DJI Osmo Pocket Camera Review: Supersmall, Superstable
This small gimbal-stabilized camera is great at what it does, but it’s not for everyone
In order to achieve the smoothest possible footage, filmmakers frequently mount their camera to a gimbal, which employs a gyroscope and moving arms to maintain a steady shot regardless of how much the subject or the camera moves.
Consumer-grade gimbals are a niche product, even though they are reasonably priced; a decent one can be purchased for about $140. Who wants to take the effort to connect an additional device to their smartphone or camera and carry it around?
DJI believes the Osmo Pocket is the solution. Being small enough to fit in any pocket, this device combines a camera and gimbal. It is on our list of the best cameras for vlogging because it has several fascinating capabilities that can make your home videos look like they were shot by Martin Scorsese. However, the characteristics that set it apart can also discourage more casual shooters.
DJI Osmo Pocket 4
Without the wings and rotors, the Osmo Pocket resembles a DJI drone. Similar to the Mavic Air, this candy bar-sized gadget has a camera on a three-axis gimbal at the top. A tiny color touch screen near the top of the Osmo Pocket’s body is accompanied by two buttons on the bottom that allow you to switch the device on and off as well as start and stop recording.
When you want to connect your smartphone to the Osmo Pocket, a Lightning or USB connector (both provided) fits into a tiny slot between the screen and the buttons.
The Osmo Pocket has a USB Type-C port on the bottom and a microSD card slot on one side; I wish there had been space for a tripod mount here.
The camera gimbal swivels into action in a second after turning on, and the 4.2-ounce Osmo Pocket has a pleasant heaviness despite its small size.
The touch screen on the Osmo Pocket works, but it’s little. It shows you what the camera is recording in real time, and you can adjust almost all of the camera’s settings with a series of swipes. Additionally, it features a useful feature for selfie addicts: The camera can be turned 180 degrees to face you with a single button click.
You may choose between shooting modes (Photo, Video, Slow Mo, Timelapse, Pano) by swiping to the left. scroll down to access even more basic settings, scroll up to adjust camera and gimbal settings, then swipe right to see your saved video. Even if DJI made it as user-friendly as possible, it’s still tiresome.
Using the screen of your smartphone as a viewfinder makes it much simpler to access all of the Osmo Pocket’s functions, even though it is undoubtedly bigger. A few additional capabilities are also included; for instance, the Osmo’s touch screen only allows you to pan the camera up and down. You can move your smartphone in any direction.
You may also alter the photo type (JPEG or RAW), white balance, histogram, and other camera settings when you use a smartphone with the Osmo. Manual adjustments for ISO, shutter speed, and aperture are even more useful.
The Osmo Pocket’s specifications include a 1/2.3-inch sensor, the ability to capture photos up to 12 megapixels in size, and the ability to record video at up to 4K/60 frames per second.
This panoramic image of Grand Central Terminal was created by stitching together three rapidly taken photos (you can also take a nine-photo pano). Although the shutter speed was reduced down by the Osmo Pocket, the image was still clear and brilliant overall. However, the clock in the middle and a few other places was a little faded.
Brighter regions were similarly overexposed when I used the Pocket to take a regular picture. Similar to the Panorama mode, the camera reduced the shutter speed to 1/10th of a second (at ISO 400, f/2.0), blurring moving objects in the picture while maintaining a crisp image of the building.
DJI was astute to incorporate Active Track and Face Track, two camera technologies, from its drones: To keep the person you want the camera to follow in frame while you or they move around, draw a square around them.
Although the Osmo Pocket isn’t the first camera-and-gimbal gadget, it’s a really interesting product because of its many capabilities and compact size. It is a vital component of any influencer’s toolkit due to its excellent functionality and feature set. But what makes the Osmo Pocket unique—well, unique.
The advantages of owning a second motion-stabilized camera aren’t so huge because I usually don’t move around much while I’m filming casual videos with my smartphone. I wouldn’t use the Osmo Pocket for action sports like skiing because it’s not waterproof and you risk losing everything if you break the gimbal.
However, the DJI Osmo Pocket is a very powerful camera for people who need a little camera to record really smooth video and don’t intend to move it around a lot.