We recently took a look at the DJI RS4 Pro, a fantastic gimbal that can seriously up the level of a creator who uses it or, more likely, a professional who can really put it to use. To expand on the ecosystem of the Ronin Series, DJI has provided a hand unit to control their Focus Pro motor, allowing you to control key aspects of the camera without being anywhere near it. The DJI Focus Pro Hand Unit is their key to true remote production.
Featuring an RF module and the ability to communicate with the Focus Pro Motor (included with the RS4 Pro, otherwise an additional cost) from up to 160 meters away, the Focus Pro Hand Unit can control focus, iris and zoom simultaneously. However, this requires additional Focus Pro motors.
In the box, you get the DJI Focus Pro hand unit, a D-TAP to USB-C cable, and four interchangeable focus marker rings. Notably missing from the package is a battery, which you’ll have to purchase separately, and not from DJI, as they don’t sell them. As a reviewer, I find it disappointing to have to source equipment from elsewhere just to get their equipment to turn on.
On the DJI Focus Pro Hand Unit, you have the large wheel on the side to adjust the focus on your lens, a fader to adjust the aperture, and a zoom rocker to adjust, you guessed it, the zoom. There is also a button on the front to adjust the tension of the wheel, making it harder to accidentally over-focus, which is a great feature.
There’s a record button to start recording as well as power on the unit remotely, and a menu button that gives you access to remote calibration of the Focus Pro motor, lets you set start and end points for wheel adjustments so the Focus Pro motor won’t keep cranking the focus when it reaches one of its ends, and much more.
“Featuring an RF module, the Focus Pro Hand Unit can control focus, iris, and zoom simultaneously from up to 160 meters away.”
When you turn on the DJI Focus Pro hand unit for the first time (and the next few times if you choose to skip it), you are given a brief introduction to the unit, letting you know where certain information is located to help you better navigate the hand unit.
The same feature was offered on the DJI RS4 Pro, which was very welcome because, frankly, DJI’s manuals leave a lot to be desired. They consisted of just a few screenshots of the hand unit to explain how to attach a new marker ring to the wheel and how to connect it to the focus motor. It does not explain what anything on the hand unit does, but it is pretty common sense.
If you aren’t using the DJI Focus Pro Hand Unit with a Focus Pro Motor, then it is worth noting that the device is compatible with two other DJI devices, the DJI Ronin 4D Camera series and the DJI Inspire 3 Drone, but these are both highly professional video solutions with the 4D series ranging between $6000 and $12000 USD and the Inspire 3 topping $16000 USD.
The actual functionality of the DJI Focus Pro Hand Unit is quite good. It is smooth to control, the Focus Pro Motor is responsive so long as there isn’t any interference and isn’t too cumbersome a device to lug around a set. The issues that I did have with it, however, came as I realized what was required to get the full use from the Hand Unit.
We’ve already purchased a separate battery for the DJI Focus Pro hand unit, which costs $899 USD on its own. The batteries can cost anywhere from $25 USD to $45 USD for one. Now, we have to think about something else. How can I control all the things that the DJI Focus Pro Hand Unit can control if you only have one Focus Pro motor? You can’t. So, assuming you didn’t have to buy the first one because it came with the RS4 Pro, you have to buy a second one for an additional $149 USD.
Then, of course, comes the biggest conundrum of all: how do I get away from my camera and gimbal and actually see the results of the adjustments I make? I can’t. So, to give myself the ability to take advantage of that 160-meter range, am I going to spend $2499 USD for the monitor that can be mounted on the DJI Focus Pro Hand Unit? You could probably get away with using your phone if you have DJI’s Raveneye transmitter (if not, that’s an extra $159 USD), but you’d have to get your own mount for the phone.
So, the real problem with the DJI Focus Pro Hand Unit is that if you want to turn a well-functioning device into a game-changing controller, you have to spend a lot more money than you already have. This is not a problem for a production company. For them, it’s a drop in the bucket. For an upstart who might just be trying to get into more serious productions, it could be crushing, and for most creators, it is simply not an option. And without that extra investment, this is only half of a machine that is only sort of useful from a few feet away.
It honestly hurts to say that about the DJI Focus Pro Hand Unit because DJI has made some fantastic products, and this one, with the addition of all the necessary accessories, could be no different. But I can only review what I was given to review and not speculate on what might have been.
