Yes, this was an error when I recorded the video, and I added a note in the video's description for this already. Unfortunately, RUclips doesn't let you edit videos, and I looked for the text annotation overlays, but I don't seem to have access to that feature.
Thanks for the interest. The rig is actually kinda basic/standard parts; just looks impressive as it's built out a bit more like a big cine camera instead of the minimalist builds most Komodo users rock. I've ordered a couple parts to try and get the LiDAR unit mounted above the lens. I'd prefer to wait until I've got that figured out before I post a rig overview.
@@cwichura yea, am annoyed by how little mounting options my tilta cage provides when i require it to be rigged out, it often turns out to be weirdly balanced with little points for cable management.
I think this is a general problem with the small form factor of the Komodo and the limited mount points on the body itself. My rig is kind of limited for mounting options, too. I use the KipperTie Chinstrap (as I wanted the extra support for the KipperTie Revolva mount adapter), which gives you a row of 1/4-20s on each side of the camera. I have the nato rail for the DJI Focus Grip on the right side now, and a SmallRig cold shoe mount on the left side to hold the timecode generator. I also use the RED I/O expansion plate for the Komodo. I know a lot of people didn't like it, but it's worked for my needs. Not only do you get the I/O port breakouts (which I needed), but it raises the Komodo height to be more in line with full-sized cine cameras (which helps with for the bottom rods spacing from the lens). And it also gives you mounting points on each side as well, to which I've got Mondo Ties attached on both the left and right for help with cable management. Finally, I use a Kessler Crane K-Plate, which does triple duty as a stand, Arca-Swiss dovetail and 15mm LWS rod holder. You can get side cheesplates for the K-Plate that give you a TON of 1/4-20 and 3/8-16 mount points, and I have those on both sides of my K-Plate.
Great video, super useful info. Thank you for that. I'd love to see you make a video about your Komodo setup. I've been thinking about getting a Freak Show SDI splitter for mine, but Id love to know your experience with it. Have a great day!
Heyhey! You said the battery isn't swappable- but I've seen configurations without the battery being used. I believe that due to the position on the right side you might have missed the latch on the left side of the unit. If you twist and push this, the battery should be able to come off! Gr :)
Yes, this was an error when I recorded the video, and I added a note in the video's description for this already. Unfortunately, RUclips doesn't let you edit videos, and I looked for the text annotation overlays, but I don't seem to have access to that feature.
Yes, this was an error when I recorded the video, and I added a note in the video's description for this already. Unfortunately, RUclips doesn't let you edit videos, and I looked for the text annotation overlays, but I don't seem to have access to that feature.
No. Recall that focal distance is the distance to a plane parallel to the camera's sensor plane. Where the subject is within that plane, up/down/left/right does not matter. So the LiDAR being offset a bit to the side of the camera won't affect the distance measurement. All that matters is that the LiDAR is parallel with the sensor. So you can't mount it such that it has any kind of tilt to it -- it needs to be pointing straight forward. That said, mounted to the side, you are more likely to get occlusion from the flaps on your matte box. That would result in a "blind spot" for the LiDAR, which is obviously undesirable. If you look at the rig rundown video I posted after this video, you'll see that I found a way to mount the LiDAR centered over the lens with enough height to provide clearance over the top flap of a matte box.
They have a separate hand controller that connects wirelessly (though with not much range from what I've read). That comes with a D-Tap cable to power the motors in case you don't have the grip. But I don't have the hand unit, so in my case, my only option to power the motor and LIDAR is from the grip.
Autofocus seems to be quite responsive. Motors sound quiet, however I know Lidar range is limited and going on like an 85MM lens would have issues detecting points.
They state the LiDAR range is 20 meters/65 feet. I haven't been able to test that myself, though I believe CVP did and found it about accurate. That will cover practical working ranges for most shots, I believe. And if you are outside that range, you can still use it in manual focus mode (probably with a 1st AC using the hand unit they sell for the system). In this video, I had the focus response set to the default of 3 (out of 5). Using that setting, you can influence how fast it tracks focus when switching between subjects, etc. I haven't had a chance to really test that, either, yet, though.
@@cwichura I see. I already own a few Tilta fiz motors paired with the Nuclues M, but buying the DJI focus Pro version would be interesting with the Lidar range set-up. Did you buy the FIZ Hand Unit as well?
I did not purchase the hand unit. It's an extra $950USD, and I operate the camera solo. The LiDAR auto-focus was my primary interest, since it allows me to concentrate more on framing rather than trying to maintain focus manually.
Simply because it was where I had a place to mount it. As mentioned in the video, my goal is to figure out a way to mount it to top rods over the lens, but I don't have a solution for that yet. Having the LiDAR slightly off center doesn't impact its accuracy as a distance ranging device. For accurate ranging, the key element is ensuring you've configured the distance from the sensor plane to the front of the LiDAR accurately. Having it off to the side slightly instead puts you at risk of having part of the LiDAR's view occluded by the lens and/or mattebox. So it might have trouble "seeing" a subject to the far left, with it mounted on the right side like I have it now. This hasn't been an issue for me in my testing so far, however -- at least with no mattebox in use at the same time.
Focal distance is perpendicular to the plane that intersects the desired object of focus. So measured straight forward from the LiDAR sensor. The LiDAR has a widish angle of view at 70 degrees. The design must take into account that subjects on the edge are slightly further than an object dead center in front of it when calculating the bounce times of the IR beams (which are diagonal/direct, not perpendicular), or subjects on the edges of the sensor's view would be considered too far away. So even if you mount the sensor slightly to the side of the camera, a subject directly in front of the camera the sensor will calculate the correct distance to them because it's taking the angle of the IR beam for the arc in front of it into account. That said, I've already stated I am looking into mounting solutions to put the LiDAR on top rails over the lens.
Sorry, no idea. I don't have one that I can try. And with my setup, I just have the included battery connected to my power distro via the USB cable they give you, so it is constantly being charged by my big gold mount batteries.
You say the battery is not swappable. Hmm.. It sure is swappable. Just get a couple of extra handgrup batteries and swap them. PS: Not a huge fan of the long thumb nail. ;)
Just a sily question, can you used the dji focus pro on Auto focus photography lens without using manual focus/ zoom. And let the lidar control the lens?
That depends. The DJI Focus Pro requires lenses to have hard stops on the focus (and other) rings. Most photography lenses do not have hard stops, so will not be calibrateable on the DJI Focus Pro. If the lens in question does have hard stops then yes, you can have LiDAR auto-focus. Of if you're asking if you have to use the focus motor -- DJI has done some partnerships where you can connect the Focus Pro to the camera via Bluetooth or USB and have it control a motorized lens through the camera. I have seen a few RUclips videos demonstrating it with recent Lumix cameras. I would guess they have a compatibility list posted somewhere on their website, but I haven't looked as this is not my use case.
The new DJI Focus Pro supports fully independent operation from the DJI gimbals. I do not own any of their gimbals, and I can use the new hand grip that comes in the Focus Pro kit to do all the calibration and lens profile creation -- something the last generation required the gimbal controller to do.
Most stuff I've gotten from DJI (by most I mean everything as far as I can remember) the battery is about 65% In fact a dead battery left long is an issue. I would maybe try to get DJI to think about replacing your handle...
@@mattwruff Turns out I was wrong about that -- I updated the video description to explain that. But the manual is terrible (refers to the battery as "built-in"), and the release mechanism is not that obvious -- especially when you have moved the handle to mount on the right side. But yes, there are way too many products with fixed batteries these days.
I agree, it varies by people's use case. For me, it'd probably last long enough as I don't generally do long shoots. But for people doing big shoots that last 10-16 hours a day, they'd need to plan to have enough power on hand.
The battery is swappable.
Yes, this was an error when I recorded the video, and I added a note in the video's description for this already. Unfortunately, RUclips doesn't let you edit videos, and I looked for the text annotation overlays, but I don't seem to have access to that feature.
would love a video on your komodo rig, it's one of the best setup's ive seen here.
Thanks for the interest. The rig is actually kinda basic/standard parts; just looks impressive as it's built out a bit more like a big cine camera instead of the minimalist builds most Komodo users rock.
I've ordered a couple parts to try and get the LiDAR unit mounted above the lens. I'd prefer to wait until I've got that figured out before I post a rig overview.
@@cwichura yea, am annoyed by how little mounting options my tilta cage provides when i require it to be rigged out, it often turns out to be weirdly balanced with little points for cable management.
I think this is a general problem with the small form factor of the Komodo and the limited mount points on the body itself. My rig is kind of limited for mounting options, too.
I use the KipperTie Chinstrap (as I wanted the extra support for the KipperTie Revolva mount adapter), which gives you a row of 1/4-20s on each side of the camera. I have the nato rail for the DJI Focus Grip on the right side now, and a SmallRig cold shoe mount on the left side to hold the timecode generator. I also use the RED I/O expansion plate for the Komodo. I know a lot of people didn't like it, but it's worked for my needs. Not only do you get the I/O port breakouts (which I needed), but it raises the Komodo height to be more in line with full-sized cine cameras (which helps with for the bottom rods spacing from the lens). And it also gives you mounting points on each side as well, to which I've got Mondo Ties attached on both the left and right for help with cable management. Finally, I use a Kessler Crane K-Plate, which does triple duty as a stand, Arca-Swiss dovetail and 15mm LWS rod holder. You can get side cheesplates for the K-Plate that give you a TON of 1/4-20 and 3/8-16 mount points, and I have those on both sides of my K-Plate.
FYI, I have posted a rig rundown video now.
thanks for this.. appriciate your effort :) that lens has massive CA
Great video, super useful info. Thank you for that. I'd love to see you make a video about your Komodo setup. I've been thinking about getting a Freak Show SDI splitter for mine, but Id love to know your experience with it. Have a great day!
The Freakshow has worked well for me. I actually just posted a rig rundown video, and I talk about how I use it in that video. Cheers!
THank you! That was really helpful.
Heyhey! You said the battery isn't swappable- but I've seen configurations without the battery being used. I believe that due to the position on the right side you might have missed the latch on the left side of the unit. If you twist and push this, the battery should be able to come off! Gr :)
Yes, this was an error when I recorded the video, and I added a note in the video's description for this already. Unfortunately, RUclips doesn't let you edit videos, and I looked for the text annotation overlays, but I don't seem to have access to that feature.
You can remove battery and change same way as on RS gimbals.
Yes, this was an error when I recorded the video, and I added a note in the video's description for this already. Unfortunately, RUclips doesn't let you edit videos, and I looked for the text annotation overlays, but I don't seem to have access to that feature.
Hey great vid, !! what right side cage/plate are you using In this set up? can't mount it onto my Tilta cage
I am using a KipperTie Chinstrap, and attached the nato rail that came with the hand grip to that with a pair of 1/4-20 screws.
Hi, quick question. Does mounting the lidar on the side handle make much of a difference to its accuracy vs mounting it Centre to the camera?
No. Recall that focal distance is the distance to a plane parallel to the camera's sensor plane. Where the subject is within that plane, up/down/left/right does not matter. So the LiDAR being offset a bit to the side of the camera won't affect the distance measurement. All that matters is that the LiDAR is parallel with the sensor. So you can't mount it such that it has any kind of tilt to it -- it needs to be pointing straight forward.
That said, mounted to the side, you are more likely to get occlusion from the flaps on your matte box. That would result in a "blind spot" for the LiDAR, which is obviously undesirable.
If you look at the rig rundown video I posted after this video, you'll see that I found a way to mount the LiDAR centered over the lens with enough height to provide clearance over the top flap of a matte box.
Great video thanks. Could you try to connect the lidar and the motor on usb to see if the grip can work wireless please?
They have a separate hand controller that connects wirelessly (though with not much range from what I've read). That comes with a D-Tap cable to power the motors in case you don't have the grip. But I don't have the hand unit, so in my case, my only option to power the motor and LIDAR is from the grip.
Autofocus seems to be quite responsive. Motors sound quiet, however I know Lidar range is limited and going on like an 85MM lens would have issues detecting points.
They state the LiDAR range is 20 meters/65 feet. I haven't been able to test that myself, though I believe CVP did and found it about accurate. That will cover practical working ranges for most shots, I believe. And if you are outside that range, you can still use it in manual focus mode (probably with a 1st AC using the hand unit they sell for the system).
In this video, I had the focus response set to the default of 3 (out of 5). Using that setting, you can influence how fast it tracks focus when switching between subjects, etc. I haven't had a chance to really test that, either, yet, though.
@@cwichura I see. I already own a few Tilta fiz motors paired with the Nuclues M, but buying the DJI focus Pro version would be interesting with the Lidar range set-up. Did you buy the FIZ Hand Unit as well?
I did not purchase the hand unit. It's an extra $950USD, and I operate the camera solo. The LiDAR auto-focus was my primary interest, since it allows me to concentrate more on framing rather than trying to maintain focus manually.
I ordered mine the first day when was possible... the supplier don't know when they will receive from dji... I can't wait to have it
For what it's worth, I pre-ordered mine from B&H in the US.
@@cwichura mine from a dji italian authorized reseller and I think is bigger of the italian store they have :D
Why is the lidar mounted to the side?
Simply because it was where I had a place to mount it. As mentioned in the video, my goal is to figure out a way to mount it to top rods over the lens, but I don't have a solution for that yet.
Having the LiDAR slightly off center doesn't impact its accuracy as a distance ranging device. For accurate ranging, the key element is ensuring you've configured the distance from the sensor plane to the front of the LiDAR accurately. Having it off to the side slightly instead puts you at risk of having part of the LiDAR's view occluded by the lens and/or mattebox. So it might have trouble "seeing" a subject to the far left, with it mounted on the right side like I have it now. This hasn't been an issue for me in my testing so far, however -- at least with no mattebox in use at the same time.
@@cwichura it absolutely effects how well it will work if you choose to mount it to the side. Thats ridiculous.
Focal distance is perpendicular to the plane that intersects the desired object of focus. So measured straight forward from the LiDAR sensor. The LiDAR has a widish angle of view at 70 degrees. The design must take into account that subjects on the edge are slightly further than an object dead center in front of it when calculating the bounce times of the IR beams (which are diagonal/direct, not perpendicular), or subjects on the edges of the sensor's view would be considered too far away. So even if you mount the sensor slightly to the side of the camera, a subject directly in front of the camera the sensor will calculate the correct distance to them because it's taking the angle of the IR beam for the arc in front of it into account.
That said, I've already stated I am looking into mounting solutions to put the LiDAR on top rails over the lens.
@@cwichura No one should take you or your channel seriously if you're reviewing a product you can't even be bothered to mount correctly
Nice🎉Thank You
are you able to use the dji high capacity battery with the handgrip? its supposed to get 30 hrs but it is super long lol
Sorry, no idea. I don't have one that I can try. And with my setup, I just have the included battery connected to my power distro via the USB cable they give you, so it is constantly being charged by my big gold mount batteries.
@@cwichura ah okay, that's actually probably a better setup. Thanks for your reply.
You say the battery is not swappable. Hmm.. It sure is swappable. Just get a couple of extra handgrup batteries and swap them.
PS: Not a huge fan of the long thumb nail. ;)
There is already a correction note on the video about the swappable battery.
Just a sily question, can you used the dji focus pro on Auto focus photography lens without using manual focus/ zoom. And let the lidar control the lens?
That depends. The DJI Focus Pro requires lenses to have hard stops on the focus (and other) rings. Most photography lenses do not have hard stops, so will not be calibrateable on the DJI Focus Pro. If the lens in question does have hard stops then yes, you can have LiDAR auto-focus.
Of if you're asking if you have to use the focus motor -- DJI has done some partnerships where you can connect the Focus Pro to the camera via Bluetooth or USB and have it control a motorized lens through the camera. I have seen a few RUclips videos demonstrating it with recent Lumix cameras. I would guess they have a compatibility list posted somewhere on their website, but I haven't looked as this is not my use case.
Hi Thanks for the video! is the grip working without the gimbal DJI rs4? beceause at the moment i have the RS3
The new DJI Focus Pro supports fully independent operation from the DJI gimbals. I do not own any of their gimbals, and I can use the new hand grip that comes in the Focus Pro kit to do all the calibration and lens profile creation -- something the last generation required the gimbal controller to do.
@@cwichura Thanks! => running to the store now! :)
Most stuff I've gotten from DJI (by most I mean everything as far as I can remember) the battery is about 65% In fact a dead battery left long is an issue. I would maybe try to get DJI to think about replacing your handle...
The docs say the grip is good for 2.5 hours of heavy use in the specs sheet. So even less than my estimate. They just undersized the battery I think.
@@cwichura ok then, I hate none user replaceable batteries
@@mattwruff Turns out I was wrong about that -- I updated the video description to explain that. But the manual is terrible (refers to the battery as "built-in"), and the release mechanism is not that obvious -- especially when you have moved the handle to mount on the right side.
But yes, there are way too many products with fixed batteries these days.
The previous firmware made RS2/RS3 Battery compatible, but they removed it.
motors are so loud
Wow, they didn't make that battery replaceable (can't take it off?")... fail
That was an error. Please see the correction note in the video description.
3 and 1/2 hours to 4 and 1/2 hours seems like a lot to me.
I agree, it varies by people's use case. For me, it'd probably last long enough as I don't generally do long shoots. But for people doing big shoots that last 10-16 hours a day, they'd need to plan to have enough power on hand.