DJI’s Mini 5 Pro Stole The Mavic 4’s Best Trick
Photo credit: DJI
Amazon DEALS: DJI Mini 4K now $249 (-17%) and DJI Osmo Action 4 drops to $249!
Hello fellow pilots! It’s been a little while. I’ve been heads-down, completely obsessed with my brand-new DJI Mini 5 Pro, and I’ve surfaced to talk about its best-kept secret: the amazing, mind-bending, rotating gimbal.
Photo credit: Rafael Suarez
When the Mini 5 Pro was released, we all thought we knew everything, thanks to the endless leaks. But DJI, in classic fashion, kept one incredible feature up its sleeve. The ability to rotate the entire camera and gimbal assembly up to 225 degrees during flight is a gift inherited directly from its massive, expensive uncle, the Mavic 4 Pro. And let me tell you, it is a game-changer.
A Dream I’ve Had Since the Mini 3 Pro
I have to confess, this is a feature I’ve been dreaming about for years. Ever since my time with the legendary Mini 3 Pro, every time I switched from horizontal to vertical video and saw that fast, mechanical flip on the screen, I thought, “How cool would it be to record that?” But, of course, you couldn’t. It was just a transition, not a creative tool.
(An interesting bit of trivia: the Mini 3 Pro wasn’t the first DJI drone that could rotate its gimbal. That honor actually belongs to the OG DJI Mavic Pro. I remember digging into the menus and being amazed to find I could record a vertical 4K video. It was a hidden gem!)
But now, with the Mini 5 Pro, it’s not hidden anymore. It’s a feature. During my first flight, I got an invitation to press the C1 button, turn that dial, and watch the horizon fall away to the side. In that moment, my world literally did a 180-degree turn (okay, not a full 225, but you get the idea).
With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility
This new gimbal roll is an incredibly powerful and addictive tool. It’s like when I first got my Sony FX30 and discovered I could shoot in 4K at 120fps. I used it and abused it on everything until I completely burned out on the look. We have to be careful not to do the same thing here.
Yes, it’s a really cool effect, but we cannot rely on it for every. single. video. we make from now on. I’m still on my fourth battery cycle, so I’m giving myself permission to use it as much as I want for now. But just like silence in music, this is a powerful tool that, if used sparingly and with intent, can have a much bigger impact than if we just overuse it until it becomes a meaningless gimmick.
Pro Tips for Your First Gimbal Roll
Since I’ve been messing around with this feature nonstop, I’ve already discovered a few tricks that you should definitely try. The possibilities are endless when you start combining the roll with other movements.
- Mix it with other gimbal moves: The most obvious combo is to mix the gimbal roll with the standard up-and-down tilt. The resulting spiraling motion is just fantastic.
- Combine with drone movement: Don’t just stand still. Try a slow, circling orbit around a monument or a building while you perform the roll. Or try a slow “pull up” or “push in” as the world is turning. It adds a whole other layer of dynamic movement.
- Use Cruise Control: This is a pro-level tip. Set your drone on a straight path using cruise control. This frees up your mind and your fingers to focus entirely on executing a perfect, smooth gimbal roll while the drone flies itself.
- Adjust your speed: Don’t forget to dive into the controller settings and adjust the speed of the gimbal roll (degrees per second). Slowing it down can give you a much more majestic and cinematic feel.
- Shoot in high frame rates: Try to record these shots in 60fps or even 120fps. This will give you the flexibility to slow down the footage in post-production for an even smoother, more dreamlike effect.
DroneXL’s Take
This single feature, a rotating gimbal on a Mini-series drone, is a perfect example of why I love DJI. They take a high-end, professional feature from their most expensive flagship and find a way to put it into their smallest, most accessible drone. It is a brilliant and powerful democratization of creative technology.
“Real talk,” it’s easy to get carried away with a new toy. The temptation to put a gimbal roll on every single shot for the next month is going to be strong for a lot of pilots. But the real art will be in finding the perfect moment to use it, the one moment in your video where it will have the most emotional impact.
This is what separates a good pilot from a great storyteller. It’s not about having the most features; it’s about knowing how and when to use them. This new gimbal roll is a powerful new color in our creative palette. Now it’s up to us to go out and paint something beautiful with it.
Photo credit: DJI and Rafael Suarez