Ronin 4D after four and a half years: the two things I fixed myself

[NIX_Film]

I've shot documentaries on the Ronin 4D for four and a half years now, from Senegal to Greenland. I still love it. Two things bugged me the whole time.

The tripod. The 4D has no good bottom, and getting it on and off a tripod quickly and reliably never really worked for me. So I designed a base plate with a dovetail for the Manfrotto quick release system. It drops onto a normal tripod head and comes off again in seconds.

The microphone. The obvious spot for a proper mic is above the motors. So I built a bracket that holds two Rode NT5s as a stereo pair.

Full disclosure: these are my own parts and I'm going to sell them. The plate is still a prototype and only gets made if enough people pre-order.

I made a video about both, with a long take from Senegal and a beer bottle test for the stereo pair:

 

Curious how others here solved the tripod and the audio on theirs.