Using the 1DC or 1DX ii with Zhiyun Crane 2

A

Alexander.M

Active member
Has anyone tried using the 1DC or 1DX ii with the Zhiyun Crane or v2? I'm pretty sure the Zhiyun Crane 2 that will be released soon has the payload capacity for these cameras but maybe the big form factor is restricting for this type of gimbal. For me this is a deciding factor between getting the 5D IV or the 1DC.
 
Alexander.M said:
Has anyone tried using the 1DC or 1DX ii with the Zhiyun Crane or v2? I'm pretty sure the Zhiyun Crane 2 that will be released soon has the payload capacity for these cameras but maybe the big form factor is restricting for this type of gimbal. For me this is a deciding factor between getting the 5D IV or the 1DC.
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The 1DC and 1DX II should easily work with the Crane 2 based on weight. Balancing could require some kind of extension. We needed a gimbal right away and ordered a Ronin M with extensions (will check out the Crane 2 when it's released).
 
With the extensions the 1DX II balances well on the Ronin-m. First test using the Canon 50 1.4, 16-35 2.8L II, and 24-105 F4L (including extended to 105mm):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVcY36PioAY

@cookinghusband - what lens / weight starts to make the Ronin-m difficult? Was thinking it would also work with the C300 II. At some point will invest in a steadicam arm with gimbal mount (looked like the best solution vs. the overhead rigs which don't appear to help reduce walking motion as much).
 
Alexander.M said:
Has anyone tried using the 1DC or 1DX ii with the Zhiyun Crane or v2? I'm pretty sure the Zhiyun Crane 2 that will be released soon has the payload capacity for these cameras but maybe the big form factor is restricting for this type of gimbal. For me this is a deciding factor between getting the 5D IV or the 1DC.
Click to expand...

I went to ask for a quote of the Crane 2 at my local store, he said a fellow customer bought and tested the CRANE 2 with the 1DX2. Result it CANNOT BALANCE.

I believe the height of the mount do not have enough height to let the camera to drop to its center of gravity ( is about where the lens release button is)




jcs said:
With the extensions the 1DX II balances well on the Ronin-m. First test using the Canon 50 1.4, 16-35 2.8L II, and 24-105 F4L (including extended to 105mm):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVcY36PioAY

@cookinghusband - what lens / weight starts to make the Ronin-m difficult? Was thinking it would also work with the C300 II. At some point will invest in a steadicam arm with gimbal mount (looked like the best solution vs. the overhead rigs which don't appear to help reduce walking motion as much).
Click to expand...
For the Ronin M,
I remembered people were able to just put the C100 on

WIth the extension arm, I was able to balance the 1DC with a 70-200L ISii on it but the length of it setup restricted the up/down movement of the camera. Is the physical size of the camera that is causing problem( same for most smaller gimbal). I believe any setup with the height and width of the 1DC/1dx2( not much room left) and 70-80% of the total of the 1dx body + 70-200L 2.8 is about the max.

IF you can afford the little extra better buy the Ronin-MX,

ALso because the weight of the gimbal + the camera is like 3-5Kg already. you will need one of those easyrig thing to hold your whole set up, else you will not be able to operate for more than few minutes.
 
cookinghusband said:
I went to ask for a quote of the Crane 2 at my local store, he said a fellow customer bought and tested the CRANE 2 with the 1DX2. Result it CANNOT BALANCE.
[...]
ALso because the weight of the gimbal + the camera is like 3-5Kg already. you will need one of those easyrig thing to hold your whole set up, else you will not be able to operate for more than few minutes.
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Looks like the 1DX II can work with the Crane 2:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chHmKTh7HIw

True, the Ronin-m + 1DX II starts to get heavy. For the first test it was OK, though for longer shoots indeed some kind of support would be needed (thinking more toward a steadicam-like spring arm vs. the over the head solutions).

[EDIT]. After reading the comments in the above video, it looks like the 1DX II isn't working for others. Not clear what the guy in the video did differently- perhaps it's a setting/tuning issue? When I set up the Ronin-m the first time, it worked OK just balancing the camera first and turning it on, however it wasn't all that stable. After installing the iOS app and doing a simple auto calibration, it works much, much better. So perhaps there's hope for the Crane 2 (that video looked like it was working OK).

[EDIT 2]: another example, showing 1DC/1DX/1DX2 can work, barely (with 24-70):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEuweH2eKTc

To make the Ronin-m work, you need to add extensions to lower the camera center of mass. If the Crane 2 had an optional lower mounting bar, which lowers the center of mass, and perhaps a plate that allows to camera to be mounted more forward, that would improve performance and usability.

I suppose one could use a hack saw / cutting wheel to saw off the arm, drill holes, cut a piece of aluminum, drill holes, then extend the arm downward. Might void the warranty though ;)
 
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i have the Crane 2 and will tell you that the 1DxmkII will not achieve DYNAMIC BALANCE. it would require a longer plate coming off the right side motor lowering it enough to get balance. yes you can turn the gimbal on without DB but its a risky move IMO. i did it and a few times it just lost its grip and the camera swivled downward with my sigma 8-16mm's glass missing the bottom motor by about a 1/16 of an inch as it lost it hold.

ALSO...my A7sII with battery grip attached would also not achieve DYNAMIC BALANCE. i had to tape (s*%t rig) 2 sony F550 batteries under the camera plate below the camera to get it to get DB. i imagine if i put some lead weight under the 1DXmkII it would eventually work.

i am keeping the gimbal as its nice in every other way. still I'm disappointed about not working with 2 of my most common camera setups without modifications that i wasn't expecting. i will come up with a more elegant way to add weight under my A7sII/battery grip as i will use this setup most often. I'm going to explore more weight under the 1DXmkII but its going to get heavy then.

there comes a point where the weight will become too much vs my Ronin with ReadyRig but i like the idea of a less robust rig when i don't want to be a spectacle. I've found putting a heavy duty "bungie cord" around my neck...i can slip it under a couple of the little folded legs that are attached to the Crane 2. this makes holding it a lot easier. also it absorbs a bit of bounciness. in between shooting i find that i can hold the rig vertical close to my stomach/chest being mostly supported by the bungie cord and only needing to hold the gimbal enough to keep it from toppling over. this may work with the weight with the 1DxmkII being able to absorb most of the weight but haven't tried it yet.

david
 
Hey guys,

I am in a similar boat I have a CANON 1DC and looking for a gimbal rather than having to buy a smaller camera.

What is the best solution?

Thanks
 
ollywood88 said:
I am in a similar boat I have a CANON 1DC and looking for a gimbal rather than having to buy a smaller camera.

What is the best solution?
Click to expand...

If you're in a production environment and don't mind the 'dorkiness factor', a Ronin-M + EasyRig type of a deal is my recommendation.

As we all know there are a lot more involved setups out there, including arms that might take more of the 'walking bounce' out of the equation. But I think the Ronin-M and some sort of support from above stays true to the format. The Ronin-M alone does the job, but you will get tired over time.

Will you restrict your shooting to wide angle, deep DOF? If you want to control focus and your rig starts to grow, you might want to go straight to a beefier system.

As much as I'd like to believe the Crane 2 would work with a 1D body, I'd only consider it for my XC10. I can't see how you can be effective with a gimbal of that type for more than very short bursts. I'd be happy to be proven wrong.
 
update on 1DXmkII and other "too heavy" cameras to be able to get dynamic balance. the 1DXmkII "will not" achieve dynamic balance on the Crane 2. yes it will work sort of but the motors are working way to hard to keep it in order. in order to archive DB i bought these steel plates from a hardware store. for the 1DXmkII i need to put "3" of these below the camera platform. right now I'm just using electrical tape to attach them and it works just fine. with these 3 plates i "can" get DB. the bad is the camera has limited movement. it won't tilt back very far as it quickly hits the back motor. still its usable for lots of shooting. on my A7sII with BATTERY GRIP i need to put 2 of these plates under the camera platform to achieve DB. this camera setup "DOES" have full range of movement and is a lot less heavy vs the 1DXmkII. i love this gimbal even with its limitations. hope this helps some that are wondering about its weight / handling abilities. https://www.homedepot.com/p/Simpson...ate-with-5-8-in-Dia-Bolt-LBPS-5-8Z/100374959
 
Basically any camera with the battery trip install will be too tall for the crane 2 to be properly balance. It can work for a very short period before the motor overheat, or if u are not moving too much.

Even the Ronin-M cannot balance without installing the extension rods.

Try the Ronin-mx, which is way better.
 
cookinghusband said:
Basically any camera with the battery trip install will be too tall for the crane 2 to be properly balance. It can work for a very short period before the motor overheat, or if u are not moving too much.

Even the Ronin-M cannot balance without installing the extension rods.

Try the Ronin-mx, which is way better.
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i have a Ronin and a Ready Rig but is not ideal for many scenarios. the Crane 2 "will" work with the added weight on the 1DXmkII but with limited mobility but still very useable for many gigs. you need to use 2 hands but is still manageable and for lots of situations a much better choice than the Ronin and RR. its great with the A7sII as well but with battery grip still a 2 hand operation as the gimbal itself is still .7lbs heavier than the smaller Crane. the A7sII without battery grip might be better to go for the smaller gimbal so you "can" use one hand to operate. i still highly recommend the Crane 2 as you can turn on a dime where the bigger rig is much more cumbersome in tight quarters.

david
 
You can achieve dynamic balance on all axis with 1DXMKII gravity adjustment plate on the crane 2.
 
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