GEAR
DJI RONIN 4D
“Borrowing drone technology, the camera has Active Track to keep a subject in frame”
For best results, the camera records full-frame 6K ProRes Raw HQ. This could be seen as overkill, due to the big file sizes, but that’s the price you pay for incredible quality and flexibility in post. The D-Log setting gives up to 14 stops of dynamic range and noise is well-controlled. The 6K tops out at 60p, while 4K is up to 120p, but is a Super 35 crop in ProRes Raw. This is still a very good setting for when you need super slow-motion. Drop down to ProRes 422 HQ, and you get 6K and 4K full-frame up to 48fps, plus the 2.39:1 crop at 50- 60fps. Essentially, any setting faster than 60p gives a Super 35 crop. For the best quality, 6K up to 48fps in ProRes Raw HQ is just stunning. At up to 48fps in ProRes Raw or 6K ProRes 422 HQ, it’s 17:9 full-frame – but in 50-60fps there is a 2.39:1 aspect ratio crop. Such processing power uses up memory space and battery power. The camera takes large DJI TB50 batteries, which we used up in about 90 minutes. You would need spares for an all-day shoot. The same batteries are used in Ronin 2 and Inspire 2 drones, and are designed for jobs in extreme weather; for this, they have auto-heating tech.
focus stays locked on the subject’s face, even if he or she moves. In Smart mode, you can track non- human faces. Click on the subject on the screen and the focus locks on. You would think this would also be ideal for focus pulls, but the speed is a bit too quick to look natural. It’s better to use Manual Focus or AMF, which combines the best of both modes to automatically rotate the focus wheel while following the focus point. But you can manually intervene at any time. Borrowing from drone technology, the camera also has Active Track. When handholding the Ronin, the camera moves to keep the subject in frame. This can judder around at times, but it’s still a wonderful feature that you’re not getting on any other cinema camera. Quality at its core This would all be for nothing if the image quality wasn’t up tomuch, but the Ronin 4D does not disappoint. A new chipset drives an intelligent image processing system, called the CineCore 3.0. This delivers an internal 8K Raw codec, designed for precise colour reproduction, offering natural skin tones and tonal consistency, as well as low-latency monitoring and image processing.
BIG SCREEN BONUS
The Ronin 4D’s screen is a 1000-nit, five-inch unit that’s responsive to touch and is a decent performer. However, DJI’s new transmission technologymeans by adding on the £309/$399 4D Video Transmitter, the signal outputs a 1080p/60fps feed to remote monitors with a transmission range of up to 20,000 feet and AES 256-bit encryption. This is via 2.4GHz and 5.8GHz wireless, and also supports the DFS frequency band to improve signal stability. It allows multiple receivers with one transmitter, and users can switch feeds quickly between multiple Ronin 4D cameras on large shoots. We used the optional £1139/$1699 High-Bright Remote Monitor, which is a seven-inch, 1500-nit screen with integrated wireless video receiver. You can take the handgrips off the side of the camera and clip them onto the monitor, giving a remote view and the ability to change camera settings – or even use the focus wheel. The latency is very short, so it works as a follow focus monitor if you want. The massive range – again, part of the DJI drone technology – is with direct line of sight. Thick walls and other interference will reduce this. The monitor also has a built-in gyro sensor to turn it into a motion controller for movement-based camera control, which you might want to playwith. We didn’t.
SPLIT PERSONALITY The right side makes the Ronin 4D look like a normal cine cam. But the gimbal, sensor, lens and LiDAR prove it’s not
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