HD Air Studio has revealed HALO, a modular three-axis gimbal aimed at unseating DJI's nine-year-old Ronin 2. No price or release date yet, but sign-ups are open now.
With the DJI Ronin 2 approaching its tenth anniversary next year, Polish developer HD Air Studio is one of those not sitting back and waiting for DJI to come up with an update. Already known for the Cyclo Lite and Elit heads, it is teasing the development of HALO, a modular three-axis gimbal that the company describes as “handheld-first” with full remote-head capabilities built in from the start.
The pitch is all about flexibility. The company estimates that a complete handheld configuration comes in at approximately 6 kg (13.2 lb) and a head-only configuration at approximately 4 kg (8.8 lb), suggesting that grips, battery, and control hardware can be pulled off entirely when HALO is flown as a remote head.
The whole system is rated to a 15 kg (33 lb) payload, enough to accommodate most top-end cameras whether that’s an Alexa 35, Alexa Mini LF, or Sony Venice 2 with accessories. That is 1.5 kg more than the Ronin 2.
Each axis can be configured independently, which the company frames as a way to shave setup and balancing time, one of the more tedious parts of any high-payload gimbal day. HALO also offers unlimited 360° roll and pan, courtesy of integrated power and SDI slip rings, and can be driven from a built-in touchscreen, a mobile app, joystick, motion controller, wheels, or third-party control systems.
All in all, it’s an interesting-looking device from a well-known specialist developer aimed at a market that hasn’t seen much innovation in recent years. The Ronin 2 was $6999 when launched, and a combination of scarcity and inflation has made that rise over $1000 or more since. In other words, competition would be good. No pricing or release dates are attached to the device so far, but the company is running a sign-up list for technical updates and access to a future beta program.