Filming a Wedding with the DJI Ronin 4D 8K
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There are some basic rules most wedding filmmakers live by. Have plenty of memory cards, batteries and probably the most important….a second shooter. Last weekend I broke all of these rules while testing out how well does the Ronin 4D 8K fit into the wedding environment. Here is a breakdown to how the day went.
Of course when I arrived the setup was amazing. It takes 30 seconds from opening up the case to having the handles attached and I’m good to go. I got my first shots as I was walking into the venue.
For this day I really wanted to test the new Dynamic Range Expansion feature which pushes the camera to nearly 15 stops of useable range. I knew it has an effect on rolling shutter but I knew the majority of my movements would be slower for the wedding.
Usually when I’m handheld like with the my Pocket 6K Pro I’m always recording in a higher frame rate like 50/60fps to allow me to slow down in post and have “smoother” clips. This time I knew I would have smooth shots and decided to save the hard drive space unless I really saw the need or desire for slow motion. This gave me about 45 minutes on a fresh 1TB card.
We went through all of the bridal prep footage. Got them getting ready, nice shots of the dress, bridal party getting on the trolly heading to the church. By this point I noticed my camera was already down to about 30% battery and less than 11 minutes left of record time. I was panicking.
Once we got to the church I immediately found a corner to setup my laptop and created a Makeshift DIT station. I plugged my battery into my portable battery bank to start charging and popped on the second one. I transferred about the 700GB to a brand new 4TB Samsung T9 drive that Samsung so nicely sent my way. The speed of this drive truly helped as all of that footage only took about 10ish minutes to transfer. Crazy. I then backed up the footage to a T7 Shield (always backup) before formatting the drive again.
While everything was backing up I was running around micing up the priest and groom with the new RODE wireless Pro again shoutout RODE for the hookup. As someone coming from the original RODE wireless lav kit. This is a HUGE upgrade. These new pros are crazy with the distance for connection and knowing a 32 bit float recording is being captured on device regardless of any connection issues or camera mishaps is amazing.
By the time the ceremony began I was up and running again with the 8K. At some point I switched from the 17-28mm to my 45mm IRIX Cine. For these heavy lenses I lose gimbal access to the 4D but then it really just feels like idk an FX9 or something. I still very much enjoy using it as a traditional camera style. and the shots look incredible on this lens. Once the ceremony was over we rushed outside to grab a exit shot which ended in a confetti toss that I captured in the no crop 4K 120fps mode and oh my god this was probably my favorite shot of the day. To me it simply looks incredible.
After this I knew the photographers would be capturing family photos so I took that time to yet again transfer and backup the 2nd card of footage before we all rode back to the venue where the reception would take place.
Back at the venue with a fresh card yet again, I capture a variety of shots. I truly love how this camera just works in every situation. Sometimes having AF with active track to do more complex movements or go full manual and have full control. The ergonomics make it easier to hold than a tall vertical setup like a pocket camera on a gimbal. I had no back issues after a full day shooting with this thing.
At the venue again I had a spot to charge my battery and transfer data after we took bridal party formal photos.
We were only hired to stay for toasts and first dances so it wasn’t too much data for the rest of the night. I did get worried on the toasts as some of the speeches were over 10 minutes and Those clips ended up being about 200GB I think.
Filming on the Ronin 4D-8K with a single card and 2 batteries put me in the same mindset those who work with real film have. If you go into a wedding with any mirrorless camera now days and have 1TB card you can shoot hours and hours of footage without a worry. With my setup I felt way more intentional with each shot. Knowing it was going to be gigs and gigs of data a second so choose wisely.
I know to some this would be a nightmare setup and while I would recommend if I was a full time wedding filmmaker to pickup a couple more drive and handful more batteries. I proved that with a basic 4D setup you can successfully solo shoot an entire wedding.
……oh and btw I had my Pocket 6K Pro as B-cam and backup throughout the whole day just incase the 4D didn’t end up lasting….im not that stupid to not have a backup on someone’s actual wedding day ;)
What is the DJI Ronin 4D 8K?
The DJI Ronin 4D 8K is a state-of-the-art camera stabilization system designed for professional videographers and filmmakers. With its advanced technology, this gimbal allows for smooth and stable footage even in challenging shooting environments. The 4D element refers to the fact that instead of a normal 3-axis gimbal it also has the Z-axis arm that gives it the “chicken head” appearance and removes the up and down wobble from walking. The 8K capability ensures exceptional image quality with high resolution and sharpness, perfect for capturing every detail. Moreover, the DJI Ronin 4D 8K is equipped with intelligent features like ActiveTrack and LiDAR Auto Focus, providing intuitive and precise control over the camera's movements for creative freedom and flexibility.
This is a head-turning camera that just keeps getting cooler!
