DJI is actively defending its position as king of handheld gimbal cameras this year, releasing not one but two follow-ups to its popular Osmo Pocket 3. The Osmo Pocket 4 already features noticeable improvements compared to its predecessor, offering better image quality, a smoother gimbal, and even easier operation.
The dual-lens DJI Osmo Pocket 4P offers all this and more, providing an even greater upgrade that’s specifically targeted toward professionals. With more filming options and a wider dynamic range, the Osmo Pocket 4P remains easy for the average person to pick up and start using, while still offering flexibility for more professional production workflows.
DJI Osmo Pocket 4P: Build, controls, and performance
Credit: A. Yeo
The Osmo Pocket 4P’s build is similar to the 4 in many ways. Though slightly larger and heavier, the 4P has the same 1,000-nit rotatable two-inch touchscreen, a USB-C port on the bottom of its handle for file transfer and charging, and a magnetic hot-swap attachment point on the gimbal hinge. It has 103GB of internal storage, slightly less than the 4’s 107GB, and can similarly use microSD cards.
Like the Pocket 4, the Pocket 4P also adds two new buttons not found on the Pocket 3: a zoom button and a customizable button (by default, it switches whether the thumbstick controls the camera’s zoom or the gimbal’s tilt). These buttons are hidden under the touchscreen until it’s turned into landscape mode, meaning they’re inaccessible while you’re shooting in portrait.
Credit: A. Yeo
Where the Pocket 4P noticeably differs is in its dual-lens build. The Osmo Pocket 4 has a single wide-angle lens (20mm equivalent focal length) with a one-inch sensor. Meanwhile, the Osmo Pocket 4P boasts two lenses: a 20mm equivalent wide-angle lens on an upgraded one-inch sensor, and an additional 60mm mid-tele lens with a 1/1.28-inch sensor. This mid-tele lens allows the 4P to offer more background compression, as well as lossless zoom.
Unlike the Insta360 Luna Ultra‘s horizontal lens configuration, the Osmo Pocket 4P stacks its two lenses on top of each other for a cyclops-like aesthetic. These lenses face outward when the camera is turned off, which is a notable difference compared to DJI’s single-lens gimbal cameras. These cameras turn their lenses to face their gimbal arms when not in use, giving them a little extra protection against accidental scratches. However, the added bulk of the 4P’s extra lens makes such a maneuver both impractical and futile.
Credit: A. Yeo
Interestingly, the Pocket 4P doesn’t come with either a full-length hard protective cover like the Pocket 3 or a handy little gimbal clamp like the Pocket 4. Instead, it relies entirely upon a soft fabric carrying pouch for protection, and isn’t compatible with the hard protection options that come with the Pocket 3 or 4. As a result, the 4P does feel less protected, particularly with the 4 offering both a clamp and a pouch together. It feels like an odd choice, given the 4P is also a larger investment.
Fortunately, given the popularity of DJI’s cameras, there are already numerous third-party 4P cases available. Still, that’s an additional expense you’ll have to factor in if you want the extra security.
The Osmo Pocket 4P is available in both Classic Black and Pearl White colorways, letting users choose whether they want a more traditional look or prefer to stand out. Both options come with accessories in their matching color, specifically the carrying pouch, a wrist strap, a hot-swappable Fill Light accessory, and a Handle with 1/4″ Thread.
Credit: A. Yeo
Though the 4P’s official protection options are less robust, it does offer other hardware perks. Both the Osmo Pocket 4 and 4P are technically compatible with DJI’s Osmo FrameTap remote control, which was first introduced with the Osmo Mobile 8P smartphone gimbal earlier this year. However, the FrameTap isn’t sold separately, and the only gimbal camera bundles that currently include it are the 4P’s Vlog Combo and Vlog Combo Plus.
Like the Insta360 Luna Ultra’s detachable remote, the Osmo FrameTap allows you to control and monitor your filming from a distance — a boon to solo creators struggling to film themselves. The FrameTap is usable at distances up to 82 feet in good conditions (though DJI recommends sticking to under 32 feet for stability), and, once paired with the 4P, will automatically reconnect when turned on.
However, while the Luna Ultra’s remote lets you do everything you could if you were holding the camera itself, the FrameTap’s functionality is more restricted. Features such as framing grids are unavailable, while zoom and gimbal movement are both controlled by the thumbstick. As such, you’re left without the advantage of the 4P’s two new buttons. Users must use the FrameTap’s touchscreen to switch between the two functions instead, as on the Pocket 3. In contrast, the Insta360 Luna Ultra’s remote gives you physical controls for both gimbal movement and zoom, with a dedicated zoom slider alongside its thumbstick.
Credit: A. Yeo
DJI’s Osmo FrameTap is also considerably smaller than the Luna Ultra’s remote, measuring around half as long with a screen that’s approximately two-thirds the size. It’s a significant difference considering that both remotes’ screens are already rather small. While the FrameTap’s size is great for portability, allowing it to be quickly thrown into a bag or jacket pocket, it is comparatively less comfortable to hold and operate. The FrameTap seems easier to lose as well, as it can’t attach directly to the camera for safekeeping like the Luna Ultra’s remote. Overall, the FrameTap offers a comparatively less functional, less enjoyable user experience, which is worth seriously considering if you plan to use remote recording often.
On the other hand, Pocket 4P users do get the benefit of still being able to operate their gimbal camera even if they misplace the FrameTap. The Insta360 Luna Ultra’s remote is simply its on-camera controls detached, and isn’t replaceable. As such, losing or damaging it would leave you unable to use the device at all.
DJI Osmo Pocket 4P: Image quality
A screenshot from footage filmed with the DJI Osmo Pocket 4P.
Credit: A. Yeo
When it comes to image quality, the DJI Osmo Pocket 4 and 4P are very similar, with the same sensor size on their main lenses and the same video resolution and frame rate options. Both max out at 4K 60fps standard video, 37 MP still images, 4K 240fps slow-motion video, and 4K 30fps motionlapse video (essentially timelapse but with the gimbal moving).
As such, the differences between the two cameras are more apparent in the details. While the Osmo Pocket 4 has a minimum focus distance of 20 cm, the 4P’s wide-angle lens more than halves that to 9 cm. This means that it can focus on objects that are much closer, helping creators get in close for intimate detail shots. The 4P has a faster shutter speed and significantly wider ISO ranges in all shooting modes as well, helping to give it an edge and better capture details when filming in low-light environments.
Both the Pocket 4 and 4P offer DJI’s proprietary 10-bit log profile, D-Log. However, the latter also debuts the new 10-bit D-Log 2. While the original D-Log profile boasted a respectable 14 stops of dynamic range, the improved one-inch sensor on the Pocket 4P allows D-Log 2 to bump this up to 17 stops, according to DJI. Shooting in a log profile initially makes footage appear flatter and more washed out straight out of the camera, but actually captures a wider dynamic range. This helps retain detail and allows for more flexibility when color grading in post, letting editors match looks across multiple cameras and shoots, or just really make their footage pop.
Credit: A. Yeo
The 4P does have a slightly smaller tilt range compared to the 4 (-125° to 58° compared to -120° to 70°), likely due to the larger housing required for the dual lenses. Its operating time is around half an hour shorter as well, running for approximately 210 minutes at its lowest settings as opposed to 240 minutes. Even so, Mashable didn’t find these to be noticeable drawbacks during everyday use. Users can also attach a Battery Handle accessory for an extra 130 minutes of runtime, allowing you to film for over five hours without charging. Both devices charge via USB-C, so a wall plug or standard battery pack is always an option as well.
However, the 4P’s primary selling point is its second lens: a mid-tele lens with a 60mm equivalent focal length and its own 1/1.28-inch sensor. This lens provides the 4P with 3x optical zoom and up to 12x digital zoom (though not all magnifications can be used with all the camera’s modes). Longer lenses such as this produce more background compression as well, which is often desirable for portrait shots — a popular use for DJI’s handheld gimbal cameras.
However, it’s also worth noting that though the 4P’s mid-tele lens and D-Log 2 are two of its most prominent new features, they can’t be used together. D-Log 2 is only supported on 1x zoom, leaving the mid-tele lens restricted to D-Log 1’s fewer stops of dynamic range.
Credit: A. Yeo
When shooting standard video on auto with the 4P and the Insta360 Luna Ultra, Mashable found that the cameras produced slightly different looks due to how they handle elements such as white balance and exposure. The Luna Ultra did a much better job of capturing the warmth of the low sun at golden hour, while the 4P’s white balance tuned it back to a cooler tone. The 4P had more noticeable swings in exposure when quickly moving between environments with significant contrasts in lighting as well, such as transitioning between full sun and shade. However, the Luna Ultra’s tendency toward brighter shadows caused more dramatic swings in exposure when moving between two relatively dim areas, with the 4P making the transition feel more gradual and stable.
While the Luna Ultra’s telephoto lens has the same 60mm equivalent focal length as the 4P on paper, Mashable’s comparative testing further found that footage from the latter appeared slightly more zoomed in or cropped, with noticeably shallower depth of field. The difference in depth of field is likely attributable to the 4P’s mid-tele lens having an aperture of f/1.8, compared to the Luna Ultra’s f/2.
Credit: A. Yeo
Ultimately, both the 4P and Luna Ultra gimbal cameras perform extremely well, offering impressive post-production flexibility and solid straight-from-camera footage. As such, rather than purely considering image quality, or remote functionality, users may choose between them based upon whether they’re already invested in DJI or Insta360’s ecosystems. The 4P is easily compatible with DJI microphones such as the Mic 3 and Mic Mini 2S, with users able to directly connect to two such transmitters at once.
Should you buy the DJI Osmo Pocket 4P?
Credit: A. Yeo
While the DJI Osmo Pocket 4P is now available in the UK, Canada, Europe, and Australia, and launched in Asia earlier this year, those in the U.S. will have a harder time getting their hands on it. The U.S. government’s hostility toward DJI has significantly hindered the company’s business in the country, leaving its products unavailable for purchase through its official U.S. website. Those in the U.S. who want to buy an Osmo Pocket 4P will therefore have to go through a third party to do so.
This also means that there’s no official U.S. pricing for the Osmo Pocket 4P. However, the official Australian pricing puts its Standard Combo bundle at AU$959 (around US$670 at the current conversion rate), while its Vlog Combo with the Osmo FrameTap remote is priced at AU$1,009 (around US$705). In comparison, the Osmo Pocket 4 Standard Combo is priced at AU$769 (around US$537), while the Insta360 Luna Ultra starts at US$769.99 for its Standard Bundle.
Considering the differences in functionality and price, users who are primarily concerned with remotely controlling their gimbal camera may find the Luna Ultra more attractive. However, if you don’t need that functionality and already own some DJI equipment, the Osmo Pocket 4P provides easy filming and great image quality for prosumers, vloggers, and content creators keen to upgrade their setup.
