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Mounting ARRI Alexa Mini on a Ronin 2

Renting or owning a great camera is only the beginning of any great shooting experience. Many filmmakers and their clients are looking to get the smooth, sweeping shots that only a motorized gimbal or steadicam can get for you. The more ambitious among them might even mount that gimbal onto a drone for glorious aerial shots. The ARRI Alexa Mini is an adaptable, multi-purpose workhorse camera that will feel right at home on your Ronin 2. We're here to share a few helpful tricks so you can make the most of them.

The Ronin 2 is the surprise follow-up to the hugely successful Ronin family, the affordable gimbals that brought gimbals into the mainstream. Where FreeFly has a reputation for quality with their Movi series, the DJI Ronin has always been the cheaper, good-enough cousin. With the 2, all of that has changed. 

Trick #1 - Big Lenses are A-OK

The Ronin 2 can carry double the payload of the Movi Pro - it is rated for a whopping 30 pounds. This means that no matter how much you kit out your Alexa Mini, or what lenses you pair it with, the Ronin 2 will carry it just fine.

Any lens, any time
Any lens, any time

Trick #2 - Extendable Arms

To help accept that large payload, DJI has given us the gift of extendable roll-axis arms to carry longer cameras or help center a longer lens. If your camera is too tall, CineMilled offers affordable vertical extensions for the tilt-axis arms. This gives you lots of room to squeeze in something like the Beachtek DXA-Alexa audio box for single-system audio.

Trick #3 - Push it, and it Stays

The Ronin 2 features an incredibly intuitive way to precisely aim your camera. All you have to do is physically grab the camera and point it where you want it. There’s no trick, no tool, no magic technique. The gimbal may resist for half a second, but push a little harder and it will obey. No more fumbling for joysticks or apps. The Ronin 2 takes advantage of the oldest camera tool we have available - our hands.