One Device Just Changed My Game
When I was working in SIx Flags New Orleans, I spent a lot of time filming with my iPhone. In fact, my most used devices were my iPhone 16 Pro Max and my DJI Mini 4K. This was by necessity. Most of the things we did were guerilla filmmaking. Situations where breaking out expensive Sony cameras would be both impractical and potentially costly.
While the use of the iPhones were necessary, they had very clearly defined limitations and problems. For a company that has been marketing their higher end iPhones as trying to compete with real camera companies (Sony, Canon, NIkon, etc), they don’t remotely take into account the needs of serious creators. For one thing, iPhones lack the ability to use Micro SD cards, so all your storage is located on your phone’s drive. For another, any video longer that 15 minutes can’t be exported off of your phone as is. Don’t ask me why. It’s insane.
Since the end of the Jazzland Project, I’ve moved on to other projects.
For quite some time now, I have had my eye on the DJI Osmo Pocket 3, a handheld vlogging camera that works on a built in gimbal.
I finally decided to trade in an old camera that I wasn’t using to MPB. It ended up being an even exchange for the Pocket 3. It just came in two days ago.
Holy crap.
I haven’t even started properly filming this thing and I am sold.
First of all, it shoots video in 4k 30 and I can adjust both the frame rate and shutter speed. Without getting into the specifics, this allows me to film in a more cinematic style. Also, the video is designed for color grading, which is important for post production. The gimbal has subject detection and tracking, so if I’m moving around in a video, the camera follows me. You can also shoot vertical “tik tok” style videos natively.
But the biggest feature advantage is the DJI ecosystem. You see, much like Apple devices, DJI equipment is designed to be used in conjunction. I own a set of the DJI Mic 3 lav microphones. Both Mics connect directly to the Pocket 3 without having to connect the Mic receiver. Additionally, I put the DJI Mimo app on a Samsung tablet. The app connects to the Pocket 3 via bluetooth, giving me a real-time video monitor.
The advantages seem to keep stacking. And that’s before you take into account the slow motion and time lapse features. Oh and I didn’t mention that you can use the Pocket 3 and the Mic 3 as webcam for streaming or zoom calls.
Unquestionably, this is what we should have been shooting with for the Jazzland Project. I can honestly say the OSMO Pocket 3 would have made our workflow exponentionally easier.
With exception to the fact that i just started using it, I find the disadvantages to be minimal. There are two big ones. One is that I won’t have dual SD card recording, so if the Micro SD card fails, it would be a disaster. It isn’t something I am overly worried about, but it is a consideration. Tne bigger issue is that the camera and gimbal are delicate. It’s the same with my DJI drones. I have to be very careful.
But the bottom line is that I am very impressed, as I am with all of DJI products. If the US Government didn’t have a ban on DJI products created after 2025, I would be eying the new Osmo Pocket 4. But that’s a different subject.
Perhaps time will change my mind, but from here on out, any of my videos shot will likely be done with the DJI Osmo Pocket 3. I love this thing.
#dji #osmo #pocket3 #djiosmopocket4 #djimic3 #apple #iphone #iPhonepromax #sixflagsneworleans #documentary
