Your phone’s cameras might be pretty good and even capable of recording 2160p (4K) Video. However, one of the biggest challenges is getting stabilized videos while holding the phone with your bare hands. DJI comes to the rescue ones again with The ‘DJI Osmo mobile 3‘, a lightweight handheld gimbal that takes smooth shots, has a built in battery and can even track subjects. Let’s learn more about it.
At a Glance
| + Foldable and Portable | + Quick Roll |
| + ActiveTrack 3.0 | + Story Mode |
| + Gesture Control | – Limited Android capabilities |
| + Sporty Mode |
Design and Handling
Design
The Sleek easy to fold design makes it an incredibly convenient on-the-go companion for shooting with a smartphone. Weighing just 405g, it’s undoubtably light and portable. The whole gimbal folds and collapses against the handle. The matte gray color is similar to the DJI OSMO Mobile 2, but the design and appearance got a few improvements. It now has a 15 degree grip angle. It has a trigger button at the front. (Yes, it’s back).
The trigger button can be used to quickly switch between the selfie and main cameras on your phone, lock and recenter the gimbal, activate subject tracking and activate “Sport Mode”. Switching orientation between landscape and portrait is even faster thanks to the “Quick Roll” feature. Actually, now you can even switch orientation while shooting. You can control this 3-axis gimbal with one hand, or try out Gesture Control.
Setup
Mounting your phone is really easy. There are no screws, just a spring-loaded tension grip. The phone feels pretty secure and you can fit larger phones than the previous version. You don’t have to perfectly balance your phone. However, perfect balance saves battery life, so you can shoot for longer.You can also add an external mic for clearer audio, a big plus for vloggers.
The gimbal fits neatly into a carrying case alongside a tabletop tripod that’s part of the Combo pack. The handle uses a standard 1/4-inch socket, that you can mount to virtually any tripod. However, if you don’t have any other tripod, the tabletop tripod in the Combo pack is a nearly essential piece.
Battery
It has an integrated battery and charges via USB-C. DJI advertises 15 hours of battery life, which we tested to be true. Even more, it also has a USB-A port for charging your phone while attached to the gimbal. The design allows you easy access to the phone’s charging port.
Performance and Features of the DJI OSMO Mobile 3
The Osmo Mobile 3 is paired with excellent software. To those upgrading from a previous version, you’ll no longer be using the DJI Go App. The Osmo 3 uses the DJI Mimo App. This is the App you will use to connect, calibrate and control the gimbal.
Connection
The gimbal uses Bluetooth Low Energy version 5.0 to connect to the phone in a very simple two-tap process. Unless you’re pairing it to another phone, you won’t have to repeat the process again. However, it is important to run auto-calibration each time you attach your phone to the gimbal. Auto-calibration helps correct any drift resulting from the gimbal being off balance.
The DJI Mimo App
The app offers several shooting modes, including photo, panorama, video, slow motion, time-lapse, and hyper-lapse. In addition, there’s a ‘Sport Mode’, which increases speed and response time of the gimbal motors, and a ‘Story Mode’, which serves up a collection of templates for shooting and editing short clips.
DJI also included the ActiveTrack 3.0, which is the software that enables drones to follow subjects. You just draw a square around a subject, and the gimbal will track/follow it. With ActiveTrack and Gesture Control, you can hold up your fingers to start a countdown timer, and the gimbal automatically moves to center your face in the frame. This is an awesome feature for selfies or group photos. Even more impressive, when shooting videos, the gimbal will continue to track you as you move around.
What’s Missing?
We have some complains about the DJI OSMO Mobile 3. First of, some features like slow-motion are only available for iOS devices. Second, the app does not allow you to shoot at 24fps. Also, unlike with DJI‘s high end gimbals, you can’t fine tune the speed of the motors.
Our Verdict
This is a must-have accessory for beginners and casual videographers. It’s a compact, powerful, and easy-to-use gimbal. Its strong feature-set and fair price really helps it stand out from its competitors. If you have not been using a gimbal, the difference it makes in the quality of your videos is Incredible.
Any better Alternatives?
None that I know of. Just like with Drone Technology, DJI sets the pace for gimbal technology.
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