DJI entering the ground cine market!

This thing looks interesting. 4 Axis stabilisation sounds like a great idea. Can't wait to find out more. PS love the way the announce their gear. Looks like the new drone will be out shortly too.

Looks like a rigged up box form factor camera in one. Hmmm.... I think we can see the direction of where box form factor is trending and for good reasons. BMD, are you following this?

here are some pics of the ronin 4D

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What's the sensor? Does it support interchangeable lenses?

What's the sensor? Does it support interchangeable lenses?

Yes it will and it will shoot 8k raw. X7 lenses will fit from what I hear.


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What's the sensor? Does it support interchangeable lenses?

Yes it will and it will shoot 8k raw. X7 lenses will fit from what I hear.
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Thanks. It would be nice if they have a M4/3 version. I recalled they did an M4/3 for the X5S.

it is supposed to be an s35 sensor with 6k (8k?) and MFT mount.

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Looks like an unfit frankenrig that would not be fun to operate.


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It looks like the Laser cutter that opens a hole in the Nostromo Lifeboat they find Ripley in at the beginning of Aliens 3 !!!

Looks interesting. Keen to learn more about it on Monday.

Not really entering the cine market.....

They already tried with the DJI Osmo a few years ago...and failed...

https://www.dji.com/osmo-pro-and-raw

It failed because they used a pretty crappy sensor and thing had very noisy fans...you couldn't really record sound with it operating nearby....

I'm guessing 135 / FF size sensor, recording to ProRes RAW....Nice new Hassy lenses too by the look.

It could be cool...aside from the ProRes RAW bit...

jb

Yes,
just another Osmo RAW with "Z" Axis, which uses X5 /X5R M4/3 sensor used on DJI Inspire 1 RAW drone.

Took long time to make this version which is similar idea but compatible with Inspire 2 drone type cameras.

My opinion is that OSMO RAW failed , though it was way advanced in 2016, it was expensive , had many issues like connectivity for monitoring via wifi to phone as well as noisy fans, difficult workflow of exporting files from buggy "CineLight" DJI software and 512GB SSD drives were super expensive at $1600 ... it just was not friendly at all...however ... this things really had huge potential for car shots and tight spaces, could be monitored and controlled wirelessly capable of stunning images...

Now, not sure if it is game changer now where we have so many options to stabilise cameras of choice.
They are 3 years late on this one I think.

DJI's announcement is really incredible! Anyone want to buy my URSA 12K kit?

Yep I've got my credit card ready. Let's Go! They're doing it right!

here we are:

https://www.dji.com/ronin-4d?utm_source ... launch-r4d

looks like a pipe burst - at least worthless ; -)


.

Yep I've got my credit card ready. Let's Go! They're doing it right!

I’d keep the 12k. I own an Inspire 1 RAW X5R and Osmo, Mavic Pro 2 and have also owned a Ronin M in the past. Everything I know about DJI and I’ve owned DJI since 2015, is that what they are releasing today is the beta for the next release which will have the “fixes”. But if you really want one, wait until it’s in the real hands of people. It’s definitely an interesting piece of gear…


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Looks like DJI really hit this one out of the ball park! Excellent codecs, 6K, 16-bit RAW, ProRes RAW is a winner, beautiful color, full frame, outstanding menu, ND filters (up to around 9 stops), shutter angle, skin tones look great, good battery life, several mount options, no overheating, manual focus with peaking is fabulous... apparently the footage has lots of latitude in post.

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Excellent to see a company really innovating. A very exciting release!

I should clarify, I really don't intend to sell my 12K for one of these. But I am very interested in the product. Keen to see what people think of it. After seeing BM cut the 12K price almost down the middle in less than a year, I will not buy a camera from them again until it goes on sale. That was a stupid move and really slapped buyers in the face. I like the camera, but that was wrong. This new camera from DJI really looks like it has all the bells and whistles. I'm all for Prores. I'll likely wait for Gen 2 of the new camera from DJI. Done being a companies beta tester haha!

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Fascinatingly innovative.

Full marks for the lidar focusing system and the vertical-axis stabilization.

Not too keen on the lens mount though.

I’d hold on for a future iteration with double z-axis arms, increased payload capacity, body-vest mounting options, and hopefully more diverse lens selections.

Hope DJI and others continue to innovate.

Is there a published weight limit on the lenses you can mount?

Is there a published weight limit on the lenses you can mount?

Maximum Z-Axis Payload 2000 g (including 1040 g gimbal)

https://www.dji.com/ronin-4d/specs

so, not any cine lens will fit on weight or size with gimbal use +g*

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Here is a 22 page special report including their user experience and interview from Film and Digital Times:
https://www.fdtimes.com/wp-content/uplo ... Report.pdf

from the launch event ;- )

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Yep I've got my credit card ready. Let's Go! They're doing it right!

I’d keep the 12k. I own an Inspire 1 RAW X5R and Osmo, Mavic Pro 2 and have also owned a Ronin M in the past. Everything I know about DJI and I’ve owned DJI since 2015, is that what they are releasing today is the beta for the next release which will have the “fixes”. But if you really want one, wait until it’s in the real hands of people. It’s definitely an interesting piece of gear…


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+ 1

same here :

Ronin MX
Osmo RAW
3 x Inspire 1 Raw
OM4

Sounds perfect, i am aftaid it will be "buggy" like others with so much tech jammed in.
It is more about question who is it for?

I do like that records on Micro SD cards that is big plus compare to Osmo RAW. which i still have.

At this point weebill S and bmpcc on some steadycam vest kit is all i need and Segway scooter.
Not really after full frame sensor M4/3 is all i need.

Z9 gimbal probably will be fit for new Inspire 3 that is more interesting news.

Is there a published weight limit on the lenses you can mount?

Maximum lens weight 600g,

I should clarify, I really don't intend to sell my 12K for one of these. But I am very interested in the product. Keen to see what people think of it. After seeing BM cut the 12K price almost down the middle in less than a year, I will not buy a camera from them again until it goes on sale. That was a stupid move and really slapped buyers in the face. I like the camera, but that was wrong. This new camera from DJI really looks like it has all the bells and whistles. I'm all for Prores. I'll likely wait for Gen 2 of the new camera from DJI. Done being a companies beta tester haha!

DJI has done it too many times.

They slashed DJI Inspire RAW kit from $11,000 to $5599 just over 12 months after release.
Autel EVO 2 Pro slashed price by half within less then 8 months.
Paid almost $5,000 for kit in December last year now they sell for $2500.

I can see how Ronin 4 will also half price given that it is geared towards niche market.

Lesson is not to go and buy new tech immidetly unless you absolutly need it to make money with it as it is evolving fast these days.

Another question is do we REALLY need it any longer given what is available already for past 5 years ?
Human eyes have not improved at all.
I am all for 2K delivery downsampled from 4K in ProRes 4444.

So will faultlessly operated 4th axis gimbal shots with subjects maintained in exquisite focus become so tiresome, like the spectacular drone shots which are now as about as exciting as sex scenes with everbody's clothes on, that editors will start using shaky-cam plugins?

That aside, it looks pretty interesting and here's waiting for some log footage to muck with....

"The camera completely exceeded my expectations in low light. What I saw was really soft roll off, lots of shadow detail, and really good color rendition in the shadows. Dynamic range is all about highlight retention and how well the camera handles highlights, especially as it approaches clip. And so, as a result, I found the day exterior work on the beach to be really beautiful, and in particular those highlights at the beach on our actress's face". -Erik Messerschmidt

All the DPs in the launch video seem to be seriously impressed with the focus capabilities and wireless video transmission of the camera. The footage I'm seeing out of the DJI looks pretty spectacular.

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Here's hoping they do a massive price cut, I'll jump on board then.
I'm impressed with the R4D, hopefully it is as awesome as they say in the marketing video

Some features are not available at launch but are promised in an update. Something to consider and might also cause some orders to be delayed until the firmware catches up with all the announced features. Also third-parties likely will develop items that integrate with the Ronin 4D over the next year that make it more useful or easier to operate.

The sample videos supplied by DJI’s reviewers look good of course. We need time to learn more about the things we’re not being shown in these intro promos.

But if you are happy with what’s available now, and can make good use for it given the limitations around lenses, it has a lot of compelling features.

I will waite for the price cut and after they have released all the firmware improvements 8-10 months time.

If there are any weaknesses in a system, whether it's with sharpness, noise in the shadows, banding, weak dynamic range or poor highlight roll off - those problems aren't going to be any less pronounced in HDR. So it's with great interest that I listened to Messerschmidt - an HDR evangelist - talk about how the DJI footage looked in Dolby Vision.

"ProRes RAW it's totally new - for me anyway - you know I just started, that's a completely new format for me. We opened it in BaseLight, which opens it natively. It seemed to have plenty of dynamic range. It was sharp, we didn't see any aliasing issues, we didn't see any banding or breakup. It's clearly got plenty of bit depth and dynamic range. And we were looking at it in HDR actually, so we looked at it in Dolby PQ in DCI-P3 and it looked fabulous, it was on par with anything else, for sure". -Erik Messerschmidt

"Leading cinematographers across the globe have been testing prototype after prototype, giving constant feedback, and working with DJI on the development of the Ronin 4D. In addition, starting today, DJI is announcing that eight of the industry’s leading and award-winning DPs will work directly with DJI and Ronin 4D for their upcoming works. These include: Rodney Charters, ASC, CNSC, NZCS; Takuro Ishizaka, JSC; Rachel Morrison, ASC; XiaoShi Zhao, CNSC; and Academy Award winners for Best Cinematography: Erik Messerschmidt, ASC; Claudio Miranda, ASC; and Peter Pau, HKSC". - Newsshooter

Mate that’s an Arri focus puller. They used a DJI puller.

Here’s the DJI puller.

His point is the entire package is very cheap for what it affords already (comparing the total cost to that of just the Arri focus unit), so there's no chance of a price cut.

Light Ranger hand control comparable to the ARRI is $9,500. I’m suspecting these have more functionality than the DJI but the hand controller is only one of a few pieces of gear required and each piece is about $5,000. The DJI Ronin 4D is a bargain when you compare it to the industry heavyweights.
https://prestoncinema.com/#!/products/product-info/

Light Ranger hand control comparable to the ARRI is $9,500. I’m suspecting these have more functionality than the DJI but the hand controller is only one of a few pieces of gear required and each piece is about $5,000. The DJI Ronin 4D is a bargain when you compare it to the industry heavyweights.
https://prestoncinema.com/#!/products/product-info/

Agreed Rick. What i like about this is the disruption in the Space. Just like blackmagic did. But at some point all lines will be blurred when it comes to resolution of cameras and dynamic range. Arri, Red, Sony, Blackmagic. Most people can’t tell what your project was shot on at the moment. Eventually, I believe it will boil down to the two words you used above. ”‘Functionality” and “Bargain”.

As the industry is finding ways to cut costs, in the coming years whatever company that can bring cameras to market that can save a production money, with multiple feature sets will become king in the space. To my beloved blackmagic. After seeing this product from Dji. I don’t see why we can’t have wireless transmission from camera to a blackmagic 12g monitor. If Dji can do all of that for $7200. I definitely know we can as well.

Agreed Rick. What i like about this is the disruption in the Space. Just like blackmagic did… As the industry is finding ways to cut costs, in the coming years whatever company that can bring cameras to market that can save a production money, with multiple feature sets will become king in the space...

Yes, the degree of integration by DJI reminded me of Blackmagic’s potential to further innovate. Adoption by the industry is always a work in progress and requires reliable products and rapid response to difficulties. The number of respected heavyweights that DJI has deployed to refine development of (and now market) the Ronin 4D is almost shocking. To have many commitments to use the DJI product in future productions probably goes way beyond anything BMD has considered doing. I’m turning blue having held my breath during the period when we thought NAB 2021 would be an in-person experience as I thought BMD might use this timeframe to make further announcements; now NAB 2022 is expected to have in-person attendees once again and thoughts are switching to focus on the next NAB.

On a personal note, on October 25, 2021, British Columbia will be removing attendance limits on gatherings (as long everyone has been doubly vaccinated) so I expect to be resuming my event recordings and hopefully narrative work later this year!

That’s promising news Rick. And i couldn’t have said it better myself.

Light Ranger hand control comparable to the ARRI is $9,500. I’m suspecting these have more functionality than the DJI but the hand controller is only one of a few pieces of gear required and each piece is about $5,000. The DJI Ronin 4D is a bargain when you compare it to the industry heavyweights.
https://prestoncinema.com/#!/products/product-info/

Light ranger isn’t a lidar Rick.

JB

I think what I'm seeing here is a desire for Blackmagic Design to make their own Wireless Lens Control System? I think I've mentioned this before in one of my crazy ideas...

By the way, DaVinci Resolve 17.4 is an OMG! WTF?! They just blew my mind.

So, I think I will wait to see what Blackmagic does next. I have my Camera Evolution Thread that I started. I'm so excited to see what they do next. Oh boy... they're going to blow our minds. I'm sure. The 12K sensor was just a sensor update. More is on the horizon. I can't wait!

BM have some serious competition. A Pocket 6K Pro isn't going to cut it for very long in a world of full frame cameras and Z-Axis stabilization. I love BM, I love my Pocket 4K and my UMP G2. I've made half a million dollars in less than three years shooting beautiful work on them. But they have very, very serious competition now. Across the board. Do they just focus on the very low end? Or do they innovate and surprise us?

I was thinking of Sam Mendes's "1917" imagine how much a Ronin 4D could have added or reduce production costs if it was around when it was filmed?

I was thinking of Sam Mendes's "1917" imagine how much a Ronin 4D could have added or reduce production costs if it was around when it was filmed?

Absolutely!

https://www.dji.com/ronin-4d/master

I was thinking of Sam Mendes's "1917" imagine how much a Ronin 4D could have added or reduce production costs if it was around when it was filmed?

If only the production costs for Hollywood studio films were significantly influenced by just the type of equipment.

Production of studio films, whether they are large or small, is sharply moulded by longstanding relationships and closed-loop networking forged over decades. This applies not just to Hollywood, but also to other major film industries around the world.

By extension, this also applies to the rest of the cast and crew – social circles come first.

That’s one of the main reasons Arri, and to an extent, Panavision, have been able to sustain dominance for so long – they either have enduring and direct association with major cinematographers or with the rental companies that filmmakers prefer.

It’s not just about the ease of use, affordability, and dependability of camera equipment, but also about trustworthy connections with camera people on whom productions depend on for functioning like a well-oiled machine.

Problem with a few of the working cameras? Here’s our guy from Arri Rental to fix it on the go.

Want a custom lens set designed to your own specifications? Here’s our VP from optical engineering ready to start building them right away.

Gear can’t be fixed? There’s a rental outlet just a few miles away ready to transport replacement equipment within a few hours.

That’s why other camera manufacturers either struggle to make inroads in Hollywood or cannot achieve primacy – why would anyone obliterate established relationships just because new technology is appealing?

I’m fairly certain that even if the Ronin 4D was available back then and 1917’s productions costs could’ve been slashed by half, Roger Deakins – who has an incredibly a close working relationship with Arri – Sam Mendes, and their producing partners wouldn’t have budged about using the Mini LF prototype and other Arri gear.

I was thinking of Sam Mendes's "1917" imagine how much a Ronin 4D could have added or reduce production costs if it was around when it was filmed?

Absolutely!

https://www.dji.com/ronin-4d/master

They would never have used it. The mechanized gimbal movement would have been no good for that movie. And given a budget of about $100 million, the difference wouldn't have amounted to lunch.

I was thinking of Sam Mendes's "1917" imagine how much a Ronin 4D could have added or reduce production costs if it was around when it was filmed?

It wouldn’t have been used.

It wouldn’t have been used because you can’t use the same lenses you’re using on your A camera.

It’s unlikely you’d choose to use this camera in this scenario. A Steadicam with a trinity is what this is trying to mimic but let’s not pretend it’s little more than a smaller version of that. It might be useful in certain situations but there’s some very big limitations to using this compared to other options.

JB

I was thinking of Sam Mendes's "1917" imagine how much a Ronin 4D could have added or reduce production costs if it was around when it was filmed?

It wouldn’t have been used.

It wouldn’t have been used because you can’t use the same lenses you’re using on your A camera.

It’s unlikely you’d choose to use this camera in this scenario. A Steadicam with a trinity is what this is trying to mimic but let’s not pretend it’s little more than a smaller version of that. It might be useful in certain situations but there’s some very big limitations to using this compared to other options.

JB

Not on big budget production in Hollywood like "1917". This is a poor man's solution to big budget gears like the Steadicam with a trinity and the likes of it. Indie projects could fine use for it however there's just too many cameras and options in the market these days. What I am finding is that the technology is not the barrier of entry anymore for new films; it is how much funding and interest you can get for your next film [story].

I was thinking of Sam Mendes's "1917" imagine how much a Ronin 4D could have added or reduce production costs if it was around when it was filmed?

It wouldn’t have been used.

It wouldn’t have been used because you can’t use the same lenses you’re using on your A camera.

It’s unlikely you’d choose to use this camera in this scenario. A Steadicam with a trinity is what this is trying to mimic but let’s not pretend it’s little more than a smaller version of that. It might be useful in certain situations but there’s some very big limitations to using this compared to other options.

JB

Probably not as A cam replacement. There is a lot of explosions involved and I feel they could risk several Ronin 4Ds that they would not with an Alexa Mini.