It seems like a new action camera gets released every week, and the news is often yawn-inducing. Not this time. DJI鈥檚 new $649 changes the game in a big way: It鈥檚 the first action camera with gimbal stabilization.
Instead of using built-in software to stabilize your shaky action footage, like听a听GoPro does, this device, which comes with a handhold, uses three motors to keep the camera steady and level at all times, creating buttery-smooth footage that rivals what you鈥檙e used to seeing from pro-level steady cams used in big production documentaries and Hollywood movies.
It makes sense that DJI is the first to release something like this. The company has听been using the same technology to create image-stabilized footage on its drone-mounted cameras for the past two years.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=p-7BPt4bJjU
Like the GoPro Hero听4 Black, the Osmo shoots 4K video as well as 1920×1080 at up to 120听fps for super slo-mo. Its sensor is also the听same size as the GoPro鈥檚. In terms of stabilization, however, the听Osmo blows the GoPro out of the water, according to听what we鈥檝e seen so far on .
On the other hand, a GoPro is still better for the action world. That鈥檚 because the Osmo, with its handheld stick, is significantly bulkier, even more so if you attach an iPhone as a viewfinder (there鈥檚 no built-in LED screen). Plus, the Osmo isn鈥檛 rated for water, drops, or cold temperatures.听
We like the panorama mode: Hold the handle and the camera automatically turns to create a perfectly framed 180-degree photo. We also dig the 94-degree field of view, which is narrower than the GoPro听and thus creates less distortion and feels more realistic.听
We鈥檙e guessing the Osmo won鈥檛 be the camera of choice at next year鈥檚 Red Bull Rampage, but we do see this technology pushing camera makers like GoPro and Sony to up their image-quality games. Hopefully we鈥檒l soon see a camera that not only uses this kind of industry-leading stabilization听but also is designed to take an absolute beating.