Why I Bought the DJI RONIN 4D 8K (And Why I Think It's a Game-Changer)
Why I Bought the DJI RONIN 4D 8K (And Why I Think It's a Game-Changer
Let me just say this off the rip: I don’t fall in love with gear. I fall in love with what it lets me do. And the RONIN 4D 8K? This thing might be the first camera that actually feels like it wants to help me make a movie—not slow me down, not need ten accessories and three interns to operate—just help me shoot.
Why I Got It
I bought the RONIN 4D because I believe it has the potential to unlock a truly cinematic way of working—fast, sharp, and slick. It gives you steadicam-style results with a fraction of the setup and budget. For indie filmmakers or small teams, that’s not just nice—it’s revolutionary.
It’s the first time in human history (yeah, I said it) we have something this simple delivering results this complex. And I'm not exaggerating—manual primes at 2.4, dialed in with the LIDAR system, and we’re getting focus accuracy that would normally require a 1st AC glued to a monitor. The more we tweak it, the better it's getting.
Setup Speed = Time Saved = Budget Saved
Set up is fast. Like “how are we already rolling?” fast. Need to move from handheld to a car mount to a tripod? You’re not losing momentum or praying the gimbal gods are kind today. It just... works. And when something just works in production, that’s rare—and priceless.
Real Use Case: “AFTR” Our Upcoming Indie Comedy
We’re gearing up to shoot AFTR, an indie comedy I’m directing. And we plan to use this thing for a huge chunk of the shoot. The mobility, the stabilization, the internal RAW and ProRes options, the ability to go from gritty realism to smooth tracking—it just fits the vibe.
We’ve done three solid test shoots so far, and each one has us more excited. I’ll drop those links below if you want to see what it’s capable of in real-world settings (not some overly color-graded showroom footage with stock music and models laughing at salad).
Sharing the Knowledge (Because No One Else Is)
Here’s the thing: there aren’t a lot of people using this camera yet—especially not in indie or small-shop environments. I had a hard time finding real feedback and honest footage before I bought it. So I'm going to drop links to the gear I’m using, the lenses, accessories, and some of the videos that helped me learn how to actually use this thing, not just stare at it.
Gear links
RONIN 4D 8K COMBO -https://www.amazon.com/DJI-Zenmuse-X9-Focus-Motor/
It was out of stock when I bought it so I bought the DJI 4D 6K and then bought the 8K upgrade.
Focus Motor - https://amzn.to/3HblCrl
Lenses
31 MM DULENS APO MINI (PL) https://amzn.to/42Zvn4B
51 MM DULENS APO MINI (PL) https://amzn.to/4j5ls27
1TB SSD - https://amzn.to/3S200QC
Counterweight for the Primes
I unfortunately bought this one by DJI for too much https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1667446-REG/dji_cp_rn_00000188_01_zenmuse_x9_counterweight.html
But I didn’t know this one existed, it’s just a weight it shouldn’t matter,
If you’re considering picking one up or just want to see what it can do, feel free to hit me up or drop a comment. I’ll be updating this post with more footage as we go into production on AFTR.
Let me know if you want me to drop in the exact gear list or test video links you’re using, or if you want this formatted as a branded post for your ATB Productions blog.
4o