Osmo: DJI’s gimbal-stabilized handheld 4K camera

DJI is well known for their Phantom and Inspire drone lines, especially now that the latest models can shoot with brilliant 4K resolution. They fly smoothly and offers great image stabilization due to their multi-axis gimbals and smooth controls. However, not everyone can cough of the money to take their shots aerial therefore they may prefer to stay on the ground (for now). The solution? DJI’s new Osmo handheld 4K camera with gimbal stabilization.

The new camera and gimbal sit on top of a detachable handle that features a comfortable grip as you run around with it recording all of your devious adventures, comedies, pet videos, action sports and whatever else drives your creative side. There is also a detachable holder for your smartphone so that it all can remain connected as one piece for both easy control and monitoring.

The handle also features basic controls that allow you to adjust both the camera and gimbal. All other controls are done by using the DJI GO App (iOS and Android devices). The bottom side of the handle does feature an open thread for mounting it to a tripod and other mount solutions in case you want to go hands free and control the functions of the camera and gimbal remotely from your phone.

Osmo allows you to shoot video just as smoothly as the cameras that DJI uses on their latest top-level drones. It records in up to 4K (4096 x 2160) resolution at 24, 25 or 30 frames per second. You can also capture still images at 12MP and it does support RAW (Adobe DNG RAW).

It also supports the new new Zenmuse X5 series of cameras used by DJI in their other products (or purchasable separately), which means you can swap it out with one of the bigger cameras (bigger sensor).

It’s an incredibly neat solution for all video lovers, both professional and hobbyists; but it does come at a price. It retails for around $649, so do expect to be emptying the wallet a little. It makes sense given that a lot of GoPro-like solutions are falling within the crazy range of $400-500. Why wouldn’t the “better” solution come with a crazy stable gimbal and handle with a bunch of neat functions and a higher price?

Now Osmo has just entered the market, so it’s best to expect that there might be a few bumps in the road to start as they iron things out via app and firmware updates. There has been a few complaints circling around about the mobile app, which can seriously control whether or not you are enjoying your time with it or not. If we get out hands on one, we will make sure to fill you in on anything we find! Our initial expectations are pretty high though as it seems like one fun approach to capturing great video on the ground.

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