2 Axis Mount for Sony NEX 5N

[jamienz]

Right, so I need to buy a mount for my Sony Nex 5N. It needs to be as small and light weight as possible, but has to be 2 axis stabilized. Been thinking of the mikrokopter hisight 3 as it seems to be about the right size, but when I look at it I can't help but think it won't be very stiff and strong.

Can anybody recommend anything for it? I hear DJI might be coming out with something soon too?

At this stage I am trying to avoid the Av130 or the MxTR mounts as they are heavier than what I want.

Really appreciate everybody's input on this one!

 

[Dune]

If anyone can shed some light on this or point to other threads where this has been discussed, I would appreciate it!

I am in the same boat as you jamienz - trying to decide on a gimbal for either the Nex-5n or Panasonic TM900 camcorder. They're about the same weight.

I've looked around a little and so far I've heard mixed reviews of both the Hisight 3 and the mkTR. My constraint is price, rather than weight, as I think I'm going to build a hexa and should be able to handle it. Hisight = $275 and mkTR = $500. If you want to step up, the AV130 seems to be great for a lot of people and I don't think you could go wrong with either that or the Cinestar gimble. Those will run you close to $1000.

My main source of info on the hisight is this thread on the mikrokopter.us forum, where someone notes how shaky the hisight looks with a DSLR onboard. But then someone posts a vid with hisight II and a GoPro that looks great.

For the mkTR, you have someone on this youtube video saying that he can't go as far as recommending the mkTR because it took him a ton of tuning to get it working well. But he says it is better than the MD1 and Patiro. I've seen other shaky videos with the mkTR, his vid is pretty good though. Some vibration, but I wonder if you could improve that in post. Have you seen After Effects CS-5.5's warp stabilizer? My god that thing is amazing. You also have people on here talking about upgrading servos on the mkTR to 12-bit and other mad science.

MD1 or MD2 I haven't read as much about. They're recommended for XL's but I wonder if they would fit (size) on a regular Hexa. They can be used with the T2i it says, so I assume a reg Hexa would do fine with a lighter camera.

Part of me wants to take the plunge with the mkTR because it's more expensive than the Hisight and for some stupid reason I feel like it will be better in the end tuned. $500 will work for my budget. On the other hand, this is my first venture into RC and looking at RTRyder's crashed and bent-up AV130 gives me goosebumps. Maybe I will learn on the Hisight and pick up an AV130 or Cinestar gimbal later if some more money becomes available.

-Josh

 

[RTRyder]

If you plan on doing video stay away from the mkTR, they're ok for still work but terrible for video unless you want to reengineer the roll axis mechanics, they're also Heavy. The Hisight mounts work well for light cameras as long as you don't expect pro quality results from it. I have a Hisight II under my MK hexa and it never carries anything heavier than a GoPro and it works pretty good that way. While my NEX 5N fits the servos and linkages just can't deal with the extra weight, the video becomes wobbly and the movement shows definite stair stepping as the servos struggle to move the Nex.

I've used a lot of the less expensive mounts and all I can say is buy a really cheap one and learn from it. If you're going to spend any appreciable amount of $, don't throw it away on an inferior mount that you won't be satisifed with, wait and buy a good quality and well proven mount that actually works and you'll be much further ahead. As for the AV130 that got bent up when my CS6 went down, it cost me a couple hours of time and about $60 in parts to put it back to good as new condition, all that really needed to be replaced were the roll arches and the rack gear that bolts into it, the rest of it was able to be straightened and/or repaired. That wasn't the first time that happened to that 130, it had been squashed once before under a different frame although not quite as bad, the second time was a bit too much for some of the aluminum parts to be straightened again so I replaced them, I was more PO'd over the damage to the NEX 5N than what happened to the 130.

The DJI gimbal may well be a game changer if it proves to be all they claim, only one problem, it will only work with the WKM controller. I'll have one on the CineStar 6 as soon as I can get my hands on one.

And if you really want to know from someone who's been there, get the AV130, there isn't much else available that can beat it and it really isn't as heavy as you think, it's much lighter than an mkTR and it's twice the performance.

Ken

 

[Dune]

Thanks for the solid advice Ken. I'm going to buy a hisight II (approx. $200 servos included) for now.

You might have covered this in another post, but did you insure the Nex-5N? I'm non-commercial/hobbyist at this point, so if you're running a business shooting video we may be in a different situation, but it's something I'm considering. It seems kind of sleazy considering how high risk flying a camera in an RC heli is, but I have good homeowner's insurance and I think it still would qualify as a drop, risky or not.

-Josh

 

[hexa]

Hight sight 2 is a waste of Money. Flimsy as hell you are better off getting the xaircraft mount then DIY it to your frame


Sent from my iPhone 4g using Tapatalk

 

[Bartman]

Thanks for the solid advice Ken. I'm going to buy a hisight II (approx. $200 servos included) for now.

You might have covered this in another post, but did you insure the Nex-5N? I'm non-commercial/hobbyist at this point, so if you're running a business shooting video we may be in a different situation, but it's something I'm considering. It seems kind of sleazy considering how high risk flying a camera in an RC heli is, but I have good homeowner's insurance and I think it still would qualify as a drop, risky or not.

-Josh

Josh,
If there's a Best Buy near you they offer insurance for 3 yrs at the time of purchase and it covers virtually anything (provided you don't tell them it was riding along on an RC helicopter that didn't land in the normally prescribed way ).

 

[GGoodrum]

If you can wait a few weeks, we might have another option for you. I've been delveloping a higher quality, 2-axis, belt-driven gimbal with Andrey Kim (Askman...) The initial one we are testing now is tailored to a GoPro, in its waterproof case, and is oriented as a "nose mount" configuration in order to mount on the front of a DJI F450 quad. We are doing a slightly larger version of this gimbal that is sized to be mounted under the new DJI F550 hex. This version, which has an integrated set of landing gear, is sized to carry a NEX-5N/7, a GH2 or a 550i. There's actually a lot of commonality between both sizes, and they both use a common mounting setup, with special vibration dampening plates. This means you can mount the GoPro yoke/tilt assembly on either the front-mounted quad setup, or on the LG-equipped hex mount. eventually, we are also going to do a "full-size" DSLR variant, which I plan on using with my CineStar 6.

I'm in the process of building up the DJI F550 hex right now, actually, and Andrey is cutting the new LG this evening. I will hopefully have the first completed hex/NEX setup flying this weekend. The testing on the F450/GoPro version is pretty much complete. We've made a few more minor changes, mainly in the mounting plate assembly, so that we could make these common, across both sizes and platforms. Anyway, Andrey should start work on the 1st lot of the F450/GoPro version next week. I am in the process of revamping my old TPpacks.com site, which we will use to sell these, hopefully starting next week. I'm also in the process of signing up as a site sponsor here.

Attached are a few pics of the F450/GoPro version. Also, there's a thread going for this already in the DJI forum: http://www.multirotorforums.com/showthread.php?1973-New-GoPro-specific-2-axis-gimbal-for-the-F450...&p=21672&viewfull=1#post21672


-- Gary

 

[Dune]

COOL!

I recognize your name from the DJI thread over at RcGroups as well.

With new gimbals forthcoming from DJI, Denny Rowland, and you, it certainly is getting interesting. My project timeline is pretty strict - I want to start shooting with a gimbal in early April. Choosing a system is going to be a bit of a kick in the pants.

Looking forward to seeing how your system turns out!

 

[GGoodrum]

Attached are a few shots of the new NEX-5/GH2/550D gimbal, with the integrated landing gear. This is mounted underneath a DJI hex frame that I just finished setting up. there's a lot of commonality between the GoPro and NEX gimbal assemblies. The roll axis is identical. The yoke and tilt assemblies are the only difference. The mounting plate/battery tray is common as well. For the inline F450 option, the roll assembly is mounted at the front of the plate. When used with the LG, on the F550 hex, the roll assembly hangs underneath the plate. There will also be a 3rd axis pan option for the LG version.

-- Gary

 

[Gunter]

Right, so I need to buy a mount for my Sony Nex 5N. It needs to be as small and light weight as possible, but has to be 2 axis stabilized. Been thinking of the mikrokopter hisight 3 as it seems to be about the right size, but when I look at it I can't help but think it won't be very stiff and strong.

Can anybody recommend anything for it? I hear DJI might be coming out with something soon too?

At this stage I am trying to avoid the Av130 or the MxTR mounts as they are heavier than what I want.

Really appreciate everybody's input on this one!

Don't buy the highsight, total waste of money. Pain to assemble, flimsy as hell and sloppy servo arms.


Regards,

Gunter.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[MombasaFlash]

Gunter is right. I have an MK HiSight III on an MK Octo and it is perfectly adequate for stills with a Pentax Optio point-&-shoot compact camera. But although the Sony Nex-5n squeezes in, the balance is all wrong, there is insufficient space for a video out connection, the mount itself flexes with the weight and there is far too much bend and slop in the Roll servo linkage.

I have an MK HiSight SLR2 on the DW AD-8 and have found it to be very usable for both stills and conservative video, carrying either a NEX-5n or a 5D mk2. The mount itself is adequately sturdy, there is no bend or flex and the standard bigger servos do not struggle. The total weight including the 100mw downlink Tx is 339g. The AV200 I bought as an alternative weighs 710g - and that is before you factor in the downlink and the recommended extras like dedicated LiPo or BEC for separate power supply. The SLR2 functions well with bog standard MK FC control and power.

The AV200 is more than a third of the advertised total payload capacity for an AD-8 HLE and will introduce extra problems with where to install the HDMI converter for the NEX-5n and will also necessitate changing over to standard LiPo bricks from the neat and tidy (but expensive) flat Vislero's.

As the HiSight SLR2 is sturdy, simple and light I continue with that for now and the AV200 will stay in bubble-wrap.

One last note. The HiSight SLR1 features the same sturdy construction as the SLR2 but it is cheaper and lighter and is still large enough for NEX use. The SLR2 is advertised as being suitable for the Canon 5D but this is B/S. The 5D is way out of balance with the provided mounting slots and if you cut a hole in the right place the 5D is then unable to tilt 90° down because it strikes the stupidly placed Roll axis servo.

I have posted a bunch of videos around here with various camera tests using the SLR2 mount.