Got mine today... CAN NOT WAIT to hook it up! VERY HAPPY SHOUT OUT TO RCMADNESS for getting this for me. For those interested, I think he had one more.View attachment 15431
Zenmuse Z15 5D MARK III
- Thread starter Joepapa
- Start date
Benjamin Kenobi
Easy? You call that easy?
Keep us posted how it goes!
Have fun!
Have fun!
Carbon Core Octo 1000
Avroto 3515 400 KV
6s 15,000 and 20,000 mah packs
DJI A2
T-MOTOTR 15" Carbon fiber v2 props
OSD Mark II
We have been flying a gimbal with Alexmos controller and after 2 months of tweaking and tuning, its been a very reliable and useable platform. We love using it handheld as well. We got the parts from BrushlessGimbals, but have really wanted the refinement and performance that only comes from the Zenmuse. Its a dream come true to finally own one, and its a huge relief that it works with the Canon 5D Mark III because all the producers really like the footage from that cam. The rest want footage from the Red Epic, and will get that from the AlexMos gimbal which will be upgraded to handle that in the near future. We built the Octo to fly the Red, and with the 5D, the motors and ESCs don't even change temp.
Avroto 3515 400 KV
6s 15,000 and 20,000 mah packs
DJI A2
T-MOTOTR 15" Carbon fiber v2 props
OSD Mark II
We have been flying a gimbal with Alexmos controller and after 2 months of tweaking and tuning, its been a very reliable and useable platform. We love using it handheld as well. We got the parts from BrushlessGimbals, but have really wanted the refinement and performance that only comes from the Zenmuse. Its a dream come true to finally own one, and its a huge relief that it works with the Canon 5D Mark III because all the producers really like the footage from that cam. The rest want footage from the Red Epic, and will get that from the AlexMos gimbal which will be upgraded to handle that in the near future. We built the Octo to fly the Red, and with the 5D, the motors and ESCs don't even change temp.
SamaraMedia
Active Member
Good to hear you Zenmuse arrived, look forward to your results.
John
John
Thanks...Im swapping out the Wookong M for the A2 at the same time, so I have the Carbon Core apart as I type. Its 10 degrees outside and a blizzard in the Northeast right now, but the goal is to get this back together tomorrow. Looks like I'll be inside with plenty of time to do it...
Initial impressions...
My buddy has a Zenmuse for the Panasonic GH2, and his main complaint was the rubber vibration dampers are not in a configuration for compression, but rather extension. I see they changed that on the 5D. These squeeze together if you pull down on the camera.
The gimbal is much lighter and compact than I thought it would be. Compared to my gimbal from Brushlessgimbals.com, the Zen is much smaller and feels like its at least 1/3 lighter.
Back to work... Im so happy I don't have to "tune" this gimbal. Maybe now I can get some sleep at night...
Joe
Initial impressions...
My buddy has a Zenmuse for the Panasonic GH2, and his main complaint was the rubber vibration dampers are not in a configuration for compression, but rather extension. I see they changed that on the 5D. These squeeze together if you pull down on the camera.
The gimbal is much lighter and compact than I thought it would be. Compared to my gimbal from Brushlessgimbals.com, the Zen is much smaller and feels like its at least 1/3 lighter.
Back to work... Im so happy I don't have to "tune" this gimbal. Maybe now I can get some sleep at night...
Joe
Tuukkuli
Member
I am too considering to buy this gimbal. Waiting your opinions with excitement Joe!
Some questions as I am a Zenmuse newbie.
1. Can I install a ND filter and a lens hood to the lens or does it affect the balance of the gimbal too much? In DJI:s pictures there is no lens hood. Not sure about filter.
2. Is there some wire/wires going from the gimbal to the upcoming S1000 octo via a slipring? I have understood that Zenmuse is connected to the Wookong/A2 somehow. And as the gimbal rotates 360 pan wise, there should be some kind of slipping solution I presume if the gimbal is connected to the copter?
3. If not, is any airframe as good as the S1000? I have a Cinestar-8 I could use with the Zenmuse 5D if there is not a very good reason why I should wait for the S1000.
4. If I end up using Cinestar-8, are there any proven attachment modules for Zenmuse/Cinestar combination?
Some questions as I am a Zenmuse newbie.
1. Can I install a ND filter and a lens hood to the lens or does it affect the balance of the gimbal too much? In DJI:s pictures there is no lens hood. Not sure about filter.
2. Is there some wire/wires going from the gimbal to the upcoming S1000 octo via a slipring? I have understood that Zenmuse is connected to the Wookong/A2 somehow. And as the gimbal rotates 360 pan wise, there should be some kind of slipping solution I presume if the gimbal is connected to the copter?
3. If not, is any airframe as good as the S1000? I have a Cinestar-8 I could use with the Zenmuse 5D if there is not a very good reason why I should wait for the S1000.
4. If I end up using Cinestar-8, are there any proven attachment modules for Zenmuse/Cinestar combination?
Tuukkuli
Member
Upon reading the gimbal manual I found out that DJI says not to use filter and/or lens hood on the lens. Additionally DJI recommends only to use SD card on the Mark III, not CF card because of balance.
This is not good for serious aerial cinematography. It is necessary to use ND filters on the camera in order to avoid too short shutter speed or stopping down to f/22 or something similar on a sunny day.
Also - to my understanding - Magic Lantern needs a fast CF card to record in RAW so it would be necessary to have both card slots occupied for ML to work. SD for Magic lantern and CF for RAW files.
I would greatly appreciate if you tried how the gimbal works with a lens filter/hood attached and cards in both card slots Joe.
This is not good for serious aerial cinematography. It is necessary to use ND filters on the camera in order to avoid too short shutter speed or stopping down to f/22 or something similar on a sunny day.
Also - to my understanding - Magic Lantern needs a fast CF card to record in RAW so it would be necessary to have both card slots occupied for ML to work. SD for Magic lantern and CF for RAW files.
I would greatly appreciate if you tried how the gimbal works with a lens filter/hood attached and cards in both card slots Joe.
Carapau
Tek care, lambs ont road, MRF Moderator
DJI will tell you not to add things like an ND filter because it will send the gimbal out of balance. However, if you can stick some small weights on the gimbal to re-balance the setup then this should actually be perfectly fine. Clearly if the weight gets too much you will over stress the motors so not a great idea. The big question and one for which I have no answer for is how much extra weight is too much? The Zen motors are near their max capacity already I believe as this gives the best performance but the weights required to balance a CF card, shouldn't be a problem. ND filter? I doubt that will be a problem either. As an idea, I use an old GH2 Zen with a GH3 (heavier camera) with a 14-42 lens with filter on it. On the Zen I had to stick on 2xnuts to act as counter balances and this setup has worked flawlessly.
I also have the 5D Zen coming hopefully this week and pick the 24mm lens up tomorrow for the 5D
You could also check out the 28mm IS USM lens, which is almost exactly the same size, but 20 grams lighter.
In one of the DJI promotional videos I seen they had an ND filter on.
Another way of balancing things up is to use velcro and stick some to the back of coins, this lets you move the weight around to suit.
The CF cards are only 9 grams which shouldn't cause too much trouble
No Idea why on earth DJI dont take into consideration these things when they are making it..its not rocket science, at least they picked a half decent lens.
You could also check out the 28mm IS USM lens, which is almost exactly the same size, but 20 grams lighter.
In one of the DJI promotional videos I seen they had an ND filter on.
Another way of balancing things up is to use velcro and stick some to the back of coins, this lets you move the weight around to suit.
The CF cards are only 9 grams which shouldn't cause too much trouble
No Idea why on earth DJI dont take into consideration these things when they are making it..its not rocket science, at least they picked a half decent lens.
Hey guys, we shot video last night and a couple of hours today. For starters, the gimbal is so free of friction when not powered that it is in fact easy to see that the CF card does make it off balance slightly. The lens cap makes the camera noticeably front heavy as well. We use the magic lantern firmware and sometimes shoot raw footage and the 32gb CF card is good for about 5 minutes of raw footage. To counterweight the imbalance of the heavier card, I used a dime and double sided tape on the opposite side. This perfectly compensated for the difference.
Coming from AlexMos boards and months of tuning my own gimbals for DSLR, its very important that the gimbal is balanced. This Zenmuse has adjustment screws everywhere to mover the camera up/down, fwd/back, and Im certain that they tell you not to touch any screws for fear you will make it worse instead of better. So if you want to run a filter, there is NO reason you can't. You just either need to add the same amount of weight to the back of the camera, or, move the camera a millimeter back by loosening the adjustment screws on each side. I actually had to do this on mine, because from the factory it was perfectly balanced with the lens cap ON!...but very back heavy with it off. Believe me, I was freaking out over loosening the screws that are on each side, but after literally a millimeter of adjustment, it was perfect. It took 2 minutes. It was also very easy to make the same amount of adjustment on each side, because the screws were up against the end of the slot, vs just a tiny bit away. With a filter, you'd just go the other way.
Anyway, I got over it and we filmed today and last night as I mentioned. This gimbal does require a can bus cable connection from the zenmuse gimbal control box, up to the flight controller. Fortunately, the part of the gimbal that holds the box doesn't turn. So yes, it uses slip rings and you don't have to worry. No wires to tangle.
Last night in the dark we shot this...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYiShaB8IHo
Today's footage was worthy of a demo reel, and I will incorporate that and link it soon...
All I can say is this... It is SO nice to not worry about tuning, vibration, jello, or PID settings. The gimbal works so well that I can finally concentrate on the shot, instead of worrying about the stabilization, checking the clips in between...just in case I have to reshoot. This think is worth double what it costs and I would pay double if I had to. It is that good.
Also, with regard to the A2... With the Wookong M, even with the V2 IMU, when switching from GPS to Atti, the copter would always omit an audible change in prop speed, as well as drop about 8 inches. The A2 does not do this what so ever. I used to have to call out to my cam operator that I was switching because it would scare the life out of him if I didn't. He would always think something was going wrong. On the A2, you can't tell I switched. Also, the GPS antenna picks up 11 or 12 satellites. The WKM didn't get that many. The GPS hold is so amazing, that when hovering, the video looks like a still photo. Can't recommend it enough!
Coming from AlexMos boards and months of tuning my own gimbals for DSLR, its very important that the gimbal is balanced. This Zenmuse has adjustment screws everywhere to mover the camera up/down, fwd/back, and Im certain that they tell you not to touch any screws for fear you will make it worse instead of better. So if you want to run a filter, there is NO reason you can't. You just either need to add the same amount of weight to the back of the camera, or, move the camera a millimeter back by loosening the adjustment screws on each side. I actually had to do this on mine, because from the factory it was perfectly balanced with the lens cap ON!...but very back heavy with it off. Believe me, I was freaking out over loosening the screws that are on each side, but after literally a millimeter of adjustment, it was perfect. It took 2 minutes. It was also very easy to make the same amount of adjustment on each side, because the screws were up against the end of the slot, vs just a tiny bit away. With a filter, you'd just go the other way.
Anyway, I got over it and we filmed today and last night as I mentioned. This gimbal does require a can bus cable connection from the zenmuse gimbal control box, up to the flight controller. Fortunately, the part of the gimbal that holds the box doesn't turn. So yes, it uses slip rings and you don't have to worry. No wires to tangle.
Last night in the dark we shot this...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYiShaB8IHo
Today's footage was worthy of a demo reel, and I will incorporate that and link it soon...
All I can say is this... It is SO nice to not worry about tuning, vibration, jello, or PID settings. The gimbal works so well that I can finally concentrate on the shot, instead of worrying about the stabilization, checking the clips in between...just in case I have to reshoot. This think is worth double what it costs and I would pay double if I had to. It is that good.
Also, with regard to the A2... With the Wookong M, even with the V2 IMU, when switching from GPS to Atti, the copter would always omit an audible change in prop speed, as well as drop about 8 inches. The A2 does not do this what so ever. I used to have to call out to my cam operator that I was switching because it would scare the life out of him if I didn't. He would always think something was going wrong. On the A2, you can't tell I switched. Also, the GPS antenna picks up 11 or 12 satellites. The WKM didn't get that many. The GPS hold is so amazing, that when hovering, the video looks like a still photo. Can't recommend it enough!
Last edited by a moderator:
rotorvista
Member
you lost a landing gear skid at 2.10?
Thanks for posting..however you did a maiden flight at night time with a new gimbal and a new A2 controller, over a populated area and close to roads.
I am sure you are a very good pilot, but I hate to see this, no one can ever be that confident as you never know when things can go wrong.
I used to be as confident until I had a motor go out, now I take every flight with the attitude, what if something went wrong, its the best thing that could have happened to me as it made me have a rethink.
Please don't take offence at me saying this, as I would like to see more stuff from you, but I don't like even flying near roads in case it distracts a driver and something happened to them while trying to work out what they seen in the sky.
Now Im away to have a look at the manual again, wondering if it has to be plugged into the Flight Controller Can-Bus, or would anywhere do as I have the Wookong?
I am sure you are a very good pilot, but I hate to see this, no one can ever be that confident as you never know when things can go wrong.
I used to be as confident until I had a motor go out, now I take every flight with the attitude, what if something went wrong, its the best thing that could have happened to me as it made me have a rethink.
Please don't take offence at me saying this, as I would like to see more stuff from you, but I don't like even flying near roads in case it distracts a driver and something happened to them while trying to work out what they seen in the sky.
Now Im away to have a look at the manual again, wondering if it has to be plugged into the Flight Controller Can-Bus, or would anywhere do as I have the Wookong?
rotorvista
Member
anywhere on wookong
Benjamin Kenobi
Easy? You call that easy?
Well said! I have the exact same story. End of a two day shoot flying over lots of things, last shot of an empty garden and a motor went out and had to make an emergency landing. Really brought home the safety aspect! I'm also very cautious now.
Glad you like the Zenmuse Joe. It really does pay for itself!
Glad you like the Zenmuse Joe. It really does pay for itself!
That is interesting, would love to hear what effect it had on your MR and were you flying or hovering at the time.
Mine did it thankfully while hovering during flight checks and no gimbal, so I was able to bring it down easily enough but I had no yaw control at all.
Is making me think would a x4 be a better option now for a bit more redundancy, sorry for going a bit off topic.
Benjamin Kenobi
Easy? You call that easy?
All topics go off topic at some stage :nevreness:.
When the motor stopped I was at the very end of the last shot of the day in the last minute of flight and I was just beginning to descend from around 150ft. The blade just stopped but the aircraft behaved completely normally! I was surprised to say the least. People always talk about spinning and flying off but I had none of that. The only problem was the motor came back on again after around 5 seconds which made the aircraft roll a little but it levelled off again, then the motor went out again after 2 seconds. The whole time it held position. It turned out to be the arm connection (wonderful DJI S800 thing) had become loose. The plastic arm didn't fit snuggly into the frame anymore and there was a slight wiggle in it so I guess the pins didn't connect enough. We had been carrying the S800 around quite a lot as we had 12 different locations to squeeze in that day and that was one of the arms we were carrying it by.
There was no damage to the aircraft and the landing was perfect in the designated spot. I have now replaced the complete arm as a precaution. And updated my preflight checks to look for wear in the other arms at this location.
Since this happened I am set on getting a Skyjib X4. I want the redundancy as flying over large bodies of water and actors is something I'll have to do and landing on the spot is rarely the best option.
Happy Monday!
When the motor stopped I was at the very end of the last shot of the day in the last minute of flight and I was just beginning to descend from around 150ft. The blade just stopped but the aircraft behaved completely normally! I was surprised to say the least. People always talk about spinning and flying off but I had none of that. The only problem was the motor came back on again after around 5 seconds which made the aircraft roll a little but it levelled off again, then the motor went out again after 2 seconds. The whole time it held position. It turned out to be the arm connection (wonderful DJI S800 thing) had become loose. The plastic arm didn't fit snuggly into the frame anymore and there was a slight wiggle in it so I guess the pins didn't connect enough. We had been carrying the S800 around quite a lot as we had 12 different locations to squeeze in that day and that was one of the arms we were carrying it by.
There was no damage to the aircraft and the landing was perfect in the designated spot. I have now replaced the complete arm as a precaution. And updated my preflight checks to look for wear in the other arms at this location.
Since this happened I am set on getting a Skyjib X4. I want the redundancy as flying over large bodies of water and actors is something I'll have to do and landing on the spot is rarely the best option.
Happy Monday!