The Toad doesn’t replace anything with the standard Cinestar/MōVI or Cinestar/3-axis setup. In both of those cases, there is a 4-screw mount that mates them, and the Toad in the Hole sits between them. What it does do is add an inch and a half or so of space between them, which can potentially put more stress on the vibration isolators. But in my case, it hasn’t been an issue, and I’m very happy with it. Additionally, Freefly just started selling additional “Toads”, so I bought one to put on the handlebars for handheld use. I still have to remove the legs to convert it, but it does save a little time.Is the Toad a standalone mount for the M5? Do you still use the Cinestar adapter plate with the Toad? What about vibration isolation? There are pictures of it on the internet but it's not super obvious what it provides in terms of mounting details.
Thanks,
Bart
Super happy with my M5. Freefly have been terrific with support, and it's been a great experience. I am mostly flying the GH4 right now on my custom heavy lift X8. I did get the Toad, and it's great. Did a huge 5 mile hike with the copter recently and would never have tried it without the Toad.
Video from the flights is here: https://vimeo.com/94484422
View attachment 22464
That's a pretty long hike with an x8, batteries, and 3axis camera. How many peeps did you use to carry all the gear?
Raw footage looks pretty darn good. Wish we all could afford 5k for a gimbal. I B jealous.
Curious as to what FC and motors your running on you x8.
Thanks for sharing.
Is the Toad a standalone mount for the M5? Do you still use the Cinestar adapter plate with the Toad? What about vibration isolation? There are pictures of it on the internet but it's not super obvious what it provides in terms of mounting details.
Thanks,
Bart
It's just a socket and insert combination that allows quick mounting. For maximum flexibility you put the female/socket part (the $299 quick release) on the gimbal. Just take off the handles and screw it on. Then mount the male adapters -- one to the handles, and another to your copter. That's it. On the copter you still have to deal with isolation, etc., but just mount the adapter where you would otherwise mount the gimbal directly.
This quick release system is a very nice product apart from the M5. You could use it for a variety of things. The male adapters click into the receptacle and can be release by pushing in two opposing buttons (very easy and natural). At that point you have capture and 360 rotation so you can position the gimbal where you want it. Then there is a tension lever (adjustable) that locks the rotation.
I don't know if it mounts well to the adapter plate, but it is easy enough to drill a few holes to make it work. All you need is a mount point for the male adapter. I'm making what I need from carbon fiber sheet (the plan is to fly the M5 with my S1000 which works on paper anyway). I may need to extend the gear a bit to get enough clearance however.
The $299 item comes with a single male adapter. You will want to add another one to do what I described above.
Definitely not required to use their landing gear, but it is by far the lightest and most efficient system to use. There are certainly people using retracts. But they are heavier and add an element of complexity.
Right now I have an Iftron Mondo Stinger and the Freefly HDMI converter that I’ve mounted on the upper camera plate. I’m powering them off of a tap from the MōVI’s battery, which Freefly says not to do, but I’m doing, anyway. And it works great. My MōVI’s not even breaking a sweat flying the GH4, so its LiPo has plenty of extra juice, and it keeps things simple. I get 10-15 minutes flight time on a pair of 10000mAh batteries, and I change the MōVI battery after every flight, too. I could probably do two flights on one battery, but I don’t want to run them down too far.What are you using for an av feed with the movi setup for the GH4?
Happy with the movi overall on the x8?
Looking for a gimbal option with a bit more camera and lens flexibility over the zenmuse we have now for GH3.
Right now I have an Iftron Mondo Stinger and the Freefly HDMI converter that I’ve mounted on the upper camera plate. I’m powering them off of a tap from the MōVI’s battery, which Freefly says not to do, but I’m doing, anyway. And it works great. My MōVI’s not even breaking a sweat flying the GH4, so its LiPo has plenty of extra juice, and it keeps things simple. I get 10-15 minutes flight time on a pair of 10000mAh batteries, and I change the MōVI battery after every flight, too. I could probably do two flights on one battery, but I don’t want to run them down too far.
And I couldn’t be happier with the MōVI. It’s an awesome piece of kit, and beyond that, Freefly’s support has been absolutely stellar. I’m a happy customer!
And yes, I can change lenses, filters, even cameras in just a few minutes. No problem.
I switch to a 5D Mark III sometimes to do stills or use a specialty lens (super wide, tilt/shift, etc.).
Yes, my MōVI can pan 360° continuously. Its only connection to the copter is through the FreeFly “Toad in the Hole” quick-mount hardware. The gimbal’s power, motors and all its electronics are all self-contained on the gimbal, and I use a separate transmitter manned by my camera operator to steer it. Here’s an example of something we did today, and you can clearly see that the gimbal is capable of pretty cool moves.Thanks.
Can the movi be setup to provide 360 pan like zenmuse? I'm guessing if all your equipment is mounted to the movi it should be doable? Ie the pan motor would mount to the multicopter frame but all it's gear is below that point?