As one of many few standalone gimbal cameras on the market, DJI’s Osmo Pocket line has all the time been one thing of a distinct segment product household. However it actually had its followers, providing issues like portability, fluid video and respectable picture high quality. Now, three years after the Pocket 2, DJI has launched the Osmo Pocket Three with some huge enhancements. These embrace a big 1-inch sensor that improves picture high quality considerably, particularly in low gentle. One other key change is an even bigger display that flips sideways, plus superior topic monitoring. Different options embrace 4K 120p taking pictures, 10-bit D-LogM for improved dynamic vary, faster autofocus and extra.
With all these further abilities, the Pocket Three may function a standalone vlogging digital camera – but it surely’s additionally significantly dearer than its predecessor. To seek out out if it’s price the additional cash, I did some intensive testing to see what it may — and couldn’t — do.
DJI’s Osmo Pocket Three is a conveyable digital camera that’s comparatively easy to make use of, sufficiently small to hold with you and simple to maneuver in tight areas. It’s stabilized by a 3-axis gimbal to make photographs clean and fluid. It may well pan, tilt and roll throughout a variety of 303, 278 and 283 levels, respectively.
At 5.5 inches lengthy and 179 grams, it’s a bit heavier however almost as compact because the Pocket 2 (117 grams and 4.9 inches lengthy). It resembles its predecessor at first look, however a more in-depth look reveals some huge adjustments.
The very first thing that jumps out is the 16:9 2-inch display that has almost 5 occasions the realm of the Pocket 2’s 1-inch show. Higher nonetheless, it flips sideways and routinely rotates the digital camera to match, so you may shoot both in panorama or portrait modes without having to dive into settings. Nonetheless, word that going into vertical video mode doesn’t flip the digital camera prefer it does on DJI’s Mini Four Professional drone. Relatively, it simply crops the video, decreasing the decision from 4K to 3K.
I wouldn’t name the menu system on the Pocket 3’s touchscreen intuitive, because it entails both swiping from the edges or touching icons to entry capabilities. With out plenty of visible clues for steering, you have to memorize all of the capabilities.
The opposite noticeable function is a bigger digital camera head that homes a 1-inch 9.4MP sensor with a real 16mm diagonal measurement. That’s almost 3 times that of the Pocket 2’s 1/1.7-inch sensor. Realizing DJI, we would see the identical sensor on upcoming merchandise just like the Mini drones and Osmo motion cams.
The fastened 20mm equal lens has a comparatively quick F/2.Zero aperture. The extensive focal size means it’s not preferrred for portraits or product photographs. It does have a two occasions digital zoom to double that, at a value of some decision.
There at the moment are solely two bodily buttons, report and gimbal management. The microSD card remains to be on the left facet, with USB-C port on the button as earlier than. Ought to the place of the latter be inconvenient, the included deal with strikes it to the facet.
Battery life is excellent for such a small system, with 135 minutes obtainable with the built-in 1,300mAh battery, rising to 240 minutes with the non-compulsory ($99) 950mAh battery deal with. On high of that, the Pocket Three could be recharged from 20 to 80 % in simply 16 minutes, so DJI is lastly embracing quick charging on its units – one thing that’d be good to see with its drones, too.
What in regards to the Mimo app? Whereas its use was required beforehand for some capabilities on the Pocket 2, most issues can now be carried out straight from the digital camera display, other than Glamor and some different settings. It’s nonetheless helpful for monitoring and controlling the digital camera remotely, after all.
The Pocket Three is offered by itself or in a Creator Combo that offers you a battery deal with, mini tripod, 0.75x lens adapter and carry bag. You additionally get the DJI Mic 2 Transmitter that pairs routinely with the Pocket 3, providing you with a high-quality wi-fi mic and offering an audio backup. DJI needs to be asserting the Mic 2 as a separate product within the close to future. In case you already personal the unique DJI Mic, the Osmo Pocket Three is appropriate with that mannequin as properly.
Efficiency
Above all, the Osmo Pocket Three is a gimbal designed to offer clean and steady video. Operation could be very a lot level and shoot to maintain the topic in body, because the gimbal and autofocus do the remainder. As earlier than, it gives three modes: observe, tilt lock and FPV mode.
Comply with goals the digital camera the place you level it whereas locking off roll to maintain the digital camera degree. Tilt mode additionally locks the lean operate to maintain the horizon degree, whereas FPV retains all three unlocked in order that the digital camera tilts, pans and rolls as you progress the digital camera.
It’s not simply the bigger sensor that helps the Pocket Three create cinematic video. The optical stabilization permits for slower shutter speeds that create pure wanting movement blur — one thing that’s unattainable on motion cameras, as digital stabilization isn’t appropriate with movement blur.
The gimbal usually does a superb job of smoothing video, in situations starting from vehicles, to operating to fast panning. With out digital stabilization, Z-axis (up and down) movement remains to be current, so that you’ll must stroll easily to keep away from it.
The Pocket Three and DJI Mic 2 is a sensible mixture, permitting you to vlog simply with clean, high-quality video and glorious audio high quality. It’s additionally discreet, because the Pocket Three is small and the Mic 2 lets you communicate quietly, even in a crowd.
As with DJI’s authentic Mic, the Mic 2 gives constant sound high quality and ranges whereas maintaining outdoors noise to a minimal. It has respectable vary with the Pocket 3, although DJI has but to specify that precisely (once more, we’ll study extra when the standalone Mic 2 is launched). Given the extensive angle lens, you’ll in all probability by no means get too removed from the Pocket 3 – but it surely labored advantageous for me with a digital camera mounted on a automobile and me inside, for instance.
Like DJI’s drones, the Pocket Three has ActiveTrack topic monitoring. You allow that by double tapping a topic or choosing it from the Mimo app. From there, the pinnacle will tilt and pan to observe the topic and hold it in focus.
This operate works routinely when selfie mode is activated both by touching the icon or triple-pressing the joystick. On this case, it goes into face-tracking mode and retains your face centered display regardless of the place you progress the digital camera.
One other operate known as dynamic framing additionally tracks faces, however enables you to change the framing on the contact of a button. DJI additionally launched a brand new mode known as spin shot that rotates the digital camera 90 or 180 levels to create a stylized scene.
Video and picture high quality
The Pocket Three can shoot 4K at as much as 60 fps in regular mode, and now contains each a 10-bit D-LogM mode and HLG mode for HDR taking pictures. It has a 9.
DJI additionally added 4K 120p taking pictures through a particular slow-mo mode. That is helpful for high-speed situations, significantly when mixed with digital camera strikes. At launch, this mode didn’t assist 10-bit and D-LogM/HLG modes, however through a latest firmware replace, these modes now work at 4K 120p as properly.
One other new operate is low-light video mode, designed to enhance efficiency in dim scenes. On this setting, it’s restricted to 30 fps max and ISO is boosted as much as 16,000, in comparison with 3,200 in common video mode.
The Hyperlapse and time lapse settings work the identical as on DJI drones, providing you with a time lapse choice that’s nice for exhibiting the fast passage of time. The opposite two modes are Panorama for extensive photographs and, after all, photographs.
Picture high quality is excellent for a tool this tiny, with the massive sensor beating any smartphone apart from possibly Sony’s Xperia Professional-I. In regular mode, video is sharp and colours are vibrant. In photograph mode, JPEGs look good straight out of the digital camera, however you may also shoot RAW for extra flexibility in submit.
As talked about, the Osmo Pocket Three isn’t preferrred for issues like portraits or product magnificence photographs because of the comparatively wide-angle 20mm equal lens. Sure, you are able to do a digital zoom to double that, however decision dips properly beneath 4K while you do this, because of the comparatively low 9.4-megapixel (MP) sensor decision.
Such a discipline of view doesn’t are inclined to flatter topics (you usually need about 35-100mm), and transferring the digital camera shut may even trigger distortion. So for those who produce content material round these issues, the Pocket Three isn’t preferrred as a standalone digital camera.
The D-LogM operate boosts dynamic vary considerably, significantly in high-contrast or on sunny days. It additionally helps with inventive colour correction and to match scenes with different cameras, significantly DJI’s personal drones and motion cams. It’s simpler to regulate than most log modes, so I depart it on on a regular basis.
The bigger sensor additionally makes the Pocket Three a lot better in low gentle than earlier than. Regular video mode goes as much as ISO 3200, whereas low gentle mode ramps that as much as ISO 16,000, letting you movie in very dim rooms. It additionally seems to crank up noise discount at higher ISOs although, so anticipate some lack of element.
Whereas low-light functionality is improved, the sensor decision drops considerably from 64MP on the Pocket 2 to 9.4MP on the brand new mannequin. That’s not dangerous per se, as we’ve seen low-resolution sensors on high-end cameras just like the Sony A7S III. Nonetheless, it signifies that any digital zooming for video ends in a lack of decision (4K is 8.4MP), and photographs aren’t almost as sharp on the Pocket 3.
Autofocus could be a difficulty with bigger sensor cameras, however the Pocket 3’s section detect AI system is mostly dependable. That applies whether or not you’re taking pictures a number of topics in FPV mode or utilizing Lively Observe or Face Monitoring.
Rolling shutter is de facto fairly minimal, with only a gentle quantity of skew on fast paced topics like trains. That’s aided significantly by the gimbal, after all, which eliminates any sturdy jolts that might trigger jello-like video.
One huge subject is focus respiration, although, because the body adjustments considerably while you focus from a far to a close to object. If potential, it will be good for DJI so as to add a respiration compensation function as we’ve seen on Sony and different cameras.
Wrap-up
With enhancements in picture high quality, monitoring and different areas, DJI’s Osmo Pocket Three is extra versatile than ever. The picture high quality places it within the class of high-end compact cameras and also you get unimaginable optical stabilization equal to a handheld gimbal with not one of the trouble.
It has no main flaws, apart from the $520 worth for the gimbal alone, or $699 within the aforementioned equipment. For that, you possibly can get Sony’s ZV-1F vlogging digital camera, or for $150 extra, Sony’s ZV-10 mirrorless digital camera with a a lot bigger sensor. Neither of these can do precisely what the Pocket Three can do, however then once more the Pocket Three isn’t preferrred for portraits, product photographs and different forms of content material both.
The Pocket 2 was embraced primarily as a second digital camera for grabbing some stabilized photographs. The Pocket Three prices $170 extra, although, so it’s not one thing you’d choose up on a whim. DJI is little doubt hoping people shall be keen to pay the additional cash in the event that they embrace it as a standalone vlogging digital camera. It may well actually serve that objective, however provided that your focus is on creating cinematic photographs — and never on folks or product-focused content material creation.
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