UPDATED: October 2018 Ronin-S Canon Camera Compatibility
The updated information in this article comes from the most recent release notes for the Ronin-S firmware upgrade dated Sept 20, 2018. You can access it in the FAQ section of the Ronin-S webpage here.
Ever since DJI’s Ronin-S Smart Camera Gimbal was released, it’s been “hit or miss” as far as what cameras are compatible.
With this latest firmware upgrade, DJI now assures us that the Canon 5D MK III now has been added to the list of Canon DSLRs with full Ronin-S functionality.
The Ronin-S is designed to be more than just a powered stabilizer for your DSLR. With built-in intelligence it’s supposed to let you take photos, start/stop video, pull focus and more using the hand controls. But because there are so many different models of cameras (and so many different firmware versions on each) film-makers have been struggling to get the most out of the Ronin-S.
With the lastest update from DJI, and the RSS-IR and MCC-B cables provided with the Ronin-S the Canon 5D MK IV currently supports the following features:
- Start/stop recording video (RSS-IR & MCC-B)
- Capture photo (RSS-IR & MCC-B)
- Pull focus electronically (MCC-B)
- Trigger auto focus (MCC-B)
If you’re using the Canon 5D MKIV with RSS-IR you have to switch the camer to Self-timer mode in the camera settings.
With MCC-B you’ll have to play around with your lenses to see how each responds to the Ronin-S camera control. Try switching between AF and MF to see how the pull focus function does (or doesn’t) respond. You’ll also have to turn off the camera’s AF servo as well.
In Photo mode you won’t be able to use vdeo-capture commands and vice versa. Hopefully DJI is able to enhance this in future firmware upgrades.
The MK IV’s little brother now has full functionality with DJI Ronin-S: start/stop recording video, capture photo and using the optional MiniUSB Multi Camera Control you can now Pull Focus electronically and trigger auto focus as well.
As with the MK IV, you’ll have to put the camera in Self-timer mode to get it to work.
The 6D MK II still has limited functionality with the Ronin-S. Start/stop video and Capture photo are the only active features for now.
DJI promises the next firmware update will unlock:
- Pull focus electronically
- Trigger auto focus
- Improved reliability via the Canon SDK
So based on these latest updates, the Canon 5D MK IV is THE BEST CANON CAMERA FOR THE RONIN-S. Consdering that the 5D MKIII is no longer in production, we’d stick with one of the two newer models.
If you already own one of the other 6 Canon models mentioned in our previous Ronin-S articles, you should know that you can only use the Ronin-S to phyically balance and stabilize your DSLR.
Here’s a list of these Canon cameras that you can only stabilize using the Ronin-S:
- 60D
- 70D
- 77D
- 80D
- 7D Series
- 1DX MK II
Happy shooting! If you discover that your Canon camera has access to features that aren’t ‘technically’ supposed to be available, let us know in the comments. There are lots and lots of Canon owners reporting all sorts of features that do or don’t work as they explore compatibility with the DJI Ronin-S.
