The most recent flagship phones may come with great video stabilization built-in however, influencers or vloggers who are looking to create professional videos have much to gain by using a dedicated 3 axis stabilization gimbal.
When it comes to mobile gimbals for phones The DJI Osmo Mobile has always outdone itself in comparison to the rest of the market.
The sixth generation of the model is now in its sixth year, and DJI has decided to go back to the full “Osmo Mobile branding instead of the abbreviated ‘OM’ name. This isn’t really of an significance. But keep in mind that Osmo Mobile 6 is the direct successor to last year’s DJI Osmo 5 model.
DJI has improved the DJI OM5 to make an even more user-friendly phone-based gimbalwith a wealth of features and a well-designed companion application.
The Battery’s Lifetime: 6 Hours and 24 minutes
Weight: 10.9 oz / 309 g
Capacity of Load: 6 to 10.2 OZ / 170 to 290 grams
Pros
It is useful 8.5-inch extension rod
Robust quality of construction
Great ergonomics
Quick and easy set-up
Cons
Quick Launch is a feature exclusive to iPhone
Foldable design limits panning range
What isn’t different from the OMG?
DJI is reportedly determined to update its Osmo Mobile series every year and it is unreasonable to expect major overhauls every year. In the meantime, DJI makes incremental changes which aim to improve the filming experience a little more enjoyable.
The main feature of the OM5 was the selfie stick-like extension rod, which makes it possible to record videos from various angles. It wasn’t just a trick, it’s a real-life useful feature that I’ve found myself making use of more times than the other features.
Its Osmo Mobile 6 keeps the extension rod built into it and, in terms of design, feels like its predecessor. The modernized gimbal motors that have a maximum load of 290g. This is an increase over the OM4’s capacity of 230g.
Similar to the OM5 It also retains the folding design that was first presented by the DJI OM3, and the magnetic clamp design which was introduced with the launch from the OM4.
Pricing
It is priced at $159. DJI Osmo Mobile 6 is priced at $159. This means DJI has priced the OM5 at the same level as its initial price. It’s a great price, particularly considering that Zhiyun Smooth 5, its primary rival, is expensive.
In fact, is that the DJI OM5 (now down to $129) and that of the DJI OM4 SE ($99) that are the most attractive alternatives.
What’s New?
In typical fashion however, it’s not the norm that Osmo Mobile 6 doesn’t introduce some distinctive attributes that allow it to be capable of something its predecessor couldn’t. But, it does make subtle adjustments to improve the user experience. This is the most complete product to date, and the most obvious gimbal to upgrade to if you’re coming from an older model.
Appearance
In comparison to its predecessor, which featured light gray hues In comparison, the Osmo Mobile 6 gets a more dark gray that makes it appear more professional appearance. It’s essentially the same as the OM5 however, put both devices side-by-side and you’ll notice that you’ll notice that Osmo Mobile 6 is slightly bigger.
Auto-on/off, Quick Launch and Quick Launch
The main new feature is automatic switching off and on as well as quick launch of the DJI Mimo application. In essence, between both it is the time between pulling out your phone and gimbal and starting to record is cut down.
Once it is folded down, the Osmo Mobile 6 is unfolded the gimbal automatically turns up and begins stabilizing and when it is folded down the gimbal automatically turns off. It is still possible to manually turn on and off the gimbal by pressing the ‘M’ key as you used to do with earlier models.
Its Quick Launch feature means that when your smartphone is attached on the gimbal (using the magnetic mount included) and you’re connected, you’ll receive an alert to launch it. DJI Mimo App. It makes the process of launching the app every bit as fast, as opposed to manually initiating it manually.
Unfortunately, the brand-new Quick Launch feature is exclusive to iPhone and iPad, which means Android users aren’t able to gain from it.
The status bar has been upgraded to LED.
A significant change in comparison to The OM5 is the brand new status screen that displays the level of battery and the chosen gimbal mode. It is also notable that the DJI Osmo Mobile 6 has four different gimbal settings that include follow and the tilt lock, FPV, and spinshot.
Because of the LED-illuminated symbols It’s easy to identify the mode that’s in use. This is particularly useful when not using your DJI Mimo Application, instead using rather the default camera app, or a third-party application like Filmic Pro. Pro does not show the gimbal mode that is active.
Side Wheel
Manual side wheels of the Zhiyun Smooth series was seemingly the only thing that DJI Osmo Mobile gimbals missed However, thanks to the Osmo Mobile 6, we now have it.
The wheel conveniently placed on the side allows you to easily focus or adjust zoom. It is possible to switch between zoom and focus control by pressing the wheel. By turning the wheel, you can adjust zoom will result in smooth zooming out and in and adjusting the focal length is similarly effortless.
It is important to note that older models of phones (e.g. iPhone 12 and older) or the Ultrawide camera on the iPhone 13 and iPhone 14 don’t allow manual focus, and in this scenario the DJI Mimo app will display “camera isn’t able to allow manually focused focus”.
ActiveTrack 5.0
ActiveTrack is DJI’s exclusive method of tracking objects, and Osmo Mobile 6 features the latest version, ActiveTrack 5.0. The prior version of ActiveTrack was very effective in detecting objects and tracking their movements, however DJI claims that the latest version is much more accurate.
The ActiveTrack was able to keep a steady pace tracking human subjects under different lighting conditions and settings. However, it was prone to lose track of smaller animals, such as dogs, in very specific situations, but overall it performed very efficiently.
Performance
It’s easy to set up and starts with attaching the magnetic clamp onto your mobile. One of the great features of the magnetic clamp’s design is that they have angled jaws, that means they won’t impede the sides of your phone. This is an issue with other phone gimbals, particularly when you’re using your phone stored in the case.
After that, you can connect your phone onto the gimbal arm using the power of magnetism, and you’re good to go.
It’s the Osmo Mobile 6 auto balances your phone, thus avoiding the need for the tedious process of manually balancing unlike earlier phone gimbals. It’s also not necessary to utilize counterbalances or any other device as the motors in the gimbal are able to handle the most heavy phones right from the moment you purchase it.
The gimbal is extremely ergonomic and shooting with the rod that extends are able to take high-angle photos without having to put your arm in place. The ability to switch between horizontal (portrait) as well as horizontal (landscape) orientations is done by pressing on the camera twice. It’s also simple change between the front – and rear-facing cameras. By default, it’ll start tracking your face once you switch on the self-portrait camera.
Stabilization is outstanding even when recording an exaggerated and deliberately jogging motion result in a smooth, silky smooth video. This is the kind of thing which the Osmo Mobile 6 is designed for, as the optical image stabilization feature on the most modern iPhone as well as Samsung phones are able to deal with the least amount of shake and the jitter.
It is the DJI Mimo App is by far the most effective gimbal application available, and is the main Achilles point of other Gimbals. It includes all usual features, including panoramas and motion timelapses. It it also comes with additional features like “Story Mode” that shoots using the combination of pre-set shooting patterns and camera motions. It also comes with an editor for video that is basic and you can get the DJI LightCut application for an even more powerful editing experience.
DJI Osmo Mobile 6 Accessories
In addition to the software’s shortcomings Another area where other gimbal makers aren’t quite as good is the absence of accessories. DJI is on the other hand has a vast range of accessories.
On the Osmo Mobile 6 The most fascinating feature is DJI OM Call Clamp Fill Light. This is basically a clamp replacement that has a fill light, that can be adjusted in the brightness and temperature of color.
Its DJI Mic is another interesting accessory, although it is quite expensive at $329. It can be used with other cameras and other devices, and is ideal for use in professional settings.
Verdict
Although it’s true that the DJI Osmo Mobile 6 doesn’t provide enough value to convince users who own the OM5 to upgrade, it is certainly the most powerful smartphone gimbal at the moment and it’s hard to imagine it changing until DJI will release its successor.
Because of the magnetic clamp’s design, which automatically power-on/off, you’ll need nothing time before hitting that record key. DJI is also adept at capturing the other features of Gimbals including control placement, design and ergonomics.
It’s a comprehensive package that it’s difficult to imagine what DJI could improve it in the future model.