Currently, there is nothing quite like the DJI OSMO Pocket 4. Unless of course you count its predecessors, or something like a LUMIX G series or Sony alpha on a gimbal.
The latter option, however, is no contest in the real world as you can’t put them in your top pocket.
So yes, in the real world, the OSMO Pocket 4 is somewhat unique, and at first glance, you’d be excused for thinking maybe it is a solution looking for a problem. Before I explain that is not the case, let me fill you in on the tech specs and get those out of the way.
Tech Specifications
Under the bonnet, the DJI OSMO Pocket 4 has some serious video and photography credentials.
At the heart is a 1” CMOS sensor allowing 14 stops of dynamic range, and allied with an f/2.0 aperture, you get sharp, clear imagery even in lower light. For those that like to colour grade their footage, the OSMO Pocket 4 supports a 10-bit D-Log colour profile.
A dedicated zoom button gives access to 1x and 2x lossless zoom with a single button press, and 4x is also available. Slo-mo up to 240 frames per second can be had even in 4K mode.
Showing the Zoom Options
Gimbal
Obviously, what makes the DJI OSMO Pocket 4 unique is the built-in gimbal. Three axis stabilisation gives nice smooth shots even when for example, walking while vlogging or live streaming. And built into the Pocket 4 is DJI’s ActiveTrack technology as used in its successful drone. Even when zoomed in to the 4x maximum, tracking modes such as Spotlight, Follow and Dynamic Framing make it easy to capture cinematic footage.
There is also an Intelligent AutoFocus system incorporated in the OSMO Pocket 4, plus you can enable Subject Lock Tracking whereby the camera automatically locks onto and tracks a selected subject. A new subject can be swapped with a simple tap on the screen. Alternatively, the “Registered Subject Priority” can be used to prioritise focusing on a pre-registered subject.
Gesture Control
Quick Shots can also be captured via gesture control1. For example, showing your palm (Palm Gesture) toggles ActiveTrack, while flashing a peace sign (“V” Gesture) takes a photo or starts and stops recording.
Additionally, the DJI OSMO Pocket 4 has several new features when shooting including Slow Shutter, letting you adjust the camera’s shutter speed to create motion blur and movement trails, and Film Tone, which as the name suggests, lets you create classic styles and capture master-grade tones.
And if you really must, “In Camera Beautify” will automatically fine-tune skin smoothness, brightness, and tone for a “natural look” in both selfies and group shots.
The Battery
DJI says that the OSMO Pocket 4 can go from 0 to 80% charge in just 18 minutes which will give you 3 hours of shooting. When fully charged, you’ll get 4 hours of 1080p / 24fps footage. Optionally, an add on module DJI calls a “battery handle” will add another 60% battery life or approximately 150 minutes dependent on the settings used. It also incorporates a standard tripod thread which the base camera lacks and a USB-C port for accessories such as wireless mic receiver. It costs an extra AUD$99.
Audio
There is a built-in mic array on the OSMO Pocket 4 which in testing records quite decent audio, however, DJI has developed its own proprietary audio system called appropriately OSMOAudio. When used with supported wireless mics such as the new DJI Mic Mini2, there is no need to use the receiver as the mic will connect directly with the camera.
Storage
Following the trend for most new DJI products, the OSMO Pocket 4 has built in memory storage – 107GB to be exact – but like other cameras, does also have provision for an SD card. This has its pros and cons of course, but if like me, you have turned up for a shoot or come across something you want to record and find you don’t have an SD card with you, it can be a heaven-sent feature.
DJI Mimo
As is common these days, DJI has a companion app – DJI Mimo – that works with DJI cameras. As well as using the app to control the camera, it is used to transfer new firmware updates to the Pocket 4 and files from it to the smartphone.
In General
One thing I do like on the Pocket 4 over my Pocket 2 (I never got to review the 3) is the larger LCD screen which swivels to landscape mode. It makes it much easier to see touch screen commands, and in bright sunlight is much more readable.
When the screen is swivelled (which also turns the camera on), an array of buttons is revealed one of which is a joystick to primarily control the gimbal. As expected, moving it left and right controls the pan axis and up and down the tilt. However, pressing the joystick performs other functions depending on the number of presses eg 3 times changes the camera from forward facing to rearward and pressing and holding locks the gimbal.
The zoom button does just that; pressing once switches to 2x and twice to 4x. A single press returns to 1x. The shutter record button is pretty obvious, but there is a 4th “custom” button that by default recenters the gimbal, switches joystick control between tilt and zoom or unlocks / locks the gimbal depending on the number of presses.
The touch screen is used to set focus and meters, select the ActiveTrack subject shooting mode and can also double for various gimbal actions such as gimbal rotate.
Similar to the DJI OSMO Action series (or indeed GoPro) swipes on the screen gives you access to system settings, and this menu is particularly easy and intuitive to customise the camera settings as you wish as well as being extremely extensive. Swiping also displays the shooting options available such as Photo, Video, Panorama etc.
Colour reproduction is excellent
Just as you can with a full-size gimbal, the DJI OSMO Pocket 4’s gimbal can be selected to perform different operations. To make the understanding of this even easier, there is a built-in video explaining all of the options and how to set them such as Follow, FPV, FPV1 and Lock.
A special smart gimbal mode gives you access to even more “AI-like” settings for tracking, such as Spotlight Follow, Dynamic Framing and SpinShot.
Interestingly, you can also set the DJI OSMO Pocket 4 to act as a webcam simply by connecting it to a computer via USB-C cable. This is also how files are transferred from the camera to a PC.
In Use
First up, unlike other DJI OSMO products, the Pocket 4 IS NOT waterproof or even water resistant, so shooting in the rain is probably not a good idea.
Due to the form factor, it does take a bit of getting used to I admit, but once you have gained a feel for it, the Pocket 4 feels like a mini cinema camera, and indeed, technically has the chops to back that claim up.
The footage due to the 1” sensor is very good indeed.
I don’t think I’d suggest the OSMO Pocket 4 for action sports however; its Action 6 sibling is a much better proposition in that area due to its ruggedness and aforementioned waterproofing. The gimbal is also not particularly suited to being knocked around either, so I’d stick to using the Pocket strictly for travel, vlogging and as mentioned, creating cinematic shots.
Upgrading
So, if you have a Pocket 1, 2 or 3, is it worth upgrading? If you have a Pocket 1 or 2, most definitely. The gap between the feature sets of these models and the 4 is far too wide not to. The 3 is a different matter; if the slo-mo, low light performance and tracking improvements are important, as well as the on-board memory, then yes, go for it.
If you want to check out in detail all the differences or just have a browse on more details of the DJI OSMO Pocket 4, you can download the PDF manual here.
The DJI OSMO Pocket 4 is sold in various combinations with the standard pack consisting of the camera, gimbal clamp (for locking in transportation), battery handle and a carrying pouch for AUD$769.
Other options are listed on the DJI website or the D1 Store.
2 Comments
[…] mighty DJI Pocket 4 suddenly has competition. And it look serious if the initial information comes up to scratch and […]
[…] eye auto focus and a decent continuous tracking system, although not on a par with say the DJI Pocket 4 or Insta360 Flow 2 Pro gimbal I would […]