Flip-Out Screen Cameras On A Gimbal???

[Mark Romero 2]

To anyone who has experience using Flip-Out screen cameras on a gimbal, do you actually flip the screen out and use it for things like touch focus and to adjust settings?

Or does using it on a gimbal necessitate that you keep the screen in against the body?

Thinking of getting an S5 to use on my Weebill S, but have concerns about the LCD screen banging in to the motors, or sticking out to far to the side that it becomes hard to balance the roll access.

Since I normally shoot closer to waist-level height, rather than eye-level height, and since the S5 doesn't have a top LED display, would be difficult to see the settings as well.

Thanks in advance.

[UncleBobsPhotography]

I use the screen flipped out with the Weebill Lab and the GH5 and I haven't had any problems balancing it with M43 lenses. The S5 is smaller and lighter than the GH5, so I would guess that it works, at least as long as you don't use the heavier lenses. I can't get the GH5 balanced if I use it with a speedbooster and Canon L glass.

[scotchtape]

Yes the screen is flipped out, the entire point is so you can use it at different angles. Also helps with heat management. Even with tilt screens I extend the screen if possible because of thermals.

Of course it does make it more vulnerable to damage, which is why you treat it carefully. That being said, I can't imagine a regular useage scenario with the gimbal on, where you would hit the screen on the motors. You would have to be at some really weird angle and at that point if you don't know gimbals might wig out it's 💯 user error.

There are no rules.  Keep it against the body if you want.

[gt3rs]

I use only with the screen flipped out, it is the whole point of have having a screen that flips out that helps on gimbal tremendously. Before I was using an external monitor as anything not eye level would be a pain. 

You should balance the camera with already the screen flipped out. 

I never hit the screen to the gimbal so far, but a bit of risk is there but only in extreme conditions....

[Trek of Joy]

Same as others, I use the flip out screen on the Weebill S all the time. Its tougher to see against the back of the camera IMO. I find shooting with the tilt LCD on the a73 more of a pain and with larger lenses like a 24-70 its really tight against the rear motor since you have to slide the camera back a bit. I don't have any counterweights to help in that regard. I shoot a lot of underslung and waist height stuff too, got a cheap/light CF handle from B&H that lives on the upper mount so I can leave the tripod handle on the bottom. Between the EOS R and now the a7s3, can't say I remember the flip out LCD ever banging into anything.

Chris

[Mark Romero 2]

Thanks for sharing your experience with this, @Trek of Joy @gt3rs @scotchtape @UncleBobsPhotography

I think with my weebill S the main problem would be if I accidentally press the function button three times in a row (instead of two times) which puts the gimbal in to selfie mode. So maybe spinning around the camera would cause the LCD to crash in to the extension handle .

My weebill s is a bit temperamental in that it when I want to click the function button twice (to bring the camera back to straight and level), it ends up acting like I clicked it three times.

[gt3rs]

3 hours ago, Mark Romero 2 said:

Thanks for sharing your experience with this, @Trek of Joy @gt3rs @scotchtape @UncleBobsPhotography

I think with my weebill S the main problem would be if I accidentally press the function button three times in a row (instead of two times) which puts the gimbal in to selfie mode. So maybe spinning around the camera would cause the LCD to crash in to the extension handle .

My weebill s is a bit temperamental in that it when I want to click the function button twice (to bring the camera back to straight and level), it ends up acting like I clicked it three times.

On Ronin S you can disable selfie mode etc... I did it to avoid these mistakes not sure if it can be done on weebill s...

[UncleBobsPhotography]

5 hours ago, Mark Romero 2 said:

Thanks for sharing your experience with this, @Trek of Joy @gt3rs @scotchtape @UncleBobsPhotography

I think with my weebill S the main problem would be if I accidentally press the function button three times in a row (instead of two times) which puts the gimbal in to selfie mode. So maybe spinning around the camera would cause the LCD to crash in to the extension handle .

My weebill s is a bit temperamental in that it when I want to click the function button twice (to bring the camera back to straight and level), it ends up acting like I clicked it three times.

I guess this could happen in theory, but I've never had any problems with it. I don't think the force will not be large enough to do any meaningful damage to your camera, at worst a small scratch in the LCD, probably not even that. The shot will be ruined, but triple tapping the trigger by mistake will ruin the shot regardless of whether the camera crash into the handle or not.

[Mark Romero 2]

7 hours ago, gt3rs said:

On Ronin S you can disable selfie mode etc... I did it to avoid these mistakes not sure if it can be done on weebill s...

Thanks, I will see if it can lock it somehow. The only issue is that I do NEED the ability to double tap the trigger to get the camera back to straight and level.

[gt3rs]

4 hours ago, Mark Romero 2 said:

Thanks, I will see if it can lock it somehow. The only issue is that I do NEED the ability to double tap the trigger to get the camera back to straight and level.

On Ronin S is a separate setting. I can still do the double trigger to get gimbal center again.

[Mark Romero 2]

2 hours ago, gt3rs said:

On Ronin S is a separate setting. I can still do the double trigger to get gimbal center again.

Thanks again. will look in to it on the Weebill S. 

[Trek of Joy]

On 2/20/2021 at 11:39 PM, Mark Romero 2 said:

Thanks for sharing your experience with this, @Trek of Joy @gt3rs @scotchtape @UncleBobsPhotography

I think with my weebill S the main problem would be if I accidentally press the function button three times in a row (instead of two times) which puts the gimbal in to selfie mode. So maybe spinning around the camera would cause the LCD to crash in to the extension handle .

My weebill s is a bit temperamental in that it when I want to click the function button twice (to bring the camera back to straight and level), it ends up acting like I clicked it three times.

Makes sense, I try not to speak in absolutes because everyone has such different shooting scenarios where issues may arise that I'll never see. I guess the best solution is one of the standard single handle gimbals instead of the Weebill's design, time for a RS2 LOL!

Chris

[Mark Romero 2]

21 hours ago, Trek of Joy said:

Makes sense, I try not to speak in absolutes because everyone has such different shooting scenarios where issues may arise that I'll never see. I guess the best solution is one of the standard single handle gimbals instead of the Weebill's design, time for a RS2 LOL!

Well... maybe not an RS2, but I might go for a Crane 2... either the original old-school Crane 2, or the new Crane 2 S.

The one thing I liked about my a6500 is that I could use it on my original Crane 1 and put on these dual handles and use it in inverted mode, where it was much easier to use. With the Weebill S I can't really do that.

[Mark Romero 2]

OK, so looking again at this, I noticed that actually I won't have to worry about the flip-out screen hitting the GIMBAL itself when panning / rotating / going in to selfie mode. So, that's a relief. The only time it might have an issue is if I mount an HDMI monitor on a side handle on the Weebill S. 

[Mark Romero 2]

Just a follow up to using my S5 with side flippy screen on my weebill S...

It seems to work fine for the most part.

If you keep the weebill S UPRIGHT (not in the underslung mode) and you don't have any added handles to the side, you should be fine.

If you have a side handle attached and either lean the weebill s too far forward or go in to underslung mode, you could potentially cause it to bang in to the attached side handle (I have my side handle on the left side of the weebill s). 

However, that would really only be a problem in either pan follow or pov or maybe the go modes. If you use lock mode like I do 99% of the time, then it isn't really a problem.

Not a surprise, the S5 is MUCH easier to use on a gimbal than the S1.