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Balancing X5 Gimbal

Joined
Nov 25, 2015
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Age
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Location
Weymouth, Dorset. UK
Website
www.all-things-photography.com
Hi All,

I just bought a stronger B & W 6 Stop ND filter for the Olympus 12mm and it is heavier than the last.

The balance was out before switching on so I "blu-tacked" a 1p coin to the back of the X5 and a 2p coin to the side and it is balanced perfectly. Turns on and works ok but just concerned about burning the motors...has anyone else balanced their X5 and if so, how did you do it?

Thanks,

Nick
 

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Dji has the balance rings for sale I just ordered one for my Olympus m. Zuiko Ed 14-42 Ez lens
 
Hi all,
On my Inspire Pro X5 consistently falls to the left, when powered off, in it’s basic setup. Which I think needs balancing.
Ahmet
 
;)
Photo-28-11-2015-10-13-56-1024x768.jpg
 
I balance my gimbal fore, aft, starboard & port using titanium 2gram weights that are meant for balancing golf clubs. I bought them on Amazon and they were very reasonable. I attach them with a strip of micro-thin velcro that is placed just aft of the lens release button and runs from inside the gimbal arms on each side. The velcro is attached with the soft side on the camera body itself. The weights themselves have the prickly side of the velcro glued to the backs. The velcro strip on the camera body is about 3/8" wide or just wide enough to hold the weights. This I find gives me any combination and in any area that I need weight to obtain an exact and perfect balance in all directions. I shoot with the OLY 12mm, 17mm, 25mm, and 45mm. I bought the DJI 15mm with my X5. I find that if I balance the camera/lens combination with everything I am going to shoot with ,such as Polarizers, variable ND filters, hoods, etc., it sits perfectly level sitting beneath the gimbal itself and does not slump in any direction. I level and balance the unit off the I1 supporting it at the attachment point arm that secures it to the aircraft and hold it at eye level so I can observe the pitch. This sounds like a real hassle but I've learned where they go for each lens and it all comes together quickly. I also have glued a 1" square piece of velcro to the flat metal back of the camera body incase I may need a little extra weight there. My thinking is this..., In order for the gimbal to produce the smoothest movements, it must be working with the least amount of effort. If it's fighting an unequal weight balance, it has to work a lot harder to do it's thing and try to maintain a level lens. Fighting a nose heavy or nose light camera lens puta a lot of stress on the gimbal motors trying to maintain camera lens direction. Simple physics. I usually always fly with my variable ND filter B&W, $225.00, if it's daylight or dusk because I can dial in the manual exposure that I want by adjusting the amount of light entering the lens. Works perfectly for me and it one of those few things that has added to my video work improving dramatically.

A couple of photos of this set up would be really good (hint, hint) :)
 
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Thirty bucks for a kit that includes three dollars worth of wheel weights and some velcro. Great stuff. Oh, forgot about the clear plastic carrying case (ziploc bag).
 
Thirty bucks for a kit that includes three dollars worth of wheel weights and some velcro. Great stuff. Oh, forgot about the clear plastic carrying case (ziploc bag).

And the poster just happens to be the eBay seller of the balance kit he mentions. Although he doesn't say that in his post, strangely
 
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Reactions: Charles.mabry
There are numerous ways to solve the problem of balance. It really doesn't matter what you use, just use something! Rocks are free, you can find them almost anywhere! I make my costs back, nothing more. I did this to help people who would rather solve the problem with something commercially available. I was asked by our editor not to post an advertisement because that is not what this site is about. I see it as a vehicle to help people and that I believe is it's essence. If anybody truly couldn't afford it, I will send it for free if they would pay the postage.

Doing what you did is still an advertisement. Either pony up and sponsor the forum, or stop peddling your overpriced kit.
 
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Reactions: Charles.mabry
Prohibere guys or this thread will go the same way as Latin - Dead!
@windwardbound - we cut you some slack on this because we considered you had a genuine desire to help out the community without making things a commercial enterprise.
Making comments like the one above will not enamour you to other members and the 'slack' will very soon disappear.
If we consider the community is being 'mined' then any references to other sites/eBay including those in your profile will be deleted.

Thank you.
 
Windwardbound will no longer be commenting or selling on this site. Sorry for the inconvenience.
 

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