DJI’s Osmo Pocket 3 gimbal-camera was a category-defining digicam. Two years since its launch, everybody from vloggers to professional movie makers proceed to add how-to guides and gushing critiques to YouTube. When the Osmo Pocket 4 landed on the FCC on the finish of 2025 (adopted by a reputable leak), creator boards and Reddit threads began to chatter with pleasure. Over the next months the Pocket 4 leaked repeatedly, to the purpose the place there’s little or no that somebody with a passing curiosity and an web connection doesn’t already know concerning the digicam. However DJI selected in the present day to present us the official reveal, so we’re right here with the total evaluate which, remarkably, does comprise some surprises.
DJI/Engadget
The Osmo Pocket 4 remains to be one of the best pocket-friendly vlogging digicam you should purchase. With wonderful picture high quality, improved pictures, wonderful stabilization and professional D-Log mode, it’s extremely straightforward to file all the pieces from easy vlogs to close cinematic-quality video. The excessive degree of portability and wonderful battery life make this a simple digicam to achieve for no matter you’re filming.
Professionals
- Wonderful picture high quality
- Improved low-light efficiency
- Onboard storage
- Modular equipment
Cons
- Nonetheless solely 3K in portrait mode
- No mud or water safety because of the gimbal
- No optical zoom
What’s new
For many who have been ready for official, confirmed specs and knowledge, right here’s a rundown of the headline new options of the Osmo Pocket 4. The digicam remains to be 4K, however comes with an up to date 1-inch CMOS sensor that DJI says is nice for one more two stops of low mild efficiency (for a complete of 14). The digicam retains the 20mm equal, f/2.0 lens however squeezes in an improved max framerate of 240 fps (up from 120 fps) for as much as 10x slow-mo. The Pocket 4 can even shoot in full, excessive dynamic vary 10-Bit D-Log, upgraded from the extra light-weight D-Log-M obtainable on the Pocket 3. Shutter speeds at the moment are expanded and go proper right down to 1/4 for excessive mild results.
{Hardware} modifications are few, however do embrace two new buttons under the 2-inch show. One is a devoted zoom button and the opposite you may assign a perform from a number of frequent duties — rotating the gimbal, toggling recording presets and so forth. You possibly can assign as much as three completely different controls to this button by way of single, double and triple clicks. There’s additionally 107GB of inside storage. You possibly can nonetheless use SD playing cards, however you don’t must in case you don’t wish to.
That zoom, DJI states, is nice for 2x “lossless” zoom whereas taking pictures in 4K and 4x in 1080p. The Pocket 3’s 2x Mid-Tele zoom needed to be activated first, however now you need to use lossless zoom any time and/or whereas utilizing ActiveTrack face-tracking. It’s obtainable in Portrait mode, too, however in case you’ll must have the display screen within the horizontal place to entry the buttons, which implies your viewfinder/preview might be teeny-tiny because it’s rescaled for 16:9.
DJI Osmo Pocket 4 (James Trew for Engadget)
DJI has added on-camera “Movie Tones” that are comparable, functionally, to movie simulations seen on Fujifilm cameras. There are six to select from at launch and embrace refined and not-so-subtle stylized colour tones that apply completely different “moods” to your movies with out having to manually colour grade or use a LUT after the very fact. As for nonetheless photographs, there’s an on-screen button for “Stay” pictures much like what you would possibly discover on an iPhone. Stay pictures have been sorta-kinda doable on the Pocket 3, however they’re somewhat bit simpler this time round.
Lots of DJI drones embrace Gesture Management, which helps you to begin/cease recording and interact ActiveTrack from a distance, and that’s new on the Pocket 4 too.
On the audio aspect of issues, the Pocket 4 now has “audio zoom,” so in case you have two folks in a scene and do an in depth up on certainly one of them, the quantity of their voices might be boosted. It’s somewhat crude, but it surely might be useful in sure conditions. The Pocket 4 can even file spatial audio by way of the three onboard microphones, good for dwell music and different conditions the place sound placement would possibly matter.
Lastly, the Pocket 4 has a modular part. At launch, there’s a magnetic fill mild that clips onto the gimbal and could be configured by way of the digicam menus. It’s included within the creator combo and opens the door for different modular equipment, although it’s restricted to issues that may sit on the gimbal with out inflicting issues. A shotgun-style microphone, for instance, might be doable.
The show and controls on the Osmo Pocket 4 (James Trew for Engadget)
Battery life additionally will get a slight enhance over the Pocket 3 with a 1,545mAh cell — which is sort of a 20 p.c improve. That interprets to an additional half-hour or so of recording time for a median of two and a half hours at 4K, extra in case you shoot in decrease resolutions or are utilizing the digicam for pictures.
What we don’t see right here, an merchandise that you just may need been hoping for, is any kind of optical zoom. What’s extra, the max decision in vertical mode stays capped at 3K. You continue to must rotate the digicam in order for you full-sensor, 4K video in portrait.
Video high quality
The recognition of the Pocket sequence is because of its mixture of high-quality video and a conveyable kind issue. The Pocket 4 builds on this profitable formulation with distinctive high quality for the digicam’s measurement. The brand new 1-inch sensor is noticeably extra detailed than the Pocket 3 and DJI’s declare of improved low mild efficiency is backed up by stellar outcomes. I took the Pocket 4 out at evening and it bested its predecessor with way more dynamic vary and higher publicity in shadowed areas that come out darkish or fuzzy on the Pocket 3.
Picture efficiency generally is spectacular and a particular sturdy level for a digicam of this measurement. Colours now look extra pure than ever with out trying over-saturated. Related pictures on the Pocket 3 look somewhat flatter when seen aspect by aspect. I like that the f2.0 aperture nonetheless offers some mild bokeh, and when mixed with the brand new D-Log mode, there’s loads of scope for cinematic pictures. These could be more durable to attain with a cellphone and don’t require the setup and planning of a mirrorless digicam.
With the prolonged shutter speeds you may get some attention-grabbing results — dramatic mild trails in site visitors for instance — but it surely’s going to over expose every other mild supply in your shot. So, proceed with warning. The Pocket 3 bottomed-out at 1/25, however the Pocket 4 goes proper right down to a dramatic 1/4.
The 2x lossless zoom stunned me. At first, I used to be sceptical about DJI’s claims of it being lossless, but it surely does appear to take care of visible high quality with out noticeable lack of element. Although if you wish to use that 4x zoom in 4K, anticipate to see some digital artifacts. The Pocket 4’s 20mm lens is especially suited to wider, vlog-style pictures, so a usable zoom is a welcome addition. It’s price noting that it’s higher used for static and tripod pictures as any gimbal actions and retaining a topic in body can really feel like steering a ship.
Movie tones
Till now, in case you have been aiming for a extra cinematic type, you needed to get snug taking pictures in D-Log-M and boning up on color-grading. DJI offered some filters within the Mimo app for a fast and soiled approach so as to add a temper or vibe to your movies, however that also prompted some friction within the workflow. The brand new movie modes are on digicam, so reaching one thing extra stylized is now only a menu faucet away. I’ll be sincere, I’m not an enormous fan of the choice obtainable proper now as they’re both too scorching or too chilly. Of the six, Heat and Film appear probably the most usable for cozy-style landscapes or B-roll cityscapes.
DJI hasn’t shared a lot about whether or not these are simply on-camera filters or true movie simulations. Film and Retro, not less than, have been already obtainable as filters within the app. If the total impact is simply too sturdy, you may dial down the depth, however that’s the extent of the management. Their addition right here expands what you may get out of the digicam with out utilizing the app or having to tug issues over to your enhancing software program. It’s unclear if we’ll see extra choices sooner or later, however they’re there in case you want them.
New buttons
One among my principal complaints with the Pocket cameras was the zoom. Extra particularly, controlling it with the joystick. It at all times appears gradual, inconsistent and a bit newbie when zooming in manually. The brand new button offers an immediate punch-in that can be utilized for an intentional, attention-drawing impact. I can’t depend the variety of occasions I’ve ruined a shot as a result of I believed I had the joystick set to zoom, but it surely was nonetheless assigned to panning (you needed to toggle its use by way of an on-screen button). With the bodily button, I can shut in on a goal immediately and by no means fear about unintended pans.
The button format on the Osmo Pocket 4 (James Trew for Engadget)
The second, customizable button can be an actual usability improve. If, like me, you’re always recentering the gimbal, you’ll know that the standard double-click on the joystick is commonly unreliable. Now you may assign that motion to the button plus two extra controls from a number of frequent actions. I’ve it set so double-click switches to certainly one of my handbook recording presets and triple-click locks the gimbal so I not have to leap into the primary menu to change gimbal modes. It even works whereas recording if I spontaneously determine I wish to preserve my horizon degree.
Altering what this button does is easy: Lengthy-press it and it’ll soar into the settings the place you may select its performance. There’s nonetheless scope for some refinement, as though a double click on can immediately begin recording with my most popular settings, clicking once more doesn’t cease it. It’s a must to use the file button. This makes some sense, however I’m used to utilizing the identical button to cease/begin recording, so intuitively I believed that could be the case right here. Sadly not.
Audio upgrades
One thing somewhat sudden within the Pocket 4 is the addition of spatial audio. Utilizing the three built-in microphones, the idea is it’s best to be capable of hear the place sounds are coming from — although you’ll want headphones on for the impact to work. In apply, it does create a unique audio atmosphere, one the place sounds really feel extra relative to their location, but it surely comes at a worth. In case you converse to the digicam, even in case you’re close by, your voice will sound distant and muddled so spatial audio is one thing you’ll wish to use deliberately and positively not as a default setting.
The identical is true for that audio “zoom.” To be honest to DJI, I’ve by no means discovered an audio zoom I really favored. You possibly can’t seize higher audio than what the microphone is receiving, so amplifying it in any approach isn’t going to enhance it past what you are able to do with enhancing software program. In a pinch, this would possibly assist with interviews when you could have a number of audio system, no exterior microphone and must publish rapidly, however I’m reluctant to suggest it for anything.
You may get an Osmo Pocket 4 bundle with a DJI lapel mic (James Trew for Engadget)
The brand new “Vocal Increase” is a extra helpful possibility beneath the Professional settings menu. When activated, it enhances voices by decreasing background noise and different sounds. Once more, it’s not a repair for getting good supply audio, however in noisy run-and-gun vlogging environments, it might enhance your possibilities of capturing one thing helpful with simply the interior microphones.
Happily, DJI has a significantly better answer that was already a characteristic of Pocket cameras — native connectivity with its wi-fi microphones. The Creator Combo now features a single DJI Mic 3 transmitter and charging cable, and it’s the best possible technique to get YouTube-ready audio from the digicam. One good tweak with the Pocket 4 is that you would be able to now export movies with each the built-in and exterior mic audio as one 4-channel file. Open this in your video editor and you may combine and reduce between mic and ambient audio with out having to take care of separate recordsdata as earlier than.
The competitors
The truth that there’s no actual direct competitors for the Pocket sequence is stunning. For true, like-for-like gimbal cameras, anticipate finding options from manufacturers you’re much less aware of — corresponding to Agfaphoto or Feiyu. A lot of the nearest competitors might be motion cameras just like the GoPro Mission 1 or Insta360 Ace Professional 2. Each of those are nice moveable cameras with stable stabilisation, however they unsurprisingly favor that extensive, shiny and sharp action-style footage. The Pocket 4’s nearest rival for stabilized vlog-friendly filming remains to be the Pocket 3.
This raises the query of whether or not the Pocket 4 (£445) is price it over the extra reasonably priced Pocket 3 (£389) at launch. (DJI can’t immediately promote the Pocket 4 within the US, so official costs are in British Kilos or Euros.) Each are nice, all-purpose, vlogging cameras versatile sufficient for recording in a wide range of conditions — although much less suited to rugged/motion filming because of the fragile mechanical gimbal. It’s doubtless that the value distinction between the 2 will develop after the launch window.
The Osmo Pocket 4 flipped down and powered off (James Trew for Engadget)
Wrap-up
The Pocket 4 may not convey defining new options like optical zoom or larger decision, but it surely’s a greater digicam in each approach that issues. There are additionally a number of high quality of life enhancements that make it extremely compelling. For the additional cash, you’re getting higher picture high quality that can pay you again over time. The brand new buttons make the digicam much more handy and that onboard storage alone successfully closes the value hole — to not point out the massive comfort that characteristic alone brings with it.
Hardcore followers may need been hoping for extra “dazzle” with the Pocket 4. In actuality, DJI delivered a digicam that builds on an already profitable formulation in ways in which truly matter: larger high quality video, improved usability, modular capabilities and longer battery life. It’s onerous to argue with that.
