The Ultimate DJI Osmo+ Review!

With all in one camera and gimbal solutions becoming more and more popular within the community, we have seen a steadily increasing number of people reaching out about the various products available on the market as more and more people add them to their camera accessories. We have already posted a few reviews of some of the units available on the market but we have noticed a number of people reaching out for a dedicated DJI Osmo+ Review recently so have decided to publish this article.

Our hope is that our review will be able to help any of our readers who are considering purchasing the DJI Osmo+ and although it has managed to earn a decent reputation within the community since its release, the DJI Osmo+ has not really taken off as well as the DJI Osmo Pocket or even the Removu K1. With the Removu K1 dominating the entry-level all in one gimbal camera combo market, and the DJI Osmo Pocket pretty much dominating all of the other niches, it essentially laves the DJI Osmo+ without any real potential market share to grow into.

The vast majority of people who look to add an all in one gimbal solution to their camera accessories also do it as a secondary camera unit to their main setup. This means that the large, bulky size and heavyweight of the DJI Osmo+ holds it back against the much smaller and lighter DJI Osmo Pocket. Additionally, at the time of writing at least, the DJI Osmo Pocket is also cheaper than the Osmo+ and has the exact same camera sensor making it the obvious choice for most people.

That said though, the Osmo+ does have to advantages over the Osmo Pocket with one being its zoom lens capabilities and the other being its fully removable battery. On the flip side of this though, as we said, the majority of people who purchase an all in one setup use it as a secondary camera so usually prefer the smaller and lighter variant as their primary camera provides the zoom capabilities and superior battery life anyway.

That said, we will still be going over our full DJI Osmo+ review for any of our readers who are still interested in adding it to their collection. One thing that we would like to quickly add is that in recent months, the prices of the DJI Osmo+ has seen a slight increase as the unit has become harder and harder to source and suppliers try to capitalize on the scarcity of the Osmo+. You can click here to check the latest prices on the DJI Osmo+ and click here to check the latest prices on the DJI Osmo Pocket.

Performance And Functionality

Moving on to the performance and functionality of the Osmo+, as we mentioned in the previous section, one of the main advantages of the Osmo+ over the Osmo Pocket is its built-in zoom lens. The 22mm to 77mm zoom lens has a 3.5 times optical zoom as well as a two-times digital zoom with lossless technology as standard. This allows you to quickly and easily zoom in on your subject as required when using the Osmo+ and at the time of writing, it is the only all in one camera and gimbal combo that offers this functionality natively without the need of additional, expensive third-party accessories.

That said though, realistically, we doubt that many people will actually need the zoom functionality of the DJI Osmo+. Although it is a nice feature to have, the majority of people use these all in one rig for vlogging or being able to quickly and easily capture some super smooth b roll video footage with great image stabilization. If you are planning to use the Osmo+ as a backup camera then chances are, your primary camera setup will offer much better zoom potential than the Osmo+ can and fill that need.

The other primary advantage that the Osmo+ has over the more popular and cheaper DJI Osmo Pocket is its fully removable battery. With a maximum battery life of between an hour and an hour and a half depending on what you are using your Osmo+ for, you can quickly and easily switch the battery out as required. Not only does this save you time as there is no need to charge the Osmo+ up via a USB power bank in your downtime but it also makes it easier to correct any battery issues that the handheld gimbal may have by being able to simply replace the battery.

Again though, chances are, your primary camera rig will have a much longer battery life than any of the available all in one gimbal and camera solutions available on the market right now anyway so you have to think if this is actually an advantage for your own personal circumstances and what you will be using the Osmo+ for. Although we can see what DJI has tried to do with the Osmo+ and in all fairness to them, they really have done an excellent job as you would expect from a brand like DJI, they seem to have tried to ensure the Osmo+ excels in areas that are simply not important for a backup camera. This is why we feel that the smaller, lighter, and cheaper Osmo Pocket has been such a hit within the community and earned itself an excellent reputation and still sees great growth of its customer base where the Osmo+ is pretty stagnant.

The video footage in the clip above was all recorded using the DJI Osmo+ 3 axis gimbal and offers an excellent sample of the level of image quality that you are able to expect from this gimbal stabilizer. As you can see, the image stabilization is extremely smooth and the gimbal motor is able to effortlessly balance the camera without issue. Although this is common in the all in one unit due to the manufacturer knowing the exact weight of the camera that will be used with the gimbal, some brands have totally missed the mark with their balancing algorithm resulting in bump footage due to a vibrating gimbal head. Thankfully, this is not an issue with either of the DJI all in one gimbal units and their technology is flawless.

The DJI Osmo+ is able to capture a number of video qualities included full 4K video but its DCI 4k at 4096 x 2160 is capped at only 25 frames per second and its Ultra HD 4K with a resolution of 3840 x 2160 it capped at 30 frames per second. If you are wanting to use your Osmo+ to capture super sooth b roll footage then either of the 4K modes will be fine but the lower frame rate can be a problem for anything fast-paced.

If you are planning to use your Osmo+ for anything fast-paced then both the 2.7K and Full HD 1080p settings run with variable frames per second count that ranges from 24 all the way up to 120 frames per second. This ensures that if you are taking part in any fast-paced action sports with your Osmo+ you are still able to get some excellent high-resolution image quality that is super smooth with the higher frames per second count. When it comes to stills, the Osmo+ has a 12-megapixel camera sensor and the sensor is the exact same one used in the DJI Osmo Pocket too.

As you would expect from a modern all in one gimbal solution, especially one from DJI, the Osmo+ offers a number of popular modes such as motion timelapse, panorama, and long exposure that all work flawlessly. There are a few other modes that the gimbal supports as standard but they are a little niche and we doubt that many people will use them compared to the main three.

Depending on what you are planning to use your Osmo+ for, its regular external microphone input jack socket can be a major benefit over the Osmo Pocket that requires a USB C to 3.5mm jack converter. That said, the converters are pretty easy to source these days whereas a year or so back they were a total nightmare to find. Again though, if you are just looking for a quick and easy backup camera or something to capture smooth, high-resolution b roll video, you may not even use the audio track that the Osmo+ can capture anyway.

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User Interface And Control System

The Osmo+ uses a very similar control interface to the majority of other camera and gimbal all in one unit on the market right now due to it offering excellent control over the gimbal with minimal time investment being required to learn the system. Even if this is your first all in one combo or gimbal stabilizer we are confident that you will be able to quickly and easily pick the control system up and get the most out of the Osmo+ with minimal effort. As you can see from the image above, you are also able to mount your smartphone to the Osmo+ via the smartphone mount for a real-time display of what you are capturing during use.

The joystick and buttons on the Osmo+ are very responsive too even if you are using the gimbal in cold conditions or if your fingers or thumbs are wet. This offers a solid advantage to the DJI range over the competition that can struggle to stay responsive during use depending on what you are doing with your gimbal and the conditions that you are using it for. All in all, DJI have done a solid job with their all in one range and the control system is solid considering the smaller size of the units compared to their full-size handheld gimbal stabilizers like the DJI Ronin S.

Smartphone App

It is no secret that the DJI smartphone app is probably the best gimbal app on the market right now, it is well ahead of the apps from the competing brands and offers superior connectivity, navigation, and functionality. Although the app has limited support for the Osmo+ as it has been primarily designed for the full-size DJI handheld gimbal and drone range, it can allow you to quickly and easily tweak some key settings as well as monitor what you are recording directly from your smartphone screen.

In all honesty, even with the limited functionality for the Osmo+, we still feel that the DJI smartphone app is well worth downloading, it is a great free gimbal accessory and it can save you a bunch of time via the way you can tweak your gimbal settings via the app. Although the actual control system on the gimbal allows you to do it, the navigation menu needs minutes whereas the smartphone app only takes seconds.

Build Quality And Design

When it comes to design, the Osmo+ is essentially just a larger and heavier all in one camera gimbal combo that is based around the same basic design as the other all in one gimbal on the market right now. With all in one combination units essentially all doing the exact same job, there is little innovation available other than making the unit smaller and lighter. With the Osmo+ being one of the first all in one unit to market, it has the drawbacks of being an older product and in addition to this, the removable battery, zoom lens, and 3.5mm jack all add size and weight to the unit. As we have mentioned earlier in the article, this is why we feel that the DJI Osmo Pocket has a much larger customer base and a much better reputation than the Osmo+.

When it comes to build quality, the Osmo+ has the same excellent build standard as pretty much every other DJI product on the market right now. Although the unit is pretty heavy, it is very robust and can easily take its fair share of bumps and knocks during use without breaking. One drawback of many of these all in one combo units is that the next that mounts the actual camera head to the gimbal body can be weak and break easily. DJI identified this issue early and have reinforced the joint to minimize the risk of damage from and punishment the gimbal takes during use or while in transit.

FAQs

Question – Is the DJI Osmo+ waterproof?

Answer – No, the Osmo+ is not fully waterproof and should not be submerged in water. It can be used in light rain without issue but we would recommend you thoroughly dry it off as soon as possible after use.

Question – Can I live stream with the DJI Osmo+?

Answer – No, although some newer units do offer limited live streaming functionality to platforms like Periscope, Twitch, Instagram, and YouTube, it rapidly drains the already limited battery and is a waste of time in our opinion. A smartphone is much better for live streaming tasks.

Question – Is it hard to balance the DJI Osmo+?

Answer – No, unlike a larger 3 axis gimbal designed for use with DSLR or mirrorless cameras that have a wide-ranging payload weight, the Osmo+ only uses the attached camera and balances instantly when powered on making it very easy to use.

Our Verdict

That concludes our DJI Osmo+ review and although the Osmo+ is a solid all in one camera gimbal, we honstly feel that the vast majority of our readers would be better off going with the cheaper, smaller, and lighter DJI Osmo Pocket instead. We have pointed out its advantages over the Osmo+ throughout the article but only you know your own personal circumstances but the Osmo Pocket should definatley be seriously considered over the Osmo+.