Photo: ShareGrid
As Chinese New Year festivities come to an end, it’s only fitting that DJI, the world leader in unmanned aerial technology, features in a year-end ‘Top Ten’ list. Interestingly, the list from US-based startup ShareGrid includes no drones. Instead, DJI’s handheld 3-axis camera gimbal, the Ronin, comes out on top.
Over the past few years, ShareGrid has managed to establish a peer-to-peer rental marketplace for camera and filmmaking equipment, much like Airbnb has done with accommodation.
However, the biggest concern people who use peer-to-peer platforms have is security, especially when it comes to renting to strangers. ShareGrid’s business model sidesteps this issue by simply placing equipment owners at the heart of the rental process.
Watch how ShareGrid works here:
In 2016 alone, ShareGrid expanded its inventory to nearly 140 million USD in four cities — Los Angeles, New York, Atlanta, and the San Francisco Bay Area — so for the Ronin to top its list of rented equipment… well, that’s a pretty big deal.
DJI’s Ronin stabilization technology is revolutionary in that it gives your image a Steadicam-finish without slashing a hole in your wallet. If you require steady shots for your project, be it hobby or professional, the Ronin is absolutely the way to go for serious filmmakers and cinematographers.
ShareGrid’s Top Ten Rented Gear of 2016 video:
If you want to see what was said about the Ronin specifically, skip ahead to 10:14.
The video is about 12 minutes long but there is some incredible gear worth checking out from the start — Canon’s EOS 5D Mark III DSLR camera, Red’s Epic-M Dragon digital, and Sony’s Alpha A7SII mirrorless digital camera, to name a few.
“I was a little surprised but when I thought about it, it kind of made sense,” says Brent Barbano, Creative Director and Co-Founder of ShareGrid about the Ronin's win.
“I think more and more people are buying these [and] I think more and more people want them because they’re pretty versatile.”
Lance Bowling, Co-Founder of F22 Studios, a North Hollywood audio/visual rental service concurs with Barbano.
“We’ve rented it to everyone," Bowling says with added excitement. "Literally, everyone.”
“It’s just a versatile tool. You can do anything from jib moves to dolly moves, to Steadicamesque type moves.”
F22 currently have three Ronins: A Ronin M, a regular Ronin, and a fully extended Ronin MX, which supports ARRI ALEXA mini and RED EPIC cameras, and more.
To rent a Ronin through ShareGrid is cheap and will only set you back between $60-75 USD per day.
But the question remains… what will top ShareGrid’s 2017 gear list?
Another stabilizer?
We can’t wait to find out.
Learn more about DJI’s Ronin-MX here:
Buy:
