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Fellas and fellresses
While I realise it’s optional, I was a little peeved that the Ronin 4D’s case had nowhere to store the remote monitor, so I recently purchased an HPRC case and discovered a card inside inviting me to inform the manufacturer what I’ll be using it for and to submit a picture. Apparently, they’ll send me a free gift in return, so I imagine I’ll soon have a new cap or a T-shirt to wear. Having taken the shot, I thought some of you might want to take a look (below) if you’ve considered buying something similar. I assume a third party makes the insert since I don’t see it in the HPRC catalog but I’ve seen the adapted version of this case, a 2730W, on sale from several retailers.
I have a Sony 50mm lens mounted on the camera and the lens you can see in the top right corner is a DJI 16mm. My only other lens at the moment is a Sony 18-105mm Power Zoom for which I hope to get a lens case that will fit in the circular space above the left camera grip. The space above the right grip currently houses a 4-way battery charging hub. Staying on the right, the next two cut-outs, which are intended for more DJI lenses, currently house Manfrotto Quick Release Plate adapters; a Tilta adapter for a 13mm post and an iRig adapter for a 15mm post. The Flycam Galaxy vest & arm I use to support the 4D’s weight has a 15mm post which I originally planned to mill down to fit the Tilta adapter but then I discovered the iRig adapter, which I realised would fit over the Flycam arm’s post without any work by me. I did, however, have to slightly adapt one of the Manfrotto plates so that the 4th axis sensors underneath the 4D aren’t obscured in use. Unlike the standard DJI case, this HPRC case allows the adapted plate to be permanently attached to the 4D’s baseplate. Below the empty lens cut-out, the standard DL lens adapter is in its designated place. The one DL lens I have was a display unit I picked up for half price. The E-mount adapter wasn’t available anywhere when I bought the camera in March, so it was either buy the unboxed lens on offer for half price or sit and watch a 6,000 GBP ornament until DJI got the E-mount adapter to market.
Moving left, the two items with the coloured dots are DJI mic units, which I colour code to keep track of who is on which channel. The wireless receivers can optionally feed into the adjacent Tascam Portacapture X8 audio recorder, which is hidden by one of the brackets that mount this all to the back of the 4D. The cut-out is deep enough so that the DJI mics’ accessories and a couple of lavalier mics are stored under what is visible here. When necessary, I use an assistant to boom a shotgun microphone plugged into the Tascam’s XLR ports.
Next, you can probably see the tell-tale antennae of the High Bright Remote Monitor, which is in its designated spot. I do have separate grips for it, which I haven’t found a way to fit into the case but it’s likely I’ll buy a second lens case or some other circular container for them and evict the battery charging hub since the single battery connector elsewhere in the case can take care of charging duties.
Above the monitor are various connecting cables and power adapters for the two Sony-style NP-F970 batteries to power it. They are more widely available and in higher capacities than the WB37 DJI supplies and they’ve been good enough to supply an adapter, so switching to Sonys was a no-brainer. The lower two of the four oblong cut-outs house lens hoods and caps, more brackets, tools and screws. For camera power, I have 3 TB50 batteries in all – one on the camera albeit not clicked into place and two spares that occupy the other two oblong slots. I don’t use the 4D every day or even every week and I’ve heard of drones and other LiPo powered devices catching fire whilst being stored, so I never leave any battery connected to any device overnight if I have an option.
I use CFexpress Type B memory rather than the DJI PROSSD, which I rejected at the time as too expensive. On reflection, it probably wasn’t and I do have the mounting hardware, here alongside the battery connector in their white packaging near the DJRI mics, in the hope there will be a 2TB PROSSD in the pipeline.
Left and right of the 4D are cleaning stuff and the power adapter needed for the battery hub, to charge a single battery or, at a pinch, power the camera.
Finally to the case itself. I’m pleasantly surprised by its quality. I hadn’t heard of HPRC cases until I noticed this one on the website of my DJI retailer but it’s, if anything, better that a Pelican case I’ve had in the past. I suppose that’s a premature judgement to make until it has to earn its keep but I certainly prefer the ergonomics. However, its original price here in the UK was 650 GBP and the 4D came with its own perfectly adequate if less convenient case. Even when the steadily growing suite of peripherals started shouting: “Get it, you need it.” I stood my ground. But when I logged on to review an order I’d made for grips for my remote monitor, I almost missed the fact that the case I had been coveting was reduced to 399 GBP. Now I have it, I realise how much I really did need it. The foam insert I have was obviously created to a specific Ronin 4D template but I know it is available with various types of insert or custom cut to customer requirements. Mine seems to be made up of 3 layers of quite dense foam. Some of the cut-outs stop at level 2, some at level 1, while the main camera body’s cut-out goes through all the layers.
Upsides? The 4D is always built up and ready to use. Nearly everything I might want to add or swap is right there. The case is watertight, resistant to dust, acids and sand and will withstand falls and impacts. The regular DJI case seems pretty tough but this is another level. The lid’s hinges are designed so that the lid springs fully open and upright once lifted past about 50 degrees and it resists being blown shut by the wind, for example. I would not want that thing falling on my finger with any force. Crucially, the case has robust wheels and a pull-up handle which can be raised and, unlike my old Pelican, lowered with one hand. But it will have to go in the hold if you’re flying commercially – it’s not even close to carry-on size on any airline I’ve ever used. Usefully, it has an automatic valve system to regulate the pressure inside. It even does double duty as a handy seat while you’re waiting in line.
The one downside? It is bulky and really heavy. The empty case, according to the spec sheet, is 10.43kg or 22.99lbs. That’s more than double the weight of the 4D! What you see in the photo comes in at 27.67kg or 45.57lbs, so the wheels are what make it viable.
The 4D is pretty quick to set up anyway; it’s one of its main selling points. But frequent detaching and reattaching of the grips, as secure and robust as I admit this feels, has to be less ideal than having them always attached. My solution works for me, although I don’t need everything all the time. So, if DJI come up with a lightweight case that lets me leave the grips in place AND holds the remote monitor (maybe with wheels or as a backpack), count me in.
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lvl.4
DJI team