Those DJI engineers – and their factories for that matter – have been working overtime of late.
In the last few weeks we have seen the release of the new AVATA FPV drone (which just quietly is a fantastic little beast), the Action 3 (which I haven’t seen in the flesh as yet) and today, the Osmo Mobile 6 was announced.
If you have not been following the DJI story, the Osmo is a gimbal, something that the company of course specialises in, that is designed specifically for smartphones.
Unlike earlier previous iterations of the genre on the market, the 3 axis stabilized Osmo Mobile 6 is packed with what DJI are calling “creative tools”.
For example, a built-in extension stick coupled with a zoom / focus wheel lets you get some really dramatic and different angles that a simple gimbal just can’t offer.
And similar to the Action cameras (and GoPros for that matter) Timelapse, MotionLapse and HyperlLapse function are built in, as is the ability to shoot panorama imagery and even Gesture control is available. What I think is the best function is the ActiveTrack 5 utility letting you select a subject and the gimbal will faithfully follow it. DJI says it has improved the distance over which ActiveTrack will work too.
A single button press switches between landscape and portrait.
This is all driven by the DJI Mimo app which also has a built-in editor these days called LightCut, letting you create social media ready footage. A whole bunch of templates are right there along with shooting guides making it easy for beginners and also – the latest buzz word – “AI powered” editing.
For portability, the Osmo Mobile 6 folds up into a small and compact unit that will easily fit in your pocket. The phone is held on to the gimbal by a quick-release magnetic clamp that works with the phone in or out of a case.
A status panel has been added so you can quickly check battery levels (rated at over 6 hours usage) and which of the four gimbal modes is active. Switching between modes is achieved by pressing the ‘M’ button.
They have also made it that as soon as the phone is attached, the Mimo app will start automatically saving time when you need to capture something quickly.
DJI claims to have improved the ergonomics of the Osmo Mobile 6 and added a non-slip surface to it.
Optional extras include a light clamp, tripod and the DJI Mic which I reviewed some weeks back.
Pricing is pretty keen too, starting at AUD$239.
You can get more info, or even buy online at https://www.dji.com/au/osmo-mobile-6
Film, Video & Virtual reality 