Changing Lenses

Changing Lenses/External Modules

If you change the lens or add/remove an external module to the gimbal, go through the following steps to make sure the gimbal is configured to work with the new setup.

1. To balance the gimbal, first remove the lens cap from the lens.

2. Loosen the two finger screws on either side of the payload.

3. Move the camera forward and backward within the gimbal to achieve the correct balance. In general, you'll want to move the camera back for heavier/longer lenses and forward for lighter/shorter lenses. Shift camera foward and backward in the gimbal until the camera does not tip up or down when it is positioned horizontally and released.

4. To ensure the camera is very well balanced, test pointing the camera ~30 deg up/down; a well-balanced camera will not move in either of these two positions.

5. Once you achieve a good balance, tighten the finger screws so your camera stays firmly in place.

Loose screws can result in poor stabilization

1. With the gimbal already connected, power on Astro

2. The gimbal may have weak motor power for up to 30s on bootup, before the gimbal is reconfigured by Astro with different tuning based on the lens.

If you are using different lens or have otherwise modified the payload such that the default tuning isn't working, see the advanced gimbal tuning section

If you are using one of the four supported lenses, you shouldn't need to do this