DJI’s latest vlog camera, the Shock, arrives with 4K 240fps slow motion, 14-stop dynamic range, and built-in storage, but US buyers may struggle to get it at launch.
dji osmo pocket 4 camera
The new DJI Osmo Pocket 4 is here. It has some improvements over the DJI Osmo Pocket 3. After a lot of talk, DJI has released a version of its popular small camera for video. But there is one problem: you will not be able to buy the DJI Osmo Pocket 4 in the United States when it first comes out.
DJI said the DJI Osmo Pocket 4 will not be sold in the US because it is still awaiting approval. This means we do not know how much it will cost in the US or when it will be available. DJI’s drones have had problems in the US before. The company has to get permission from the government before it can sell some products. This is what happened with the DJI Osmo Nano. You cannot buy it from DJI’s US website. You can find it at some stores. For now, people in the US might have a time buying the DJI Osmo Pocket 4, and even if they can, getting help with it later might be complicated.
In the UK, the DJI Osmo Pocket 4 costs £445 for the version. The Creator Combo costs £549. It comes with a special handle, a microphone, and a light. These prices are like $604 and $745 in the US. We do not know the official US prices yet.
At first, the DJI Osmo Pocket 4 looks a lot like the DJI Osmo Pocket 3. It is still small, has a 2-inch screen that can turn, and has a special camera that can move. The lens is still good for taking pictures. If you look closer, you can see that the DJI Osmo Pocket 4 has some important new features.
The DJI Osmo Pocket 4 still has a sensor, but DJI says it is an updated version that can take better pictures with more detail. It can handle bright and very dark areas at the same time. The camera still takes videos in 4K. Now it can make more colors and has a new special mode for professionals. It also has six built-in styles that can make your videos look like movies without needing to edit them.
The new Pocket 4 has some cool upgrades. One of the things is that it can record video in 4K at 240 frames per second. This means you can get 8x slow-motion footage in 4K resolution. The old model could only do 120 frames per second, and a lot of cameras can only do 240 frames per second in 1080p resolution. It is worth noting that the 2x zoom function does not work when you are using this slow-motion mode. It is still a big improvement for people who like to make creative videos.
The Pocket 4 also has ActiveTrack 7.0, which is DJI’s latest system for tracking subjects. You can double-tap on a subject on the screen, and the camera will keep it in the center of the frame. This feature works with people, vehicles, pets, and more. The new version of ActiveTrack is better than the previous one because it works when you are taking photos, and it supports the 2x lossless zoom. It works when you are shooting in D-Log. This makes it really useful for creators and vloggers who need to track their subjects accurately.
The Pocket 4 is also better at taking photos. The old Pocket 3 could only take 9.4-megapixel photos. The Pocket 4 can take up to 37 megapixels in SuperPhoto mode. You can get the resolution when you use a 1:1 aspect ratio, and you can get 33 megapixels when you use a 16:9 aspect ratio. The standard photo mode is similar to 4K resolution. You can save your photos as JPEG, RAW, or both at the time. The 2x lossless zoom also works in photo mode. You can use it with ActiveTrack, which you could not do on the old model.
DJI has also made some changes to the design of the Pocket 4. The joystick that controls the gimbal now moves faster or slower depending on how you push it. There are two shortcut buttons under the screen when you hold it horizontally, which makes it easier to use the zoom and other functions. The gimbal arm now has contacts and a magnetic mounting surface, which works with a new magnetic fill light accessory that comes with the Creator Combo. The light is not very strong. It is useful in dark places.
The battery life of the Pocket 4 is also better. It has a 1,545mAh battery, which’s about 20 percent bigger than the battery in the Pocket 3. DJI says that the camera can run for up to four hours when you are recording 1080p video at 24 frames per second with the wireless connections turned on and the screen turned off. Recording in 4K will make the battery run out faster. The camera also charges faster. You can get it to 100 percent in 32 minutes or 80 percent in 18 minutes if you use DJI’s 65W PD charger, which you have to buy separately.
The DJI Osmo Pocket 4 has a useful feature, which is the 107GB of built-in storage. This is a difference from the Pocket 3, which did not have any internal storage. The DJI Osmo Pocket 4 cameras support microSD cards. Now you also have internal backup space. This is really helpful when you forget your memory card.
DJI has also added a cover over the microSD card slot on the DJI Osmo Pocket 4. The DJI Osmo Pocket 4 supports Wi-Fi 6 and USB 3.1, which makes transferring files quicker.
There are rumors about a Pro version of the DJI Osmo Pocket 4 with multiple lenses and a telephoto option like the cameras on modern smartphones. DJI has not said anything about this model, so we do not know if it will be released.
For people who already have the Pocket 3, the new features on the DJI Osmo Pocket 4 may not be enough to make them switch away. The improvements on the DJI Osmo Pocket 4, like dynamic range and more built-in storage, are nice but not that big of a deal.
However for people who are upgrading from the DJI Osmo Pocket 2 or buying their compact vlogging camera the DJI Osmo Pocket 4 is a big step forward. It is still a portable stabilized 4K camera that is a good alternative to action cameras like the GoPro Mission 1 series.
Overall the DJI Osmo Pocket 4 is more of an improvement on the model rather than a completely new design. It has dynamic range, more slow-motion options, better subject tracking, higher photo resolution, longer battery life and finally built-in storage.
The only big problem with the DJI Osmo Pocket 4 is that it is not available in the US now. If it becomes available in the future it will probably be one of the popular compact vlogging cameras, on the market.