Along with an update to its line of Ronin stabilizers for professional cinematographers, DJI has released a follow up to last year's Osmo Mobile stabilizer, bringing more flexibility to smartphone shooters along with more intuitive controls. The Osmo Mobile 2 also boasts better battery life, and comes in at a much cheaper price point than its predecessor.
DJI's original Osmo released in 2015 was essentially a 4K action camera on a stick with a three-axis stabilizing gimbal to smooth out shakes and wobbles. The Osmo Mobile released last year was seemingly a response to the fact that today's smartphones are pretty good at shooting video on their own, and allowed owners to whack their handsets on the end and go for broke.
The Osmo Mobile 2 improves on this in a couple of ways. The most notable is the inclusion of a two-way mobile clamp that can pivot from landscape to portrait mode, whereas the original allowed for landscape only.
The other improvement is the battery. The original allowed for 4.5 hours of use on each charge, while the Osmo Mobile 2 is said to be good for up to 15 hours of filming. There is also a new USB port that can be used to charge up the attached phone (or other devices) while in use.
The physical controls built into the handle have also received a makeover, which DJI reckons will make them easier to use. These include settings for ISO, shutter speed and a zoom slider, which allows for a dolly zoom effect where the camera moves toward or away from a subject while the lens is pulled in the opposite direction.
More advanced controls are available through DJI's Go smartphone app, including a variety of time-lapse modes, automatic subject tracking and live streaming to Facebook and Youtube.
For the pros
DJI has also updated its line of Ronin stabilizers for professional cinematographers. Where the Ronin 2 released in April last year was a serious piece of kit that can handle loads up to 30 lb (13.6 kg), the Ronin-S is the company's first single-handed stabilizer designed for DSLRs and mirrorless cameras.
It is available in two frame sizes for either format and also uses a three-axis gimbal stabilizer to smooth out camera shakes and wobbles. It comes with support for the likes of the Canon 5D, Panasonic GH and Sony Alpha, and also has controls integrated into the handle that allow you to record, stop and adjust the framing.
The Ronin-S appears to pretty much be a Osmo Mobile 2 but for larger cameras, which sounds great but how well you go supporting the weight of a DSLR and lens with a single hand could very much depend on your build ...
DJI introduced both the Osmo Mobile 2 and Ronin-S at CES in Las Vegas this week. No pricing has been announced for the latter yet, but the Osmo Mobile 2 will be available on January 23 for US$129, seriously undercutting the original's price of $199. The Ronin-S will become available sometime in second quarter of 2018.
Source: DJI
