jfro
Aerial Fun
Thought I'd start this thread to discuss the new gimbals and for people to share their coming experiences and video as these hit the markets.
The 2nd half of 2015 potentially looks to be what we have all been promised & waiting for the past few years with the brushless gimbals. Rock solid gimbals for gh4 sized cameras and down at a price that most of us can afford, ie, the $1,000 and down range.
There's also promises of new lighter cameras and at least one with 4 channels available for camera control from our RC controllers. Smaller/lighter/better quality is a given in the tech world, but RC control is a great bonus!
I'm going to start this off with my take on what I have experienced and read about so far.
Alexmos 32 bit controller. Works pretty good but I've never been able to get it to work day in and day out in a reliable and high quality mode. Have read others having the same problems, but some have working units.
Centerpiece. I have gotten great footage from this on a DYS Eagle eye with Gh2, Gh3, and Gh4. I have also had good luck on a DIY 5d style gimbal I made last year . I briefly tried it on another smaller/ lighter DIY gimbal without much success, but didn't have enough time to really have at it.
TPPacks has a model 300 with Centerpiece that appears to work with GH4 and smaller and the CP, but I have not direct knowledge other than what I've read on the forums.
All in all the CP seems to be progressing and when set up with a gimbal that works, it is capable of consistent and great stable footage. This I know from experience.
AlexMos 32 bit (AM) now has support for brushless gimbal motors with encoders. There is a cost advantage on the AM compared to Centerpiece (CP) even with the extra cost of the encoder motors, if these deliver as promised.
Another lightweight gimbal that is ready to ship soon using either the CP or AM controllers is here http://www.multirotorforums.com/thr...rmance-gimbal-for-gh4-a7s-size-cameras.24789/. This is called the Infinitymr. One interesting option the builder of this gimbal has is an option to purchase ($100 extra) the gimbal with encoder motors. I think the gimbal, encoders, and AM w/ 2 nd imu is $1095.
He has claimed that he autotunes it and flies. Says the holding power with encoders is rock solid, uses less power, and his video is very stable. Says, in the past (like many of us have experienced) with autotune, he'd get the shakes, now with encoders, he says it just works. If so, this is a big step forward. Proof will be soon as it coming to market soon.
Another promising gimbal I've been hearing about lately is the coming Gremsy H3. Rumored to be in the $1,000 range. I do not know the launch date on this, but let's assume the next 6 months or less. It appears to be another gimbal for the gh4 and down. Lightweight and affordable.
I believe we are just about there on the gimbal technology for $1100 and down gimbals. Smooth, jitter free footage is coming for our midsize cameras. All these gimbals are also lighter than what I've been using for the 5d/gh4 cameras. We have spent a couple years now chasing this technology for those who can't afford the Movi or other $$$ higher end gimbals.
Cameras are getting better and lighter too. The new Black Magic Micro camera with it's wonderful dynamic range, 10 oz weight (without battery/lens), Micro 4/3 format, and 4 channels of RC control for start/stop, f stop, zoom, and some other feature(s) that escape me right now, is coming this summer. If this camera delivers, even tough it's only 2k, it will be a great aerial camera with the potential to be flown on quads once we find a new light weight gimbal. I'm excited for both my X8 and my larger quad.
As a Hobbyist who strives for professional looking video, there are more flying opportunities with my quad. My x8 is a wonderful beast, but I get more flying and filming opportunities with a smaller quieter quad. DJI has proven that mid size quads properly designed can fly pretty stable in 15 mph winds or so with their Inspire.
We have heard the promises of easy to use gimbals and great footage before, but I actually think we might be arriving the 2nd half of this year for the $1,000 or so market. For the DIY gimal builders out there, I'd guess we will start seeing cost effective encoder based motors starting to it the market soon.
The 2nd half of 2015 potentially looks to be what we have all been promised & waiting for the past few years with the brushless gimbals. Rock solid gimbals for gh4 sized cameras and down at a price that most of us can afford, ie, the $1,000 and down range.
There's also promises of new lighter cameras and at least one with 4 channels available for camera control from our RC controllers. Smaller/lighter/better quality is a given in the tech world, but RC control is a great bonus!
I'm going to start this off with my take on what I have experienced and read about so far.
Alexmos 32 bit controller. Works pretty good but I've never been able to get it to work day in and day out in a reliable and high quality mode. Have read others having the same problems, but some have working units.
Centerpiece. I have gotten great footage from this on a DYS Eagle eye with Gh2, Gh3, and Gh4. I have also had good luck on a DIY 5d style gimbal I made last year . I briefly tried it on another smaller/ lighter DIY gimbal without much success, but didn't have enough time to really have at it.
TPPacks has a model 300 with Centerpiece that appears to work with GH4 and smaller and the CP, but I have not direct knowledge other than what I've read on the forums.
All in all the CP seems to be progressing and when set up with a gimbal that works, it is capable of consistent and great stable footage. This I know from experience.
AlexMos 32 bit (AM) now has support for brushless gimbal motors with encoders. There is a cost advantage on the AM compared to Centerpiece (CP) even with the extra cost of the encoder motors, if these deliver as promised.
Another lightweight gimbal that is ready to ship soon using either the CP or AM controllers is here http://www.multirotorforums.com/thr...rmance-gimbal-for-gh4-a7s-size-cameras.24789/. This is called the Infinitymr. One interesting option the builder of this gimbal has is an option to purchase ($100 extra) the gimbal with encoder motors. I think the gimbal, encoders, and AM w/ 2 nd imu is $1095.
He has claimed that he autotunes it and flies. Says the holding power with encoders is rock solid, uses less power, and his video is very stable. Says, in the past (like many of us have experienced) with autotune, he'd get the shakes, now with encoders, he says it just works. If so, this is a big step forward. Proof will be soon as it coming to market soon.
Another promising gimbal I've been hearing about lately is the coming Gremsy H3. Rumored to be in the $1,000 range. I do not know the launch date on this, but let's assume the next 6 months or less. It appears to be another gimbal for the gh4 and down. Lightweight and affordable.
I believe we are just about there on the gimbal technology for $1100 and down gimbals. Smooth, jitter free footage is coming for our midsize cameras. All these gimbals are also lighter than what I've been using for the 5d/gh4 cameras. We have spent a couple years now chasing this technology for those who can't afford the Movi or other $$$ higher end gimbals.
Cameras are getting better and lighter too. The new Black Magic Micro camera with it's wonderful dynamic range, 10 oz weight (without battery/lens), Micro 4/3 format, and 4 channels of RC control for start/stop, f stop, zoom, and some other feature(s) that escape me right now, is coming this summer. If this camera delivers, even tough it's only 2k, it will be a great aerial camera with the potential to be flown on quads once we find a new light weight gimbal. I'm excited for both my X8 and my larger quad.
As a Hobbyist who strives for professional looking video, there are more flying opportunities with my quad. My x8 is a wonderful beast, but I get more flying and filming opportunities with a smaller quieter quad. DJI has proven that mid size quads properly designed can fly pretty stable in 15 mph winds or so with their Inspire.
We have heard the promises of easy to use gimbals and great footage before, but I actually think we might be arriving the 2nd half of this year for the $1,000 or so market. For the DIY gimal builders out there, I'd guess we will start seeing cost effective encoder based motors starting to it the market soon.