DJI Osmo Pocket 3 review - worth the upgrade?

Verdict

Being able to create good quality video in portrait orientation is what sets this camera apart from its predecessor and is well suited to vloggers and content creators.

Pros

Bigger and better screen
Portrait shooting available
Larger sensor
Easy to change between portrait and landscape shooting
Improved autofocus

Cons

No built-in storage
Image resolution and quality is lacking
Expensive option

It’s been a couple of years since I first looked at the DJI Pocket 2, but the new and improved Osmo Pocket 3 has certainly made an initial impact. The DJI Osmo Pocket 3 is a versatile pocket-sized gimbal camera suitable for vlogging and content creation. Improvements include a larger sensor, 4K video at 120fps in Slow Motion, a third microphone and faster autofocus but the most obvious change is its larger touch and rotatable screen – making the system more user-friendly and enjoyable.

The standalone DJI Osmo Pocket 3 retails for $519/489 GBP, and comes with a Type-C to Type-C PD Cable, a Osmo Pocket 3 Protective Cover, a DJI Wrist Strap, and a Osmo Pocket 3 Handle With 1/4″ Thread.

I received the Osmo Pocket 3 Creator Combo which retails for $669/619 GBP, and includes the Osmo Pocket 3, a Type-C to Type-C PD Cable, a Osmo Pocket 3 Protective Cover, a DJI Wrist Strap, a Osmo Pocket 3 Handle With 1/4″ Thread, a DJI Mic 2 Transmitter (Shadow Black), a DJI Mic 2 Windscreen, a DJI Mic 2 Clip Magnet, a Osmo Pocket 3 Battery Handle, a Osmo Mini Tripod, and Osmo Pocket 3 Carrying Bag.

DJI Osmo Pocket 3 camera — DJI Osmo Pocket 3 gimbal camera. Image: Jessica Miller

DJI Osmo Pocket 3 at a glance:

Standalone: $519/539 EUR/489 GBP
Pocket sized and lightweight
Creator Kit and extra accessories available
1-inch CMOS sensor
2-inch full-color OLED rotatable touchscreen
4K video up to 120fps in 16:9
Supports MicroSD cards up to 512GB
www.dji.com

DJI Osmo Pocket 3: Features

The DJI Osmo Pocket 3 features a 20mm f/2.0 lens and can capture images and video in 16:9, 9:16 and 1:1 ratio. As well as up to 4K 120fps 16:9 video in Slow Motion, and 4K 60fps in normal video mode. When fully charged, it can record up to 116 minutes of 4K/60fps footage or up to 166 minutes of 1080p footage. However, a MicroSD card will be needed to use the camera as there is no internal storage. MicroSD’s up to 512GB are supported.

The Pocket 3 features a range of shooting, gimbal and rotational speed modes that can be changed depending on subjects and scenarios.

Creative modes:

SpinShot	Rotates the camera rotates the camera 90-180°.
Motionlapse	From sunrises to city traffic, capture the surreal flow of time.
Digital Zoom	Up to 4x digital zoom lets you get closer in any shot.
Panorama	Give sweeping landscapes and scenes the full detail.

Gimbal modes:

Follow	Suitable for most scenarios, good for vlogs and selfie video as the camera follows the subject.
Tilt locked	Horizon line is level and great for scenarios with camera movements like push in, pull out and pan actions.
FPV	Camera rotates freely and follows device movement – most suitable for creative shots.

Rotational speed:

Can change the Rotational Speed setting depending on the level of activity.

Standard	Moves slowly for smooth video.
Responsive	Moderate speed suitable for most scenarios.
Sport mode	Abrupt movement and screen shake effect suitable for fast moving objects.

DJI Osmo pocket 3 gimbal mode menu — Gimbal mode menu on the DJI Osmo Pocket 3. Image: Jessica Miller

Whilst the camera is straightforward to use, and most features relatively so, how useful the above features are will depend on what you are filming or creating. Many users probably won’t use Spinshot, and as you will find in the section below, 4x zoom isn’t even available in all settings.

The Active Track feature is improved; with Active Track 6.0 automatic facial recognition and dynamic framing have been added. Dynamic Framing helps you create amazing footage with great composition – with built-in golden ratio composition that locks the subject and keeps it within frame for aesthetic footage. Both of these work well and haven’t experienced any issues or lag. Although, when using Active Track, if the subject is quite small and in a busy surrounding, you might find it easier for the gimbal to lose tracking.

Full Pixel Fast Focusing is a new feature that locks your subject in focus. Within Pro mode when on the normal video setting there are three focus mode options. Single, Product Showcase and Continuous. Product Showcase focuses on the foreground which is great for creative depth of field effects and for doing what the feature states – showing products or objects close to the camera. If you are a creator that reviews or shows a lot of products, this is a great feature for you. Continuous mode picks up and changes focus on the centre of the screen, which is good if you are doing a range of different activities and actions in your videos, or capturing a lot of moving subjects. Single is suitable for motionless subjects, and likely to be the less used option of the three.

The DJI Mimo app, available for iOS and Android from the DJI site, gives you the option for recording, processing and editing photo and video files on your phone. As well as using the Livestream feature, which allows you to stream to Facebook and YouTube.

face recognition on the dji osmo pocket 3 — Facial tracking is a big improvement on the DJI Osmo Pocket 3. Image: Jessica Miller

DJI Osmo Pocket 3: Build and handling

The Osmo Pocket 3 is lightweight at only 179 grams and small enough to fit in its namesake, a pocket (dimensions: 139.7×42.2×33.5 mm).

The camera body is a similar style to the Pocket 2 and is nice to hold, although just slightly heavier and larger. It looks and feels like it is a solid, good quality build. It contains a handle with a tiny gimbal camera, small joystick, and power/recording button. A small red light beneath the screen signals recording. But the larger screen is the obvious main difference on the body from the Pocket 2, and a difference that makes the camera much easier to use and view results. I found it quite easy to use the screen for changing settings, but some might find it better to use the DJI Mimo app.

The screen rotates and you can switch between portrait and landscape shooting seamlessly. There is an option with the settings to keep the orientation at portrait or landscape – regardless of which way the screen is rotated, whilst an option to be able to switch between the two. But, the orientation doesn’t switch whilst recording. In the settings you can also change whether the joystick controls your zoom or gimbal axis.

osmo pocket 3 stood next to lego figurine — The new 1-inch screen is comparable to a Lego figurine. Image: Jessica Miller

The Pocket 3 has 3 microphones which are said to reduce wind noise and create omnidirectional sound and immersive audio. Plus, a USB-C port for charging and data transfer. Connectivity is also available through Bluetooth and WiFi.

The Pocket 3 comes with a larger 1300mAh battery than its predecessor (875mAh) and faster charging, reaching 80% in approximately 15 minutes. It offers 166 minutes of continuous recording at 1080p, but combined with the battery handle extension (which has a built-in 950mAh battery) increases the operating time by approximately 62%.

The mounting of accessories within the Creator kit, like the mini tripod, is done through the Osmo Pocket 3 Handle With 1/4″ Thread attachment. The DJI Mic 2 transmitter is a clip-on microphone, as well as magnetic. I have found the accessories easy to use and fit well together, with no fear they would detach in use. All accessories fit within the carry case – which is about the size of a small make-up or toiletries bag – which makes it great for travel.

Other creative accessories – such as a Magnetic ND Filters Set, Black Mist Filter and Expansion Adapter are also available at an additional cost. The Expansion Adapter looks like a great option if you want to transform the Pocket 3 into an action camera – as it can fit an action camera port. Though, it’s still not waterproof.

Dji pocket accessories - tripod stand in situ — DJI Osmo Pocket 3 with mini tripod. Image: Jessica Miller

DJI Osmo Pocket 3: Performance and image quality

Despite improvements in the rest of the camera, the Osmo Pocket 3 only captures images up to 3840×2160 in 16:9, approximately 9.4 MP resolution (3072:3072 in 1:1 ratio). Which is infact a lower resolution than the Pocket 2, at 9216×6912. Images can be recorded in DNG RAW format as well as JPEG, allowing for options when editing.

Normal video recording quality continues to be the same, at 4K 60fps. But an improvement of 120fps at 4K in Slow Motion mode makes it much better to capture detail in slow motion than the Pocket 2’s 1080p 60fps slow motion recording.

The ability to capture in different orientations, including the new portrait mode (up to 3K/60fps in 9:16 portrait and 1:1), showcases the move towards prioritising content creation and social media video making. Although it’s a shame you don’t get the full 4K in these orientations, the quality of footage up to 3K will be more than enough to create good quality content for social platforms. It’s worth noting though, that Low Light and Slow Motion modes are only available in landscape orientation, and haven’t yet extended to portrait.

Video quality overall is great, but images are just ‘ok’. I wouldn’t be rushing to trade in my smartphone or digital camera any time soon for this. The Pocket cameras are not necessarily known as photography cameras, so the Pocket 3 overall would be much better suited for video focused work. It does however produce better images and video resolution than the likes of the Insta360 GO 3 that I recently reviewed.

Details in photos are quite clear, but you start to lose a lot of detail and sharpness with any cropping or zooming in. Colour and exposure of video and photos are well balanced and adapt well to changing light sources and directions.

1:1 square format image of a clementine and lego figure side by side. Unless using subject or facial tracking, focusing close-up can be quite temperamental on the screen. — 1:1 square format. Unless using subject or facial tracking, focusing close-up can be quite temperamental on the screen. Image Jessica Miller

16:9 landscape format sample photo of clementine and lego figure next to eachother — 16:9 Landscape format. Image: Jessica Miller

9:16 Portrait format. Focus is great once locked on the chosen subject. You can tap on the screen to choose, and also set focus tracking. Image: Jessica Miller

pocket 3 sample photo with focus on clementine and lego figure out of focus in the foreground. — The DJI Osmo Pocket 3 delivers lovely out of focus areas for depth of field. Image: Jessica Miller

As expected, the gimbal and three-axis mechanical stabilisation are really good. There is no shake when walking although, depending on which setting you have rotational speed in, you still get some bounce and movement. Movement is smoothest when rotational speed is set to slow.

The new sensor captures a lot of detail and performs well in low light. Having been tested in dark exhibition spaces, the camera copes and adjusts well even in normal modes. The new Low Light mode also helps. Parameters can also be manually changed in the Pro sidebar to adjust as you see fit.

However, the zoom is quite disappointing. 4x zoom is available, but only in 1080p video mode, and when fully zoomed in you start to lose detail and the image almost becomes quite pixelated. In higher resolutions, lower amounts of zoom are available: 3x in 2.7K, 2x in 4K in video, and 2x in photo.

photo of pentax k1000 film camera with dji osmo pocket 3

photo of pentax k1000 film camera with dji osmo pocket 3 2x zoomed in

Audio is good, but does pick up some background noise when speaking, and if windy then you can hear some muffled wind noise too. The Mic 2 works really well, even when the subject is being recorded from a distance. The mic captures the speaker’s audio clearly without much, if any, background or wind noise. Two mic transmitters can be set up with the Osmo Pocket 3, so in situations where there are two speakers, e.g. in a vlog or interview, this would be a great set up. Along with face tracking, if you are recording yourself or someone else, you can ensure a great video that focuses on you whilst speaking. The Pocket 3 is also compatible with other external digital USB-C microphones that support 48K/16bit.

dji mic transmitter 2 in situ whilst recording — The DJI Transmitter 2 is a great additional accessory for vlogs and interviews. Image: Jessica Miller

Verdict

For the hefty price increase on the Pocket 2, and price difference to other great cheaper cameras on the market, is it worth it? For only slightly better video quality and reduced image quality than the Pocket 2, probably not. However, the better battery and being able to create good quality video in portrait orientation is what sets this camera apart from the Pocket 2. The style of this camera versus a typical action or vlogging camera is well suited and much more convenient for the vloggers and content creators out there – especially with the larger rotating screen on the handle. If you want to capture interviews or audio on the go for your vlogs then likewise, with the mic transmitter this is a great option.

Key features, such as Active Track 6.0 and facial recognition are noticeably improved, they work really well and make a great addition to elevate your content. However, if you are looking for something that captures the action with waterproofing and provides extra action accessories that GoPro and even other DJI cameras can provide – it’s better to look in that direction.