DJI Osmo Pocket 4 review: The only vlogging camera you'll ever need

DJI’s Osmo Pocket 3 gimbal-camera was a category-defining camera. Two years since its launch, everyone from vloggers to pro movie makers proceed to upload how-to guides and gushing reviews to YouTube. When nan Osmo Pocket 4 landed astatine nan FCC astatine nan extremity of 2025 (followed by a credible leak), creator forums and Reddit threads started to chatter pinch excitement. Over nan pursuing months nan Pocket 4 leaked again and again, to nan constituent wherever there’s very small that personification pinch a passing liking and an net relationship doesn’t already cognize astir nan camera. But DJI chose coming to springiness america the charismatic reveal, truthful we’re present pinch nan afloat reappraisal which, remarkably, does contain immoderate surprises.

What’s new

For those who were waiting for official, confirmed specs and information, here’s a rundown of nan header caller features of nan Osmo Pocket 4. The camera is still 4K, but comes pinch an updated 1-inch CMOS sensor that DJI says is bully for different 2 stops of debased ray capacity (for a full of 14). The camera retains nan 20mm equivalent, f/2.0 lens but squeezes successful an improved max framerate of 240 fps (up from 120 fps) for up to 10x slow-mo. The Pocket 4 tin besides sprout successful full, precocious move scope 10-Bit D-Log, upgraded from nan much lightweight D-Log-M disposable connected nan Pocket 3. Shutter speeds are now expanded and spell correct down to 1/4 for utmost ray effects.

Hardware changes are few, but do see 2 caller buttons beneath nan 2-inch display. One is simply a dedicated zoom fastener and nan different you tin delegate a usability from a action of communal tasks — rotating nan gimbal, toggling signaling presets and truthful on. You tin delegate up to 3 different controls to this fastener via single, double and triple clicks. There’s besides 107GB of soul storage. You tin still usage SD cards, but you don’t request to if you don’t want to.

That zoom, DJI states, is bully for 2x “lossless” zoom while shooting successful 4K and 4x successful 1080p. The Pocket 3’s 2x Mid-Tele zoom had to beryllium activated first, but now you tin usage lossless zoom immoderate clip and/or while utilizing ActiveTrack face-tracking. It’s disposable successful Portrait mode, too, but if you’ll request to person nan surface successful nan horizontal position to entree nan buttons, which intends your viewfinder/preview will beryllium teeny-tiny arsenic it’s rescaled for 16:9.

DJI has added on-camera “Film Tones” which are similar, functionally, to movie simulations seen connected Fujifilm cameras. There are six to take from astatine motorboat and see subtle and not-so-subtle stylized colour tones that use different “moods” to your videos without having to manually colour people aliases usage a LUT aft nan fact. As for still images, there’s an on-screen fastener for “Live” photos akin to what you mightiness find connected an iPhone. Live photos were sorta-kinda imaginable connected nan Pocket 3, but they are a small spot easier this clip around.

A batch of DJI drones see Gesture Control, which lets you start/stop signaling and prosecute ActiveTrack from a distance, and that’s caller connected nan Pocket 4 too.

On nan audio broadside of things, nan Pocket 4 now has “audio zoom,” truthful if you person 2 group successful a segment and do a adjacent up connected 1 of them, nan measurement of their voices will beryllium boosted. It’s a small crude, but it could beryllium useful successful definite situations. The Pocket 4 tin besides grounds spatial audio via nan 3 onboard microphones, bully for unrecorded euphony and different situations wherever sound placement mightiness matter.

Lastly, nan Pocket 4 has a modular component. At launch, there’s a magnetic capable ray that clips onto nan gimbal and tin beryllium configured via nan camera menus. It’s included successful nan creator combo and opens nan doorway for different modular accessories, though it’s constricted to things that tin beryllium connected nan gimbal without causing problems. A shotgun-style microphone, for example, could beryllium possible.

Battery life besides gets a flimsy boost complete nan Pocket 3 pinch a 1,545mAh compartment — which is almost a 20 percent increase. That translates to an other 30 minutes aliases truthful of signaling clip for an mean of 2 and a half hours astatine 4K, much if you sprout successful little resolutions aliases are utilizing nan camera for photos.

What we don’t spot here, an point that you mightiness person been hoping for, is immoderate type of optical zoom. What’s more, nan max solution successful vertical mode remains capped astatine 3K. You still person to rotate nan camera if you want full-sensor, 4K video successful portrait.

Video quality

The fame of nan Pocket bid is acknowledgment to its operation of high-quality video and a portable shape factor. The Pocket 4 builds connected this winning look pinch exceptional value for nan camera’s size. The caller 1-inch sensor is noticeably much elaborate than nan Pocket 3 and DJI’s declare of improved debased ray capacity is backed up by stellar results. I took nan Pocket 4 retired astatine nighttime and it bested its predecessor pinch acold much move scope and amended vulnerability successful shadowed areas that travel retired acheronian aliases fuzzy connected nan Pocket 3.

Image capacity successful wide is awesome and a definite beardown constituent for a camera of this size. Colors now look much earthy than ever without looking over-saturated. Similar shots connected nan Pocket 3 look a small flatter erstwhile viewed broadside by side. I for illustration that nan f2.0 aperture still provides immoderate ray bokeh, and erstwhile mixed pinch nan caller D-Log mode, there’s plentifulness of scope for cinematic shots. These would beryllium harder to execute pinch a telephone and don’t require nan setup and readying of a mirrorless camera.

With nan extended shutter speeds you tin get immoderate absorbing effects — melodramatic ray trails successful postulation for illustration — but it’s going to complete expose immoderate different ray root successful your shot. So, proceed pinch caution. The Pocket 3 bottomed-out astatine 1/25, but nan Pocket 4 goes correct down to a melodramatic 1/4.

The 2x lossless zoom amazed me. At first, I was sceptical astir DJI’s claims of it being lossless, but it does look to support ocular value without noticeable nonaccomplishment of detail. Though if you want to usage that 4x zoom successful 4K, expect to spot immoderate integer artifacts. The Pocket 4’s 20mm lens is peculiarly suited to wider, vlog-style shots, truthful a usable zoom is simply a invited addition. It’s worthy noting that it’s amended utilized for fixed and tripod shots arsenic immoderate gimbal movements and keeping a taxable successful framework tin consciousness for illustration steering a ship.

Film tones

Until now, if you were aiming for a much cinematic style, you had to get comfortable shooting successful D-Log-M and boning up connected color-grading. DJI provided immoderate filters successful nan Mimo app for a speedy and soiled measurement to adhd a temper aliases vibe to your videos, but that still caused immoderate clash successful nan workflow. The caller movie modes are connected camera, truthful achieving thing much stylized is now conscionable a paper pat away. I’ll beryllium honest, I’m not a immense instrumentality of nan action disposable correct now arsenic they’re either excessively basking aliases excessively cold. Of nan six, Warm and Movie look nan astir usable for cozy-style landscapes aliases B-roll cityscapes.

DJI hasn’t shared overmuch astir whether these are conscionable on-camera filters aliases existent movie simulations. Movie and Retro, astatine least, were already disposable arsenic filters successful nan app. If nan afloat effect is excessively strong, you tin dial down nan intensity, but that’s nan grade of nan control. Their summation present expands what you tin get retired of nan camera without utilizing nan app aliases having to resistance things complete to your editing software. It’s unclear if we’ll spot much options successful nan future, but they’re location if you request them.

New buttons

One of my main complaints pinch nan Pocket cameras was nan zoom. More specifically, controlling it pinch nan joystick. It ever looks slow, inconsistent and a spot amateur erstwhile zooming successful manually. The caller fastener provides an instant punch-in that tin beryllium utilized for an intentional, attention-drawing effect. I can’t count nan number of times I’ve ruined a changeable because I thought I had nan joystick group to zoom, but it was still assigned to panning (you had to toggle its usage via an on-screen button). With nan beingness button, I tin adjacent successful connected a target instantly and ne'er interest astir accidental pans.

The second, customizable fastener is besides a existent usability upgrade. If, for illustration me, you’re perpetually recentering nan gimbal, you’ll cognize that nan accustomed double-click connected nan joystick is often unreliable. Now you tin delegate that action to nan fastener positive 2 much controls from a action of communal actions. I person it group truthful double-click switches to 1 of my manual signaling presets and triple-click locks nan gimbal truthful I nary longer person to jump into nan main paper to move gimbal modes. It moreover useful while signaling if I spontaneously determine I want to support my sky level.

Changing what this fastener does is simple: Long-press it and it’ll jump into nan settings wherever you tin take its functionality. There’s still scope for immoderate refinement, arsenic though a double click tin instantly commencement signaling pinch my preferred settings, clicking again doesn’t extremity it. You person to usage nan grounds button. This makes some sense, but I’m utilized to utilizing nan aforesaid fastener to stop/start recording, truthful intuitively I thought that mightiness beryllium nan lawsuit here. Sadly not.

Audio upgrades

Something a small unexpected successful nan Pocket 4 is nan summation of spatial audio. Using nan 3 built-in microphones, nan mentation is you should beryllium capable to perceive wherever sounds are coming from — though you’ll request headphones connected for nan effect to work. In practice, it does create a different audio ambience, 1 wherever sounds consciousness much comparative to their location, but it comes astatine a price. If you speak to nan camera, moreover if you’re nearby, your sound will sound distant and muddled truthful spatial audio is thing you’ll want to usage intentionally and surely not arsenic a default setting.

The aforesaid is existent for that audio “zoom.” To beryllium adjacent to DJI, I’ve ne'er recovered an audio zoom I genuinely liked. You can’t seizure amended audio than what nan microphone is receiving, truthful amplifying it successful immoderate measurement isn’t going to amended it beyond what you tin do pinch editing software. In a pinch, this mightiness thief pinch interviews erstwhile you person aggregate speakers, nary outer microphone and request to people quickly, but I’m reluctant to urge it for thing else.

The caller “Vocal Boost” is simply a much useful action nether nan Pro settings menu. When activated, it enhances voices by lowering inheritance sound and different sounds. Again, it’s not a hole for getting bully root audio, but successful noisy run-and-gun vlogging environments, it tin amended your chances of capturing thing useful pinch conscionable nan soul microphones.

Fortunately, DJI has a overmuch amended solution that was already a characteristic of Pocket cameras — autochthonal connectivity pinch its wireless microphones. The Creator Combo now includes a azygous DJI Mic 3 transmitter and charging cable, and it’s nan absolute champion measurement to get YouTube-ready audio from nan camera. One bully tweak pinch nan Pocket 4 is that you tin now export videos pinch some nan built-in and outer mic audio arsenic 1 4-channel file. Open this successful your video editor and you tin operation and trim betwixt mic and ambient audio without having to woody pinch abstracted files arsenic before.

The competition

The truth that there’s nary existent nonstop title for nan Pocket bid is surprising. For true, like-for-like gimbal cameras, expect to find alternatives from brands you’re little acquainted pinch — specified arsenic Agfaphoto aliases Feiyu. Most of nan nearest title will beryllium action cameras for illustration nan GoPro Mission 1 aliases Insta360 Ace Pro 2. Both of these are awesome portable cameras pinch coagulated stabilisation, but they unsurprisingly favour that wide, agleam and crisp action-style footage. The Pocket 4’s nearest rival for stabilized vlog-friendly filming is still nan Pocket 3.

This raises nan mobility of whether nan Pocket 4 (£445) is worthy it complete nan much affordable Pocket 3 (£389) astatine launch. (DJI can’t straight waste nan Pocket 4 successful nan US, truthful charismatic prices are successful British Pounds aliases Euros.) Both are great, all-purpose, vlogging cameras versatile capable for signaling successful a assortment of situations — though little suited to rugged/action filming acknowledgment to nan delicate mechanical gimbal. It’s apt that nan value quality betwixt nan 2 will grow aft nan motorboat window.

Wrap-up

The Pocket 4 mightiness not bring defining caller features for illustration optical zoom aliases higher resolution, but it’s a amended camera successful each measurement that matters. There are besides respective value of life improvements that make it incredibly compelling. For nan other money, you’re getting amended image value that will salary you backmost complete time. The caller buttons make nan camera moreover much convenient and that onboard retention unsocial efficaciously closes nan value spread — not to mention nan immense convenience that characteristic unsocial brings pinch it.

Hardcore fans mightiness person been hoping for much “dazzle” pinch nan Pocket 4. In reality, DJI delivered a camera that builds connected an already winning look successful ways that really matter: higher value video, improved usability, modular capabilities and longer artillery life. It’s difficult to reason pinch that.