Month: July 2024

Let’s take a look at a gimbal designed for stabilizing mobile phones from DJI today.

Although camera stabilization in mobile phones is at a very decent level, many creators will appreciate the idea of taking it a step further to make the final videos look more natural and attractive without unnecessary shakes, sudden movements, and possibly with a horizontally anchored image.

The DJI Osmo Mobile 6 has numerous advantages and easily meets the expectations of a casual user. After long-term testing, we can reveal several undeniable advantages as well as some drawbacks.

Advantages
+ Seamless pairing with iOS or Android (tested with Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max) via Bluetooth 5.1
+ Mobile phones can be quickly secured in the extendable jaws
+ The jaws themselves, which firmly grip the mobile phone, have a rubber layer
+ Incredibly fast, precise, and firm attachment of the jaws to the arm using a magnet
+ Overall robust construction from quality material, feels sturdy (309 g)
+ Compatible phone weight of 170 – 290 g, thickness of 6.9-10 mm
+ A hole in the body for threading a lanyard, suitable as a safeguard against dropping
+ Telescopic arm
+ Grip tripod can be easily screwed on
+ Bag included in the package along with a USB-C charging cable
+ Long battery life (up to 6.4 hours)
+ Silent, precise movements without secondary vibrations, very quick response to shocks
+ 3-axis stabilization
+ Very intuitive controls
+ Works immediately after mounting the phone, without third-party apps
+ Resemblance to an airplane joystick is purely coincidental, ergonomic folding design
+ Sound status notifications
+ Button for rotating the phone from vertical to horizontal orientation
+ Sensitive and precise joystick for phone rotation (adjustable speed)
+ Recording button within easy reach
+ Selection of 4 modes on the M button (Follow, Tilt Lock, FPV, Spin Shot)
+ Side wheel (adjusts focal length or zoom when turned)
+ When using the DJI MIMO mobile app for shooting, advanced features such as Active Track, Timelapse, Dynamic Zoom, Gesture Control, Panorama, and full functionality of all buttons are available, which you don’t get with the default iOS camera app
+ Ideal for video bloggers for social networks (ideal for vertical use)
+ Stabilizes very well even when running downhill
+ Possibility to purchase various adapters for action cameras, attaching a flash, light, or microphone

Drawbacks
– DJI MIMO app is cluttered with ads, unstable, 4K 30FPS, records in MP4 (sometimes problematic with iOS)
– Inability to rotate indefinitely around its axis (due to design)
– Lack of broader language support (including Czech)
– Possible differences in camera performance when shooting on iOS and Android with the DJI MIMO app
– Limited range of motion for horizontal phone rotation
– Not water-resistant

In its price category, it offers more than one would expect and is highly recommended by us. We are very pleased with it in practice world and would not hesitate to buy it again after a year of use. However, we use it with the default phone camera iOS app set to 4K 60 FPS HDR and are extremely satisfied.

We are playing with the DJI Mic 2 right now. And why? Because we would like to try this toy.

If you’re a professional content creator or just a hobbyist and all of your video efforts have failed due to poor quality audio in the background of an otherwise perfect video, it’s time to rethink how you actually capture the audio track in your video.

Whether you’re shooting on your mobile phone, an action camera, or maybe even digital mirror camera, you’ll inevitably at some point consider whether your current setup is at least adequate for you.

And maybe, like us, you’ll be looking for something very versatile, because what if the new Apple iPhone just comes out, or you just want to replace your phone with a professional digital camera or shoot with an action camera. Because your creative thoughts are moving at a furious pace and you just want your gear to keep up with your pace and be just as versatile.

If you go to your local dealer for the DJi Mic 2, you will have many options to choose from, starting with a rather attractive offer of just one DJI Mic Transmitter and ending with a complete set including the receiver and charging case.

Let’s say that only the DJi Mic 2 Transmitter could be enough for you

If possible, ban such an idea straight away if you don’t accept the fact that you only use Bluetooth/analog to pair it with a phone or other device in a very limited way. Many inexperienced users will be misled by the attractive price tag and sobering up will follow. At the same time, we have to defend here that this is a real basis that “works” and that will be enough for some creators. But creators with a mobile phone in hand will often look for such a solution. Let’s briefly summarize in points what you get for less than 2500 CZK/99 USD.

Pros:
+ A separate wireless recording device capable of operating independently, as a recorder
+ Internal memory – 8GB (up to 14 hours of recording at 24 bit 48 kHz), which behaves like a flash drive
+ Able to record via Bluetooth and also backup to internal memory
+ Endurance up to 6 hours per charge
+ Suppression of ambient noise after a short press of the power button
+ Magnetic attachment to clothing or with an integrated clip
+ Wind protection included, with data/power cable and case
+ Connection via 2.5 Ghz with a range of up to 250m to the DJI MIC 2 Receiver
+ Bluetooth connection to DJi OSMO Pocket 3 or Osmo Action 4
+ Connection to a mobile phone or laptop also via Bluetooth
+ Possibility to connect an external microphone via TRS 3.5 mm (Lavalier microphone)
+ Vibration and status LEDs

Cons / Important Notes:
– One DJI Mic 2 Transceiver = Mono Transmitter/Recording Point (1 channel out of two possible)
– It can also record 32 bit float, but cannot be turned on without a DJI Mic 2 receiver
– Zero setting when connected via Bluetooth to a mobile phone
– For example, the Apple iPhone is not even able to recognize what kind of device it is
– Unable to record with default iOS camera app with this external microphone connected via Bluetooth. So you are dependent on external applications, such as DJi Mimo or ProCam.
– Very quiet input (necessity of post-processing, inability to set Gain)

If one mono microphone is enough for you, but the above comments could confuse you, buying a set of one DJi MIC Transmitter together with a Receiver would easily erase the above mentioned negatives and you suddenly get something that is born to work. And even such a connection to a mobile phone is immediately simplier (USB C/Lightning) and in the default configuration when connected via DJI 2.5 Ghz with a range of up to 250 m, this is a full-fledged toy that will surely make you happy for some 5700 CZK / 245 USD . And as far as the Apple iPhone is concerned, in this configuration it is already possible to record videos using the DJi MIC 2 even in the native Camera application. But there is still a very quiet input, which can be fine-tuned by setting Gain +6 on the receiver.

DJi MIC 2 (2x Transmitter, 1x Receiver, charging case)

But what if I want to record in stereo? DJi thought of that as well, and you can buy another Transmitter for the above set. However, here we reach the price level where the complete set including the charging case costs approximately 9000 CZK / 387 USD and the price difference compared to the solution without the case is already negligible. Similar to Apple AirPods, the case also stands as an additional battery/charger and thus extends the recording time up to 18 hours. A big advantage is that you don’t have to charge individual devices separately, but you can easily charge them all at once. What’s more, after opening the set, the microphones are immediately paired with the receiver, and the remaining recording time can be immediately read from the clear OLED touch screen.
Just take it out, place it and start recording.