ROBOTICS GEAR.
Simultaneously, the company makes it clear that these gimbals are just as functional being carried by cars, boats and overworked grips, as they are on helicopters or fixed-wing aircrafts. So, in 2022, there are choices for more or less any production to turn almost anything into a very worthwhile camera platform. It’s refreshing to see new ideas emerge, just as foundational classics like Steadicam refine new capabilities based on related fundamental technology. Crews on all sorts of projects are getting the best from both people and gear, in pursuit of that ever-elusive perfect move through the world. “It’s refreshing to see new ideas emerge, as foundational classics like Steadicam refine new capabilities”
what helicopter-mounted set-ups might cost per hour. Speaking of helicopters, consider the work of heavy-duty stabilisation specialist Shotover. The most prominent applications of its seriously upscale gimbals are regrettably difficult to see, as they’re generally hovering somewhere far overhead, strapped to an aircraft. The fact that some of its products are subject to ITAR – the International Traffic in Arms Regulations – demonstrates just how capable they can be, although the K1 aerial gimbal is designed to avoid that inconvenience. There are more modest options – the G1 weighs less than 6kg, but sacrifices some axes of stabilisation and is only partly weatherproof. The company’s larger products weigh up to 80kg all-in, and have been employed to support six-camera arrays that capture vast background plates for effects-heavy blockbusters.
brought improved handling of larger, more heavily accessorised cameras up to a little over 13kg, easier camera mounting and tuning, and other improvements besides. The company’s most recognisable recent release has been the Ronin 4D, which packs in cameras (including a full-frame option), four axes of stabilisation and lens control – including, amazingly, onboard laser-based autofocus, leveraging DJI’s own hyper-compact servo lens designs. Whether or not we think of a drone as a camera-support robot (and we probably should), it’s hard to overlook what DJI has achieved in that field, too. The current darling is the DJI Mini 3 Pro, a diminutive alternative with a built-in camera on its own stabilised pan-and-tilt mount. While single-camera dramas might demand more sensor area than the Mini 3 Pro’s 1/1.3in chip, the sheer capability is mind-blowing given
DIZZY HEIGHTS Solutions from DJI are wide-ranging, from the Ronin 4D (above left) to Mini 3 Pro (above right)
Contacts DJI dji.com G6 MoCo g6moco.com Motion Impossible motion-impossible.com MRMC mrmoco.com Shotoku shotoku.co.uk Shotover shotover.com Steadicam tiffen.com Technodolly sandstormfilms.com
ON THE NOSE Shotover’s stabilisers are most eye-catchingly employed on the front of a helicopter
75. JULY 2022
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