I was shooting some aerial footage with my Mavic yesterday and set up my new Ronin-s to test the motionlapse feature as I was flying. I just finished stitching the results together, and have a heavy heart – given how awesome the little Osmo does with motionlapse, I expected the same with quality or better from the Ronin-s. Not so, as you can see. I thought the Ronin-s would mean I didn't have to buy a separate 3-axis timelapse rig, but alas...that doesn't seem to be the case.

I fully calibrated it before shooting, and am quite sure there's nothing I missed – at least nothing currently available on any forum I've read. I was shooting with a D750 with a 14-24 mounted on it. Any thoughts? Is this just the best we can expect from the Ronin-s, or can we anticipate a fix forthcoming that will make motionlapse a usable feature?

Here's a link to the video:

Hi bcclimber, sorry for the unpleasant experience with the Motionlapse, did you place the Ronin-S on the ground with the Tripod or grab it with your hands? What is your current firmware version? Could you please provide us a screenshot of the Parameter settings in the APP?

DJI Mindy Posted at 2018-9-7 01:10
Hi bcclimber, sorry for the unpleasant experience with the Motionlapse, did you place the Ronin-S on the ground with the Tripod or grab it with your hands? What is your current firmware version? Could you please provide us a screenshot of the Parameter settings in the APP?

Thanks for getting back to me, Mindy. I was using the built-in tripod feet with it sitting on the ground. I know it looks handheld, but I can't hold anything that steady for half an hour!

Some feedback on your instructions:

I definitely needed a firmware update. Unlike the Mavic, which lets us know when we need to update the firmware, there was no warning when I turned on the Ronin app on my phone. I downloaded DJI Pro Assist and the update just now, and while the first attempt showed a failure, a second attempt did update the firmware to latest V1.4.0.30.

As a side note, the instructions on your website say to have the Ronin-s OFF for the update, while the update app says to leave it ON. I went with the installer instructions and left the Ronin-s on.

Here's a screenshot of the settings I used:



I'll do another test with the new firmware, and report back. Fingers crossed that this is the solution. Also, I'm not sure if you have this planned for the future, but being able to mount the gimbal to a tripod or mount at the battery/gimbal attachment point would ensure a far more stable platform for timelapse sequences, where the battery would obviously need to be connected in another manner, or remotely. Attaching the handle to a tripod as it is is inherently wobbly because of the height. I know the Ronin-S is designed first as a dynamic stabilizing platform, not a 3-axis motion control optimized for timelapse, but it would be amazing to be able to attach it to a motorized slider for a 4-axis timelapse.

And as a D750 owner, I speak for all of us when I say how much I'd love to be able to use the focus wheel and record button.

Last thing – from the moment I opened the box and pulled the unit out, I was absolutely awestruck by the build quality. I expect some speedbumps as you sort out some firmware issues, but you've truly raised the bar here. If I can sort out the bugs I've encountered such that the performance matches the build quality, the Ronin-S will become one of the best pieces of gear I've ever owned.

Cheers,
Jason

bcclimber Posted at 2018-9-7 14:32
Thanks for getting back to me, Mindy. I was using the built-in tripod feet with it sitting on the ground. I know it looks handheld, but I can't hold anything that steady for half an hour!

Some feedback on your instructions:

Jason, thanks for very much for your suggestions and support to DJI, our engineers are keeping improving our products to make customer's experience better, your suggestion will be forwarded to our engineers for consideration.
Please test again with the latest firmware and let us know if the issue persists, thank you.

I was wondering if you had the mirror locked for this set up? The jitter looks like it is related to the mirror popping up every shot.

Ian