Anyone who likes making videos prefers to have their good camera with them to give them the best possible footage possible. However, there are times when bringing your camera bag and camera just isn’t worth it. For these moments, the DJI Osmo Pocket is the perfect temporary replacement, and can even be a great addition to have with you alongside your bigger camera.

The DJI Osmo Pocket has been released for a while, but that doesn’t mean that this little camera isn’t worth your attention. There are even times that I have my camera with me, but for certain shots I prefer to take out the Osmo Pocket as it can give great results when used correctly. In addition, the prices of the Omso Pocket have recently been dropped to 279$!

The DJI Osmo Pocket can shoot up to 4K 60fps, has a small gimbal with a quick startup time, and is packed with software features such as face tracking, timelapse videos, moving timelapses videos, and even has a hyperlapse function.

Usage

The practicality of the Osmo Pocket is what really sets it apart, just look how tiny it is. Even when placed inside its case, it fits your pocket perfectly and doesn’t feel as bulky as some action cameras.

It is also very quick to take the camera out of your pocket and start filming. Which is exactly why I love bringing the DJI OMSO Pocket.

In addition, since the charging port is USB-C you don’t have to bring an extra charger when going on a trip as you can charge the camera with the same charger as your phone. Of course, if you own an iPhone then you may need to bring an adaptor.

You might think that the display is a little small for framing, and while I do agree that it could be bigger, having a bigger display means that the device will get bigger as well, and thus making the camera less portable. The cool thing is that if you need a bigger viewfinder you can actually connect it to your smartphone. Connecting the DJI Osmo Pocket to your smartphone only takes seconds. You flip over the slot, pop in your smartphone, and you’re ready to go! It’s super simple and very helpful as it will give you a bigger viewfinder, a histogram, make it easier to navigate settings, review footage, and so on.

DJI Osmo Features

Now let’s talk about all the features the DJI OSMO Pocket has to offer. With starting at top of the list, taking photos. The Osmo Pocket can take 12MP Pictures with a maximum resolution of 4000x3000 pixels. Since it has the ability to take RAW I am pretty satisfied with the quality of photos it can produce.

Next up is Video. As mentioned previously the Osmo Pocket can film up to 4K in 60 fps. Just remember that since you’re working with a limited bit rate, the quality of 4K 60 FPS is a bit worse compared to 4K 24FPS. However, I think most people don’t notice this difference. The video footage of the Osmo Pocket is pretty good and can be very good when slightly cleaning it up in post.

I do wish it had a DLOG color profile like the Mavic Pro 2 has to get the most out of your color grading. You can also turn the gimbal around, and enable face tracking so you can capture vlogs with ease. It is important to note that any tracking feature isn’t available in 4K 60fps, most likely because of the limitations of the small processor.

When not in the 4K 60 FPS mode you can use the tracking features by simply double tapping on an object or person. It can be handy, but I personally don’t really use it.

The Osmo Pocket can also film in Slow Motion, but for some reason it won’t use the whole camera sensor and will look cropped compared to the normal video mode. This is again most likely because of the small processor in this camera and thus is in my opinion not really usable.

Now for the timelapse features. You can take traditional timelapses and have the ability to choose between interval and duration settings. When taking a timelapse the DJI Osmo Pocket will create a video file and in addition to that store all individual pictures. I recommend creating your own video from the individual photos as the quality will be way better. I do wish that it would store RAW photos to increase quality even further and give more flexibility in post.

Because of the form factor of the DJI Osmo pocket you can simply place it anywhere you want, and it won’t fall over as long as there is no strong wind.

The motion timelapse has the same options as the normal timelapse but the difference is that you can set a starting point and an ending point which makes the camera pan slowly while the timelapse is in progress. Make sure to move the gimbal head when selecting your points as moving the body itself won’t help.

The hyperlapse function is maybe the most disappointing feature for me, and not because of the functionality, it works really well actually, but because of the quality.

You can select an object that you want an hyperlapse of, and it will automatically keep it in center while walking. This feature make it super easy to make hyperlapses, but it comes with a big catch.

Unlike the other two timelapse modes, in hyperlapse the osmo pocket will not keep individual photos and thus you can’t get the highest possible video quality. Instead I use the timelapse function and try to keep the object centered while walking.

And last but not least, automatic panorama photos. Gone are the days of slowly panning your phone in order to get a nice panoramic photo. All you have to do is keep the Osmo Pocket upright, and click the record button. A second or two later you will have your panorama picture ready to be uploaded. The Osmo Pocket will also store individual RAW photos, so you can stitch it up yourself at home and get great results.

Recommended DJI OSMO Settings for Cinematic Footage

I recommend the following settings to get the best possible results: First of all you will have to activate the camera pro settings by tapping on the ‘Pro’ icon within the main settings navigation. When that is done, tap the camera icon to open the camera pro settings.

First you should set the color to Cinema D so you can get a flatter image to make color grading slightly easier. And the second option you should change is the exposure. By default this option is on auto, and this will mean that the camera will adjust the shutter speed and ISO depending on your scene. In the daylight he will usually do a pretty good job, however when it gets darker it will sometimes crank up the ISO way to high which gives very grainy footage. You can fix some of the grain in post, but it won’t look as good.

I also recommend uncropping the viewfinder. You loose some display, but when filling in the display up to a square, you will lose partly of your viewfinder and thus have trouble framing.

To make footage smoother and look more professional you should also change the follow mode to slow.

And that should be the most optimal settings to get the most out of your DJI Osmo Pocket.

All-in-all this is a great little camera and I am very satisfied with the features and video quality it offers. It does have some limitations due to its small processor and smaller sensor size, however for the price of 279$ you’re getting a great deal.

You could wait for the Osmo Pocket 2, which will most likely get rid of these limitations, but until now the DJI Pocket 2 hasn’t even been announced and it also will not go on sale for the same price. So, in my opinion now is a great time to get this little camera.

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