DJI Osmo Mobile 3 overview: Budget blockbuster
“Better, easier, and more affordable than before, the Osmo Mobile 3 is as slick and smooth as can be.”
Compact, foldable design
New Sport and Story modes
Active Track 3.0 with gesture management
Fast portrait/panorama orientation switching
Lacks some superior settings
Some key options are iOS-only
The digicam in your telephone is fairly good, and even able to taking pictures 4K video. But one of many largest challenges in getting skilled outcomes out of your telephone is digicam motion. Shaky handheld footage simply isn’t going to chop it. Enter the DJI Osmo Mobile 3, a light-weight handheld gimbal that creates completely clean photographs and may even monitor topics.
DJI has continued to refine its strategy to the telephone gimbal. It is extra versatile, simpler to make use of, and even cheaper than the Osmo Mobile 2. With its foolproof Bluetooth connection, easy switching between portrait and panorama orientation, and new taking pictures modes, it’s a worthy substitute to its predecessor and a brand new benchmark for the class.
When folded, the complete system isn’t a lot taller than a plus-sized telephone.
But whereas the brand new Osmo’s {hardware} approaches perfection, the accompanying DJI Mimo app leaves out some superior options — particularly for Android customers. Hopefully this may be remedied in a software program replace. Even so, its low price ticket of $119 makes it exhausting to cross up.
Design and dealing with
While the matte grey shade and fundamental look of the Osmo Mobile 3 look much like the earlier model, a better investigation reveals a number of small adjustments. The grip is now tilted 15 levels ahead and a set off button has been added to the entrance that can be utilized to rapidly recenter the gimbal, activate topic monitoring, or change between the entrance and rear cameras in your telephone.
Mounting and balancing your telephone is straightforward and excellent stability, whereas useful, isn’t required. The gimbal’s motors are sturdy sufficient to appropriate for improper stability, making this the quickest gimbal to arrange that I’ve ever used.
Switching between portrait and panorama orientation is quicker than ever due to the “quick roll” function. Unlike the Osmo Mobile 2, you not have to regulate the place of the telephone when switching orientations. You may even do it whereas recording.
The complete gimbal folds, collapsing towards the deal with. When folded, the system isn’t a lot taller than a plus-sized telephone. Even when prolonged, the Osmo Mobile 3 stands a couple of millimeters shorter than its forebear. It’s additionally about 3 ounces lighter — not an enormous distinction, however it’s good that the additional articulation hasn’t elevated weight.
The foldable design makes the Osmo Mobile 3 a lot straightforward to move, and it tucks neatly right into a carrying case alongside a tabletop tripod that’s a part of the $139 Combo pack (examined). The tripod is an almost important piece of the equipment, so I’d go for the Combo pack. However, the deal with makes use of a regular 1/4-inch socket, so you possibly can mount it to just about some other tripod.
The battery is built-in into the system and costs by way of USB-C. DJI advertises 15 hours of battery life, which can simply outlast your telephone. There’s additionally a USB-A port that can be utilized to energy your telephone whereas connected to the gimbal.
Features and efficiency
The Osmo Mobile 3 is tied along with wonderful software program. If you’re upgrading from a earlier Osmo gimbal, word that you just’ll not use the DJI Go app. Instead, you’ll want the DJI Mimo app. This is the place you’ll join, calibrate, and management the gimbal.
Thanks to Bluetooth LE, connecting the gimbal to the app is a two-tap course of that couldn’t be simpler. You’ll by no means must repeat the connection course of once more except you wish to pair a brand new telephone.
You ought to run auto-calibration each time you connect your telephone. This will appropriate for drift that may consequence from the gimbal being barely off stability. I discovered that anytime the gimbal’s efficiency appeared off, re-calibrating fastened the problem.
The app serves up a number of taking pictures modes, together with picture, panorama, video, gradual movement, and hyper-lapse. There’s additionally Sport mode, which will increase the response time and velocity of the gimbal motors, and Active Track 3.0, the newest model of DJI’s synthetic intelligence-based topic monitoring.
A brand new gesture management function works together with Active Track to take hands-free taking pictures to the subsequent stage. Hold up your hand to begin a countdown timer, and the gimbal mechanically strikes to middle your face within the body. This is nice for selfies or group photographs, and much more spectacular in video, the place the gimbal will proceed to trace you as you progress round.
In my testing, monitoring labored nicely so lengthy my face remained clearly within the body. When I turned away, it stopped monitoring. I discovered this to be true utilizing each the entrance and rear cameras, although DJI says it makes use of “head and shoulders” monitoring on the rear digicam that ought to hold monitoring you even when your again is turned. Bad lighting can even trigger it to fail; I walked in entrance of a brilliant window and it misplaced me solely. Still, this may very well be an enormous function for vloggers, YouTubers, or anybody who wants hands-free video.
Another fascinating, if not but totally realized, function is the brand new Story mode. This serves up a set of templates for taking pictures and modifying brief clips along with transitions constructed from a combination of gimbal motion and digital results. In its present state, Story mode leaves a lot to be desired by way of flexibility — you possibly can’t change the size of any theme, or edit the textual content on themes which have titles — however there’s potential. For now, it’s a straightforward to method to create a slick intro sequence to your journey vlog.
Advanced settings are missing
I do have complaints about odd limitations within the Mimo app. Many folks gained’t discover them, however skilled video editors will discover the tough edges.
While the app does provide full handbook publicity management if you would like it, it doesn’t allow you to shoot at 24 frames per second. That’s not a deal breaker for the typical buyer, however videographers and filmmakers will definitely miss it. You can use a special app, like Filmic Pro, if you would like extra superior management — however you’ll miss out on DJI-specific options like Active Track should you do.
You can also’t fine-tune the velocity of the motors as you possibly can on DJI’s higher-end gimbals. I discovered I most popular taking pictures in Sport mode even with non-sporty topics, because the slower response in default mode can really feel torpid. It’s high-quality for gradual, sweeping photographs, however even an off-the-cuff hike warrants utilizing Sport mode. The gradual movement function, in the meantime, may be very gradual, recording a 720p video that performs again at 1/8 velocity. A quick 5-second shot all of a sudden turns into 40 seconds lengthy, and there are not any choices for different speeds.
Also, some key options are iOS-only, not less than for now. Android customers miss out on publicity changes, together with fundamental publicity compensation, and gradual movement. Again, you could possibly use one other app for these options, however that’s not very best. With all of the totally different Android telephones on the market, it’s in all probability tougher for DJI to make an app that may correctly make the most of them, however I hope a few of these issues might be solved sooner or later.
Our take
For newbies and informal videographers, the DJI Osmo Mobile 3 is a must have accent. Its good design, sturdy function set, and honest worth make it stand out from the group. It is each highly effective and straightforward to make use of, and the distinction it makes within the high quality of your footage might be staggering.
Is there a greater different?
No. As with drones, DJI units the tempo for gimbals and others will observe.
How lengthy will it final?
Compared to DJI’s higher-end Ronin line, the Osmo Mobile 3 is just not as strong, a sacrifice to hit its $119 worth. Yet it nonetheless feels nicely made and may maintain as much as regular put on and tear for years.
The Osmo Mobile 2 caught round for a bit of over a yr earlier than model 3 was introduced. Even so, the Osmo Mobile 2 stays a helpful gimbal that would soldier on for a number of years. We count on the identical longevity from the Osmo Mobile 3.
Should you purchase it?
Yes. If you shoot numerous video in your telephone, nothing will make it easier to get the skilled look greater than an excellent gimbal. The DJI Osmo Mobile 3 is the most effective I’ve seen.
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