DJI: New professional Ronin 4D and Zenmuse X9 gimbal camera system arrives Oct. 20
[19:51 Thu,14.October 2021 by Thomas Richter]
DJI had just teased the announcement of three new products - they are to be unveiled in quick succession, on October 20 and 27, and then on November 5. It was already clear from previous leaks that one of the product launches would be the new Mavic 3 drone, of which almost all the important information has now been revealed, and the new actioncam Osmo Action 2.
DJI Ronin 4D and Zenmuse X9
However, the third product was initially unclear, and DJI only gave a few hints about it on a its own announcement page entitled "DJI Pro: Here&s to the Dreamers". Now through recent leaks thanks to the Twitterers Jasper Ellens and OsitaLV clear what will be presented on October 20: it is the already for some time through several rumors leaked professional gimbal camera system, about which we had also already reported and which now also has a name.
DJI announcement of the three new products.
It consists of the new DJI Ronin 4D gimbal along with the new Zenmuse X9 6K/8K camera. The new photos are exactly the same as the rendered images from April and add more information to them, so to go along with that, again below is our speculations from April regarding the new system.
DJI itself had only shown a picture on its teaser page with a cutout of the control buttons, showing a glowing red "Rec" button. In the further text, highlights of the historical development of film technology such as the invention of the CCD image sensor, the Steadicam, autofocus and digital image transmission are mentioned. It was therefore clear that the new product would combine all these technologies.
New radio module
This fit perfectly with the old leaks (see below) of a professional gimbal camera system, which was now supplemented by DJI&s hints of special focus on autofocus (which would fit the old speculations regarding an integrated LiDAR sensor) and an integrated image transmission system. The latter would make extreme sense, as DJI has long had the relevant know-how through the OcuSync radio transmission system of its drones.
And indeed, the new photos show a module between the battery and the camera body that can be clearly identified as a radio transmission system thanks to its antennas. A special version for the new system will presumably be designed for shorter distances than OcuSync and, as a result, could come up with even higher-quality images and transmission.
What can be seen in the leaked photos - plus speculations
. A highly modular gimbal camera system can be seen, consisting of the new type of camera body including a 1-axis gimbal arm on which a new Zenmuse X9 3-axis gimbal camera is mounted; an arm for the display as well as two detachable hand grips. Jasper Ellens refers to it as a Zenmuse X9 6K/8K camera, which may indicate that a full-frame sensor is being used.
DJI Ronin 4D and Zenmuse X9 renders from April.
It was already clear that the new system can only be used with a successor of the already existing Zenmuse models, as the camera interface seen in the photos does not match that of the current Zenmuse cameras or the Inspire 2 drone. As a mount, DJI apparently uses its proprietary DL-mount system, for which, however, only a few lenses are available. As a reminder, DJI&s Zenmuse X7 gimbal camera costs around ,000 and uses a Super 35 camera sensor (23.5 x 12.5mm) with a dynamic range of 14 stops and records 6K CinemaDNG RAW or 5.2K Apple ProRes at up to 30 fps.
Ronin 4D plus Zenmuse X9: The individual points
- Two large heat sinks on the front and back of the camera body (cooling fins may also be seen on the camera module) - an integrated motorized spring arm made of carbon fiber, which is presumably responsible for damping in the Z-axis (i.e. for cushioning the up and down movements when walking, for example). Mounted at the end of this boom is a 3-axis gimbal complete with integrated camera and lens (which looks very similar to a Zenmuse gimbal camera), the combination of both gimbal systems would explain the naming Ronin 4D - the gimbal port, i.e. the electronic interface between gimbal camera and camera body, does not seem to be the same as DJI&s Zenmuse models X5S or X7 cameras use, it has two wide interfaces here instead of one - one 4-PIN connector for power - several still unlabeled control buttons presumably for recording start/stop (red?) and others for adjustments - a detachable arm with camera display - a battery holder on the back - left and right of the body are removable handles with control buttons - the lateral interfaces on the camera body are splash-proof by rubber covers - the picture from below shows different threads for different mount possibilities - on the camera you can see a device which might be a distance sensor like a LiDAR for an autofocus system - a dedicated radio transmission module
DJI Ronin 4D and Zenmuse X9
Introduction on October 20
In any case, we are very curious about more info on the new gimbal camera system and are waiting to see if DJI has any more surprises up its sleeve - on October 20, 2021 at 15:00 (CEST) it will be - then DJI will present the system live on the web.
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