DJI RS4 Review: Switching from Zhiyun?

[@xAnnettee]

Key takeaways! 00:57 🎥 When comparing DJI RS4 to Zhiyun Crane 4 for minimal setup shots, the RS4 produces smoother footage with minimal stabilization effort. 02:20 ⚖️ The DJI RS4 has a payload capacity of 6.2 lbs, while the Zhiyun Crane 4 boasts a higher capacity of 13.3 lbs, allowing for larger setups. 03:18 💡 The DJI RS4 features a premium design, lightweight build, and intuitive controls, making it easy to use and travel-friendly. 05:07 🔋 With a claimed battery life of up to 12 hours and a detachable battery feature for quick swaps, the DJI RS4 offers long-lasting power for extended shoots. 07:23 📸 The Zhiyun Crane 4 is highlighted as ideal for heavier setups and live event shooting, with features like a built-in LED fill light and wrist rest attachment for ergonomic benefits during long shoots. 08:48 🔄 The DJI RS4's user-friendly design, robust ecosystem, and additional features, such as manual focus lens compatibility and wireless video transmission integration, make it stand out as a versatile and well-rounded stabilizer. 10:24 🗳️ The DJI RS4's portable and compact nature, coupled with features like the auto-lock functionality and smooth stabilization, make it a convenient choice for travel videography and quick setup changes.

[@darianrundallmedia1305]

So I'm here charging my RS4 for going on 3 hrs lol. But man, those 70-200 shots are you friggen kidding me? Amazing.

[@DavidZhou]

Make sure you have a high enough wattage charging brick/cable! But thank you! Haha, so stable right??

[@darianrundallmedia1305]

@@DavidZhou I used my DJI one but maybe it sucks? lol. Yes! so stable it knocked me out! I've got some work to do but looking forward to putting the RS4 thru its paces.

[@myfloridafarm]

Hi David, thank you, do these gimballs work fine with zoom lenses? given the center of gravity changes with the lens sticking out further and throws it off balance.

[@DavidZhou]

These gimbals are really good these days and if you really need to extend/retract the lens to get the shot real quick, you definitely can. But for optimal performance, it’s best to balance it for whatever weight distribution you plan to use for a bit, that way if you take a big step, it’s harder to throw the gimbal off balance, resulting in the smoothest footage!

[@myfloridafarm]

@@DavidZhou thank you for your response. have a nice day

[@markshirley01]

I've never owned a gimbal, I'm still not sure if they would be a help or a hindrance. I have generally worked hand held or with a monopod. I'm just not sure if it would take to long to balance as I would need to keep taking the camera on and off the gimbal to work. I hear about people buying one and ending up never using it.

[@DavidZhou]

It just depends on how much you like the look! For example, I like it so much that I have a camera that lives on the gimbal for wedding shoots. But I could do it with just one camera, you just need to set about a minute or so aside for balancing and even less if it’s rebalancing since most of it’s already done!

[@MrShadowsports]

I just stumbled on your channel. I enjoyed this review. Wrist rest or not, until Zhiyun makes a removeable battery, they are a no go regardless of the increased weight capacity.

[@KofiBlades]

@DavidZhou, what camera and lens did you use when you were filming your friend, Ethan, at the 1:52 mark? That footage is NICE!!!

[@DavidZhou]

IIRC, that was on the Viltrox 16mm f/1.8 + a pro mist filter for diffusion!

[@Mixxwizard]

Nice comparison, David. Here's a quick question: If the Crane 4 had the shut-off lock-in-place feature and the removable battery, what would your choice of gimbal be then?

[@DavidZhou]

Oooooh… that’s a really good question… I think I’d use the Crane 4 for 10lbs+ setups, because it really can balance some massive setups on there, but RS4 for less gimbal intense days/if I need a compact setup. They’re both almost the same caliber with the RS series being a bit better at stabilization (as seen in the video). I just used the RS4 for 10 days on our trip to London/Santorini and I absolutely loved using it, felt frictionless, which has really put the RS4 higher in my mind

[@Mixxwizard]

Cool, thanks for the reply.

[@wendellmcduffie2018]

Any advice for someone new getting in this profession and what camera should be my first purchase

[@Mixxwizard]

Hey Wendell, it really depends on your budget & what you will be doing with it. I would say the Sony a7v, or the S5ii with a 24-70mm glass. That way you are covered far as photos or filming. That's my opinion. Make sure you get a good tripod, and light meter. Those items will get you started in the right direction. But it doesn't hurt to get a used camera too & don't forget to Pratice, Pratice, Pratice, I this message helps.

[@SharrodVisuals]

There is a massive sale on the crane 4 but I’ve heard they are riddled with issues constant battery failures. There was one guy who said he was in his 5th replacement and it still didn’t work…. How can a product be so defective

[@DavidZhou]

I’m not sure, that does sound bad, however everyone I know with a crane 4 hasn’t had issues with theirs. Anecdotal, I know, but if it’s on sale it’d be worth picking up and thoroughly using it for a few days-should an issue come up, I’d return and move on. But in my experience, it’s a solid gimbal!

[@SharrodVisuals]

@@DavidZhou oh ok, good to know. It’s currently on sale here for $550 AUD for the whole combo kit. Normally $1300 aud

[@DavidZhou]

@@SharrodVisualsthat’s honestly such a good price! I’d personally buy it, test it during the return window, and if it wasn’t satisfying my needs/criteria, I’d return it. But I’d say unless there’s a feature from the DJI RS4 that you really want/need, I’d scoop up the Crane 4!

[@SharrodVisuals]

@@DavidZhou Yeah I do like the Raven eye and LiDAR system. At the moment I won’t be using it but would love to get into cinema len’s and cinema cameras in the future. But I’m torn as the price is so good on the crane. So how long have you had yours for? The crane

[@him_studio]

@@SharrodVisuals Please don't buy this think. Crane 4 after 5 mounths it's decided to stop working. And all this issues appear at same time Crane 4 "update failed" it doesn't hold any charge it seems to attempt to update, then "fails" plugging into my pc doesn't give it any life can't connect to ZY play to update it

[@JoshBirman]

Great review and comparison man!!

[@DavidZhou]

Thanks!

[@PaulFeinberg]

Heck ya NAB was awesome and was fantastic to meet and chat!! Hopefully we do that again sooner than later 😉

[@DavidZhou]

100% need to meet-up and work on some stuff together!

[@PaulFeinberg]

@@DavidZhou Heck yes!

[@David-mg1yj]

Which is better for a Ursa Mini + battery, Cine Lens and Monitor?

[@DavidZhou]

I’d personally feel more comfortable running that on the Crane 4. If you were going to go with DJI, I’d recommend the RS4 Pro with the sling arm (or dual arm grip like the accessory from SmallRig)

[@David-mg1yj]

@@DavidZhou Thank you David. Your reply is very much appreciated. I shall check out the duel arm option.

[@NickandCindyDavis]

Great stuff…. I am considering upgrading to RS4, it looks like you are using an Ulanzi cage. I use them for my cameras and have r38 plates on gimbals and tripods for easy switching. So my question is if I o with Rs4 do I need anything else to make using Ulanzi r38 quick release? Also I’m in Land O Lakes Florida… I only shoot real estate for a small brokerage, I a REALTOR primarily…. Thanks in advance for any advice you can give me

[@DavidZhou]

Just saw this! Did you end up upgrading? I use a mixture of cages from SmallRig, Tilta, and Ulanzi and a quick release is definitely the way to go to make switching faster! In the video, I actually used my SmallRig cage which has an ArcaSwiss-compatible rail as the bottom of the cage which lets me slide it directly into the RS4 cradle!

[@NickandCindyDavis]

@@DavidZhouI did get the RS4 and I am amazed on how much different from the RS3 it is. Way smoother….

[@DavidZhou]

@NickandCindyDavis Glad to hear! I agree, I was pretty surprised with how easy it was to just set up and go 👏🏼

[@NickandCindyDavis]

@@DavidZhou for sure you know we are in Tampa. Been here since 1998. Live in Land O Lakes and work every where around the Bay Area…

[@DavidZhou]

@@NickandCindyDavis I keep finding people from Tampa in my comments and that makes me happy haha

[@manggeetv]

Go dji... trust me

[@hanyunseung]

Hey bro, I enjoyed the video. do you think the difference between RS3 and RS4 is big? I'm curious about that. I'd like to hear your experience if RS3 is good enough in terms of the performance of the gimbal itself, except for the additional features.

[@DavidZhou]

Performance-wise I think it’s just incremental improvements, the DJI gimbals have been killer stabilizers since their original Ronin/Ronin-Ms. Biggest reason to upgrade would be for additional features but if you like your RS3, I think you’re good to skip the update for now!

[@tecno8335]

I heard you can use a URSA G2 on the RS4PRO but know has made a video yet to test it.

[@ozanyasindogan]

I just bought a Zhiyun Crane 4 and it doesn't even charge. It says "Upgrade" then "Failed X" on the screen. It came out of the box like that. I bought it in Nigeria actually and I'll try to return it to the seller. There is no official support here. I search the internet and found out that many people are actually complaining about the same issue. Some had it out of the box, some had it after using for few months. I had a small Zhiyun before for my iPhone, and it also stopped working suddenly after few months of usage. After all, I don't trust this brand anymore really. I have 2 DJI drones and they always worked perfectly for over the years so I think I will switch to DJI for this reason.

[@taminoproductions]

Why does 1:49 look like a game scene 😂 Awesome Video!

[@DavidZhou]

When I approach you with a dialogue scene to give you a quest 😂

[@sydneyweddingtime3572]

i have micro jitter issue with RS4 and dont know how to fix

[@STONJAUS_FILMS]

balance properly, many times the vertical, and paning axes are forgotten or misscalibrated, hold your handle and point it forward when calibrating the panning, many times a small tilt on a table is not enough to balance this axes properly. when properly balanced the camera should not quickly fall in any direction. check the settings of the motors and play with different strengths or settings. diable or change modes from the in camera stabilization, sometimes tripods or gimbals mess with the in camera stabilization. If using a zoom lens, sometimes zooming or even focusing might throw the balance way off, balance for the focus and focal length u ll be using the most. upgrade firmware to the latest, or force reset to factory settings low battery or non original batteries on my gimbals introduced weird shakyness. before going out to shoot fully set up your gear and do your own tests at home, try and replicate the issue and build up from there.

[@paulconway1176]

I will never buy a Zhiyun again - it loses its value way way too fast as they release gimbals with very minor incremental updates. I've had 4 of them before I learnt my lesson. DJI now all the way!

[@sunphotography]

I bought the Weebill 3 in September 2022. I’ve been eying the RS4 lately and was shocked how little my Weebill is worth now. I’m definitely sticking with DJI now.

[@Highway89Studios]

Same. I have the Weebill 3 and regret saving a relatively small amount of money for something that has almost no resale value. I’m also contemplating the RS4

[@JePeVePe]

@@Highway89Studios nah after some years, not sure how much that DJI hold up in value... tech looses it's value fast... I have the Weebill S, with that remote transmission (old version), never got it working properly, the app sucked, didn't take all cables, Since then, I mostly did studio stuff, on tripods, so didn't use it much. Now looking for new one, which can take a bit more hefty camera/lens combination. It's weird, but almost all gimbal influencers... use Sony. Weird. And almost no one talks about 'how to keep focus' . Sure the current AF is almost spot on, fast, tracking is awesome, but still... moving the gimbal around, I 'm very curious how they keep the focus on par. I mean, eye detection is nice, but the moment the subject is moving (or has a cap on), AF 'wonders'.... My R5 'breaths' a bit then, which is pretty annoying so I barely use eyedetection in a studio (weirdly enough, the 'old' AF from for example 1D-XmkII works better then).

[@thesun10000]

Hearing you pronounce Zhiyun. Pretty hot. 👌👌

[@DavidZhou]

😂😂

[@DavidZhou]

Are you Team DJI or Team Zhiyun? ⚔

[@taminoproductions]

DJI for sure 👑

[@kravdraa7]

I was Zhiyun until the Sony A1 firmware screwed the connection. I've since bought the RS4 but it's not all roses. For instance, you can't change the Sony battery without moving the plate and altering the balance. WTF???

[@Marcus_Visbal]

@@kravdraa7get the smallrig arca Swiss quick release plate, throw a pgy tech snap lock or ulanzi falcon quick release, you’re done. Keep it balanced, pop it off, move to tripod, go handheld

[@Marcus_Visbal]

DJI ftw

[@martin_wood]

@@kravdraa7 why alter the balance? If you take off quick release u can have it back on in under a minute no need to rebalance

[@sayan_personal]

Nice explanation :)

[@DavidZhou]

Thanks 😁✌🏼

[@robertorivasteck]

why does it look like your lens is dirty 😑

[@KipJackson]

LATE BUT SHEESH !!!!!!!

[@DavidZhou]

🤙🏼🤙🏼🤙🏼

[@wingshotsbd]

video ended at 01:49 lol

[@akshitnaugain8293]

To prevent the jittery footage on zhiyun you can set the motor settings to the low and here you go with the buttery smooth shots 😅 try and then share if it worked for you 🫂