DJI Osmo Pocket 3

The new DJI Osmo Pocket 3 camera is built on a one-inch sensor; this is a significant upgrade and places this device with an IQ (image quality) significantly better than action cameras like the GoPro, designed to be used in extreme outdoor conditions. The design around the Pocket 3 is more appropriate for podcasting or filming in less harsh situations than those for the GoPro, so don’t use it in the rain.

The GoPro sensors fluctuated between 1/2.3 and 1/1.9, essentially cellphone sensors. One-inch and 4/3 sensors are typically found in smaller cameras and not cell phones; given that a one-inch sensor is four or more times larger than a cell phone sensor, it will provide better colour, dynamic range, and resolution. Remember that 20 megapixels of resolution from a cellphone sensor differ in quality from 20 megapixels from a larger camera sensor.

The Pocket 3 has the advantage of a gimbal rather than stabilization. This is better for capturing video than a stabilization system when the camera is handheld. On the other hand, the GoPro requires a higher speed to use the stabilization, compromising the image quality and increasing noise in the images. The Pocket 3’s gimble also allows for “subject-tracking,” whether on a tripod or handheld. So, if you are holding the camera and filming yourself, you do not need to check that you are in the image as you navigate uneven terrain; the camera does this automatically. If the camera is stationary, you can be moving about the scene, and the camera will keep you in the centre of the scene. The image display can be rotated to facilitate a quick change from landscape to portrait mode. So switching back and forth is very quick, whether using the video for YouTube’s landscape world or doing a quick TikTok in portrait mode.

I will leave the detailed technical information and the configuration of the two kits to the references found below, particularly the DPReview, which is very comprehensive, as is the video produced by Gordon Laing.

The final point is a one-inch sensor does take good stills, and the camera can be used in this mode, as you may have gathered. So, it is also a compact camera; the only limitation here might be the lens, which is equivalent to a 20mm lens on a full-frame camera. In other words, it is a wide-angle lens. If you use the iPhone 15, the 1x lens is equivalent to 24mm. So, the Pocket 3 is wider in its field of view than your standard cell phone camera. You can find a discussion on other one-inch cameras in my article A Niche Market for 1″ Sensor Cameras.

Two Kits

The Pocket 3 is sold for $719.99 Cdn, and there is also the option to buy the device in a Creator Kit for $929.99. The kit includes several additional accessories, including a wireless microphone, which I believe makes the kit a better buy.

This is the Creator Combo

References