DJI RS4 Pro review: Fantastic for the professional filmmaker, overkill for most
If you're a videographer or filmmaker, the DJI RS4 Pro is a dream gimbal to have.
#dji #gimbal #videography
Note: This review was first published on 13 June 2024.
The DJI RS4 Pro all kitted out and ready for action.
I might have been a photojournalist in my previous job, but I have never handled a camera gimbal as professional, complicated or intimidating as the latest DJI RS4 Pro.
Out of the box, the RS4 Pro has the main gimbal, a battery grip, a tripod/extended grip, a quick-release plate (Arca-Swiss/Manfrotto), a briefcase handle, lens-fastening support, a 30cm multi-camera control USB-C cable, a 40cm USB-C charging cable, screw kit, some stickers and finally, a carrying case to put all the above in one place.
Our review unit is the Combo Set, and comes with even more accessories including mini-HDMi cables, a Ronin image transmitter, Focus Pro Motor, Focus Pro Motor Rod mount kit, Focus Gear strip, a lower quick-release plate and a smartphone holder.
The amount of accessories out of the box from the RS4 Pro will overwhelm any common denizen.
For professional content creators or videographers, this must feel like heaven. For everyone else, it can be like trying to solve a Rubik’s Cube, in that you do not know where to start.
What's New?
So what’s new about the RS4 Pro? For a start, it provides an impressive 4.5kg payload capacity, thanks to a 20 per cent increase in motor torque. This makes it ideal for most mirrorless camera and even cinema camera setups, especially with large and heavy lenses.
The RS4 Pro’s long arms come with Teflon coating for better durability and made of carbon fibre to reduce weight. In addition, dual rolling bearings on the roll axis and a tilt-axis fine-tuning knob offer smooth and precise adjustments down to the millimetre.
Converting the shooting mode from horizontal to vertical is surprisingly easy.
Another new feature about RS4 Pro is its native vertical shooting capability aka portrait mode. The RS3 Pro required an additional accessory to do, but here, you only need to re-adjust the existing plate supporting the camera to one side for vertical shooting.
According to DJI, the RS4 Pro comes with a fourth-generation RS stabilisation algorithm that is supposed to “deliver exceptional stabilisation performance and stability for dynamic scenes” as well as improved axis locks for reduced gimbal shakes.
Finally, the RS4 Pro is supported by an advanced control ecosystem including the DJI Focus Pro for superior LiDAR lens control and DJI Transmission Cable Hub for seamless integrated and power supply. These are extra accessories to be purchased separately.
Performance
For this review, I mounted my Panasonic Lumix GH5 (725g) with a Panasonic Vario 8-18mm f/2.8-4.0 lens (313g) on to the RS4 Pro. This combo weighs around 1.4kg.
This is not exactly the heaviest mirrorless camera set up, but it still adds quite a fair bit of weight to the already heavy 3kg gimbal. On the upside, the entire gimbal set up feels super sturdy and solid.
Despite its weight, it is actually quite easy to move around. I would recommend attaching the suitcase handle to the gimbal to improve the handling.
The setup might feel heavy but it is actually quite easy to move the gimbal around.
When it is turned off, the gimbal will fold and lock its arms for easy storage and transport. When turned on, it automatically re-adjusts the arms to ensure the camera is always on the horizon whether it is on horizontal or vertical mode.
An OLED touchscreen facing you when holding the grip powers up as the gimbal is turned on. This touchscreen allows you to calibrate the gimbal quickly with a touch of a virtual button. It takes less than 30 seconds for the calibration to complete.
You can find most of the control at the gimbal base around the OLED touchscreen.
Below the touchscreen, you will find a mini joystick, an M button and a video recording button. On one side of the gimbal, you will find a switch that allows you to choose between zoom control and joystick control.
In zoom control, the gimbal will maintain the horizon of the camera. As its name implies, joystick control means you can adjust the direction of the gimbal using the joystick.
And on the other side, there is a switch that lets you toggle through PTF (Pan and Tilt Follow), PF (Pan Follow) and FPV (Pan, Tilt and Roll Follow). In PF mode, it means the pan axis follows the movement of the grip. And the PTF means the pan and tilt axis follow the movement of the grip. Finally, as you might have guessed, FPV means all the pan, tilt and roll axis follow the movement of the grip.
This switch makes it easy for you to toggle through the modes.
In front, there is a trigger that centres the gimbal with two presses and turns the gimbal 180 degrees with three presses. Above the trigger is a control wheel that lets you adjust the camera’s shutter speed, aperture or ISO.
There is a trigger and a control wheel in front of the gimbal.
This button layout ensures all the controls are easily accessible to your fingers and thumb when using the grip. And you can literally control the gimbal in any direction or way you like with ease.
You can access all the controls when holding the grip of the gimbal.
Mounting the camera on to the gimbal is a breeze once you know how to do so. To adjust the camera’s settings using the gimbal, simply connect a USB-C-to-USB-C cable from the camera to the USB-C port on the arm of the gimbal.
Once connected, you can start and stop recording videos on a connected camera using the video recording button or use the M button to capture a picture.
You can install the Focus Pro Motor kit to manually adjust the lens focus. Or you can also connect your smartphone to the gimbal via Bluetooth using the Ronin app to control the camera shutter and zoom control. The app also allows you to track a subject by tapping on it.
You can access all the controls when holding the grip of the gimbal.
Whether you are using the Focus Pro Motor or the Ronin app, the videos shot using the RS4 Pro are all super steady. I like that I can use the gimbal to shoot at very low angle without squatting or hunching my back.
Look at the video below I shot as I followed this mother hen (no animals are harmed in the process) walking around with her chicks. I felt like a videographer shooting a BBC Earth or NatGeo documentary.
Even when I am following a community cat moving haphazardly, the video (see below) looks cinematic and remains stable without any hiccups.
Also, you can execute such rotational video (see below) that would have been impossible if you are holding your camera.
Battery life is rated at 13 hours with the included battery grip. During the review, with no Bluetooth connection to a smartphone, the RS4 Pro’s battery level dropped from full to 70% in just 2 hours. Something to take note if you are using it for a full day’s shoot.
Conclusion
The DJI RS4 Pro offers excellent stability, unparalleled performance and support from a vast ecosystem of accessories that will cater to the needs of every videographer.
However, the question is do you really need it? This is especially so when it starts from a whopping S$1,199. The Combo used in this review costs S$1,529. You can get a premium smartphone like the Google Pixel 8 or Nothing Phone (2) with change to spare.
My guess is the RS4 Pro is a mouth-watering proposition for professional videographers and filmmakers, but jaw-dropping for the rest of us. So, pick your poison.
If you're still interested, you can purchase the DJI RS4 Pro from the official DJI Store, Amazon, Lazada, and Shopee.
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