# Industry News: DJI Revolutionizes Filmmaking With World’s First 4-Axis Cinema Camera



## Canon Rumors Guy (Oct 20, 2021)

> DJI, the global leader in civilian drones and creative camera technology, today launches a comprehensive cinematography system that heralds the next generation of film production. DJI Ronin 4D combines the all-new full-frame Zenmuse X9 gimbal camera, a 4-axis stabilization system, a LiDAR focusing system, and an unrivalled video transmission and control system in a single unit. Designed and built to the exacting standards of professional filmmakers, DJI Ronin 4D makes high-end productions more efficient, makes spectacular camera moves possible in the most convenient way, and enables creative professionals to tell their stories with an entirely new visual language.
> “DJI empowers creators with accessible and intuitive devices to capture and share the world exactly how they see it,” said Paul Pan, DJI Senior Product Line Manager. “With DJI Ronin 4D, we use the power of technology to make cinema-standard production more affordable, cinema cameras more flexible, and cinematic imaging...



Continue reading...


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## pauloancarvalho (Oct 20, 2021)

Why is this considered revolutionary?


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## Canon Rumors Guy (Oct 20, 2021)

pauloancarvalho said:


> Why is this considered revolutionary?


Everything these companies do is "revolutionary". Check out the super-thin bezel notch MacBook pros!


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## pauloancarvalho (Oct 20, 2021)

Canon Rumors Guy said:


> Everything these companies do is "revolutionary". Check out the super-thin bezel notch MacBook pros!


I have a MacBook Pro and love it, but I don't think it's revolutionary either.


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## RayValdez360 (Oct 20, 2021)

pauloancarvalho said:


> Why is this considered revolutionary?


Dont be a hater. Seems like the ultimate all in one cinema package for a solo operator. It looks like the combined everything we need and want thatis possible with today's standards. they added 4th axis stability which is new to most gimal or all gimbals without outside attachments. the only thing it cant do is fly on its own. This is what happens when a company observes and listens to consumer demands. Hopefully the build quality is good and the software behind it works properly.


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## victorshikhman (Oct 20, 2021)

> the only thing it cant do is fly on its own...



...YET!
When it flies on its own, dollars to donuts that DJI will be the company that makes it happen. This company made basic gimbals like 7 years ago, then they took over 90% of the consumer/prosumer drone market, especially the mid-higher end, and now they're disrupting low end cinema with a solution that leverages their unique value added. They're hungry and they've got a component ecosystem and engineering experience to do this kind of stuff probably second to none.


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## pauloancarvalho (Oct 20, 2021)

RayValdez360 said:


> Dont be a hater. Seems like the ultimate all in one cinema package for a solo operator. It looks like the combined everything we need and want thatis possible with today's standards. they added 4th axis stability which is new to most gimal or all gimbals without outside attachments. the only thing it cant do is fly on its own. This is what happens when a company observes and listens to consumer demands. Hopefully the build quality is good and the software behind it works properly.


For me revolutionary is something more uniqure. This is just a very good camera/gimbal setup. It's not that you can produce something you couldn't before with regular cameras + gimbal combos.


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## jvillain (Oct 20, 2021)

They pack a lot in for the price but there are a lot of issues as well. No EF or PL lenses supported is an issue. Having all that in one package means there is a lot to go wrong and you need to swap the whole thing out if it does. I wouldn't want to be hand holding it all day. I expect people will be using this with an easy rig or float which then kind of defeats the purpose. If you look at the video the root top shot at the beginning shows the up and down of foot steps which this thing is suposed to eliminate. I am curious about the upgraded LIDAR. The videos I have seen of the current one with the RS2 have issues with focusing on the wrong things. If they can improve it it will be interesting. As a statement this is pretty impressive


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## Axilrod (Oct 20, 2021)

jvillain said:


> They pack a lot in for the price but there are a lot of issues as well. No EF or PL lenses supported is an issue. Having all that in one package means there is a lot to go wrong and you need to swap the whole thing out if it does. I wouldn't want to be hand holding it all day. I expect people will be using this with an easy rig or float which then kind of defeats the purpose. If you look at the video the root top shot at the beginning shows the up and down of foot steps which this thing is suposed to eliminate. I am curious about the upgraded LIDAR. The videos I have seen of the current one with the RS2 have issues with focusing on the wrong things. If they can improve it it will be interesting. As a statement this is pretty impressive


From all the reviews I've seen the Lidar AF seems to work very well


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## Axilrod (Oct 20, 2021)

victorshikhman said:


> ...YET!
> When it flies on its own, dollars to donuts that DJI will be the company that makes it happen. This company made basic gimbals like 7 years ago, then they took over 90% of the consumer/prosumer drone market, especially the mid-higher end, and now they're disrupting low end cinema with a solution that leverages their unique value added. They're hungry and they've got a component ecosystem and engineering experience to do this kind of stuff probably second to none.


I agree with all of this but Freefly made the first 3 axis gimbal, but DJI was quick to copy it and bring the price down a lot. The Freefly M10 was $15k on release and dropped to $8k as soon as the original Ronin came out.


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## Axilrod (Oct 20, 2021)

pauloancarvalho said:


> Why is this considered revolutionary?


One thing that seems revolutionary is that I haven't seen a single person thats tested it complain about anything, they all seem to love it, which is unusual in this day and age. I guess only real main thing thats unusual is the built in 4 axis gimbal. Also it comes pretty ready to go right out of the box and has a lot of cool features. Super bright monitor, handles, built in nds, lidar af, can be wirelessly operated from a few miles away. Compare that to RED that sells you a box for $6k then charges $500 for a handle, $500 for a 512GB CFast card and $3000 for a monitor. Seems like a really good option for a small crew or small budget scenario. Also as someone that uses gimbals constantly the idea of not having to deal with setting up and removing sounds very appealing. 

My only gripe is that when they say 6K/8K RAW I was hoping they meant actual RAW, not Prores RAW. Prores RAW is great but you cant save highlights like you can with cinemadng or anything.


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## LukasS (Oct 20, 2021)

pauloancarvalho said:


> Why is this considered revolutionary?


Why not? Setup definitely has strong points, it's very unique. Kinda like C70 - first of its kind. Foot in the door; market feeler.

I wish they used V mount batteries - or maybe adapter, and lack of RF mount makes it little disappointing, but they can always add later - it's pretty modular.


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## RayValdez360 (Oct 20, 2021)

Axilrod said:


> One thing that seems revolutionary is that I haven't seen a single person thats tested it complain about anything, they all seem to love it, which is unusual in this day and age. I guess only real main thing thats unusual is the built in 4 axis gimbal. Also it comes pretty ready to go right out of the box and has a lot of cool features. Super bright monitor, handles, built in nds, lidar af, can be wirelessly operated from a few miles away. Compare that to RED that sells you a box for $6k then charges $500 for a handle, $500 for a 512GB CFast card and $3000 for a monitor. Seems like a really good option for a small crew or small budget scenario. Also as someone that uses gimbals constantly the idea of not having to deal with setting up and removing sounds very appealing.
> 
> My only gripe is that when they say 6K/8K RAW I was hoping they meant actual RAW, not Prores RAW. Prores RAW is great but you cant save highlights like you can with cinemadng or anything.


RED will nickle and dime the hell out of you. They damn near just selling sensors.


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## RunAndGun (Oct 20, 2021)

pauloancarvalho said:


> I have a MacBook Pro and love it, but I don't think it's revolutionary either.


CRG's comment was sarcasm.


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## Mt Spokane Photography (Oct 21, 2021)

Haven't you heard --- Harry Film has patented a 12 axis large format camera / gimbal. It does fly itself and can even reach orbit.


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## DBounce (Oct 21, 2021)

pauloancarvalho said:


> For me revolutionary is something more uniqure. This is just a very good camera/gimbal setup. It's not that you can produce something you couldn't before with regular cameras + gimbal combos.


What other all in one camera gimbals are there with internal ProRes Raw, ND filters, intelligent 4th axis, built in full wireless control and monitoring, full frame and Lidar?
This thing is absolutely jam packed with everything a solo operator could need. Nothing else comes close in as small and affordable a package.

I liked it so much that I immediately ordered the 8K combo.


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## Rzrsharp (Oct 21, 2021)

This is the true renovation and revolution. Look at how it connects parts and the remote control, products from canon and Sony look like toys now. The changes on camera from Canon or Sony are mostly sorts of small technique improvements not revolutionary renovation. 
Lidar doesn't not appear on any major Japanese brand cameras. They just try their best on improving century old AF technology. 

Protectionism of Canon RF mount makes canon lens out of on the list of this newbie. 


Everything happens very fast now. Take care we loved Japanese camera maker!


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## peters (Oct 21, 2021)

RayValdez360 said:


> Dont be a hater. Seems like the ultimate all in one cinema package for a solo operator. It looks like the combined everything we need and want thatis possible with today's standards. they added 4th axis stability which is new to most gimal or all gimbals without outside attachments. the only thing it cant do is fly on its own. This is what happens when a company observes and listens to consumer demands. Hopefully the build quality is good and the software behind it works properly.


I agree =) 
Its not exactly the product I need. I also think a cinema camera is "better", because it can be easily rigged on a gimbal, why this camera is locked to the gimbal and offers not that much lense choices.
But I can totaly see that this is a SUPER handy tool for affordable and very easy productions withouth sacrafising to much quality. The 4th axis stabilization looks great and is certainly a great feature. Its a very interesting new approach.
DJI indeed listens to the customers and looks for new and practical ways to create tools. Competition is always great =)


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## peters (Oct 21, 2021)

Axilrod said:


> One thing that seems revolutionary is that I haven't seen a single person thats tested it complain about anything, they all seem to love it, which is unusual in this day and age. I guess only real main thing thats unusual is the built in 4 axis gimbal. Also it comes pretty ready to go right out of the box and has a lot of cool features. Super bright monitor, handles, built in nds, lidar af, can be wirelessly operated from a few miles away. Compare that to RED that sells you a box for $6k then charges $500 for a handle, $500 for a 512GB CFast card and $3000 for a monitor. Seems like a really good option for a small crew or small budget scenario. Also as someone that uses gimbals constantly the idea of not having to deal with setting up and removing sounds very appealing.



Keep in mind, this early reviews are probably all partnered with DJI. Also 99,999% of YouTube Reviews are by now pretty much commercials - they ALL have affiliated links and therefore a big interest in hyping any product they can find. 
Anyway, I can belive that this is a good product since DJI listens very much to the customers. I think its indeed a small revolution - this concept was never seen before. Sure, gimbals may be used with any camera, but this all-in-one package certainly got its appeal


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## pauloancarvalho (Oct 21, 2021)

peters said:


> Keep in mind, this early reviews are probably all partnered with DJI. Also 99,999% of YouTube Reviews are by now pretty much commercials - they ALL have affiliated links and therefore a big interest in hyping any product they can find.
> Anyway, I can belive that this is a good product since DJI listens very much to the customers. I think its indeed a small revolution - this concept was never seen before. Sure, gimbals may be used with any camera, but this all-in-one package certainly got its appeal


I would gladly review any camera a say only good things about it if they partnered with me, I would even switch brands! (smile with money in the eyes)*


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## DBounce (Oct 21, 2021)

peters said:


> Keep in mind, this early reviews are probably all partnered with DJI. Also 99,999% of YouTube Reviews are by now pretty much commercials - they ALL have affiliated links and therefore a big interest in hyping any product they can find.
> Anyway, I can belive that this is a good product since DJI listens very much to the customers. I think its indeed a small revolution - this concept was never seen before. Sure, gimbals may be used with any camera, but this all-in-one package certainly got its appeal


Then what’s up with Peter McKinnon and Vanessa joy… both partnered with Canon, and both said they are not switching to the R3?
I’m think if DJI has executed this product correctly, which they seem to have, filmmakers will naturally love it.


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## HenryL (Oct 21, 2021)

DBounce said:


> Then what’s up with Peter McKinnon and Vanessa joy… both partnered with Canon, and both said they are not switching to the R3?
> I’m think if DJI has executed this product correctly, which they seem to have, filmmakers will naturally love it.


Did Vanessa Joy say that, though? At the end of her video contrasting the R5 & R3, I recall her saying the two complement each other well and make the perfect duo. She did say that if she was forced to use only one camera it would be the R5, but she also said she's always used a dual camera kit so I had the impression she would ultimately use both.


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## jvillain (Oct 21, 2021)

Axilrod said:


> From all the reviews I've seen the Lidar AF seems to work very well


Have a look at this test. While it can lock on when she is very close it struggles at any distance.





While Josh Yo had mostly positive things to say about it he also found places where it was problematic like focusing on his nose rather than his eyes. (to be expected) but certain materials just don't work. Jerald had even more issues with it.






Having pointed that out there were a flood of videos on the new camera on YT yesteray and DJI has apparently made some big improvements including a grah that looks a bit like a parade graph that you can use to get your range better. But that feels more like a focus assist than an autofocus feature. We will see more over the coming days as it gts used more.



DBounce said:


> Then what’s up with Peter McKinnon and Vanessa joy… both partnered with Canon, and both said they are not switching to the R3?
> I’m think if DJI has executed this product correctly, which they seem to have, filmmakers will naturally love it.


The R5 makes a lot more sense for Peter and he has said repeatedly he will use it. The R3 is for sports photographers which isn't what Peter does. What I find more interesting is all the love he gave the DJI camera in his latest video. It made me wonder how his contract with Canon reads.


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## DBounce (Oct 21, 2021)

jvillain said:


> Have a look at this test. While it can lock on when she is very close it struggles at any distance.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I’ve owned a fair share of DJI products… They’ve been pretty good. I honestly believe they knocked it out of the park with the Ronin 4D.


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## HarryFilm (Oct 22, 2021)

Mt Spokane Photography said:


> Haven't you heard --- Harry Film has patented a 12 axis large format camera / gimbal. It does fly itself and can even reach orbit.


It's actually an ALL-AXIS Ferro-Fluid-based Magnetic-Ride Shocks Camera Stabilization System that pushes and pulls multiple sets of pistons within an electric-current-triggered ferro-fluid to SMOOTHLY DAMPEN camera movements and FULLY stabilize a LARGE FORMAT 120 mm by 120 mm sized square sensor DCI 16K Resolution camera.

AND YES it's been in orbit already!

It will be disclosed publicly in about two weeks as FULLY OPEN SOURCE technology under GPL-3 licence terms!

Here's the details on the PUBLIC DISLOSED OPEN SOURCE on the rotating and slider-based multi-image-sensor-block information:






16K Resolution Camera Leak – Free and Open Source Worldwide Public Disclosure under GPL-3 licence terms - PART 1 !!!


16K Resolution Camera Leak – Free and Open Source Worldwide Public Disclosure under GPL-3 licence terms - PART 1 !!! Free and Open Source Design and Device Disclosure under GPL-3 Licence terms for all described software and hardware systems and devices as of Monday, August 23, 2021 as...




www.canonrumors.com





The OTHER data files will be disclosed in about two weeks or so!

V


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## pauloancarvalho (Oct 22, 2021)

RayValdez360 said:


> Dont be a hater. Seems like the ultimate all in one cinema package for a solo operator. It looks like the combined everything we need and want thatis possible with today's standards. they added 4th axis stability which is new to most gimal or all gimbals without outside attachments. the only thing it cant do is fly on its own. This is what happens when a company observes and listens to consumer demands. Hopefully the build quality is good and the software behind it works properly.


I am not a hater. I am just a person who wants to know why it's revolutionary. If I was a hater, I would just tell a negative opinion. This is not that. This is a question.


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## jam05 (Oct 22, 2021)

RayValdez360 said:


> Dont be a hater. Seems like the ultimate all in one cinema package for a solo operator. It looks like the combined everything we need and want thatis possible with today's standards. they added 4th axis stability which is new to most gimal or all gimbals without outside attachments. the only thing it cant do is fly on its own. This is what happens when a company observes and listens to consumer demands. Hopefully the build quality is good and the software behind it works properly.


So that's why they have so many flyaways


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## RayValdez360 (Oct 23, 2021)

pauloancarvalho said:


> I am not a hater. I am just a person who wants to know why it's revolutionary. If I was a hater, I would just tell a negative opinion. This is not that. This is a question.


Well just think about how many cameras are like it that alone should help answer your own question.


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## jvillain (Oct 23, 2021)

Every one that has ever posted a camera review on Youtube has been handed one of these and gushed and gushed. It will be interesting to see how many actually switch to this and how many stick with their current cameras.


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## pauloancarvalho (Oct 25, 2021)

RayValdez360 said:


> Well just think about how many cameras are like it that alone should help answer your own question.


Let's wait and see in a year or two what the market decides about it being revolutionary or not.


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## TravelerNick (Oct 25, 2021)

Axilrod said:


> . Also it comes pretty ready to go right out of the box and has a lot of cool features. Super bright monitor, handles, built in nds, lidar af, can be wirelessly operated from a few miles away.



The reviews I saw mentioned the wireless setup was extra. The CineD review had a disclaimer mid way stating this. I can't remember if other things cost extra.

I also can't judge video quality with YT making everything look blah. Stable yes. But I wouldn't claim any of the videos I watched looked stunning. I'm blaming YT but I'd want to see actual files myself.

The other thing is it's not really going to support longer or heavier lenses. Somebody showed it mounted with rails and a lens support. The whole thing mounted on a tripod. What's the point ?

BTW I thought the thing supports swappable lens mounts with a long list of possible mounts.

The CineD review showed it converted to shoulder mount because of the weight.

The 8K is also €11k that's almost twice the Blackmagic 12K.


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## RayValdez360 (Oct 25, 2021)

TravelerNick said:


> The reviews I saw mentioned the wireless setup was extra. The CineD review had a disclaimer mid way stating this. I can't remember if other things cost extra.
> 
> I also can't judge video quality with YT making everything look blah. Stable yes. But I wouldn't claim any of the videos I watched looked stunning. I'm blaming YT but I'd want to see actual files myself.
> 
> ...


Why would you put a long lens on, it just get primes Have you even used a stabilizer before? The complaints are weak.


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## TravelerNick (Oct 25, 2021)

RayValdez360 said:


> Why would you put a long lens on, it just get primes Have you even used a stabilizer before? The complaints are weak.



It's an €11k camera. Yes with a stabilizer but it's a camera. What you're implying is it's a niche camera that needs an A camera.


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## RayValdez360 (Oct 26, 2021)

TravelerNick said:


> It's an €11k camera. Yes with a stabilizer but it's a camera. What you're implying is it's a niche camera that needs an A camera.


Using "long" lenses or telephoto lenses arent that good on consumer electronic stabilizers and telephotos are usually only good on tripods in general. A lot of film work can be done using primes which are compact and keep a consistent look for scenes. Besides that, this can be put on a tripod, crane, and turned into a shoulder rig for different types of shooting that can use long lenses better.


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## jayli (Oct 27, 2021)

pauloancarvalho said:


> Why is this considered revolutionary?


The LiDAR follow focus waveform (actually the proper term should be point clouds here, for LiDAR terms) alone is revolutionary. There isn't a single competing solution out there that offers this level of convenience and certainty. The best part of this camera is, there are so many other good features in this camera, even this LiDAR renovation itself is no longer the biggest advantage people are excited about. 

If you are a run and gun operator, the ability to integrate everything into such a small package with minimal moving parts is huge. You could save hours of rigging, prepping and packing in a day, and all the hustle related to these big packages are gone. For a crew, the greatly improved mobility and rigging options (on booms, vehicles and other scenarios with the benefits of the built-in z-axis) is also huge. It's a true game-changer, not just a camera + a gimbal. Not mentioning the price, and the possibility to quickly swap the camera to an inspire 3 drone. The only few awkwardness about this camera are stationary and truck shots, and the lens compatibility issue, of course.


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## pauloancarvalho (Oct 27, 2021)

jayli said:


> The LiDAR follow focus waveform (actually the proper term should be point clouds here, for LiDAR terms) alone is revolutionary. There isn't a single competing solution out there that offers this level of convenience and certainty. The best part of this camera is, there are so many other good features in this camera, even this LiDAR renovation itself is no longer the biggest advantage people are excited about.
> 
> If you are a run and gun operator, the ability to integrate everything into such a small package with minimal moving parts is huge. You could save hours of rigging, prepping and packing in a day, and all the hustle related to these big packages are gone. For a crew, the greatly improved mobility and rigging options (on booms, vehicles and other scenarios with the benefits of the built-in z-axis) is also huge. It's a true game-changer, not just a camera + a gimbal. Not mentioning the price, and the possibility to quickly swap the camera to an inspire 3 drone. The only few awkwardness about this camera are stationary and truck shots, and the lens compatibility issue, of course.


Yeah, let's see what the market thinks of that in a year or two.


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