"It is tempting, if the only tool you have is a hammer, to treat everything as if it were a nail."

- Abraham Maslow

It goes without saying that at The Camera Department, we encounter a lot of cameras. Our long standing perspective has been that cameras are tools, and we aim to equip our clients with the best tools for their jobs. Not too long ago the divide of quality was between film and digital. Now in the digital age we have found just about every camera will give you an incredible image. There is no shortage of high quality cameras, so much so, that the choices we make as cinematographers can sometimes seem arbitrary when it comes to picking a camera body. Obviously it’s still a big consideration, but comparing the latest from Arri, Sony, and Red can seem like a less critical choice than it once did. If the only tool you have is a hammer, everything tends to look like a nail. The Law of the Instrument.

However, every once in while a camera comes along that seems to shake up perspectives, and remind us that these are purpose driven instruments, and deserve to utilized as such. The Ronin 4D is not a new camera. The original 6k version was announced in 2021, and the upgraded 8K version has been out now for over a year. Since then we’ve seen it creep into relevancy being used on projects like ‘Civil War’, ‘Adolescence’, and ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’. It’s a new rental offering for us now, and over the past few weeks we’ve been rather impressed with what this unique camera can do. We hope that this little overview might help showcase some of the ways it can be setup for your next production.

THE CAMERA

First some basics. The Ronin 4D is the system, and on it the Zenmuse X9 8K. This is a full frame camera with sensor dimensions of 36mm x 19mm. It offers a maximum 8192 x 4320 pixel image in full frame, and a 5568 x 2952 pixel image in the Super 35 mode. It records to CF Express type B cards with limitations, or DJI’s Pro SSDs with no quality or framerate exceptions. The codecs are ProRes RAW, ProRes 422HQ, or H.264. Dimensions of the assembled 4D with lens mounted are roughly 11 x 12 x 14”.

The Zenmuse X9 8K has a DX mount natively, and DJI offers a DX - DL mount adapter to use their own lenses on the system. We include in our kit an additional DX - E Mount, DX - M Mount, and DX - PL Mount. The X9 stabilizes pan, tilt, and roll, and additionally the ‘Z Axis’ when attached to the 4D, meaning your footsteps and a good amount of vertical movement can be reduced giving the camera a great deal of stabilization.

A lidar unit can be mounted with any of the lens mounts, and offers distance measurements, and autofocus capabilities to any lens you’re able to mount. For DL and Sony E mount lenses the internal focus servos are used, for manual focus lenses we have the compact X9 focus motor available as an optional add on.

There are two side grips and a top handle, which offer control of menus, and common camera functions. The onboard 5.5“ monitor is touch screen and can be used to control the remaining camera functions not covered by the grips. Despite the camera’s small form factor there are internal NDs from 0.3 - 2.7 which are wonderful for controlling exposure, and something we hope one day will be in all cinema cameras without exception. Out of the case this camera can be grabbed, powered on, and be ready to film very quickly. For full in depth specs please see our camera page here.

WIRELESS

Our 4D Package comes with DJI’s inline transmitter that lives on the camera body, and a High Bright monitor (1500 nits) that has a built in receiver. Along with the obvious wireless video transmission, the monitor offers camera control and proxy recording via a micro SD card slot. The 4D grips can also be attached to the monitor cage to allow for joystick movement, and the same controls possible for the Ronin 4D. A built in gyroscope will also give you direct control of the gimbal, similar to the Mimic for the Freefly Movi line, or the Force Pro for the Ronin 2. This can be used in handheld mode, or mounted to a tripod for a remote fluid head setup.

With our additional lens control kit, the monitor can be attached to the DJI focus pro hand unit for a more traditional style 1st AC focus station, while maintaining camera control.

THE FLEX

Another optional kit is the DJI Ronin 4D flex. This cable will separate the camera unit and the 4D body meaning you lose the z axis stabilization but gain 6.5ft of distance, and end up with a very light weight 3 axis gimbal. This is similar to the Rialto for Sony’s Venice cameras, but with added PTZ style capabilities.

There are a number of build potentials here that we explored. The camera itself ends up being very small for rigging on cars, monopods, jibs, etc. It can also be built back up with handles, and monitor for handheld. Additionally a tilta cage can be installed which locks the gimbal entirely, but allows for longer lenses to used with the system that otherwise couldn’t be mounted with the gimbal size limitations.

PROS & CONS

We’d like to be honest here. This camera system is capable of a great number of uses. It can do things no other current system really can, but that comes with a few caveats.

DJI as a company wants to sell an ecosystem. This is a double edged sword, as they control what can and cannot work within it.

Lenses. This is a big one, perhaps the largest thing to consider when using the 4D is what lenses are able to work with the gimbal. It’s compact size means it can only handle certain sized lenses. The Cooke SP3s will undoubtedly be a favorite for many with their full frame coverage, and compact form factor. We also found that our Zeiss standard speeds were an excellent companion to the 4D in the super 35 mode.

Fortunately we have several options available.

A complete list of lenses we offer can be found in a chart at the bottom of this page, a list we will continue to update as more offerings are available.

Batteries. The Ronin 4D natively uses the same TB50 batteries as the Ronin 2. We have found that a TB50 will power the 4D for around 2 hours. We send out 4 batteries in our kit anticipating 8 hours uptime. A full recharge of a TB50 with the included charger takes around 1.5 hours. One TB50 drawback is that there are no power accessory ports. A potential solution for this is to use a third party V-mount battery back, and further convert to our plentiful gold mount batteries. Unfortunately we have heard stories of this solution underpowering the camera resulting in z axis stabilization issues. For this reason we have decided to stick with DJIs own power solutions at this time, with the hope that in the future a gold mount solution is available. Until then our workaround has been to mount an additional gold mount battery or compact Sony NP-F with P-tap plate to the camera to power accessories.

Wireless. DJI implemented their own wireless transmission system with this camera. So far our testing of it has left us impressed. The quality and range are both very good. However many of our clients opt to use the current industry standard, Teradek. This is because DITs, directors, and client monitors, need multiple receivers that can be professional coordinated. The lack of power accessory ports on the 4D can make this challenging. Furthermore we have found DJI’s transmission system bleeds into the Teradek wireless space and causes issues if they are run in conjunction. For features and larger projects we are currently recommending forgoing DJI’s wireless altogether if you plan to use Teradeks. Luckily we have a skilled team of techs who can help ACs setup custom solutions to get around these limitations.

Focus. The size and weight limitations on the gimbal mean that realistically the only possible focus motor that can be used is the compact DJI motor included in our lens control kit. This locks ACs into using DJI’s focus pro hand unit. While it’s a perfectly functional system it can’t really hold a candle to the likes of Preston or Arri’s Hi-5. It’s our hope that in the future additional focus systems might work, but until then our techs can help ACs setup a similar station that can at least be used in conjunction with the systems they would prefer to use.

Rolling Shutter. When using the 4D’s built in stabilization system we have found the results to be excellent. When using the camera on tripod or with focal lengths past 100mm we have found the sensor read out time to be less than ideal. This can be adjusted in post production, but that is never our first choice, nor the one filmmakers want to hear. This is something that is worth testing before your shoot day, an area we are more than willing to assist with. If you’re considering using the 4D please reach out and we would be happy to setup a test customized to your shooting considerations.

We’re very excited to have added the DJI Ronin 4D to our rental inventory. It’s a unique camera that we hope might open up some new possibilities for you, our clients. As the filmmaking ecosystem evolves we hope to keep you updated with future exciting products. Until then if the 4D is something you’re interested in, please feel free to contact us at one of our locations for more rental information!