The DJI Pocket 2 Is the best 4k video camera under $500 for vlogging, Live Streaming, Short Videos, Filmmaking & Music Videos:

The Chinese manufacturer has been maintaining the teasing for a few days on its website. The unveil is now lifted on its brand-new stabilized handheld camera. She still films in 4K, but switches to HDR and is full of frankly welcome improvements.

If you are interested in the stabilized camera market, you have probably missed out on the DJI Osmo Pocket, marketed at the end of the year… 2018

We will have to wait to see Osmo Action evolve as well. However, the announcement of the DJI Pocket 2 has already made our little hearts of fans of video products shudder. You noticed, the name Osmo disappears from the reference.

Summary

DJI Pocket 2 vs Osmo Pocket | What has changed?

Let’s quickly go over the dimensions and ergonomics of the product which seems quite close to the first Osmo Pocket of the name. The weight does not change with 117 grams against 116 grams. The dimensions are 12.4 x 3.8 x 3 cm and therefore also close to those of its predecessor (12.2 x 3.7 x 2.9 cm). The autonomy is here also announced as being about 140 min, we had rather estimated it at 120 min during the test of the Osmo Pocket.

So on the side of things that change, unsurprisingly, the manufacturer promises an improvement in 4K @ 60fps video quality. The sensor changes from a 1 / 2.3 ” 12 Mpixel CMOS to a 1 / 1.7 ” 16 Mpixel CMOS sensor. This allows you to shoot in 3840 x 2160 pixels (up to 100 Mbits / s: no change), but also to take pictures in 16 or 64 Mpixels, by combining several photos.

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A process now classic and managed automatically by the camera. Again, for lack of information, we put this point aside and update this article once additional information has been obtained. For now, we can also assume that these 64 Mpixel shots will be taken in “180 ° pan” modes which combine four photos to create a 180-degree panorama,

The DJI Pocket 2 is always piloted in different modes: physically connected to an iOS or Android smartphone (via the supplied Lightning and USB Type C adapters), wirelessly via an optional module and, now, via a joystick which, if it is responsive and precise, will make the thing much more pleasant to use. This handheld camera will become truly autonomous and suddenly much more comfortable to use than a smartphone stabilizer.

Better sensitivity, four microphones, and an 8x zoom:

The 20mm lens is one of the other notable improvements since it allows you to go from a field of view of 80 degrees – which was a bit cramped on especially use – to 93 degrees: it’s a little better. A wide-angle lens whose properties are unknown will also be offered as an option.

It is also important to note that the aperture of this optic (the base one, not the wide angle is larger too. We go from F / 2.0 for the Osmo Pocket to F / 1.8 for Pocket 2. A combination of elements that allows us to hope for even brighter, more contrasting, more dynamic images – which no doubt justifies that DJI is now telling us about 4K HDR – and presumably sharper too.

Indeed, Pocket 2 incorporates a focusing technology called “Hybrid Autofocus 2” which would rely on phase and contrast detection to increase its responsiveness and precision. DJI also indicates that the ISO range is improved since it now extends from 100 to 6400 against 100 to 3200 on the old model.

A benefit that benefits the capture of photos and videos, which does not mean that digital noise management would be perfect. It will be up to us to verify this point during the test.

The audio part would evolve considerably since DJI indicates that its new handheld camera now integrates four microphones. Thanks to DJI Matrix Stereo techno, the sound would be sharper, more detailed, voice clearer and most importantly, directional.

This multitude of microphones made it possible to capture the origin of the sound (the front, the back, or the sides) and thus give an even more faithful and professional character to the recordings.

To perfect the tone, this new hardware solution is combined with several subtle improvements: wind noise reduction, soundtracking based on the orientation of the camera head, and an audio zoom feature that accompanies the new zoom digitally.

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Again, we can’t wait to test this to see if the fingers do not rub on these microphones, one of which seems to be located between the joystick and the trigger button. As you can imagine, the x8 zoom mentioned by DJI is digital and its value changes depending on the modes used. In this case, the maximum “power” of 8x is only available in 64 Mpixel photo mode. In the video, you have to be satisfied with a zoom x4 when filming in Full HD, x3 in 2.7K, and x2 in 4K.

The DJI Mimo app is also evolving:

The DJI Mimo application is also evolving and we will have to judge on the spot to measure the effectiveness of these improvements. It contains everything you need to create videos for social networks, but also to facilitate your productions.

The pro mode, for example, allows you to manually manage exposure settings, ISO, shutter, or even white balance. It is also via this app and the screen of your smartphone that you can more easily use the subject tracking technology, ActiveTrack 3.0, or even the pre-programmed functions such as Timelapse, MotionLapse, or Hyperlapse. Finally, DJI adds the function of direct streaming on platforms such as Facebook or YouTube.

Prices and availability of the DJI Pocket 2

The DJI Pocket 2 will be available from October 31 in two versions. A pack integrating the DJI Pocket 2 with a mini joystick and tripod support, all at 369 euros. And a pack called “Creator” which will also integrate a wide-angle lens (no characteristics are given for this one), a wireless microphone with windscreen, and a multi-use handle, at a price of $600.

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DJI also offers a multitude of accessories to perfect your nomadic filmmaker setup. We will come back to the prices of these during the Pocket 2 test. We are on the spot, to be continued …

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The Review

DJI Pocket 2

10 Score

A mini camera mounted on a gimbal which was already formidable in its time. Almost two years of existence, therefore: it was time to renew its product, especially since we were pining a little. We expected, for example, that the manufacturer responds to GoPro which launched its Hero 9 Black … but no! In any case, not for the moment.