Looking for the best travel camera to take on your next adventure and capture some epic video of your travels?

Boasting full 4K, a 3 axis gimbal and tiny size on paper the DJI Osmo Pocket looks fit to be one of the best travel cameras out there.

After putting it to the test for the last few months of adventures here’s my full review of the Osmo Pocket and whether I thing it’s worth adding to your camera bag – whether you’re a pro or everyday user…

 

REVIEW: DJI Osmo Pocket – The Best Travel Camera?

UPDATE: The new DJI Pocket 2 is now available. Click here for my full review

What is the Osmo Pocket?

If you haven’t already heard about the Osmo Pocket it’s the upgrade for the popular Osmo by DJI (yeah, the drone guys!), which although super awesome for producing stabilised 4K footage, wasn’t the most portable of gadgets.

The Osmo Pocket on the other hand took all the tech and specs everyone loved about the Osmo and crammed in into a tiny, compact gadget, which suddenly turned it into an epic option for those wanting to capture gimbal smooth footage whilst travelling.

 

Osmo Pocket Specs

Ok so for all your tech geeks out there like myself, here’s a rundown of the main Osmo Pocket specs to give you a solid overview of what this camera is like and what kinda of photos and video you can create using it.

• Size: 121.9×36.9×28.6 mm
• Weight: 116g
• Gimble: 3 axis
• ISO Photo:100-3200
• ISO Video:100-3200
• Still images modes: Single Shot; Panorama; Timelapse; Motionlapse; Hyperlapse
• Video resolution: 4K Ultra HD: 3840×2160 24/25/30/48/50/60p FHD: 1920×1080 24/25/30/48/50/60/120p
• Battery life: 140 mins (When shooting 1080p/30 fps video)
• Charge time: 73 mins (When using a 10W charger)

If the above just look like total nonsense to you dont worry! The main thing you need to take away from the above is it’s small, powerful and will give you silky smooth video!

 

What Makes It Perfect For Travel?

1. The Insanely Small Size

I mean look at it, the size of the Osmo Pocket alone is what makes it ideal for travel – you can chuck it in your pocket (quite literally) and carry is everywhere. It’s lightweight too and being able to shed a whole heap of extra kit from your camera bag makes it awesome for those battling with luggage restraints!

The size too makes it perfect for discreet shooting in places where you either don’t want to draw attention to yourself or simply don’t have much space to shoot in.

2. Smartphone Adaptor & Inbuilt LCD

Another great feature of the Osmo Pocket which makes it ideal for travel is the use of the smartphone adaptor. When in use this gives you more control over manual settings (ISO, White Balance, Shutter Speed and even D-Log) as well as being able to frame the shot and control the gimbal movements.

When you don’t ned those controls or simply want to shoot quickly the inbuilt LCD screen will suffice.

3. USB Charging

No big bulky battery chargers here! The Osmo Pocket charges using a USB to USB-C cable – which not only saves you a heap of space, but also means you can charge on the go using a power bank, another one of my must have travel gadgets.

4. 4K And 3 Axis Gimbal

At the end of the day travel or not you want something that produces solid footage – and with 4K @ 60FPS and a super steady 3 axis gimbal the Osmo Pocket is going to allow you to do just that…whether you’re jetting off to a tropical island or shooting in your hometown.

 

 

Osmo Pocket Accessories

There are already plenty of accessories out there for the Osmo Pocket – from filters and mounts to cases and selfie sticks – so whatever you’re shooting you’ll be able to find something to fit in with your style and needs.

For me though if you’re travelling there are 2 accessories you really cant leave home without;

Polar Pro ND Filters

I shoot on the beach or in sunny locations quite a lot on the road – so the Polar Pro ND filters are a must to keep control of my shutter speed. Sure they’re not the cheapest accessory but they’re well worth it for those on the road. If your into your videography they also have a huge range of polarised filters as well for even more control.

PGY Tech Osmo Pocket Mount

My biggest pet peeve about the Osmo Pocket is the lack of in built tripod mount. Luckily the guys from PGY Tech are on the ball and have put together an awesome mount which solves the problem – as well as adding in a cold shoe mount as well, ideal for use with an external mic or lighting solution.

The original option does put a lot of strain on the smartphone adaptor (I actually had one break which was incredibly frustrating as spares are almost impossible to come by!) but version 2 solves this as well as adding even more portability with the fold up design.

 

 

My Final Verdict

The bottom line for me is that I absolutely love the Osmo Pocket and it’s perfect for travel!

Having got my hands on it when in launched in December 2018 I then jetted off to South Africa and Mozambique for 4 months shooting a surf tour – which gave me the perfect opportunity to put it through its paces on the road.

I’m stoked to say it handled everything I threw at it and allowed me to capture some awesome video – from hiking up Table Mountain and playing with penguins on Boulders Beach to coastal walks, parties and even going off road in a 4×4.

Needless to say it’s become a staple of my camera bag and I always keep it on hand just in case.

 

Sample Video Edit

All the land based footage in this edit is shot using the DJI Osmo Pocket. Drone footage is via the DJI Mavic Air and all the in water footage is shot on the GoPro Hero 7 Black. Check out my best travel camera post for all the gear I use to shoot on the road!

 

 

 

Have you tested out the Osmo Pocket?

What do you make of it?