DJI Osmo Pocket Review

DJI Osmo Pocket Review

By Peter Tarkoy

OP = Osmo Pocket

Audio (7)

The OP has two microphones, one of which is on the front and another which is on the bottom.
The microphone facing the user was placed in order for vloggers to have a respectable audio
when they are talking  to the camera.

This microphone placement results in good audio, but it’s not the best quality available.
For professionals, an external microphone source would be optimal, but the OP doesn’t
have an opportunity to plug in an external microphone.

Video (9)

The OP allows for a maximal recording resolution of 4K with 60 FPS, which results in terrific
shots. Slow motion is also available in 4k resolution. However, motionlapse, timelapse and
panorama are only available in Full HD (1080p). There is also no face tracking for 4K videos,
only photos.

There is a facial recognition for 4K videos, but it only results in better focus on the faces rather
than following. Sometimes, however, I felt like the facial recognition software was a bit
annoying though, for example when I wanted to take a selfie with something in the
background, than I constantly had to press the focus on the tiny OP screen to the object in the
background, and it would go back to my face. It’s possible to stop the facial tracking through
the app, but I rarely used it because of the precarious nature of the connection of the two.

Double-tap allows you to re-center the device, and triple-tap allows you to go into selfie mode,
which is good for vlogs. It has a somewhat smooth transition between the forward facing mode
and rear facing mode.

Portability (10)

The device is really portable and small, and easily fits in your pocket. I would have liked an
increase in the size of the device, so that we could get a bigger battery as well as more
stability while holding it in our hand.

Battery (6)

The only really poor part of the OP. The battery life is written as 2 hours. However, it tends
to drain when it is constantly being turned on and off. The device also heats up the battery
quite a bit. It doesn’t hurt or burn your hand or anything, but it is a bit uncomfortable, and
definitely not healthy for the battery. The average user will have to bring an external battery
however.  

Gimble (9)

The gimble is usually quite stable and creates stable videos. There were three modes, the
FPV (First Person View) mode, Follow mode, and Tilt Locked. I mainly used the Follow mode,
because it results in the most stable videos. FPV mode can exactly reproduce any person’s
experience, while still creating a stable video. Follow mode can be set to slow follow as well
as fast follow.

This mode allows for the smoothest videos, as well as utilizing a lag based follow system when
moving the camera, which is useful when you want to create smooth videos of large areas.
I rarely used tilt locked mode, which can basically be used to film one object exactly

DJI Mimo App (9)

The app is quite nice, and works well. It is easy to use and set up. The only problem is that
the connection between the OP and the telephone is quite unstable. This caused the USB
type C to become loose in the phone which is a huge drawback.

Accessories are available on the market to stabilize this, but it costs extra money. There are
also accessories to induce bluetooth connection as well as charge the device, and an
accessory which allows to reproduce the joystick function on the app.

Panoramas need to be loaded separately into the Mimo app before they can be downloaded
onto a computer, which is quite annoying and takes a long time.  

Storage (9)

The OP has no internal memory, but it is able to store an SD card of 256 GB, which is enough
for around 6 hours of 4k video. Which would be about 5 days (+/-1day) of footage. The SD
card needs to have a write speed of at least 80mb/s to accommodate 4k video. The SD card
is relatively easy to remove, and it is possible to remove it even when it is in the case.

Case (8)

The case is quite strong and durable, although I didnt drop it while I used it. The only problem
is that the string attached to our wrist is connected to the case, it would have been better if it
attached to the camera itself.

Charging (10)

The charge time for the osmo pocket is around 1 hour, which is quite quick. It uses a USB type
C cable, which is common for most of today’s smartphones. It can be charged on-the-go by an
external battery, however it uses the battery faster than it can be charged. So if you’re
constantly using it while it’s being charged, it will lose battery.

Screen (7)

The screen is too small, and we can’t really see what we are shooting. It also results in shooting some
shots too quickly or panning too quickly.

Price (8)

The OP retails for around 350 USD, which is a fair price. Although a bit on the expensive side, it has
to be said that it is certainly a groundbreaking device, and the first of its kind on the market.

Overall Rating (8.5)

The OP is a really innovative device. It is very good for taking high quality photos and videos
on-the-go, but it is still lacking in some areas. Surely the later models will have improvements,
but for now the current model can be seen as a breakthrough. Currently, the problems can
be solved using an external battery, certain accessories, and profound user knowledge of
the different features, however it is also easily understood by the average user.

I would recommend it to anyone who travels a lot and makes vlogs, because it is quite portable and
can record audio in a reasonable quality, and makes terrific quality videos.