It's been three years since DJI updated its 4K handicam, and that's clearly long enough as the Osmo Pocket launches into its third generation – coming with a 1-inch sensor, rotating touchscreen, the latest tracking stabilization tech, and a significant price hike.
The Pocket minicam line began in 2018 with a handheld built around a 1/2.3-inch sensor, which was followed a couple of years later by version 2 – which lost the Osmo moniker – and its 1/1.7-inch sensor and 4K video capabilities. The Osmo Pocket 3 gets another bump, this time to a 1-inch-type CMOS sensor for "unparalleled image quality, even in challenging lighting conditions."
The frame rate at 4K resolution has also increased to 120 fps, or 240 fps for Full HD, there's full-pixel fast focusing for keeping up with fast-moving objects, while up to 4x digital zoom promises to get you closer to the action.
DJI has cooked in 10-bit D-Log M and 10-bit HLG color for much improved dynamic range. Light sensitivity runs from ISO50 to 6,400, but that gets extended to ISO16,000 for low-light video. And there's a triple microphone array for omnidirectional audio capture.
It boasts three-axis mechanical stabilization chops with ActiveTrack 6.0 for face detection and dynamic framing. The handicam lacks internal storage but photos and footage are saved to microSD card media, and there's a built-in timecode function for multi-camera synching ease in post-production.
Not only is the 2-inch OLED display a huge size improvement on predecessors, but it can rotate from portrait to landscape, and doing so auto shifts the camera to that mode too. Nifty.
The unit size has increased to 139.7 x 42.2 x 33.5 mm (5.5 x 1.6 x 1.3 in), but it still lives up to its name. It comes with Bluetooth 5.2 and 802.11ac Wi-Fi. When the 1,300-mAh Li-Po battery is juiced to the max, the minicam can record up to 116 minutes of 4K/60fps footage, and fast-charging support over USB-C enables a quick top-up to 80% capacity in 16 minutes. And in addition to run-and-gun shoots, the Osmo Pocket 3 can also serve as a webcam.
The Osmo Pocket 3 is available now for US$519, which is quite the increase on its predecessor's $349 launch price. Accessories include filters and a wide-angle-lens attachment, a mini tripod, a wireless microphone for 24-bit/48-kHz audio, and a battery handle for more up time between charges. The video below has more.
Product page: DJI Osmo Pocket 3
