Does it live up to the expectation?

We got our hands on the all new DJI Osmo Pocket and we wanted to see what all the hype was about. There has been many action/small cameras come and go in the past. However, on paper, the amount of features this little guy offered was hard to believe. We truly think this camera can benefit all creators. Watch the video below to learn more about what we liked and did not like about the Osmo Pocket.

What we loved about it.

SETUP TIME

We literally set this camera up in under 30 seconds. No joke. The quick setup time is perfect for when we need to snag a quick b-roll shot or we are in a rush. There has been so many times where we missed shots because we didn't want to go through the hassle of setting the entire camera up.

COMPACT SIZE

Second, the size of the camera is pretty unreal. It will literally fit in your jeans pocket (duh). We had no problem with tossing it into cupholders, small backpack pockets, and even inside our jacket. It is truly a compact. stabilized, 4K tool. Now, we have no excuses to not bring this with us on every single shoot. The Osmo Pocket is smaller than most smartphones everyone is using nowadays.

VERSATILITY

Third, the versatility is a big one. In such a small form factor you can shoot 4K video, hyper-lapses, time-lapses, panoramic shots, still photos, slow motion, and it even has auto focus. To top all of that off, you can count on getting smooth footage due to the 3-axis stabilization.

What we thought could be better.

FIELD OF VIEW

The bad part about having a built in camera is that you cannot change the lens or focal length of it. Therefore, you are pretty much stuck with the focal length the osmo comes with. The focal length is about 26-28mm (35mm equivalent). Now this isn't terrible and definitely usable. But if you plan on using this as a vlogging setup, you might find yourself wishing it was a bit wider if you want to capture the surroundings behind you. 

SCREEN SIZE

Another thing that we noticed was that the screen was pretty small. Now with that being said, we know that its pretty insane we even get a touch screen on a small camera like this. But the size of the screen does make it a bit difficult when trying to see what is in focus or not. Thankfully, you can attach your smartphone to the camera and use it as a monitor and controller. We did figure that the small screen would come in handy if we needed to be lowkey or stealth about filming something. So I guess this a pro and a con?

DURABILITY

Third, the durability. A lot of people are calling this the 'GoPro Killer'. While we do realize that this camera offers many features that the new GoPro Hero 7 falls short in, we don't think it can live up to the action camera side of things. Unless you are using the waterproof housing on the Osmo, theres no way you can take this thing underwater like a GoPro. Plus, if you are using the housing, then it defeats the purpose of buying the compact camera. Also, since it is a gimbal, you have to be more careful about the motors and potentially breaking it if too much forced is used.

But is it really worth the $350?

To answer this question we stacked the DJI Osmo Pocket next to a DJI Ronin-S with Sony a7iii (with Zeiss lens). This is essentially a $350 setup VS a $4000 setup. Watch the video at the beginning of this post to see how the footages looked side by side. 

In this comparison, we were pretty shocked at how good the Osmo Pocket looked next to the DJI Ronin S with Sony camera. Of course the more expensive setup looked a little more smooth and quality looked better. However, it wasn't too far off. Definitely not a difference worth $3000+ dollars.

In conclusion, we would never use the DJI Osmo Pocket to film a professional gig or a client project. However, as filmmakers, we would still use this camera all the time and throw it into our bag. It is perfect for those quick b-roll sequences or vlog footage. Or if we are trying to maintain a smaller footprint. On the other hand, if you are first starting out into video and you are on the fence about this new camera, we would highly recommend it. It is a great piece of gear to start your filmmaking journey with.