I've had the unit for a couple of days now, have taken it on a job, and I was pleased with the results overall.  There are a couple of things I wish I'd done or considered before going out though which people may find useful:

1.  I used Smart mode autofocus when filming, which is great for people standing normally but not so much for dancers, and people moving in non standard ways.  It's best to switch between smart, and the other modes perhaps - spot and wide.  I found that when there was a crowd of people in smart, it randomly jumped from one person to another which made that footage unusable with the tracking enabled.   The subjects had a green box around them, so I thought it would stick with them, but perhaps not?  I don't know if anyone else has had this issue so far.

2.  Put focus on AMF so that if the autofocus gets it wrong, you can quickly correct with the thumb wheel.  The default setting doesn't allow that.

3.  I'm using an E mount adapter, and fitting it could have been made easier if there was a proper video tutorial.  It comes with the firmware update module installed so I was worried about that damaging the camera sensor when fitting, which isn't actually going to happen.  To get it out, fit the mount on the camera by twisting the top lock lever of the X9 to remove the DL mount, fit the E mount in the same place (with the firmware module installed) and then tighten the lock.  Then twist the lens ring and the firmware module will fall out (be ready to catch it!).  Then you can install an E mount lens, always by twisting the mount lens ring, and not the lens itself.  Don't forget to lock the lens ring in place with the small switch on the E mount edge.

Things I'm confused by are:

- Tracking and how to enable, disable and switch subjects easily is something which needs practice to get the hang of by the looks of things.

- White balance.  I'm not sure how to select the kelvin I want specifcally instead of the preset options there or auto (which I don't tend to use).

- Wheel on the right thumb stick.  It seems like it's the wrong way round regarding focus.  Everyone who's used it so far thinks the natural movement to move the focal point away from you actually moves the focal point toward you.  I haven't spotted an option yet to reverse that.  Also it would be great to have an option to adjust the sensitivity of that wheel for moving focus and I haven't spotted that option yet either.

- Recording on the ProSSD.  I recorded nearly 1Tb of Prores 422 HQ, and the camera says the data is at risk of fragmentation and it needs formatting now.  Does that mean some of the recorded footage is at risk?  It's a little worrying without further explanation.  I don't have enough hard disk space to download it all from the SSD yet, so I'm waiting for an extra SSD to arrive.   I probably should have switched to a smaller recording format before actually recording!  I managed to get about an hour and twenty minutes on there.

- Removing individual takes recorded.  If we have a bad take we know we're not going to use, how do we remove that from the recording media without formatting it?  It's probably there somewhere but I don't see an option for it.

You can choose a custom colour temperature with a slightly longer press on the White Balance soft button. You're then presented with options to Add, Sample or Delete.

djiuser_zOTxSwld3naq Posted at 3-27 17:16
You can choose a custom colour temperature with a slightly longer press on the White Balance soft button. You're then presented with options to Add, Sample or Delete.

Thanks for that - much appreciated!

I am having the same issue with the autofocus and it’s almost shaper if you do it manual. Sometimes the LiDAR waveforms are not accurate on the screen.

And when you save a lens profile so you don’t have to calibrate it every time you change lenses, it just doesn’t work.

Let me know your input in this

i’ve found another one - or maybe i’m too blind to see. Is there any chance to put the ISO/EI on auto?

Im having an issue... I can't playback footage from the camera, the player stops after 30".

I've had the same fragmentation error but that was after cutting the footage off then recording new with out formating. And after twenty clips or so. And I was running with the camera not sure if that was an issue. All clips play back fine.

djiuser_QvZ1NOcpSSt1 Posted at 4-16 10:35
I am having the same issue with the autofocus and it’s almost shaper if you do it manual. Sometimes the LiDAR waveforms are not accurate on the screen.

And when you save a lens profile so you don’t have to calibrate it every time you change lenses, it just doesn’t work.

Same issue after trying multiple compatible lenses. Focus is not sharp in AF no matter what I do, manual is the only way to get sharp focus. This defeats the purpose of the camera for us. Need to be fixed ASAP.

I have the same issues.
I use the expensive 35 mm Sony 1.4 GM… according to Phillip Bloom one wouldn’t have to calibrate the lens and autofocus is superb… well, it’s not, it is never sharp I manually focus and then press autofocus the focus is a few meters behind… so, backfocus.
I did auto calibrate and it’s slightly better. But still backfocus.
Like this I cannot use autofocus which is depressing cause I can I move with this system dynamically, the main reason I got it for and not rely on autofocus when I work alone?

So does anyone have any tips:
So I did this update for the e-mount… on a windows system…
But no I discovered autofocus for the Sony lens… which is one the list for supported lenses, that when I disconnect the LiDAR… autofocus doesn’t work at all..?
So I guess it’s autofocus is only over the lidar which should be used for manual lenses… am very confused now…

I read somewhere that RED cam also doesn't support deleting individual files.  Maybe that helps it feel a little better?

Guys, I can't seem to find 4D anywhere from the drop downs if I want to start a new thread, so will ask here...

How are people mounting their T5 SSD's?  I have the 4D and pro SSD shipping right now, but will also use the T5's when shooting 4K.  I wonder if the small-rig T5 mount for bmpcc will somehow mount to the 4D?
Cheers!

same thing to me. e mount lense     No focus. i have sony fx 3 no problem with focus. sharp and clear. but ronin 4 d look like cheap camera. calibration dasn,t help.

djiuser_PoXmTCXuE9n9 Posted at 7-9 03:22
So does anyone have any tips:
So I did this update for the e-mount… on a windows system…
But no I discovered autofocus for the Sony lens… which is one the list for supported lenses, that when I disconnect the LiDAR… autofocus doesn’t work at all..?

You have to read the manual to understand hoy the camera works.
The autofocus for manual and auto lens only work with LiDAR, you have to use the autocalibrate for the automatic lens and the manual calibration for manual lens.
There are three different modes for auto focus and every one is different depending on the shot.
The most precise is smart semi assisted AF.
It's reliable for many situations but is not infalible, there are many shots where you'll need to pull it manually for better results.
We shot a feature documentary and a couple of commercials with the cheap Sony non GM lens, and AF worked very well, you only have to be carefull that haze and shots through windows and glass wont be able to autofocus because the way lidar works.

nzfritz Posted at 7-9 04:00
Guys, I can't seem to find 4D anywhere from the drop downs if I want to start a new thread, so will ask here...

How are people mounting their T5 SSD's?  I have the 4D and pro SSD shipping right now, but will also use the T5's when shooting 4K.  I wonder if the small-rig T5 mount for bmpcc will somehow mount to the 4D?

You can mount the smallrig universal ssd mount on the top handle.

Maybe someone know the answer to this.

The Z axis has a max 2kg payload including the gimbal.
Does anyone know the payload of the gimbal itself when not using the z axis? Thanks!

Maybe someone know the answer to this.

The Z axis has a max 2kg payload including the gimbal.
Does anyone know the payload of the gimbal itself when not using the z axis? Thanks!

nzfritz Posted at 1-6 03:05
Maybe someone know the answer to this.

The Z axis has a max 2kg payload including the gimbal.

1.080gr exactly, the max lenses weight is 920gr

I believe that is the max weight for the Z- axis no?

The gimbal itself is not more than that?

I just got a new Ronin 4d and beside the fact the the battery is not working I have another problem with the z axis.. When I push the 4D button it raises but when I push it again it goes down and after the camera turns off completely.


Can you help me please with this problem?

The camera has been updated to the latest firmware and all the balancing of the gimbal and z axis are correct.

Thank you very much...  

Leucea Răzvan LeuRaz Posted at 12-9 10:17
I just got a new Ronin 4d and beside the fact the the battery is not working I have another problem with the z axis.. When I push the 4D button it raises but when I push it again it goes down and after the camera turns off completely.

In my experience, the Z-axis is very reliant on being supplied with the correct current. In fact, I once saw a response from DJI suggesting that their TB55 Matrice battery, which physically fit and would seem an ideal larger capacity alternative for the 4D, is nevertheless not recommended, presumably because it would be incapable of sustaining the necessary minimum current. People have since debunked this theory but a lot must surely depend on the weight of the lens. Maybe the issue only arises as the payload increases. I don't know if the TB55 is even available anymore but it doesn't make sense for DJI never to have marketed it as a 4D option if it was perfectly capable of coping with the Z-axis carrying its maximum rated payload.

All of this suggests that your Z-axis turning itself off is its way of self-preservation when the current supplied to it becomes marginal. For example, if a 4D's battery runs down with the Z-axis deployed, the first indication (apart from the battery indicator) should be the Z-axis intelligently going to sleep. You describe your battery as "not working" but not how you're managing to power your camera. My view is that any issue which might limit the supply to the Z-axis would probably cause it to act in the manner you describe. I should add that have no particular special insight about the 4D nor electronics; just trying to be logical.

I am unsure if this helps, as you ask a few questions. The Ronin 4D is unique in many ways and can take a while to understand (as well as its limitations) fully.

I find the warning regarding the fragmented data is more predominant when you use Windows over Mac. I resolve this by formatting the drive before use. The focus is a learning curve; when using Smart over Spot or Wide, I use Wide and an aperture of 5.6 or higher when filming more than one person. I'm not sure about the White balance; videos move so that the White balance can shift. Leave it on auto, maybe; stick with it, and you will work it out; the 4D is a camera you most likely will not love in the first 2 or 3 months, but after that... it clicks, and it's amazing to use

Regarding the problem with removing certain files from ProSSD:
Unfortunately there is no way to delete certain files from the ProSSD on the Ronin 4D itself. You have to connect the ProSSD with the computer and do it there.
When I am on set for filming an imagefilm(https://film.raspbotics.at), I use breaks to do it or transfer my SSDs to a backup drive. But it would be nice to have the possibility (removing certain files) on camera in the future. Perhaps (hopefully) with a further update.