I've been using my Ronin s a lot this past year. The number one problem that I, and I'm sure many
other videographers have with it is that my right arm is now at least three times more toned than my left.
The Ronin-S is a stick after all - that's what the S stands for - so that means there's no way
to evenly distribute the weight on this thing vertically. Meet your horizontal solution: dual handles.
I was shopping online and I thought I'd pick up a set of these to see if I could make my
days shooting any more comfortable. Then I thought, "I actually have a wedding coming up this weekend
why don't I see if my local shop has anything in stock?" so, I checked Henry's and I found what they
called the shape dual handle grip for DJI Ronin-S naturally I tried to look up reviews on YouTube
before I did anything else there were no videos about this model specifically and thus here we.
are I called up my usual location and picked it up later that day. The first oddity here is that
the product itself does not mention the Ronin-S anywhere on the box. I almost thought that they
sold me the wrong model. It was on sale for $100 Canadian, originally $130 and Shape is selling
it on their website for about $140. I actually thought this was going to end up costing way
more. It might sound like a lot if you're someone not familiar with the brand Shape but they're
Canadian made and notoriously expensive. They make some of the best shoulder rig systems you can buy
though. When I called the store to reserve it, the dude made a remark about how expensive he thought
it was supposed to be as did a fellow shooter. So I picked it up and the build quality is great just
like you'd expect from Shape. It's aluminum but it feels like it could be carbon fiber it has some
quarter-inch threads you could screw all kinds of accessories into and you can also mount things on
the bars themselves with the right clamps and arms. The handles come off and can be positioned upward
or downward; however you like. Everything is held by this one locking collar which I'm not really
a fan of and I'll get more into that later I shot with the handles downward and was still able to
use the Ronin-S' tripod legs which was pretty nifty. Game day: I tried this thing once before
the wedding just to make sure it would work. The good news is it does in fact work exactly how
you'd expect. I really found my pans and tilts to be much smoother with this thing. It almost feels
like a giant steering wheel. The big movements just feel more precise. My arms definitely felt
less tired by the end of the day as well and I think it helped me look like 10% more legit.
I do however have several problems with a setup like this and I need you to know that they have nothing
to do with this company's products specifically. I know there are many other products that look
and operate identically with these same issues. #1: You'll have to jump back to the middle
handle to use the thumb stick, record button, focus wheel, and trigger on the Ronin-S. All of which are
now gonna be blocked by the dual grip. Unless you have larger hands it's gonna be tricky to use any
of the Ronin's buttons. Once I sort of got into a flow for the day I was able to switch to the
middle control and use the Ronin's thumb stick. Maybe tilt to a certain height and then I could
go back to the movement with both handles. This was perhaps the trickiest part. I would hold the
grip with both hands, one on either side, then my left hand would hold tight, I'd kind of throw the
rig up in the air a little bit which would give me time to switch to the middle and then once I
made my movements or pressed my buttons I'd kind of throw it back and get back onto the side.
This is probably not the safest move for your camera. I tried a few times to slide along the bars with
my hand instead of a midair grab but the grab is objectively cooler. Sometimes I would just
hold it like you'd normally hold the Ronin-S. because I use my focus wheel to power zoom on
the a 6300 but I'll save talking about that for another video. Gripe #2: You really need an
external monitor to get the most out of this thing. Yeah I'm like the only guy with a Ronin-S that
doesn't shoot with an external monitor. It's my own stubbornness I guess. I really just want this setup
to be as light as possible if I know I'm gonna be out holding it for 10 to 13 hours during weddings.
If you're shooting high or low you'll obviously need a monitor to see what your camera sees, so
I know I'll have to pick up one eventually. I found that if you shoot wide with autofocus on
and you point in the right direction you'll still get some great stuff. Problem tre: this makes
you so much wider. It's kind of a weird issue to point out but I think it's worth noting. Navigating
through crowds and narrow hallways sucks with this. Your arms are kind of gonna flail out when
you use this whereas with just the Ronin-S stick you can kind of keep your elbows at your sides.
I bumped into way more things and people with these grips. It's just something to consider if
you're shooting dancing or smaller ceremony. And now for my fourth and biggest issue:
this connection point. I don't abuse my Ronin s and I don't even shoot with it every week let alone
every day but I noticed that by the middle of the day shooting with these grips the collar of the
grips - the connection that I had really tight - it started to peel and lift the rubber grip of the
Ronin. It's added wear and tear on the device and I would be more concerned about it if the same thing
wasn't already happening to the brubber bottom part on my Ronin where the tripod connections
are that's starting to fall apart. I'm not sure how this connection will affect other gimbals
and I think I like these grips enough to suck it up and shoot with them anyways. I've decided not
to return them. The bottom line is these things are well-made and a great place to continue to build
on my Ronin-S rig and they make me feel like I have a Ronin-M for a fraction of the price. I give
the shape dual grips one reason to get a new Ronin-S under warranty out of five. That's gonna wrap up
this little review be sure to like and subscribe. I'll be doing another giveaway once I hit 1,000
subs which I'm very close to hitting thank you for your support and I'll see you guys soon!