GEAR
MINI TESTS
SCOTTY MAKES STUFF CINESTICKS £19/$25 scottymakesstuff.com
“It takes a few seconds to fit, a while longer to dial in the desired resistance” popularity of the latest DJI Air 2S. The unit has fantastic image quality, but DJI removed ‘tripod’ mode from the drone, replacing it with ‘cine’ mode. Tripod mode slowed down the drone to a very low speed – so it was perfect for cinematic shots. But ‘cine’ mode is faster, and makes the drone nearly impossible to handle precisely. There are several DIY solutions to this, many of which use bits of rubber grommet under the standard controller option. But Scotty has now produced longer sticks with In a sleepy Australian town, 200 miles north-east of Sydney, inventor Scotty McPherson toils away. He builds innovative products to improve the lives of fellow filmmakers. These products, often 3D printed, are largely accessories for drones and gimbals, and only available direct from him. His newest product is a set of long, flexible controller sticks created to fit most of the latest DJI drones, giving filmmakers more precise control. Their creation was driven by the
GREAT SCOTT! These simple
SPECIFICATIONS Fits: DJI 4mmscrew-in bolt controller fit onMini 2, Mini SE, Mavic Air 2, Air 2S, Smart Controller, M300 Enterprise Smart Controller Options: Cupmount adapter to give compatibility withMavic Mini 1, Mavic Air, Mavic 2 Zoom, Mavic 2 Pro, Mavic 2 Pro Smart Controller Sizes: Standard or long
rubber and 3D-printed
control sticks transform the
handling of DJI drones
Scotty Makes Stuff also sells a 3D-printed clamp for mounting a camera to motorcycle or bicycle handlebars. This is not the most deftly made product, but has good touches. You can fit two small screws into the mount to make it Arri-compatible, and it comes with a standard 1/4in-20 thread or rosette mount. Everything is adjusted using hex keywrenches, which are included. It gripped the bars well and was easy to use – if you have a small camera, there should be no problem. They are available in two sizes, the smaller costing just £30/$40. 3D-PRINTED CAMERA MOUNT silicone-rubber covers. These provide increased resistance, allowing you to take control far more easily. The new controller sticks just screw in place of the standard kit. But you can back them off for less resistance, or screw them in further for greater levels, depending on the feel you want. Scotty also sells longer sticks for even more accurate control, but these are not easy to hold – the controller needs to be placed on a desk or flat surface – so we stuck with the standard CineSticks. It takes a few seconds to fit, and a little while longer to dial in the desired resistance – but then they work very well. The instructions warn that they might not go back to the centre when released, but ours did. It’s something to check, though. Scotty also recommends they are removed for storage, or the tension will reduce. OK, it’s a bit of a Heath Robinson fix (that could be sorted by a firmware update fromDJI), but they do give more control and are inexpensive. PROMOVIEMAKERRATING: 8/10 A handy accessory that can transform your DJI drone Pros: Pretty easy to fit and cheap Cons: Solves a problemDJI could fix
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