Review: DJI Osmo Pocket 4K 60FPS Action Cam

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The best camera is the one you always have with you. What’s the point of an expensive, heavy DSLR camera with all its finesse if it’s just so heavy and unwieldy that you usually leave it at home? And this is exactly where the little Osmo Pocket comes into play. Here’s our review of the tiny 4K/60 FPS all-rounder.

Review: DJI Osmo Pocket

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Content:
Page 1: Specs, Accessories, Activation
Page 2: How to use, Mimo App
Page 3: Pro & Cons, Rating
Page 4: Tips, Tricks und Mods
Page 5: Videos

DJI Osmo Pocket

DJI Osmo Pocket & Accessories:
DJI Osmo Pocket 15% Off - Code: OSMO15
ND Filter Set for Osmo Pocket
Osmo Pocket Tripod
Mini Tripod for Osmo Pocket
Skins / Decals for Osmo Pocket

DJI has become well-known to many drone pilots, because this company – now worth billions – revolutionized drone technology for home users a few years ago. But it wasn’t just DJI’s drones that became more sophisticated and compact over time. In the last years DJI also focused more and more on camera technology. Today, DJI drones have the best cameras on the market – so what could be more obvious than to offer the same camera technology DJI uses in their drones as independent systems for hobby and action filmmakers?

With the Osmo Pocket you hold the complete camera system of a high tech drone in your hand – but without the drone: a simple handle with a tiny high-resolution camera at its upper end, which – just like a drone – is mounted on a joint and can therefore swivelled in all directions. It also mechanically compensates movements, jolts and shaking. And this works so well that the Osmo Pocket can be described as an “Action Cam”, because in almost every situation it can produce absolutely stable, wobble-free videos and smooth camera pans.

When you hold the pocket in your hand, you really notice how small and compact this technology has become. Hardly bigger than a cigar and only a little over 100 Grams light, the Osmo Pocket offers all the features for which you had to strap on an expensive professional camera system before:

Excellent image quality in 4k with 60 FPS and 100 Mbit/s

Automatic tracking of objects (see below)

Automatic modes, but also “Pro” manual settings available

Absolutely stable, shake-free videos – even when running, biking or skiing

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DJI Osmo Pocket Specs

Gimbal	Axis: 3-Axis Yaw Axis: -230° to +50° Pitch Axis: -95° to +50° Roll Axis: ±45°
Camera	Sensor: 1/2.3″ CMOS FOV: 80 degrees Aperture: f/2.0 Resolution: 12 Megapixels Shutter Speed: 8s – 1/8000s Foto Modes: Single Shot, Panorama, Timelapse, Moving Timelapse, Slow Motion
Video	4K Ultra HD: 3840×2160 24/25/30/48/50/60p Full HD: 1920×1080 24/25/30/48/50/60p Max. Video Bitrate: 100 Mbit/s Videoformats: MP4/MOV (MPEG-4 AVC/H.264) Audio: 48 KHz AAC
Foto	Max. Size: 4000×3000 Foto Formats: JPEG/JPEG+DNG
Battery	Typ: 875mAh Lipo Battery Runtime: 140 Mins Charging Time: 75 Mins Supports charging while recording
SD Cards	Supported: FAT32 (=32 GB), exFAT (>64 GB) microSD (max. 256 GB)
Size	121,9 × 36,9 × 28,6 mm
Weight	116g

Digital VS Mechanical Stabilization

Nothing’s worse than a shaky video. Many “action cams” – and even smartphones – advertise the term “image stabilization” today, but it is usually concealed that this is only a digital stabilization. Each video frame is trimmed at the edges and then rescaled and repositioned to match the other frames. The shake is then more or less gone – but the picture quality suffers noticeably.

Mechanical stabilization, on the other hand, works differently: here the camera sits on a joint that, driven by tiny electric motors, automatically compensates for every shake many times per second. The recorded video is not trimmed or manipulated in any way, since it is the camera itself that is stabilized instead. Mechanical stabilization is therefore preferable to digital stabilization.

A mechanical 3-axis stabilization requires a “Gimbal”, i.e. cameras that sit on an electronically driven joint. And that’s what the small Osmo Pocket is. Since this technology requires a joint and moveable parts, it is obvious that smartphones cannot do this and instead have to “trick” with digital stabilization.

Accessories

The Osmo Pocket itself comes comes in a (quite stylish) box in DJI white that contains the Osmo itself, a stable protective cover, charging cable (USB-C to USB-A female), two USB adapters and a quick start guide. More is not included in the basic equipment – but that’s enough for the normal hobby filmmaker to get started.

The two included USB adapters are intended for connecting the Osmo Pocket to a smartphone (with either a Lightning or an USB-C port) and are inserted into a rail at the top front of the Osmo. The Osmo Pocket can then be connected to a smartphone and controlled with the free DJI Mimo app.

So much for the basic equipment. In the DJI Store there are other accessories for the Pocket available (or announced at the time of writing), such as a control wheel, which can be attached to the Osmo to control the gimbal manually, a selfie- and extension stick, an underwater case, a charging cradle and more. In our opinion only an underwater case makes sense. You don’t really need the joystick, because the gimbal can also be moved via the Osmo Pocket’s touchscreen and even – as only a few people know – easily adjusted by hand. More about this later under “Tips and Tricks”.

Activation

Somewhat annoying, but unfortunately true: you can’t just start filming with the Osmo Pocket because it has to be activated via the Mimo App first. After that activation it can be used normally (with or without App). Only the gods know what DJI was thinking to do so. If you have connected the Osmo Pocket to your smartphone, the DJI Mimo App starts automatically (if already installed) and guides you through the activation process, as well as a firmware update if necessary.

Caution: no Micro USB!

Since the Osmo Pocket must be activated via app before its first use, a smartphone with USB-C Port is required – or a USB-C to Micro-USB OTG adapter if you have a device with Micro USB port only. The adapter for Micro USB is then plugged into the lower USB-C port of the Osmo and connected to the smartphone. This works and will let you activate the Osmo Pocket as long as the used adapter and the smartphone are both OTG-capable. Using the Mimo App is also possible with such an adapter, although DJI employees officially deny that fact (Jeez, do they really know their own product??).

On the next page: Operating the Osmo, manually and via App.

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