Vlogging Much? DJI Says You Can Count On Osmo To Go Steady

If you’ve been flirting with the idea of a vlog for a while now, it’s time to go steady. I found just the thing to help you do that, at IFA this year: Osmo Mobile. This fancy “selfie stick” is actually a mobile gimbal developed by drone manufacturer DJI #mobilemagic

Olivier showed me the ropes at the DJI stand, because it was wild there, folks! Dozens of visitors were hovering above neatly presented Phantoms or were begging for another demo of their latest model, Phantom 4. (We got a close view of the drone too, but will talk about that later.) What’s important now is the mobile gimbal DJI has decided to develop.

It looks like a selfie stick, only a bit heavier and bulkier. The reason is simple – Osmo is designed to stabilize your video, not just extend your hand to take a better pic. It’s equipped with the 3-axis stabilization DJI uses for their drones, too, and Smooth Track technology. That should compensate for shaking and small movements.

You simply insert your smartphone – it has to have a width of 2.31 – 3.34 inches, by the way – and set the camera mode you need. Use it in landscape for cityviews, portrait for a fixed video of yourself or underslung where your phone hangs upside down. Use the joystick to take panoramas, long exposures or a time-lapse that’s so beautiful, yet so hard to get right. You can also switch from the front to the rear cam from those buttons.

WHAT MAKES DJI OSMO GIMBAL SPECIAL?

Olivier helped me figure out how to actively track somebody in the frame. This is Osmo’s special function and it allows you to tap on the screen of your phone to point out the object or person you want the camera to follow. Then the gimbal adjusts itself to always have that subject in the frame. I tried it myself but failed to get it to work when my subject was surrounded by other people. So, it’s ideal to track something or someone in a pretty clear set.

Before you ask, yes, you can live stream while using the Osmo. You just need to download the DJi Go App to give your videos a cinematic feel, then they can go online.

HOW ABOUT AVAILABILITY?

Osmo Mobile is already on the market for the price of 339 euros or $299. As for battery, this gimbal should give you about 4.5 hours of shooting, plenty of material for a vlog post.

Bottom line: We’re glad one of the biggest players on the drone market has redirected its attention towards mobile. This gimbal benefits from a tried and tested stabilization solution and should put an end to shaky phone videos.