Testing the DJI Osmo Zenmuse X5 : Unofficial Ring Adapter

With the much anticipated DJI Osmo X5 adapter ring still awaiting shipment, one UK chap has decided to cash-in on peoples impatience by creating a third party, 3D printed version. We caught wind of this and thought we'd get one to see what it's all about and to get an idea for what the Osmo will be like with a Zenmuse X5 mounted on top. This 3rd party mount is sure to be buggy, and far from the quality of the official DJI Osmo Zenmuse mount which is due out soon. We were however able to get a rough feel for how this setup would perform in the future. This is a review of not only this adapter, but how we feel the official adapter will perform.

Cheap 3D Printed Product

We picked this thing up for around £10 on eBay so we were very skeptical about placing a Zenmuse X5 on top of it that is worth just over £1800. Immediately after opening the product, it was clear that the thin, 3D printed plastic was not up to standard against the current metal locking ring on the Osmo to support the Zenmuse X3 camera. Watch our video below to see the the third party adapter ring in action. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJotL2BSwuY

Installing the Adapter Ring

To install the X5 adapter ring, you must first remove the stock, metal adapter ring by undoing the 4 screws in the top of the Osmo handle. Once this is off, you then have to remove the thin plastic receiver plate that covers the rest of the circuit board. The below picture is what you will be left with. The replacement 3D-printed lockring is on the left, whilst the original metal DJI lockring is on the right of the receiver plate. To install the X5 adapter ring, you simply just have to reverse these steps using the 3rd party adapter ring. Once it was installed, even before mounting the X5 camera, there was a noticeable amount of play between the ring and the Osmo handle. This is due to the inaccurately built plastic ring. It should be a snug and secure fit. Once the ring is in place, it is simply a matter of placing the X5 camera unit on top and locking it down, making sure that the pan axis motor if hanging off the back of the Osmo.

Poorly Designed - Joystick Removal

One of the biggest flaws with this 3D printed adapter ring is that in order to mount the camera unit, you must remove the joy stick, meaning that if you want to pan or tilt the camera, you must do it via the app. The joystick cap simply pops off. If the Joystick is left attached, the camera unit presses down on it, which in turn tilts the camera downward. This is not ideal or convenient as this would require 2 hands rather that 1 to operate it. Secondly, and what concerns me most, if the amount of play there is between the camera unit, the plastic adapter ring, and the Osmo handle. It's not a snug fit and it doesn't hold the X5 down hard enough. When moving the handle around, the gimbal would rock and lose connection with the connector pins on the Osmo (see this demonstrated in the video above). Not only is this inconvenient but this could also lead to a short circuit if the pins come into contact with each other.

Word of Warning - Warranty

Using this non-DJI product will invalidate your DJI warranty, this 3rd party product could cause damage to the gimbal motors or even the delicate connector.

Conclusion

It may not come as a surprise that I will not be recommending the 3D printed mount. Its cheaply made and poorly designed. To any of you that are considering it, I would strongly advice you wait it out for the official adapter ring to be released by DJI. You don't want to risk your £1800 camera for a £10 knock off product that will not perform as well and does not keep the camera secure.

How will the official DJI Osmo Zenmuse X5 Adapter perform?

This is going to be great! A hand-held high quality camera that is lightweight, smooth and provides a live view! There has been a whole host of awesome videos from the Osmo, and this will take things to another level. Getting hands-on at this early stage we were able to get a good feel for the weight and capabilities of this system, and we're sure this is going to be a huge step-forward for stabilised video. We are interested to see what DJI does with the official solution as it can't be easy to secure a comparatively heavy payload on a relatively small surface area. We will keep you posted once the official adapter ring has been launched. You can buy a Zenmuse X5 on our website here, or if you are yet to get an Osmo, the Osmo Handheld Gimbal is also available..