MINI TESTS
SPECIFICATIONS Number of axes: 3 (360º pitch, roll and yaw) Connectivity: USB and Bluetooth Battery type: 2x 26500 5v 3200mAh rechargeable Battery life: 12 hours Maximum load: 1.8kg/3.97lb Dimensions: 156x171x338mm/ 6.14x6.73x13.31in Weight: 879g/1.94lb (without battery)
BENRO REDDOG R1 GIMBAL £350/$399 reddog.benrogear.com Nomoviemaker’s kit is complete without a gimbal to add stability to motion shots. Themarket is full of options to suit all sorts of camera sizes and budgets. Increasingly popular aremotorised versions with extra features, such as Benro’s RedDog R1. For instance, via a dedicated app, the R1 allows motion control effects and remote camera control. It’s not the first gimbal to do this, but it’s reasonably priced and works well. The R1 will take a payload of up to 1.8kg or 3.97lb, but we found using a Nikon D850 with a 20mm f/1.8 lens a bit unwieldy. It’s OKwithmost mirrorless cameras. The instructions aren’t exactly clear when it comes to setting up and balancing, but a series of Benro’s videos online explain everything. Each axis is unlocked by a knurled locking knob, then you slide an arm to achieve equilibrium. The only thing that would improve it would be to incorporate a gearedmechanism to take some of the randomness out of pushing and pulling themetal arms, but overall balancing was quick and easy. You then connect the Benro RedDog app to the R1, update the firmware and calibrate it, then you’re off and running. There are threemain stabilisingmodes, which are cycled through with a downward dab of the on/off button, and each is identified by a change in colour of themain LED.
RIGHT The Benro RedDog R1 is ideal for Sony A series cameras
“The RedDog R1 is reasonably priced andworks well”
Horizontal Follow (red) keeps the camera horizontal, but gives you control of aiming, so for instance you can pan around corners and follow a subject. Locked Down (blue) keeps you pointing in a single direction. Universal Follow (pink) is themost free of the three, smoothing cameramovement in whatever direction you’re aiming. Smoothness can be tweaked using the app, so you can set pan and tilt between Weak and Strong boundaries, Strong makingmovement a bit more ‘whippy’. Ultimately, test footage was smooth, and any judderymovements were either human error or just required slight recalibration to fix. Horizontal and vertical adjustment can also be set to dampen your ownmovements, or make the gimbal more responsive. As well as set-up and calibration, the app lets you trigger stills or video, aim the camera and zoom the lens, assuming you’ve connected to the gimbal via a USB lead. The rate of zoom can also be set. There’s aMotion Time-lapsemode that lets you set the number of shots, interval, and the path of the camera throughout the time-lapse, from+/- 60º vertically to 0-150º horizontally, as well its starting position. To do it, you plot points on a graph. This worked really well, and power can be supplied fromgimbal to camera for longer working, though only on Sony models. One issue I found was I could only control the camera along an anti- clockwise horizontal axis; there didn’t seem to be an option to send it the other way, but Benro claims this should be added in a firmware update.
The rubberised handle gives a good grip, and all themain controls can be accessed by forefinger or thumb, so it can be used one-handed. The R1 also has a Swivel function, switching its orientation from0 to 90º for low angle work where the camera hangs under the under unit. To do it you unlock and turn a joint above the controls; this took some getting used to, because the natural thing is to hold the rubberised grip and twist – but this will unscrew the battery compartment. The R1 also comes with amini tripod, for static shooting and calibration, but the screw can be used to fit a boom. Because of the position of the roll axis motor behind the camera, it could block the screen a little, but the camera would have to be sitting quite far back. Using cameras with fully articulating screens obviously removes the issue, but the position of the screen needs to be set before balancing. KS PROMOVIEMAKERRATING: 8/10 An affordable gimbal that will make an immediate difference to your shooting Pros: Build, price and ease of use Cons: Minor handling issues
BELOW Small, mirrorless cameras are easy to balance and use
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SUMMER 2019 PRO MOVIEMAKER
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