Once everything is set up, operation is fairly simple, though you have to get the hang of it. The color touchscreen makes navigating menus simple enough. The sturdy joystick and scroll wheel offer precise control over movements and camera functions. The handle is a great size with enough mass to make it feel sturdy. The device comes with an extender handle that opens up into a table tripod, and I find the whole rig much easier to maneuver with it attached.
The RS4 Mini weighs 2 pounds and can handle a rig up to 4.4 pounds (or 2 kg), which allows it to handle a full-frame mirrorless camera with a lens. The heaviest rig I tried mounting was a Canon R5 Mark II with an RF 50mm f/1.2 lens. In total, that gear weighs roughly 52 ounces, and the RS4 Mini handled it with no problem.
I did notice that the battery drops considerably faster when a heavy camera is onboard, but that’s true with every gimbal. The motors must work harder to stabilize so they burn through power more quickly. I didn’t do a continuous use test, but DJI promises up to 13 hours out of a single charge. In the real world, I’d expect about 10. That said, the battery does offer a quick charge, which can get you up to five hours of operation after just 30 minutes on the cord.
The USB charging port can connect to a power bank as well, but that makes the rig much harder to handle. Just charge it up before you go out shooting. This is particularly relevant because the battery no longer detaches from the RS4 Mini like it did with the previous model, so you can’t swap in the field.
Leave a Reply