These setup notes are based on my experiences setting up and balancing
the DJI RS4 Mini gimbal. My primary use of the gimbal is for taking
multi-row panoramas, but the various notes and clarifications here
might also be helpful for other uses.
A three-axis gimbal is intended to keep a camera pointing in a constant
direction. To do this efficiently the gimbal and camera combination
need to be balanced before use, because different camera and lens
setups have different weights and centres of gravity (CoGs) and if
unbalanced then the gimbal would require stronger, heavier, and more
power-hungry motors.
Compared to the DJI RS3 Mini gimbal which I
have also used, the RS4 Mini has a much improved camera clamp system
with a useful forward ↔ back adjustment and also a left ↔ right
camera plate; these both simplify setup. These notes are for my
current lightweight camera system, based on the Sony ZV-E10 II and
APS-C lenses.
Initial setup
Note that the camera must be firmly attached to the gimbal
(the gimbal will shake it around during calibration).
- Power off the gimbal and mount the gimbal on a table-top or other
tripod.
- Set the switches (smaller than the levers) for all three axes to
Auto Lock position.
- Set all levers to lock (clamped) position.
- Adjust gimbal to working position:
Unlock Roll axis from Auto Lock, rotate so roll arm is horizonal,
re-apply Auto Lock.
- Unlock camera clamp lever and add camera + lens (without lens cap
but with hood) to gimbal (this assumes clamp plate is already on
gimbal and Arca-Swiss plate is on camera) and lock clamp lever; camera
should be just short of vertical arm.
- Plug USB↔USB cable between camera and RS4 Mini USB-C socket (on
rear of tilt arm).
- Extend and tilt screen to left as required.
The positions of the screen, camera, and plate affect balance so
must always be fitted the same way, e.g., screen out to left, camera
plate centred in clamp.
Balancing
Follow the instructions in the manual and tutorial video; this
is a summary with some clarifications:
(When sliding arms it is helpful to support the weight of the camera,
especially for the Roll axis.)
With the gimbal still powered off:
- Unlock Tilt axis then adjust sliders:
- Tilt depth balance (point lens forward) .. adjust camera clamp
plate forward and back, using the knob, until roughly balanced.
(This first adjustment is only needed if setup very different from
previous balance.)
- Tilt vertical balance (point lens up) .. “horizontal arm” is that
attached to the camera base; the slider to move to adjust is on the
(usually vertical but now horizontal arm).
- Tilt depth balance (point lens forward) .. adjust camera clamp
plate forward and back, using the knob, until balanced.
- Lock Tilt axis, unlock Roll axis, then adjust:
- Roll balance slider .. lift the weight of the camera to enable
smooth sliding.
- Lock roll axis, unlock Pan axis, then adjust:
- Pan balance slider .. camera + lens CoG should be over the Pan
axis.
- Lock Pan axis.
- Power on gimbal. Top right icon on gimbal screen should be green,
indicating balance OK.
- Select Calibrate icon on gimbal screen (top left of 4) and then
Calibrate. There will be some juddering during the calibration.
- Start Ronin app on smartphone and test (e.g., with Create → Virtual
joystick).
Once balanced, the gimbal can be kept assembled and should not
need re-balancing (assuming no change of camera/lens). If adjustments
are needed while packing, etc., it is useful to record the arm/slider
positions as in the example below – setting these manually should
be sufficient to balance the gimbal adequately without re-balancing.
Balance arm positions
As an example, here are the arm positions I use with the Sony ZV-E10 II
with various lenses (including their lens hood but without lens cap),
positioned as described above:
All measures are on the each arm’s scale, using the edge of the
slider that gives the smaller value.
| Lens mm:
| 60
| 300
| 18-135
| 85
| 70-350
|
|---|
| Tilt vertical arm (‘L-bracket vertical’)
| 3.2
| 3.3
| 3.5
| 3.7
| 3.8
|
| Camera clamp rail (front↔back under camera plate)
| 4.2
| 3.6
| 2.7
| 1.9
| −0.9
|
| Roll arm (NB screen out to left and tilted)
| 3.4
| 3.0
| 2.7
| 2.2
| 2.0
|
| Pan arm
| 1.2
| 1.2
| 1.2
| 1.2
| 1.1
|
| lens weight
| 200g
| 262g
| 323g
| 486g
| 622g
|
The lenses referred to above are:
60mm: Sigma 60mm F2.8 DN Art
300mm: Samyang 300mm F6.3 Reflex ED UMC CS
18-135mm: Sony 18–135mm F3.5–5.6 OSS
85mm: Viltrox AF 85mm F1.8 II FE
70-350: Sony 70–350mm F4.5–6.3 G OSS
(at 200mm, the maximum the Ronin app supports)
Other notes
- The virtual joystick in the app is very sensitive. To slow it:
User profile → Control → Motion, then set all three axes to Slow.
If still too fast, speeds can be reduced further in Create → Virtual
Joystick.
- The gimbal self-levels (even if mounted at a tilt), so there is
no need for a levelling head on the tripod.
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This page was last
edited on 2025-04-26 by mfc.