DJI Osmo Pocket 3: the best video camera for travelling
16.4.2025
Translation: machine translated
Pictures: Lorenz Keller
Many Youtubers and influencers use the DJI Osmo Pocket 3. Five reasons why the ultra-compact camera with gimbal is so popular - and a weakness you need to be aware of.
Whether at trade fairs, press conferences or keynotes: The DJI Osmo Pocket 3 can be seen at the forefront. If specialists and experts from the tech sector rely on a particular gadget for their daily work, then it must be good - right?
I tested the compact video camera intensively and used it for ourreels from the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, among other things. And if you're there - feel free to like, comment and follow us.
In daily use, I have found five good reasons why the Osmo Pocket 3 is so successful, but also a weak point. A little spoiler in advance: we will continue to use the video camera for our daily work in the future.
Reason 1: the quality of image and sound
You have to see and hear how good the DJI Osmo Pocket 3 is. That's why I made a review in video format. The image and sound are unedited - i.e. not filtered or optimised, but exactly as they come out of the device.
Sharp camera
The camera is equipped with a 1-inch sensor. The sensor quality is comparable to that of a good compact camera. If you want to know more about sensor sizes, I can recommend the article by my colleague David. In everyday life, it is important that the Osmo Pocket 3 performed well in all lighting situations when tested. So in the shade, indoors and at night. The sensor and software can even compensate for backlighting or the changing artificial light in exhibition halls. The person remains well in focus.
The fact that the autofocus reacts quickly can also be a disadvantage. In the video above, for example, my hand briefly enters the focus area at the beginning when I gesticulate - the camera immediately focuses on it for a second. Fortunately, I don't experience this readjustment of focus if my face remains in the frame.
The fact that the DJI video camera delivers consistent and reliable video quality is useful in everyday use. I can start recording without having to adjust anything and get good shots straight away. The mechanical 3-axis stabilisation ensures that the videos are also steady. The Osmo Pocket is forgiving if I move around or walk around during moderation.
Good microphone
The built-in microphone delivers very good sound - as you can hear in the video above. However, only if there is not too much background noise. The supplied clip-on microphone with Bluetooth connection provides a muffled sound focussed on the person for such applications.
In noisy environments such as a trade fair, where conversations can be heard to the right and left, an additional Lavalier-Mikrofon mit Windschutz bewährt. This filters out the surroundings even better. You can plug the cable microphone into the DJI Mic, which has a 3.5 millimetre jack socket. This also transmits the sound wirelessly to the Osmo.
Reason 2: the ease of use
The microphone supplied with the Creator Combo is a good example of the successful DJI concept. I switch it on and it connects directly to the camera. This works without me having to make any settings. Even afterwards, the connection always works immediately and quickly. This is not a matter of course with Bluetooth connections.
The Osmo Pocket 3 is ultra-fast to use: After switching it on, the software starts immediately and the gimbal aligns itself. With a triple click, I can switch to the selfie perspective - the camera rotates once around its own axis. The same command also rotates it back again within a second.
This has proved particularly useful at trade fairs and press conferences, where I only have a few minutes for a presentation with a test device.
If I want to change the settings, it's child's play. I swipe up, down or sideways on the touchscreen and can call up various menus. However, the screen only has a diagonal of two inches or five centimetres - less than a matchbox. A larger display would be desirable for operation - and also for checking the image section and focus.
Reason 3: the compact design
I'm happy to accept the small screen because the entire device is ultra-compact. The camera with screen and battery measures 14.5 centimetres - only three centimetres wide and just under three centimetres deep. At 180 grams, the weight is also no more than that of a smartphone and the Osmo Pocket can literally be carried in a trouser or jacket pocket.
I used the worthwhile Creator Combo for the test. Here you also get the external microphone, an additional battery and a small tripod stand, among other things.
All of this can be stowed away in the bag supplied: With a size of 16 × 9 × 9 centimetres and a weight of 470 grams, I have everything I need for recording videos with me.
Reason 4: the fair price
The Osmo Pocket 3 costs around 500 francs or euros at the time of testing. That's about as much as a mid-range smartphone or a good compact camera. In terms of image quality, it can keep up with both, but offers additional features such as the microphone and stabilisation. It is also fully optimised for the topic of video.
You can get the Creator combo for around 100 francs or euros extra. The external microphone alone would cost 50 to 80 francs or euros separately. Then there's an additional battery, a tripod and a bag - all things that I used in everyday life.
Reason 5: the clever details
I noticed a few details during testing: For example, the accessories are easy and uncomplicated to put together. The mechanism is stable, but also quick to detach.
DJI has also put a lot of thought into the accessories: The manufacturer includes an attachment with a screw thread for the tripod or a standard tripod. The attachable additional battery also has such a thread so that I can use it as an adapter. The extra battery has its own USB-C port, which I can use to charge the battery separately - or, when it is attached, the entire device. Incidentally, the total battery life of over two hours is excellent.
The 90-degree rotatable screen is also clever. If I fold it from horizontal to vertical, the Osmo switches on immediately. If I fold it back into the horizontal position, I can either film in portrait format for social media - or I do nothing and the device switches off automatically after two seconds.
Weakness: the close-up range
The DJI camera has a wide-angle lens and is specially optimised for filming presentations - regardless of whether I'm filming someone else or myself. The worst results I got during testing were when I wanted to take close-up shots - of smaller objects that I was holding in my hands, for example. Because the lens distorts a lot - and the camera can no longer focus close up.
If the subject is smaller than the palm of my hand, I can't get it into the picture properly. And even with the many smartphones I wanted to film at the Mobile World Congress, I achieved better results with my Google Pixel 9 Pro. You can see an example of this in the video above.
Because I always have a mobile in my pocket as well as my camera anyway, it's not a big problem for me. It doesn't increase the overall size of my camera baggage.
In a nutshell
The best video camera for your pocket
The DJI Osmo Pocket 3 is rightly a popular video camera for YouTubers and social media creators. It is small and compact, but still shoots videos in good quality. The consistent image quality in a wide variety of situations is a particular strength.
The camera, including the external microphone, is quickly ready for use: switch it on and get started. I didn't waste any time preparing the technology during the test. The Osmo Pocket 3 is particularly ideal when I want to film myself or someone else during a presentation.
Pro
- Compact design
- Good and consistent image quality
- Simple operation
- Good sound quality
- fair price
Contra
- quite small screen
- Videos at close range
Lorenz Keller
Senior Editor
Lorenz.Keller@digitecgalaxus.chGadgets are my passion - whether you need them for the home office, for the household, for sport and pleasure or for the smart home. Or, of course, for the big hobby next to the family, namely fishing.
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