Samuli Vahonen wrote:
SteveF wrote
Although I like my tripod, sometimes I wish it was a tad taller, so of late I've been strapping the a7r onto a DJI S1000+ Octocopter. Steve, nice photos! Definitely a little different than shooting from ground level. I have been considering similar solution for my landscapes photography. I have question for you; I assume you use Zenmuse Z15-A7 gimbal (?), does it allow you to use any other lens than FE35?
Hi Samuli,
This is with the Zenmuse Z15-A7 gimbal. It fits the A7s and A7r, but not the A7ii and A7rii.
They sell these gimbals for a specific camera / lens combo, and this one is perfectly balanced for the 35/2.8. I have watched Youtube videos where folks re-balance their Zenmuse gimbals for other cameras, but the "new" camera has to be pretty close to the original for this to work. To give you an idea of the precision, the gimbal is perfectly balanced if I use the OEM Sony battery, but not with the Wasabi knock-off battery which is a couple grams heavier. If you were comfortable with voiding any warranties, adjusting some flight parameters, risking crashes and rebalancing the gimbal I suspect you could get other lenses to work.
The other way to go is to use a Ronin-M gimbal on an S1000+. The Ronin-M hasn't been out that long but can balance to almost any camera / lens combo. It is not designed to work on the S1000+, but folks have quickly realized that they want it to, and so the experimenters are working on solutions. One company has already come up with the mount adapter, and another with the extended landing gear needed to provide clearance on landing.
The other reason this lens was chosen is weight. Every gram added is seconds taken away from your flight time. Something to consider.
Thanks for the exif tips. I have the altitude data on a display - just need to get it the habit of doing a screen capture with each shot.