My name is Felipe Olvera and I am an aspiring photographer, videographer and architecture student.
Recently DJI has announced the Ronin S, a single hand or 'pistol grip' stabilizer for Mirrorless and DSLRs.
I have done research on the current prototype and here are some ideas that I would suggest in order
to compete with competition and launch a successful product. Feel free to leave your ideas! This thread is beingspecifically being made, due to the multiple questions from viewers, and statements from DJI staff
at CES 2018. Mooreover, because this product is being geared towards content creators I feel that the 'people'
should be apart of the conversation of the development of the product as it is still in prototype phase, and will
not be officially shipped and completed until Quarter to.
Here are my concerns and ideas:
Problem: Currently the quick release/base plate looks as it is not a universal style, and also has been noted that it is a
Solution: Modify the product design so that it accepts Acra swiss style plates. Arca Swiss style plates are one of the most used, and
versatile quick release systems. Designing a way to a priority system opens areas to where a consumer may not want to go. The Arca Swiss
allows for a user to remove the camera from the gimbal then slide onto a tripod easily, without having to unscrew and rescrew a base plate.
This system saves alot of headaches and time. Also many other competitors currently offer this as their mounting system.
Problem: No Led or LCD screen. You have to buy purchase separately a 'DJI Focus Command Unit' in order to view, visually the settings,
pull focus, and adjust menu options - which adds to the overall cost of the product. The price of the DJI Ronin S has been rumored to be 'just under' $1000 dollars. Solution: If the rumored price of under $1000 is for the Bundle of the DJI Ronin S and Focus Command Unit, then that's relatively a good deal considering the benefits
of the Ronin S. However if the price of under $1000 is simply for the Ronin S, the price needs to be scaled in order to allow purchase of the DJI Focus Command unit
which will be price around $150-$250 (based off of the DJI Focus Wheel and Wireless Thumb controller for Ronin) for overall cost to be under $1000. This is because
without the DJI focus command unit the DJI Ronin S is essentially a Zhiyun Crane v2 (priced $400) or Moza Air (priced $600)
Problem: Blocked Acess of underhand grip. Solution: Increase the length of roll axis or tilt axis arm. Although the 45-degree angle on the pan axis arm is great and allows for better versatility with tilting up or down - when going underhand [essentially taking the handle 180 degrees (counter clockwise) so that the handle is above the camera and you can get really low to the ground running shots] the 45 degrees may be blocked by certain heights of the camera. This can be fixed by increasing the length of the arm so that it sits further back or higher up above the height of most cameras. The length of the pan axis could also be increased as seen in the Moza air. Unless calculations have already been may, this is a huge factor to usability that I think should be considered
Problem: Z-axis movement Solution: Spring or hydaulic loaded dual handles. I've talked about this before, specifically, DJI fixed this problem in their DJI Osmo Series with the Z-axis attachment. A similar system could be implemented so that Z-axis movement is decreased while using a dual handle system. To my knowledge, no competitor has this feature and would be a dominating force.
Honorable Mention suggestions:
-Include a similar casing to the DJI osmo. Currently, DJI has some amazing packaging and if they continue the great presentation with the amazing DJI Ronin S I could see a lot
of consumers and individuals wanting to choose it over other options.
-Include a tabletop tripod, this is a huge factor in stabilizing the gimbal and simple item that makes life easier. It's really a no-brainer quality of life item that is necessary to the sellingpoint of a product.
-Decrease the length of the joystick button so that it doesn't jut out too far. I could forsee that with the DJI Mavic style Joystick in travel or over time that the Joystick has potential to break. A case could be made for DJI to include a joystick protector if they decide not to decrease the size, as may individuals developed and marketed joystick protectors for the DJI Mavic remote. These were made because people broke their joysticks or were worried about damage when traveling.
-Battery Life, as battery life was increased in the Osmo 2, I would hope to see that battery life is pretty substantial in the Ronin S so around 12-18hrs.
Overall all these are just a few ideas that I had come to mind. I am very excited to see the product come to life, and potentially get my hands on one. The sole fact that the gimbal can be disconnected from the handle is a huge selling point. I knew that DJI would step into this market of portable/versatile stabilizers, so I cannot wait to tests its limits. DJI make quality products when it comes to content creating, I would literally compare them to Apple in terms of the Flim/Drone making sector. I will edit as other ideas come to mind. I would love to hear your ideas as well!
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Felipe Olvera
IG: @felipeolveram
YT: https://www.youtube.com/felipeolvera
lvl.2
Second Officer