too many moving parts, too many cables, expensive, a total hassle to make 3rd party components all work in unison. But one Ronin 4D and you have an ultimate CAM + 4 axis gimbal. What else needs explaining. This CAM is the ultimate CAM. A new wave in cinema production. Pro or commercial. I wouldn’t even look anywhere else.
Just curious. What do you shoot? The limited amount of lenses for this camera doesn't translate into calling it a cinema camera for me. This camera is a joke but its strange how people are being so kind in their reviews...., Ultimate camera is different for different users so.....,
I'm about to get a demo from this camera from DJI next week. I don't work in production, instead I do news/news magazine stuff. We rarely (never really) shoot raw or do any color correction. Does this camera also have the option of some rec709 looks burned in? We shoot with FX9s and C300mk3s, so I'm torn between purchasing this camera or an FX6/C70 plus that DJI RS3 pro instead, so I can match our cameras.
Hi there. Yes, you can record 709 direct to the card via the Rec. LUT setting. The 709 is very nice with excellent highlight roll off. One note of caution is that even having the Rec lut set to 709, you will still be able to see a log image in the monitor. So it may trick you - in both directions.
@@vistek thank you for that. I went to DJI for a demo and they showed me all that. My one achilles heel right now is that there isn't an xlr input/sdi output on the camera. yes, SDI out of the remote monitor, but I need it in the camera. they are making something for that, but won't be available until next year. Still, I decided to purchase the camera, so i can start getting comfortable with it. It does have soooo many things that it can do, it will take me some time to learn it. thanks again.
There are always compromises to make with any camera, but I'm happy that you found a way to make this camera work for you. Happy shooting!
Really great video. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you Paul!
Great video! But I have a question, did you film in ProRes, H264, or ProRes RAW?
Thanks David! All was shot PR442 HQ. PR RAW is no longer available and has been replaced with PR 4444 HQ.
@@vistek I'm using Premiere Pro to color grade... Could you plz tell me what am I doing wrong then, because I didn't see any difference when trying to push highlights or shadows from a H264 and a ProRes...
I don't know if latitude will play out any differently between PR & 264. But compression noise certainly would play a roll. There are a considerably amount of factors that play into how much you can push or pull your footage around - especially how you exposed your footage. Premiere is also quite restrained in what it can do color wise. You'll have considerable more control isolating various levels in Resolve and it's in there that you'll likely see some differences. But maybe not!? Keep testing and see what you discover.
Hey, Dale! Can you share the link to the final fashion film?
Hi Dastan - the project is in post at the moment. When it's published, I'll make sure to put a link in the description. May not be for a couple months as it's for a fall campaign. Thanks for watching!
When will more native lenses be released for this…
What lens were you using on your fashion shoot?
Hi there! I can’t say for sure. I use lots of lenses.
Curious if the 1tb ssd is enough for one day of shooting?
Absolutely not if shooting pro res. But also, one card is a dangerous game. What happens when you’re offloading footage in the middle of a shoot? You can’t roll again until the card is dumped. What happens if the card has a error and you have no back up card? Always always always have at least two cards. But to your point, h.264 is fantastically efficient but PR 422 HQ is a space hog.
How can you tell that you are two stops over when shooting?
Lots of ways. Waveform monitor, false color, or use your own light meter.
Yes, you have demonstrated the very definition of a sketchy franken-menace arm. But as you say, don’t do this at home. It’s the kind of thing that will get you kicked off more than a few sets.
Thx BT. Oh I'm well aware ;). Fortunately I was in charge, so I was the only person who would kick myself off the set. Also, did not kill the model, so yay! (joking of course - there were several layers of safety put in place - but I tried to make a point of my franken rig not being an example of how to build a menace arm)
@@vistek I’m with you. I totally get it, and I may get myself in a spot where I have to do something similar some day-who knows. And my comment was only to reinforce your message for the uninitiated. I know you have a lot of experience and understood what you were doing. You definitely get the MacGyver award this week! 😁
Haha, oh I know! Thanks BT! My years as a tech have to be worth something, even if it's just proving that I can skirt the line of danger ever so often. 🤣🤣🤣🤣.
what camera did you use to record this video??
Hi There, our BTS etc, was all recorded with our Sony FX3. We use this for all our videos.
Thanks for this review. I would like to see image results from the 8K sensor head. I have been holding off purchasing this camera until I can see some more 8K full frame images.
0:34 because is china camera. Is not always bad men
9:21 is more Sony sensor than ai .
Wondering if it has false color?
Yes, it has false color. You can find this feature and others you may be curious about by doing an internet search for the 4D Manual. You will get a PDF and then you can hit CMD(mac)/CTRL(pc)+F and search for what you are curious about in the manual.
@@vistek Great thank you will do!
What’s your favorite wife Lens for this camera?
You’re a good kid. I subscribed. 👍🏿
Thanks Jason!
wel l.💫
I’m having problems with my auto focus
I am also having some problems with auto focus. If someone crosses in front of who you are shooting it switches and stays on that person. Also, in a group scene the camera will switch from face to face on its own. I am trying to figure out when to use "wide" ROI? Any ideas? As for the weight I have eliminated that problem and the camera is now hands free until you start shooting. Cost of this fix is about $150.00.
But not at this price point....definitely not worth the price
Do not do this at home! lol 🤣🤣🤣