Yes the latest phones are good at digitally stabilizing video, but they still can’t match the capabilities of a motorized three-axis gimbal like DJI’s new Osmo Mobile 6. The pocket-size handheld phone stabilizer makes video look buttery smooth without resorting to reduced resolutions and frame rates or cropping into the frame. It also automates subject tracking, adds physical camera controls and extends for better selfies.
The Osmo Mobile 6 updates the design with a new ergonomic handle, an updated clamp to hold larger phones, even when in a case, and a built-in status panel to check battery level and the gimbal mode it’s in. There’s also a side wheel for zooming in and out and switching from automatic to manual focus control.
There’s a new Quick Launch feature for iPhones. DJI sped up mounting a phone on the gimbal with the introduction of a magnetic phone clamp with the Osmo Mobile 4. Quick Launch gets you shooting even faster by automatically opening DJI’s Mimo camera app as soon as the magnetic clamp connects to the gimbal.
DJI didn’t add many new features to the Mimo app but did improve its motion-tracking capabilities. The Osmo Mobile 6 promises more stable tracking at longer distances. It also allows the front camera to track subjects that turn to the side or spin, DJI says.
The DJI Osmo Mobile 6 is available for $159 (£140, AU$239) from DJI. The package includes the gimbal, a magnetic clamp, tripod, power cable and storage pouch.
