Despite having only been on the market for less than a month or so, many filmmakers tend to consider the Ronin-S as the best single-handed gimbal currently available out there. With an impressive design and robust feature set that surpass most competing brands, the Ronin-S has been a pleasure to use for many video shooters who already got the chance to test it out.
Before you make your purchase, however, you might want to take a closer look at the video below produced by Kal Media that covers some less known quirks that every Ronin-S user should be aware of in advance.
First and foremost, the Ronin-S is not going to come cheap. With a price tag of $700, it’s definitely not a low-cost stabilizer. At the same time, the Ronin-S is around $50 less expensive than its direct competitor the Zhiyun Crane 2 and costs $200 less than DJI’s other popular offering, the Ronin-M.
Furthermore, with a payload of up to eight pounds, the Ronin-S can easily handle not only a wide range of mirrorless cameras and DSLRs but also heavier camcorders like the Canon C200, Sony FS5, and EVA1. Keep in mind, though, that the heavier the payload, the heavier total weight you will need to handle using one arm, which makes the Ronin-S less than ideal for vlogging or other shooting situations that require carrying the unit continuously for extended periods of time.
Even though you will find a Manfrotto quick release baseplate included with the gimbal, note that you won’t be able to mount a standard Manfrotto quick release baseplate on the DJI Ronin-S. Nonetheless, the provided baseplate should fit on particular Manfrotto fluid head models, but it’s still something that you’ll need to test out further.
Another quirk regarding the DJI Ronin-S is the fact that currently, you won’t be able to charge the battery handle of the unit separately. The only way you can do so is by attaching it to the gimbal and using the available USB-C port on the front.
Plus, to power on the Ronin-S, you’ll first need to turn on the battery handle and then tap the power button located on the device. Alternatively, you can use an external source such as power bank, but it should be able to provide enough juice to run the entire system properly.
Also, if you plan to pull focus with the built-in focus wheel, keep in mind that the focusing is not linear, meaning that you won’t be able to hit the same focus points every time unless you are focusing with the same speed. This shortcoming could be a real deal-breaker for some shooters, so it’s certainly something that should be considered before buying.
You might also stumble upon some balancing issues, with the gimbal’s arm depending on your camera setup. To solve this, you can simply lift up the camera slightly with your hand while making the arm adjustments on the back.
Last but not least, those of you who are using an Android device and setting up the DJI app for the first time, might not know that the default password you’ll need to dial in is 12345678, just in case if you haven’t figured that out yet.
Obviously, there are some quirks the Ronin-S users will need to deal with on the fly, so if you have already come across any other potential issues with the newcomer, feel free to share those in the comments below.
[source: KAL Media]
B&H Order Link:
DJI Ronin-S Single-Handed Gimbal
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