DJI RS 2 & RSC 2 Gimbals

Teddy, those Tilta tools are game changing. The car mount is unreal.
 
Yeah. B&H can be really pokey at getting things out the door. They used to be like clockwork... order by the cutoff and they ship same day. Now it’s slipped to a day or two later. It’s a bummer when you’re relying on their promised delivery day.
 
I think small handheld gimbal work is still mostly really bad - it's not even close to the perfectly smooth camera floating through space notion which made the gimbal explode in the first place.

I think the steadicam still reigns supreme for those who care about motion quality. Although gimbals can do some fancy/tricky things that steadicams can't.

Wasn't also part of the reason gimbals exploded that they were cheap and relatively easy to learn?

Gimbals might do better on an arm/vest. Some of the issues stem from swaying side to side or up and down, of course none of which is corrected by the gimbal.

I also find that, generally, pivots and changes of direction in tilt and pan can emphasize the robotic feeling of the motor corrections. Although having a low degree of acceleration and high degree of smoothing programmed in can help.

Maybe with more practice I can expand on my usable shot vocabulary, but now I find that I'm pleased with the results when I'm using a shot from the middle of a move. Like - I begin dollying forward and plan to cut into the shot after i begin the move. Or I begin panning and circling around an object and plan to cut in after I begin the move. Once the motion has begun, if I continue it consistently then there are no robotic interruptions.

Gimbal never works for me for close-range macro type stuff, my bobbing and swaying is incredibly impactful at close distance and I use a slider for that.

And also if you just want a monopod with a locked horizon level and no footprint, a gimbal is handy for that too.
 
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I got to use the Tilta car mount, and because everything is so light weight these days, it offers some new ways of shooting, that were either not as easy, or maybe just not really possible.

It also opens up a lot of safety risks, because cars are dangerous. But the tools are amazing when used responsibly. Idk, this DJI/Tilta combo stuff is some of the more exciting developments in 2020. Which is also because of how many more small cameras shoot higher quality video codecs now.
 
So, B&H never fails to disappoint. Ordered the RS 2 Wednesday night and selected one day shipping, because it says Friday delivery(free was Wed, but I’m traveling out of town to work for the next three days after that). So, did I receive it today? Nope. They didn’t ship it until today(at least that’s what the order says...). They used to be the gold standard for on-line purchasing for photo and TV gear. But lately when dealing with them it feels like ordering something off of TV in 1987: delivery in 6-8 weeks. They need to get their heads out of... and step back up to the plate. Other merchants have returned to pretty much normal for shipping merchandise. But honestly, their problem goes beyond the pandemic. I started experiencing shipping/delivery problems as soon as they moved their warehouse to Jersey and started using FedEx as their default shipper several years ago. The biggest thing they have going for them right now is their PayBoo card.

I also ordered overnight expecting it to be here yesterday. I messaged them and they said it’ll ship that day + get to you on Friday. Same with a lens I ordered.
 
So, B&H never fails to disappoint. Ordered the RS 2 Wednesday night and selected one day shipping, because it says Friday delivery(free was Wed, but I’m traveling out of town to work for the next three days after that). So, did I receive it today? Nope. They didn’t ship it until today(at least that’s what the order says...). They used to be the gold standard for on-line purchasing for photo and TV gear. But lately when dealing with them it feels like ordering something off of TV in 1987: delivery in 6-8 weeks. They need to get their heads out of... and step back up to the plate. Other merchants have returned to pretty much normal for shipping merchandise. But honestly, their problem goes beyond the pandemic. I started experiencing shipping/delivery problems as soon as they moved their warehouse to Jersey and started using FedEx as their default shipper several years ago. The biggest thing they have going for them right now is their PayBoo card.

I'm about 50 miles from Manhattan and for about 10 years I have received dozens and dozens of packages of items the next day if the order was placed before 6pm. Truly talking 10 years for dozens of packages - small and big - with barely, barely any issues besides maybe an occasional 1 day delay, especially if the order was placed too close to closing, or too late on Friday (which it would then ship Monday).

As soon as the pandemic came, I see all kinds of expected delivery dates on items when you add them to the cart (never checked out to find out on most of them).

Clearly, things have changed and aren't back to normal.

And they also use UPS. Depends on the item(s) and the region. I mostly receive via UPS.
 
It definitely is!

This is a good video that shows the DJI RS 2 new autofocus system with a manual lens wide-open. He goes through its strengths and the current limitations. The LiDAR technology is interesting and I wonder how much better it could eventually get:

I checked the RS 2 Gimbal Stabilizer Pro Combo. It doesn't included the LiDAR sensor.
Do you have to buy the sensor separately?
 
It definitely is!

This is a good video that shows the DJI RS 2 new autofocus system with a manual lens wide-open. He goes through its strengths and the current limitations. The LiDAR technology is interesting and I wonder how much better it could eventually get:

Does anyone know how this performs if your camera isn't on the supported list? In this video autofocus works when the camera isn't connected which could be a good sign.

I wonder if it might be possible to fit a larger camera like a FS700 or FS5 on the RS 2? It's probably too much to ask but the base does appear to be adjustable.

This autofocus could be a great tool with the S1H in particular.

As Philip J. Fry would say, "shut up and take my money."
 
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This sounds pretty exciting.
https://tilta.com/2020/10/introducing-the-tilta-ecosystem-for-dji-rs2/

Seems they are offering several of the things I've been trying to accomplish: vehicle mounting, remote cable cam system and remote motorized slider.
I don't really want to buy yet another gimbal since I have several. I wonder if a non-rs2 gimbal could be used?
For my vehicle mount, I've been planning on having my support attach via the trailer hitch rather than attaching various points to the vehicle.
 
This sounds pretty exciting.
https://tilta.com/2020/10/introducing-the-tilta-ecosystem-for-dji-rs2/

Seems they are offering several of the things I've been trying to accomplish: vehicle mounting, remote cable cam system and remote motorized slider.
I don't really want to buy yet another gimbal since I have several. I wonder if a non-rs2 gimbal could be used?
For my vehicle mount, I've been planning on having my support attach via the trailer hitch rather than attaching various points to the vehicle.

I know that their car mounting system is fairly open to other systems. The Battery plates can easily go from p-tap to DC or whatever to power any gimbal. They do have a mating plate for DJI products in particular, so there is some incentive there.
 
The mini-Trinity system looks pretty interesting. I'll be following all of these developments with interest.

The new system looks like a real extension of what DJI have done with the Ronin-2, just a very comprehensive, very well-thought design approach to addressing the needs of production. Good stuff.
 
If you think about it, DJI is the proven low cost electronics, and Tilta is the proven low cost hardware. Win- win.

but yeah, maybe the compatibility is an issue between some components.


At the very least, the Tilta battery plates generally allow a DC power cable option.
 
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I'm about 50 miles from Manhattan and for about 10 years I have received dozens and dozens of packages of items the next day if the order was placed before 6pm. Truly talking 10 years for dozens of packages - small and big - with barely, barely any issues besides maybe an occasional 1 day delay, especially if the order was placed too close to closing, or too late on Friday (which it would then ship Monday).

As soon as the pandemic came, I see all kinds of expected delivery dates on items when you add them to the cart (never checked out to find out on most of them).

Clearly, things have changed and aren't back to normal.

And they also use UPS. Depends on the item(s) and the region. I mostly receive via UPS.

The pandemic has definitely not helped them. For me, until they moved their warehouse and shipping operations to NJ, the default shipping was UPS, after they moved, the default(free) shipping became FedEx(I think they actually talked about the switch)(you can still choose different shippers and methods)(sometimes really small or in-expensive items are USPS). And FedEx, in-general, seems to be dragging their feet, as well. When I’ve had shipments come in lately, UPS is generally early or on-time with the stated delivery window(i.e: ‘by 10:30am’ and I have it before or by then), whereas generally FedEx is several hours afterwards(i.e: ‘by 12:30pm’ and it shows up at 3:45pm).

I mean, I’m sure you can file these under “First World Problems”, but when you are paying for a certain level of service, it really shouldn’t just be brushed of as an “oh well”.
 
I mean, I’m sure you can file these under “First World Problems”, but when you are paying for a certain level of service, it really shouldn’t just be brushed of as an “oh well”.

I think it's only a first world problem if you're complaining about your new TV being delivered late, not your work tools. That being said, B&H has still been timely for me and I would maybe cut them some slack due to the pandemic. Yes, Amazon has rebounded to flawless service. But I have heard that they're pretty brutal with their staff. Maybe B&H is as well but still does a worse job, who knows. I feel a little guilty buying from amazon, although it hasn't stopped me.
 
I think it's only a first world problem if you're complaining about your new TV being delivered late, not your work tools. That being said, B&H has still been timely for me and I would maybe cut them some slack due to the pandemic. Yes, Amazon has rebounded to flawless service. But I have heard that they're pretty brutal with their staff. Maybe B&H is as well but still does a worse job, who knows. I feel a little guilty buying from amazon, although it hasn't stopped me.

Yes, if it is something needed for work and you paid for it to be delivered by a specific date and/or time, it's not just a mere inconvenience.

Amazon has kind of been all over the map for me this past week. I ordered some stuff for my GF and it was going to be two different shipments on two different days, so I rolled it into "Amazon Day" to all come at once. Then a few hours later I remembered something I needed to order and ordered it separately. Her delivery was supposed to arrive Monday(today) and mine last Friday. Mine arrived Thursday evening. Then Friday I received an email that her stuff would arrive on Saturday(two days ago). When I got back from my shoot Saturday, I asked her if it came. She said no. And right about that time I received an email from Amazon that the package had been delivered. Walked outside. Wasn't on the front porch. Checked the back steps, but not there either. Then walked down to the mailbox, just on the off chance they stuck it in there(just a couple of bottles of nail polish). Nope. Went on-line to my account and looked and it said it had been delivered and the other part of her delivery(remember it was all supposed to be in one on our Amazon Day) was still going to be delivered by 9p that night(it was already like 7:30p-8p). Sure enough, the other package showed up right at 9pm. But that was it, just the single item. Not the other stuff. AND the 2nd delivery was marked as "Handed Directly to Resident"(it was not). I've had conversations with Amazon CSR's over this a few times now, as I've had several deliveries now being marked as "handed directly to resident", when they were not. They are also not taking pictures of the items and where they are being left anymore, like they were doing just a short time ago. To me, it opens up a path for the drivers to steal packages and try to cover their tracks when you report that you never received your delivery.
 
And it gets better... About 1.5+ hours ago I checked the tracking, because it was getting very late to have not seen a delivery. Checked the tracking and it said DELIVERED and showed the time and the name of the person who signed for it a few hours earlier. Only problem was it wasn't delivered to where it was supposed to be or signed for by anyone I know.

I had to go to FedEx to ship off a drive to a client so when I got down there I asked them to help me. They looked up the driver who had the package and tried for ~20 minutes while I waited and could not get them to answer their phone(directly to voice mail) or respond on the internal communications system. And of course, there is no way to get through to B&H easily(45+ minute phone estimate and no one available for on-line chat) to make sure that they sent it to the right address, even though I checked my order and the shipping address was correct there.

Part of me wants to laugh my butt off and the other half is just frustrated as hell.


*UPDATE*
FedEx called me when I was heading out to dinner and finally got hold of the driver and they tracked back their deliveries and figured out that they ended up delivering it to the business across the street from where it was supposed to go.

So...
Fail # 1: B&H not shipping it on time
Fail # 2: FedEx delivering it to the wrong address
Fail # 3: Person receiving the package not noticing the wrong name, business name and address on the package that they had to sign for.

I'm starting to think that someone doesn't want me to have this thing.
 
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So, the icing on the cake: I finally received it yesterday and... I broke the damn USB port on my 5DIV within the first 20 minutes! I’ve had that camera since launch day in ‘16. It looks pretty much brand new with probably not a scratch on it. Just shipped it off to Canon. Probably gonna be between $350-$400 for the repair.

Now I’m certain that someone does not want me to have the new RS 2.
 
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