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DJI simply just continues to amaze at everything they do. And the New DJI Osmo Mobile 3 is no exception. If you’re a content creator who’s just starting out and shooting with your phone… that’s how I started, or if you’re just looking for an easy and affordable way to add smooth walking shots into your projects like me then the Osmo Mobile 3 is a tool you just gotta have. And even if you currently have another phone gimbal, I think it is worth upgrading to the Osmo Mobile 3 cause my Zhiyun Smooth 4 which I’ve been using for awhile now is officially retired.
Now the Osmo Mobile 3 retails for $120 which is not bad at all, but I highly recommend you go for the $140 combo pack like I have here cause with it you’re also going to be getting a collapsable grip slash base attachment but more importantly you’re going to be getting that all important hardshell carrying case. Otherwise if you plan on taking your gimbal on the go with you then all you’re going to have to keep it safe is this carrying pouch. So just be safe and get the case you won’t regret it.
Now obviously one of the biggest new features of the Osmo Mobile 3 is its collapsable design. When stored in its case the Osmo Mobile 3 literally takes up half the amount of space my Zhyiun Smooth 4’s case does. Which means it much easier and less of a hassle to take the Osmo Mobile 3 on the go with you. And it also means you have more room in your back pack for other equipment or props. But the collapsable design of the Osmo Mobile 3 isn’t the only new thing to rave at here. An important upgrade found on the Osmo mobile 3 from the Osmo Mobile 2 and my Zhyiun Smooth 4 is its new textured grip pad on the handle. You get a far better grip with the Mobile 3 than you do than both the Mobile 2 and Smooth 4 which both have plastic handles. Another minor detail to take note of on the Mobile 3 is that also now has a built in wrist strap for added security something that the other two gimbals don’t have. And another minor detail to take note of on the Mobile 3 is that the spring loaded mechanism that holds onto your phone is much easier open up this time around. Which just makes dropping your phone into your gimbal and balancing it a little easier.
Now regarding battery life, the Osmo Mobile 3 has an advertised battery life of 15 hours. But all of that is dependent on how hard to have the gimbal working and if your phone is perfectly balanced. But I’ve already taken my Mobile 3 to 3 2 to 3 hours shoots and the battery is still going from the same charge. But the Mobile 3 has also been upgraded to charge via a USB C port and there’s also a USB A out port so that you can charge your own phone.
But something that you can do to help stretch out the Mobile 3’s battery life is to put into to sleep mode when ever you’re not using it. And you can just set it to sleep mode by triple pressing the mode button. And honestly this did take me a minute to figure out. But when you’re ready to shoot you can just press the trigger and the mobile 3 springs back to life.
Now for those who may be wondering, the USB C port on the Mobile 3 is strictly used for charging the gimbal. You can’t use the USB C port to charge another device like for example my pixel 3A. But personally I don’t really care cause I’ve never really found my self using any of my gimbals to charge my phone while on a shoot cause I always make sure my phone is fully charged before I start shooting. So I don’t see myself using the USB A out port at all on the Mobile 3 but it is definitely nice to have just in case.
Regarding performance, technically the Smooth 4 does have more range of motion than the Mobile 3 before your phone snags. But even though the mobile 3 has a smaller range of motion before snagging I haven’t really noticed any draw backs while I was out shooting with it which is really what’s important here.
But I’ve also noticed the Mobile 3 does a much better job of leveling your phone and keeping your phone leveled even when its unbalanced which means I don’t have to go in level my gimbal shots in post. Where as with the smooth 4 no matter how hard I try to get it perfectly balanced the horizon is always off or it just starts to drift when im shooting.
Now if you’re someone that likes to shoot vertical video or if you just want to quickly transition from horizontal to vertical all you gotta do is double press the mode button. And this is another huge deal cause before if you wanted to switch between the two modes you would have to take your phone out, adjust the grip and mount it back on.
Now the mobile 3 all by it self is great, its an awesome compact gimbal that’s going to keep your phone leveled and you can easily adjust it by manually tilting your phone or you can use the joystick… something that the Smooth 4 doesn’t have and its something I’ve been sorely missing. Now personally when I shoot my B-Roll is just use my iPhone’s default camera app… but if you want to get the most out of the mobile 3 you can use its companion app. Now through DJI’s app you can shoot panoramas, get time lapses, use the zoom slider on the gimbal and use gesture controls but these are all things I never actually use when im out on a shoot. But what I do plan on using on the mobile 3 is its active tracking feature. You can either pull the trigger and have the app automatically lock on to something or you can manually high light your subject. And the Active Track on the Osmo Mobile 3 does a far better job of finding, tracking, and re acquiring your subject than the active track on the Smooth 4 that’s why I never used it. So if you plan on shooting a fast moving subject like an animal, an athlete, or a car then the active track on the Osmo Mobile 3 is going to help you keep your subject in frame while you’re just trying to keep up.
So over all, I can’t find anything to be mad about on the DJI Osmo Mobile 3… its super easy to use, it does a great job of keeping your shots leveled, battery life so far has been great, and if you need the active track feature its there. But what really sets the osmo Mobile 3 apart from its competition and even the Osmo Mobile 2 is its over all refinement to its usability aspects. Its new collapsible design just makes it super convenient to take on a shoot with you, its very small and light weight, and the grip pad and wrist strap give you a much better grip. Right now, if you’re looking for a phone gimbal the DJI Osmo Mobile 3 hands down is the way to go.