Benjamin Kenobi
Easy? You call that easy?
Yes, get a DJI Zenmuse gimbal. They just work. Or the MOVI range which are brilliant and versatile.
Or buy another gimbal, find it doesn't work and then buy another one...
BMPCC, GH4, 5DmkIII, NEX7...did I miss any?
- Thread starter Bartman
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Yes, get a DJI Zenmuse gimbal. They just work. Or the MOVI range which are brilliant and versatile.
Or buy another gimbal, find it doesn't work and then buy another one...
Av8Chuck
Member
I agree. Unfortunately spending a lot of money doesn't come close to guaranteeing you get a solution that doesn't require a lot of tuning and setup. I'm not slamming anyone, its just kind of where things are but if you think about how fast gimbals have improved over the past two years its pretty remarkable.
The Movi is the first that I would say is NOT DIY and if you buy into their approach of building an active camera gimbal that you can mount to just about anything that adds considerable value to their product line. So depending on your application it certainly could be worth the investment, if all you want is a gimbal you can fly then its still a DYI adventure probably mostly because of the controller. But even that's changing fairly quickly.
The Movi is the first that I would say is NOT DIY and if you buy into their approach of building an active camera gimbal that you can mount to just about anything that adds considerable value to their product line. So depending on your application it certainly could be worth the investment, if all you want is a gimbal you can fly then its still a DYI adventure probably mostly because of the controller. But even that's changing fairly quickly.
MombasaFlash
Heli's & Tele's bloke
It is all about the camera. Once that is decided the rest follows. The camera will dictate the type/size/price of the gimbal and that combination will dictate the type/size of airframe.
So, what camera?
With the merciful coming of the brushless gimbal age we no longer need to waste our precious life seconds on AV200's and Piclocs ... better make that months ... and are now faced with essentially three Classes: Mirrorless, 5D and RED.
Despite an unquenchable desire on occasion to see DJI swept into the sea or engulfed by a volcano, there is no avoiding the fact that the Zenmuse' range are incredibly reasonably priced for the performance they offer and I have little doubt that the 'RED Class' Ronin will be just as good - at a third of the MOVI price. DJI have covered all the bases - dammit.
After that there are the independent makers - Defy, Be Steady and a few lesser known efforts - and of course, the MOVI.
The somewhat limited choice might appear sort of disappointing, but then don't lose sight of the fact that they do all work. And all you have to do is pay money.
So, what camera?
With the merciful coming of the brushless gimbal age we no longer need to waste our precious life seconds on AV200's and Piclocs ... better make that months ... and are now faced with essentially three Classes: Mirrorless, 5D and RED.
Despite an unquenchable desire on occasion to see DJI swept into the sea or engulfed by a volcano, there is no avoiding the fact that the Zenmuse' range are incredibly reasonably priced for the performance they offer and I have little doubt that the 'RED Class' Ronin will be just as good - at a third of the MOVI price. DJI have covered all the bases - dammit.
After that there are the independent makers - Defy, Be Steady and a few lesser known efforts - and of course, the MOVI.
The somewhat limited choice might appear sort of disappointing, but then don't lose sight of the fact that they do all work. And all you have to do is pay money.
Honestly, I don,t know yet as I am having a few small problems with my MR and I want to make sure everything is working well before flying it properly.
I have had 1 test flight.
Now if you want a gimbal for ground work, I can say the Movi is flawless, it does exactly what its supposed to, not to mention you can set up a camera from the BMPCC right upto a Canon C100 with almost any lens you choose(within 10 mins I might add).
I have done the Alexmos route and did not have a good time, I have done the Zenmuse route and had too many problems.
TBH all the good things I have heard from the Zenmuse has been the old GH2 ones which first came out, there have been a lot of problems with the newer ones.
All these new brushless gimbals have been around now for over a year, and things aren't moving as quickly as I thought they would, go searching for problems users have had with their Movis, you will be hard pushed to find much, not so the case with others.
With Freefly you are paying for the controller/Software, and not so much the hardware, the hardware is the "easier" side of things.
Such great information here, thank you. Right now I'm ready to fly a 5DM2. My next camera will likely be the GH4. Down the line Epic/Scarlet (which I already own). I'm not currently considering anything that will lift the Scarlet because of price.
Movi 5: I'm a "normal" camera operator so a system that would go from MR to handheld would rock. Unfortunately, I just don't have $5K. Moreover, I fear that this technology is moving fast enough, and is accessible enough to startups, that a $5K Movi 5 might be worth $1.5K in six months.
Zenmuse: I'm open to this and, in fact, until recently always assume I'd buy one. I know it usually works great. The problem is what if it doesn't? Am I stuck with a $2.5K doorstop? The other downside is that I must have WKM or A2 for a Zenmuse. Lastly, will the reported Phobotic developments also make a much cheaper, more versatile gimbal available soon?
Movi 5: I'm a "normal" camera operator so a system that would go from MR to handheld would rock. Unfortunately, I just don't have $5K. Moreover, I fear that this technology is moving fast enough, and is accessible enough to startups, that a $5K Movi 5 might be worth $1.5K in six months.
Zenmuse: I'm open to this and, in fact, until recently always assume I'd buy one. I know it usually works great. The problem is what if it doesn't? Am I stuck with a $2.5K doorstop? The other downside is that I must have WKM or A2 for a Zenmuse. Lastly, will the reported Phobotic developments also make a much cheaper, more versatile gimbal available soon?
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MombasaFlash
Heli's & Tele's bloke
Can't blame you for hesitating with DJI gear. They have a pretty appalling record generally. My first Z15-GH2 was replaced due to the horizon being too far off. In fact I learned how to fix it but events were already in motion so I swapped it anyway.
The Z15-GH3 came along and it was full of issues but, to their credit, DJI did sort them out with firmware updates. It has slightly odd mannerisms (noisy motors and clunky 90° down) but its performance and operation are both superior to the original.
The Z15-GH3 came along and it was full of issues but, to their credit, DJI did sort them out with firmware updates. It has slightly odd mannerisms (noisy motors and clunky 90° down) but its performance and operation are both superior to the original.