I’ve recorded with my DJI Osmo Pocket 3 all over the world, including the frozen Arctic, so I’m excited to test the latest version, the Osmo Pocket 4. The camera doesn’t make many changes to what’s already the best vlogging, but there are significant improvements, from a better dynamic range to a new film profile.
I’ve been using the camera for a few days now, and I’m happy with what I’ve seen so far. But before I get to the details, I have to address the elephant in the room: It won’t be officially sold in the US when it launches. It is a bad situation; while DJI drones are banned from sale in the US, some of the company’s products are subject to FCC rules that, at least, have delayed their launch.
DJI’s Osmo Nano, for example, is still not sold directly through DJI’s online store, but you can find it at major retailers like Best Buy and B&H Photo. For the Pocket 4, DJI says it “will not be available in the US market as the approval application is pending.” The word “pending” suggests that the situation may change, but as of now, it may be difficult to find American buyers. Also, even if you do get your hands on one, service and support can be complicated.
There are two new buttons below the display; a digital zoom button that zooms by 2x and a custom function button that you can program to enable various settings.
In the UK, the Pocket 4 will start at £445, and the Creator Combo (including an attached fill light, wireless microphone and battery holder) will set you back £549. For reference, those UK prices translate to $604 and $745, respectively.
DJI Osmo Pocket 4: What’s new
Physically, you may struggle to tell the difference between the new model and its predecessor. It’s a little bigger, but it retains a 2-inch rotating LCD and a gimbal-mounted camera unit above. The camera has the same 20mm field of view with the same f2 aperture. Besides that, a lot has changed.
The camera still uses a 1-inch image sensor, but it’s a new version that offers up to 14 stops of dynamic range for better results in a wide variety of situations. Its resolution comes out to 4K (as before), but it will now shoot at up to 240 frames per second for smoother motion.
There are a variety of new color profiles built in, designed to help you get the perfect filmic tone for your clips without applying filters or presets in production — just select a tone and hit record. Or if you take your color range seriously, it will shoot in 10-bit D-Log for even more flexibility than its predecessor offered.
A clip fill light is available as part of the Creator Combo. It can come in handy for those times when you’re trying to vlog in the dark. Maybe when you check out a haunted house.
I’ve had a play with the setup and it’s fun. Less is my preference, or you can reduce the intensity for a more natural look. I think these are great for quick shots, but if I were shooting a more involved project where I knew I wanted the best quality, I’d shoot everything in D-Log to use my film tones later — and have full control over them as a result.
Despite the aperture remaining the same, DJI reckons the Pocket 4 has a much higher low light, thanks to advances in image processing. I haven’t had a chance to take it out in the dark yet, but I’m looking forward to putting the old and the new together. There’s also a new slow-shutter video mode for night shots, which also sounds like fun to play with.
The Pocket 4 has a larger battery than the Pocket 3 (1,545 mAh, up from 1,300 mAh), and support for fast charging, which will take it from empty to 80% full in just 18 minutes. It also has 100GB of built-in storage, unlike the Pocket 3. I love this: I can’t remember how many times I’ve held up my camera to shoot a movie only to later realize I left the microSD card back in my computer.
100GB of built-in storage is great for those times when you run out of microSD card to hand. I always do that.
DJI Osmo Pocket 4 Pro: Where is the dual-lens model?
The Osmo Pocket 4 I’ve been testing is very similar to the Pocket 3, but with a few slightly bumped specs. But the rumor mill has been churning for months about a “Pro” version of the Pocket 4, which, according to “leaked photos,” will feature a larger multi-lens camera module — possibly including a telephoto zoom option, similar to the multilens setup seen on many phone cameras.
DJI has remained silent on the matter, not mentioning the Pro model in its launch materials; whether this full-featured camera will ever arrive remains to be seen. Personally, I would like to see the Pro version include an even larger sensor and even interchangeable lenses, as DJI offers with its Ronin 4D. However, I will not hold my breath.
Various film color profiles are effective in adding extra glamor to your video.
DJI Osmo Pocket 4: Should you buy it?
If you already have a Pocket 3, I don’t think there’s a significant reason to upgrade to a new model (which is good news for potential buyers in the US). Sure, you might see a slight gain in dynamic range and battery life, but otherwise the video you’ll capture will be largely the same.
However, if you’re still using the older Osmo Pocket 2, or if you’re thinking of getting one for the first time before your next summer vacation, then the Pocket 4 has a lot going for it. I’ll be spending a lot of time testing it in the coming weeks and months to see how it fares in both professional and enthusiast environments and how it compares to its newest competitor, the Mission 1 series from GoPro.