The DJI Osmo Pocket is an unusually-designed handheld camera with a built-in three-axis gimbal. It does an exceptional job of smoothing out camera movement, so handheld video shouldn't have an especially shaky quality if you're recording while walking or running. It's also capable of recording 4k video at 60 fps without a crop, which is fairly impressive. It's also small enough to be easily carried in a coat pocket or a bag and feels quite well-built. Unfortunately, its autofocus system struggles in photography, and it's incapable of shooting images continuously. Its small touchscreen interface can also take some time to get used to.
Note: Due to this camera's unique design, several exceptions were made in regards to camera settings to achieve representative results within our current testing methodology, specifically within the Image Quality, Luminance Noise, FHD and 4k Video Autofocus, and FHD and 4k Video Quality boxes.
Our Verdict
The DJI Osmo Pocket is decent for travel photography. Image quality is good overall, with low levels of noise even at high ISO levels. It also has a fairly broad shutter speed range and is light enough to carry around for extended periods. Unfortunately, its built-in lens has a fixed focal length, and the camera isn't equipped with a digital zoom feature.
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Good image quality.
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Sturdy, compact design.
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Fast maximum shutter speed.
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Small, occasionally sluggish touchscreen interface.
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Fixed focal length with no digital zoom.
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Terrible autofocus performance in photography.
The DJI Osmo Pocket is a satisfactory option for landscape photography. Image quality is good, as you should be able to shoot at fairly high ISO levels without incurring too much graininess, which is good for nighttime shoots. Its compact, lightweight design makes it easy to bring to remote locations. It feels well-built and is comfortable to use. Its built-in wide-angle lens lets in quite a bit of light, but it doesn't have an adjustable zoom length, which can be somewhat limiting.
The DJI Osmo Pocket is poor for sports and wildlife photography, though that isn't its intended use. It can't shoot photos continuously and offers poor autofocus performance in photography, which makes it difficult to capture clear images of fast-moving subjects. There's also no way of zooming in on far-away subjects, as the camera lacks a digital zoom feature, and its built-in lens has a fixed wide-angle focal length. That said, image quality is good, and it has a fairly fast maximum shutter speed.
The DJI Osmo Pocket is acceptable for vlogging. It's small and light enough to be carried around for long periods. The integrated three-axis gimbal smooths out camera shake in handheld video to a remarkable degree, and its autofocus system does a superb job of tracking moving subjects' faces. Unfortunately, its screen is very small, which can make it quite tricky to see what you're recording when holding the camera at arm's length to properly frame yourself. It comes with adapters to connect your phone to the camera to use it as an external screen, but we don't currently test for this.
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Sturdy, compact design.
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Good autofocus performance in video.
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Small, occasionally sluggish touchscreen interface.
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Mediocre video quality in 4k and FHD.
The DJI Osmo Pocket is okay for studio video. Video quality in 4k and FHD is mediocre overall, as object textures and surfaces could be more sharply rendered. That said, its autofocus system does a good job of maintaining focus on moving subjects. Also, while its menu system takes a bit of time to get used to due to its small touchscreen interface, it's quite intuitive once you get the hang of it, though it can be sluggish to respond to inputs. Its accessories port also allows you to fit a wide variety of accessories, including the included adapters for your smartphone to use as an external control interface, though we don't currently test for this.
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Sturdy, compact design.
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Good autofocus performance in video.
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Small, occasionally sluggish touchscreen interface.
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Mediocre video quality in 4k and FHD.
The DJI Osmo Pocket is middling for action video. It's small, lightweight, and feels solidly-built, but isn't rated as being rugged or water-resistant, though we don't currently test for that. Also, while it can record at up to 120 fps in FHD, it can only do so in a dedicated slow-motion mode, and using the feature does incur a crop. It's also incapable of recording at more than 60 fps in 4k, but it can do so without a crop, which is useful.
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Sturdy, compact design.
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Small, occasionally sluggish touchscreen interface.
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Mediocre video quality in 4k and FHD.
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Incapable of shooting 120 fps without a crop in FHD.
- 8.6 Travel Photography
- 8.0 Landscape Photography
- 5.1 Sport & Wildlife Photography
- 5.9 Vlogging
- 6.9 Studio Video
- 4.9 Action Video
- Updated Dec 21, 2022: Converted to Test Bench 0.12.
- Updated Dec 20, 2022: Converted to Test Bench 0.11.
- Updated Oct 03, 2022: Converted to Test Bench 0.10.
- Updated Sep 02, 2022: Converted to Test Bench 0.9.
- Updated Apr 26, 2022: Converted to Test Bench 0.8.
- Updated Oct 06, 2021: Updated 'Clean HDMI Output' and 'Advertised Max Chroma Sampling Over HDMI' fields to show 'No HDMI'.
- Updated Aug 23, 2021: Added photo of USB-C port to 'Input / Outputs'.
- Updated Apr 02, 2021: Retested video autofocus performance in FHD and 4k. The camera's 4k Video Autofocus Performance score has been adjusted.
- Updated Mar 25, 2021: Review published.
- Updated Mar 23, 2021: Early access published.
- Updated Mar 03, 2021: Our testers have started testing this product.
- Updated Mar 01, 2021: The product has arrived in our lab, and our testers will start evaluating it soon.
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The DJI Osmo Pocket is only available in one color variant: 'Matte Black', and you can see its label here.
If you come across a different variant, let us know in the discussions so we can update our review.
Test Results
If you'd prefer a slightly more portable camera that you can also mount for hands-free shooting, consider the Insta360 GO 2.
- Body is high-grade plastic
- Sturdy gimbal mechanism
- No input covers
- Two control buttons offer good physical feedback
- Comes with a protective cover for the accessory port
- Comes with a protective case for transporting the camera, though it can't be used while in the case
- DJI Osmo Pocket camera
- Cover
- Accessories port cover
- Quick start guide
- Wrist strap
- USB-C adapter
- Lightning adapter
- USB-A to USB-C cable
- Boxy, narrow shape can be awkward to hold for extended periods
- No dedicated handgrip, though the front of its body has a rougher texture that provides a more secure hold
- Only having two buttons means that camera operation relies heavily on multi-tap inputs
- Small screen can be hard to see
- You can access various configuration menus by swiping on the screen in different directons
- Dedicated menus for general settings, video and image configuration options, and gimbal movement, not to mention a 'Pro' menu that allows you to adjust file formats, shutter speed, ISO, audio recording volume, and white balance
- Your smartphone can be used as an external screen after downloading the camera's companion app and using the included smartphone adapter, which makes it easier to sort through the many sub-menus, though we don't currently test for this
Update 10/06/2021: Corrected 'Clean HDMI Output' and 'Advertised Max Chroma Sampling Over HDMI' fields to show 'No HDMI'.
Update 02/04/2021: This camera's autofocus performance was retested in order to reevaluate its autofocus capability in 4k. Its subjectively evaluated face-tracking score was lowered, and its '4k Video Autofocus Performance' score has been adjusted.
Update 02/04/2021: This camera's autofocus performance was retested in order to reevaluate its face-tracking capability in FHD. Analysis of these new test results didn't result in any differences to the subjectively assigned results, and the score hasn't been adjusted.
Update 08/23/2021: We've added a photo of the USB-C port on the bottom of the camera, which you can see here.
