In the iteration of the Ronina ecosystem, DJI's mobile shooting system continues to improve, and no matter what kind of scene it is, you can find matching products in DJI's Ronina ecosystem, but it can't be a forest alone, and if an ecosystem wants to further expand the scope of use, an open and compatible attitude is essential, and DJI DJI FOCUS PRO is such a wireless manual automatic focus system that everyone can use and can be integrated into other product ecosystems
Design
The DJI DJI FOCUS PRO wireless focus system consists of three parts, namely the focus motor, the LiDAR rangefinder, and the control handwheel or handle.
DJI Focus Pro LiDAR
First of all, let's take a look at the core of this focus system, that is, the LiDAR rangefinder, which has the same shape as the previously released LiDAR, through the front image sensor and ToF sensor to identify the distance of the object, so as to feed the data back to the processing center, and send instructions to the motor to rotate, and finally the purpose of real-time focus.
The back of the LiDAR rangefinder retains three indicator lights, and there are working states indicated by the color of the light on them, such as the green light is always on for autofocus, the red light is always on for manual focus, and the yellow light state is manual integration, which can be corrected by turning the handwheel under the premise of autofocus.
On one side of the main body of its fuselage are two buttons, no different from the previous generation, and on the other side is the Type-C interface, which can realize data transmission and power supply, and there are honeycomb-shaped heat dissipation holes above the interface, which shows that the amount of heat dissipation required by the sensor in work is not small.
DJI Focus Pro motor
DJI had previously released a focus motor on the RS2 as an accessory for the gimbal unit, and then further upgraded the shape of the focus motor on the RS3, which is compatible with small size and high performance. In the newly released DJI Focus Pro motor, DJI has its own understanding and design language of the motor, the following focus gear of this motor is moderate, not very prominent, and the gear and conduit interface maintain a unified center of gravity in the longitudinal direction, which is less likely to loosen for connection.
This motor is not satisfied with focus control, but takes down the control of F (focus), I (aperture), and Z (focal length) together, and can be used with multiple channels at the same time, and with the help of the autofocus function obtained by LiDAR, the user can concentrate on the control of I or Z, and leave the focus to it with confidence.
The way of multi-channel connection is also relatively simple, each focus motor has two interfaces, as long as one interface is connected to the controller, the other interface can be connected in series with the next motor, and the two interfaces have no fixed restrictions and distinctions, which can reduce the learning cost of use.
DJI Focus Pro 手柄/手轮
After reading the LiDAR and focus motors, you also know that the structure of the two important components of the focus is similar to that of RS3 PRO, and you can control the focus by connecting them to the gimbal device.
First of all, let's take a look at the control handle, its overall appearance is like a stabilizer with the three axle arms removed, and the battery in the grip part is also common to the gimbal device. There is a screen on the front that displays the image transmitted by the image sensor in LiDAR, and manual touch focus can be performed when following focus.
There are two Type-C ports on the back of the focus handle, which are LiDAR and MOTOR interfaces, which are used to power supply and control LiDAR and focus motors, and the system can be run independently through such interfaces.
DJI has been familiar with the RS3 since the locking mechanism, which locks and releases the battery grip by turning and pressing, and has a chute and interface next to the locking structure that can further expand the handle to achieve the desired effect.
On the far left is the battery handle that comes standard with this wireless focus system, in the middle is the handle that is standard with the gimbal device, and on the far right is the battery handle that can be purchased additionally - BG70, the difference in their respective capacities can be seen from the volume, and we also have a more obvious feeling in the use of the focus, when the autofocus is turned on, the handle battery needs to supply power to the LiDAR and the focus motor, and the power consumption is still relatively large, so for long-term shooting, you can choose to install the battery grip for use.
Conventional trigger buttons and dials
The focus handwheel is designed to meet the needs of professional studios, its main body is divided into two parts, the control panel on the left and the wheel on the right, the grip part of the control panel on the left is ergonomic and comfortable to hold, and the wheel on the right is larger, suitable for fine focus adjustment.
The texture of the runner is still good, and the magnetic damping is designed inside, which can adjust the size of the rotation damping after starting, and can be limited to a certain range through the setting of the AB point, and there is no damping when there is no power, and 360 degrees of unlimited rotation can be carried out.
The handwheel can be used independently, or it can be connected to DJI wireless video transmission, and we recommend using it in conjunction with DJI's own wireless video transmission, because the contact interface reserved by itself is clearer for information display, and it can also display the focus oscilloscope only found on the Ronin4D, which is more convenient for AMF's automatic focus control.
Focus performance
AS A SET OF FOCUS SYSTEM, FOCUS PERFORMANCE NATURALLY RANKS FIRST, WHICH IS ALSO ITS MOST IMPORTANT INDEX, ITS TORQUE CAN REACH 0.6NM, THE SPEED CAN REACH 300 RPM, AND THE GEAR MODULUS ALSO ADOPTS A MORE GENERAL 0.8, SUCH PARAMETERS ARE ENOUGH FOR DRIVING MOST OF THE CINEMA LENSES, BOTH SPEED AND TORQUE CAN REACH THE STANDARD OF USE, AND THEN WE WILL TEST ITS FOCUS PERFORMANCE FROM THE SENSITIVITY OF THE FOCUS AND ITS FOCUS IN LOW LIGHT.
001 Reaction sensitivity
This wireless focus system has a total of five focus sensitivity settings, and we will record each of them and generate a GIF with no speed, so you can feel the sensitivity of this focus system through a GIF image.
First gear
Second gear
Three gears
Fourth gear
Fifth gear
With different sensitivity adjustments, it is more convenient for users to use the focus to express the emotions and stories of the picture, the speed of each gear is very regular, in the focus of the first three levels of sensitivity, the subject switching is too soft, and it will not be abrupt, and there is no bellows or repeated focusing, at this time, it can be combined with the highlight function of this wireless focusing system AMF hand automatic integration to use, in the uniform and soft focus through hand control to intervene in the focus, to achieve the overall control of the picture.
At the 4th and 5th stops, the lens focuses very quickly, locks firmly on the subject in the frame, and quickly switches between subjects, thanks to the LiDAR performance, the object recognition is very accurate, and there is no out-of-focus or misidentification.
002 Low light focus
For the general shooting environment, this follow focus is naturally easy to do, then we will challenge it in the extreme low-light environment, we turned off all the lights, leaving only a little shimmer through the curtain gap, the brightness value of the whole picture is within 3lux, I put the brightness value and the face together, turn on the autofocus, to see its focusing effect in low light.
As you can see from the frame, the focus recognizes the subject at less than 3 lux and follows the focus point, which is not expected from the clarity of the brightness value in the frame.
The main ToF sensor in LiDAR is not visual recognition, but physical recognition, and its working principle is not to focus on what you see, but to recognize the focus by measuring the distance reflected back by the emitted rays.
So under such a test, we can boldly use it in a low-light environment, after all, many times the human eye is not as sensitive as a machine in a low-light environment.
Usage scenarios
DJI's wireless focus system can be used independently of the Ronin ecosystem, and it can be used in various use scenarios, but this kind of product is more inclined to short film shooting, which requires the use of cinema cameras or cinema lens equipment, in the shooting of live broadcasts and short videos, such a set will seem a little complicated, so such equipment can be more controllable in large scenes.
The more rigorous the creation, the stricter the control of the focus, and every change in focus can serve the narrative, so such a wireless focus system is still undoubted and trustworthy in terms of practicality.
Install the connection
For those who have not used the DJI autofocus system, there is a certain threshold for the use of the first field, and it is necessary to understand the relationship between LiDAR lidar, electric gears and focus controller from the beginning in order to better install and use it.
First of all, the first step is not to connect, but to install the device on the camera, and install the control handle on the left side of the camera body for easy control.
Clamp the focus motor firmly with the lens gear and lock it as tightly as possible.
Attach the LiDAR rangefinder to the cold shoe of the camera.
After the individual accessories are installed, the next step is to connect the wires. Both LiDAR and electric gears do not have lithium batteries, so they need to be powered by the focus controller, that is, the focus handle.
This completes the initial installation and connection, and if it is to be used further, the lens needs to be calibrated, the formation of the lens and the individual focus data, and then the controller can know how to feed the data from the LiDAR back to the focus of the lens.
The first step of the new lens data calibration is to set the focal length, which is very important in this step, which can help the control center better understand the data that LiDAR needs to obtain, so as to collect data and control the focus.
After setting, place the focus subject at a distance of 1 meter and 4 meters, manually close the focus and click OK to tell the controller what the corresponding rotation value of this lens should be at a distance of 1 meter and 4 meters, and after this step is completed, the calibration of the lens will be completed, and you can enter the autofocus state.
User experience
In the case of lens calibration, if you use a handwheel with DJI wireless video transmission, one person can independently complete the lens calibration, which is very easy to use, and you can also download the Ronin app to view the supported calibration-free lenses and import the lens model, which can save a lot of time.
Although this wireless focus system can be used independently of the Ronin ecosystem, we think that the best scene at present is still with DJI's own gimbal device, first of all, there is enough space reserved in the interface, and the LiDAR and the motor are connected to the two interfaces on the shaft arm, which can complete the drive of the focusing system, especially in the scene of mobile shooting, the picture has higher requirements for focus, so it is a better choice to match RS3/4 PRO such a stabilizer.
Even if it is equipped with LiDAR and focus motor, the overall weight increase is not obvious, because both devices do not have an internal battery, and the power supply can only be external, so neither the weight nor the volume is too large.
If you use it with a video transmission on the gimbal device, you need to use an extension cable, the overall cable will be exposed, the leveling will be slow, and you also need to use a strap or tape to fix it, otherwise it is easy to loosen or accidents in use.
Review
DJI's wireless focus system showcases clear advantages in terms of performance, accuracy, and user experience, and the high-end features and reliability it offers make it the first choice for professional users.
Put simply, with its advanced LiDAR technology and user-friendly design, it delivers unmatched performance and accuracy, even if it can be used in a wider range of people and scenarios.
Merit:
1. Easy to operate and easy to use
2. Strong compatibility and independent use
3. The focus response is fast and the sensitivity can be adjusted
4. High flexibility of hand integration
Shortcoming:
1. There is no practical fixed fitting for the cable after installing it on the gimbal device