Have you ever heard of a company called DJI? No? Me neither. Wait, that’s not right, because out of the camera and accessory companies that pop-up like weeds, DJI has made a name for itself over the past few years, primarily as the worldwide leader in camera-drones and Quadcopters like the Phantom, which is the industry standard.
With that kind of moving device, they’ve learned a thing or two about stabilization for videography, but much of their offerings have thus far been less attractive for the casual shooter or someone uninterested in drone work. However, they’ve now just unveiled a handheld device that integrates a video camera and a stabilization gimbal in a small form factor. It’s called the ‘Osmo’, and it looks like the next thing you’re going to want.
Right out of the box, the DJI Osmo is going to let you grip it and shoot 12MP photos and 4K video while being professionally stabilized with a 3-axis brushless gimbal. You are able to live view any imagery as it’s being shot, and camera settings and functions include easy panorama, long exposure, and slow motion at 120fps at 1080p.
It looks a bit like no other camera system you’ve ever seen before, but then it also works in a way none other has before. The way you hold and interact with the Osmo is entirely different, as it’s akin to an aircraft joystick, that puts all the controls for changing formats, shooting angles, or any adjustment right at your fingertips. It’s not just a visual piece either, as it has a built-in stereo mic and a 3.5mm jack allowing for high-quality sound recording.
In addition, it’s also meant to be modular, so it works fully with any of the DJI Zenmuse series cameras, so it’ll be just about the ideal partner for anyone who has a Zenmuse X3, X5 Pro, X5 Raw, or the Inspire 1. It also has a universal mount that meshes well with the included Smartphone adapter and a host of other optional accessories including an extension arm, tripod, or bike mount.
[REWIND: LIGHT L16 | A CAMERA TO CHANGE THE GAME & SET THE STAGE FOR THE FUTURE, NOW]
And the cost for this? $649 is what you can expect when it ships starting October 15th, which is actually sensible given that a GoPro Hero Black is $499 with no stabilization. Sure, you can take a GoPro to the ends of the Earth, but this isn’t meant just to be an action camera, but something serious shooter will want to use also. It’s also interesting to note that DJI is releasing a handheld camera just prior to GoPro releasing their own drone. See below for videos of it in use.
I really want one.
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Already ordered mine. Should be here in a few days :-)
yes , its nice but go pro, its different one
The only thing holding me back from getting one now is waiting to see how it handles lowlight with the x3.
How do we know that most of these promo videos were not shot with the x5r ?
So if this little thing straight out of the box is good in lowlight it would make me leave my Ronin-M at home for specific work. But Ronin-M still has loads of value compared to this little beauty….
Now we’re talking. Just when I was all set to drop my cash on the Aetho’s ‘Aeon’ now this. Take my money now PLEASE…. Nice job DJI, do these suffer from fly aways also? :)
Nice and for the price it seems too good to be passed up on.
Did I see lots of purple fringing in the Ryan Connelly shot?
Can see a lot of these being sold very quickly ?
And what about waterproof???
Very cool but hardly a “GoPro killer”. I don’t see how that could be mounted to a chest harness or helmet. Potentially awesome piece of kit but very misleading to call it a GoPro killer.
It is a gopro killer; you can mount it anywhere with the right tools.
I saw how they mounted it to the handlebars of that bike. If that’s how they expect people to mount it to bodies, helmets or anything else, that’s crazy. Handheld, it looks awesome but I wouldn’t trust mounting that to anything like they mounted it to that bike. All it would take is one little slip off the pedals and you could break it.
TAKE MY MONEY!!!!
Please take my money now!
In thinking about this some more, one might need a small hood for their cell phone when working in daylight. The glare off the screen will make it difficult to frame your shots. Maybe some DIY, similar to the Hoodman.
http://hoodmanusa.com/cgi/commerce.cgi?preadd=action&key=HAV1
Christmas is coming. I think I’m going to ask Mrs. Claus and my twentysomething year old elves for this under the tree. :-)
I think i’m going to starting shooting video.
Ok, sold… tell me where to mail the check
that looks a quality bit of kit.. 3axis stabilisation.. nice
Very nice…affordable high quality gear. Who would of thunk it?