Using Sony A7Sii with battery grip on a Ronin M

[Louthetrainer]

I picked up a Sony A7Sii just for video. Due to the battery life I tried out a battery grip on the Ronin M gimbal. It’s feels awkward because of the extra height. Any suggestions, use/not use or balancing on the gimbal?

[Chrissie]

Any gimbal needs to be balanced about all three axes of rotation, before you can expect smooth operation. I may be mistaken, but I believe, a battery grip is attached  via a screw to the tripod thread of the body. In return it provides its own tripod thread at the bottom of the battery grip. It sounds like you are using the "new" tripod thread at the botton of the battery grip to mount body + grip to the gimbal.  This lowers the center of gravity of the whole unit down from the optical axis, and by looking at at video tutorial of how to balance this particular gimbal it seems, like there is not enough adjustment room for complete balancing of Body+grip about the pitch axis. Your camera has become top-heavy by mounting a battery grip to its bottom.

I would try an external battery pack instead of a battery grip, to avoid putting constant load on the pitch-servo to maintain a level orientation of an otherwise unbalanced body-grip combination.

[Louthetrainer]

Thanks Chrissie!

Yes that’s exactly it. I adjusted the most it could and yet still a bit top heavy.

I will need to try out an external batt. pack like suggested.

 Thanks 

[Chrissie]

1 hour ago, Louthetrainer said:

I will need to try out an external batt. pack like suggested.

An utterly cheap way to try, if this theory holds any water would be, to attach the camera directly to the gimbal, without the grip. You would very quickly find out, if this gimbal lives up to its touted performance. The external battery pack would then just add the additional operation time to the whole combination, if you find that the gimbal itself is worth the effort and extra expense.

(I always try to keep financial risk low).