[colten.photo]

Before we jump into things, a little bit of background: I'm a still photographer who was recently looped into video production. It seems everybody is using gimbals these days, so I wanted to get in on that super smooth footage. I landed on the DJI RS2, which can carry a payload of 10 lbs. Perfect for the K3iii and 16-50 PLM.

I purchased this gimbal "Pro-pack" used from a reputable site with the full expectation that I would not be able to access all of the features offered by DJI, since the K3iii (or Pentax as a whole) is not listed as compatible on their website. But I figured with some practice and the AF-C capabilities of the Pentax combo, I could make it work.

After some digging, I came across a DJI forum post that indicated that the camera would interface with the Fujifilm cable, so I got one of those too. Sure enough, with the new cable I was able to control the shutter functions from the gimbal, both focus and start/stop recording.

Then I dug the Raveneye module out, a piece of hardware that would allow the gimbal to lock on to and track objects, through the eye of the camera sensor. At least with compatible cameras. I followed their tutorial and connected everything per DJI and lo and behold, it works! Via the DJI app on my Galaxy S22, I'm able to control the camera and gimbal in sync and can track objects as the system was designed. It's worth noting that the camera does not seem to focus via the external control motor in this mode, but rather continues to use the (slow) AF-C native to the K3iii.

As I continue to experiment with this and create test footage, I'll be sure to continue to share what I learn. Pentax may not make dedicated video cameras, but I'll be darned if I have to switch to another ecosystem to make quality films.

Feel free ask any questions and I'll do my best to answer them.

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[MarkJerling]

Cool. I'd like to see some sample video, when you get around to it.

[mlag]

I am not into video, but try to understand the setup...

The raveneye plugs into the hdmi out of the camera ? And sends image via wifi to phone..?
The DJI controls the camera for remote triggering, I guess it uses the 3,5 mm round plug which is common for pentax , Canon and Fuji...
What or how is link between raveneye and dji controlling the object tracking?

[colten.photo]

I am not into video, but try to understand the setup...

The raveneye plugs into the hdmi out of the camera ? And sends image via wifi to phone..?
The DJI controls the camera for remote triggering, I guess it uses the 3,5 mm round plug which is common for pentax , Canon and Fuji...
What or how is link between raveneye and dji controlling the object tracking?

Correct, the HDMI out on the camera goes into the Raveneye module, which then sends the live feed into the DJI app on my phone via WiFi. The app or gimbal can trigger the recording. You are correct, it's the 3.5mm plug

It seems that the DJI software is able to recognize objects through the camera feed and tells the gimbal to track accordingly.

I'm still figuring the focus component to this out, in the quick clip I just threw together the AF-C did not work at all. Going to dig into this one more because the tracking is kind of moot without having the subject in focus.

So far so good though, I think that this combo is going to do what I need it to do

Youtu.be

Youtu.be

[mlag]

Correct, the HDMI out on the camera goes into the Raveneye module, which then sends the live feed into the DJI app on my phone via WiFi. The app or gimbal can trigger the recording. You are correct, it's the 3.5mm plug

It seems that the DJI software is able to recognize objects through the camera feed and tells the gimbal to track accordingly.

I'm still figuring the focus component to this out, in the quick clip I just threw together the AF-C did not work at all. Going to dig into this one more because the tracking is kind of moot without having the subject in focus.

So far so good though, I think that this combo is going to do what I need it to do

https://youtu.be/N3LrMpTwFtE

OK I missed that the video was interpreted by the dji app, makes sense.

When I check manual , liveview + continuous focus in movie should be possible...if I interpreted correctly the settings .

The other way around (temporary workaround) could be manual focus, using wider dof ( depth of field ) with smaller fixed aperture.
Like for 21mm lens, f8, focus on 2,7 m distance, should yield sharp images between 1,4m and infinity.
But in winter ISO might be rather high with f8....
You can calculate other settings with dof calculator online.

And it remains a manual workaround..autofocus would be nice of course.

[colten.photo]

OK I missed that the video was interpreted by the dji app, makes sense.

When I check manual , liveview + continuous focus in movie should be possible...if I interpreted correctly the settings .

The other way around (temporary workaround) could be manual focus, using wider dof ( depth of field ) with smaller fixed aperture.
Like for 21mm lens, f8, focus on 2,7 m distance, should yield sharp images between 1,4m and infinity.
But in winter ISO might be rather high with f8....
You can calculate other settings with dof calculator online.

And it remains a manual workaround..autofocus would be nice of course.

As it turns out I'm a big dummy - in the test footage I shared, the camera was set to AF-S. D'oh. I played with it more last night and didn't have any issues once the camera was set to AF-C. Despite being slow, it was pretty accurate. Interestingly enough, it seemed like the app was trying to display the focus point, but it wasn't always aligned with the selected subject.

I will try these settings the next time I shoot more video. One of my big frustrations with the 16-50 PLM is the lack of a visible focus scale, hitting 2.7m shouldn't be too bad with a measuring tape but it would be nicer to just look at the lens and twist the focus ring.

[mlag]

As it turns out I'm a big dummy - in the test footage I shared, the camera was set to AF-S. D'oh. I played with it more last night and didn't have any issues once the camera was set to AF-C. Despite being slow, it was pretty accurate. Interestingly enough, it seemed like the app was trying to display the focus point, but it wasn't always aligned with the selected subject.

I will try these settings the next time I shoot more video. One of my big frustrations with the 16-50 PLM is the lack of a visible focus scale, hitting 2.7m shouldn't be too bad with a measuring tape but it would be nicer to just look at the lens and twist the focus ring.

Nice to hear you’re on track with autofocus...
With slow autofocus , setting in Tav the aperture to a higher number like f4 or f5.6 (not f2.8) to increase the depth of field a bit might help... if the focus misses a bit it might still be in the dof zone. F2.8 requires a more accurate focussing...

[kwb]

I'm not a video person, but it's great to see that the kit nicely tracks the subject by just using the HDMI output. Thanks for sharing this!

It's worth noting that the camera does not seem to focus via the external control motor in this mode, but rather continues to use the (slow) AF-C native to the K3iii.

The motor is mostly for MF lenses (or people who prefer to MF), isn't it? Such a motor (which is mounted on the gimbal and moves with the camera) is very useful as touching the lens barrel by hand would interfere with the gimbal's stabilization. That's my understanding anyway.

[colten.photo]

Nice to hear you’re on track with autofocus...
With slow autofocus , setting in Tav the aperture to a higher number like f4 or f5.6 (not f2.8) to increase the depth of field a bit might help... if the focus misses a bit it might still be in the dof zone. F2.8 requires a more accurate focussing...

Good point - f4 and smaller is what I've been shooting for the most part. I'm still going to play with f2.8 to get a feel for the shallowest DOF possible with the lens. Is the footage really cinematic if there's not bokeh?

I'm not a video person, but it's great to see that the kit nicely tracks the subject by just using the HDMI output. Thanks for sharing this!
The motor is mostly for MF lenses (or people who prefer to MF), isn't it? Such a motor (which is mounted on the gimbal and moves with the camera) is very useful as touching the lens barrel by hand would interfere with the gimbal's stabilization. That's my understanding anyway.

Sure thing! You are correct, the motor is intended for MF glass. I decided to fit it up to use the quick shift abilities of Pentax lenses. I could also theoretically use it to control the zoom ring, but extending the barrel would throw off the balance.

I still need to mount up a compatible brand camera to see if the Raveneye performs any better. It'll be apparent in the next batch of sample footage, but it has a tendency to lose the subject. I'm not sure if this is a Pentax or DJI issue. I have access to a Blackmagic Pocket Cinema camera that I may use as a comparison, although a dedicated still camera vs. a dedicated video camera may not be a fair matchup.

[colten.photo]

Finally found the time to get some more footage uploaded.

Youtu.be

Youtu.be

Since filming this I've used the combo a few more times and am getting more comfortable with the rig. The AF.C seems to work better when the Raveneye is locked onto a target as far as I can tell, but it definitely prefers slow movements.

[Kobie]

Finally found the time to get some more footage uploaded.

https://youtu.be/ikszBFkGjos

Since filming this I've used the combo a few more times and am getting more comfortable with the rig. The AF.C seems to work better when the Raveneye is locked onto a target as far as I can tell, but it definitely prefers slow movements.

I have the DJI O M4 mobile phone gimbal that has tracking built in as well. The thing with the tracking is that you have to be facing the camera. The moment you turn away from the camera, it'll lose the tracking, unless you manually draw the area where the subject is in the frame that you want tracked. This looks pretty promising overall though!

[Bikepacking_Journey]

I am happy to find this thread as I was planning to buy this gimbal

[colten.photo]

I am happy to find this thread as I was planning to buy this gimbal

I'm glad this helped! Please let me know if I can answer any questions.