DJI RONIN and the SONY F55 How to Mount it.

Well we've asked DJI for the XL Arms a few times and are still waiting, so in the meantime we got it working without them!

FOR STARTERS DO NOT RUN POWER FROM THE RONIN/DJI Battery to the F55. It will error out and drain the battery. Seems to work fine with an F5.

Anyway you look at it it is not a light rig to operate. Remember the RONIN does weigh in 5lbs heavier than the MOVI...We used a modified EASYRIG 500N with a 9" arm to replace the standard 5" arm. Price ouch:$3500.00 at B&H, $4230.00 double ouch,  from 16x9. The 5" arm that it normally comes with is TOO SHORT! Don't bother, PART# ERG500-3-89...The rig weighs in at 26lbs not too bad but too heavy for over 5 minutes for me! There is also a LESS EXPENSIVE rig called the Flycam Flowline for only $890.00 from who else but CINECITY! CAUTION the spec says it max's out at 16lbs but looking at their picture of a fully configured Red Camera on it I would guess the limits were pushed and closer to 20+ lbs (Gimbal weigh in at 9lbs) worth investigating with an F55 fully rigged and we'll let you know if we can get one in-house for testing.

BALANCING:To increase battery life you really want it calibrated no greater than -2 or -3 feedback via monitoring on  the DJI Assistant software. So it takes 10-15 minutes and mainly because the dovetail lock needs improvements on the locking mechanism, camera slips a bit during calibration. Cure:When you flip the lever forward the balance actually shifts so push it back a hair then flip the lever forward and tighten up the allen bolt on it as well to prevent slippage.

Aside from strapping a TERADEK Bolt to the top of the stripped down F55 you can put short 15mm rods on the rear of the dovetail and add counterweights. This brings the camera forward so it easily clears the rear of the gimbal. I used a couple of RED ROCK Micro mounts.Improvise here. Just get the weight up towards the rear of the F55, even washers bolted on top of the F55 1/4-20's worked.


BATTERY SETUP on handlebar:
Mounting a Battery was a simple task. Amazon had these and many more mounts available.
Use this link for Anton Bauer setup  $10.00
or this for link V-Mount-Sony/IDX  $10.00

Both of these battery mounts have a sturdy METAL backplate. Unscrew the backplate and drill a hole in the backplate for 1/4-20's then mount to DJI included handlebar mounts.

They have a ton of plates available for more $$ with power switch and multiple DTaps or barrel connectors from CINECITY. In my setup I have a DTAP on the battery and the one on the mount So I can run my ODYSSEY Monitor and just have one power point going down to the gimbal.

PS Checkout Jacek at OPTITEK if your using EF Lenses. Great stuff and enabled us to have a nice remote focus and iris pulling rig! No FIZ motors etc...

Star Trek Under the Sea

SEAORBITER 

UPDATE 9/21/14: This incredible project is now STALLED due to lack of funding so standby...

OK very cool technology, greenlighted and fully funded this incredible futuristic tool is just what our Oceans need now! It will allow us a better understanding of the impact that humankind has had upon it's underwater world and it's inhabitants!
I will definitely try and get a documentary in the works for this epic and innovative vessel. This may actually make it a reality to gain a better understanding of our oceans and the changes they are going through. As for it looking for the mythical city of Atlantis, I think that should be at the end of their TO DO list...

Even more fantastic news is that Liz Taylor, President of California based DOER Marine, informed me that they will be participating in some of the ROV/DSV design aspects of this incredible project! Sylvia Earle is a founder of DOER!

EL NINO APPEARS TO BE ON THE WAY...

Well once again it appears that El Nino is building but with one big difference. There are ocean temperature anomalies at 6 º Celcius that have moved across the Pacific at depth pushed by Kelvin Waves. These anomalous temperatures are just starting to rise to the surface in the Eastern Tropical Pacific and they rival or exceed the ocean temperatures that precipitated the 97-98 El Nino which was the strongest in the era of satellite , Argo float, and modern records.

So what's the impact to my neck of the woods here in Santa Barbara as well as the rest of the State? Well it would most certainly end the worse drought in California for over 100 years, NICE! Oh yeah the downside is so much rainfall that our watersheds and water delivery systems infrastructure could be destroyed. I don't know is it me or is it something in the wind that's been blowing our way for quite some time now, yep the infamous GLOBAL Warming wreaking more havoc.  Now days it is clear that the planet's weather in general has intensified and will continue to do so.

Can we be better prepared, certainly... I think our country's leaders and politicians need to step up to this real battlefield of the age we are clearly moving into and the one that our children and their children will be inheriting. We can't beat nature but we can be better prepared for it's consequences and not see a repeat of the aftermath that Katrina left in the Gulf. Let your representatives know and demand them to be accountable over your concerns for your safety and welfare...

Some relevant links:
Science, Tech and Environment
NOAA El Nino Prediction
Contacting your Senator
Contacting members of Congress

SONY F5-F55 OPTITECH Manual Optitron ProLock Mark II

Hello Sony F5 and F55 community. We made up a manual we edited from Jacek's notes for those of you with Optitron and ProLock Mark 2. Hope this helps!

 Optitek Optitron Manual

Pictures too!