DJI OM 4 Smartphone gimbal

Is the DJI OM 4 smartphone gimbal with 3 axis stabilization and magnetic holder the best gimbal for my smartphone?  DJI is the name which comes to my mind when I think of drones. However, I realized that there is more to DJI than just the drones. Today I lay my hands on the recent offering from the company in the field of smartphone Gimbals.

The DJI OM4 hand held gimbal, is a very good 3-axis gimbal. DJI OM 4 magnetic gimbal handles all the basics with ease. The DJI OM 4 combo 3-axis gimbal has some very interesting advanced features as well. Let me do a DJI OM 4 gimbal review and  talk a bit more on this DJI OM 4 gimbal for smartphone so that you get a fair amount of idea of this product. I bought this product from Amazon utilizing the DJI OM 4 gimbal best buy option and the DJI OM 4 gimbal India version is at par with the one available outside.

Design of DJI OM 4 Smartphone gimbal

Let me speak a bit on the design of the gimbal and for detailed information you can always check out some literature on the DJI OM 4 gimbal YouTube data base.  I will also avoid delving into the trap of DJI Osmo Mobile 3 vs OM 4. Sufficient to say that the DJI OM 4 stabilizer 3 -axis gimbal is a refined version of the previous product lineup. The OM 4 is a powered three-axis gimbal with a handheld pistol-grip style design. The construction quality is good, has a sturdy body with rubberized mount. The dimensions are 7.0 by 4.0 by 2.8 inches when folded for transportation.

With a textured and ergonomic grip, the DJI OM4 handheld 3-axis smartphone gimbal stabilizer fits perfectly in my hand while the grip can be extended with the attachment of the supplied small tripod. Overall, the build quality is good while it is still plastic but I found it solid enough for usage outdoors.

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Battery Life of the DJI OM 4 gimbal

Battery life is solid with a full charge being claimed to run the DJI OM 4 mobile gimbal for 15 hours operating time. I found the charge to be comfortably sufficient to sustain intermittent video recordings spanning multiple days.

Features of DJI OM 4 gimbal

As a part of the DJI OM 4 smartphone gimbal review, i would like to state that one needs to download the DJI OM 4 gimbal app known as DJI Mimo app to operate the OM 4. The DJI OM 4 application is available for both Android as well as iOS devices. Without the app, the functionality of the gimbal is severely compromised.

Modes

The DJI OM4 Gimbal modes are – Follow, Tilt Locked, FPV and Spin Shot. I personally use the Follow mode most of the time and on occasions have used the Spin shot. I think the FPV is a great mode for some real cool shooting angles.

Active Tracking

The Follow mode of DJI OM4 Gimbal has the option to initialize the Active Tracking feature which allows the gimbal to track me when I am doing a solo shoot or allows me to track a moving subject. This mode is definitely very intelligent and does a good job of the task.

Creative Modes

There are some very interesting creative shooting modes available in the DJI OM4 Smartphone gimbal. These include the hyper lapse, timelapse, dyna-zoom, Panorama as well as Story modes. Slow motion also is available. I need to practice on the Dyna-Zoom which is a real cool feature where in the Zoom of the subject happens in the opposite direction in which one is moving (Dolly Zoom concept).

The STORY mode is also useful for some quick presets in terms of video edits which can be utilized for very short video edits. I find this useful for Instagram Reels.

The Panorama Mode in the DJI OM4 Smartphone gimbal also is quite cool with 3×3 and 240 deg panorama options available.

What is my blog about ?

My blog focuses quite a bit on the ancient history, trek and art of India, among other places of travel that I keep doing. The history posts come up because there is in ancient Indian History, so many monumental architectures created. I am a amateur trekker albeit a passionate one and have done substantial research on how best to sync the gear I use when trekking to high altitudes in order to come back with industry standard photographs.

Therefore it is only natural that I use photography as a medium to portray and convey to my readers a visual depiction of the places. In order to do these, I need to use genuine travel friendly and industry standard gadgets and travel gear. If you are interested to know about travel gear that I recommend, I am sure this article on “what’s in my backpack might interest you ” . On the same lines, I have listed down my thoughts on the kind of lenses one needs to carry when traveling/trekking.

Magnetic phone attachment

There are two ways to attach the gimbal to the Phone. However, both use the concept of magnetic adhesiveness

• Using the strong wrap around claw
• Using a pop socket like adhesive plate

I use the strong wrap around claw magnetic mechanism which I think is sturdier compared to the other option. I can also use a phone cover (detachable) when I am not using the phone attached to the gimbal. This magnetic attachability concept is so unique and easy to use making me like it a lot.

DJI has actually got the power factor of the magnet totally on point and it is simply a great step in using this gimbal. I in fact used the gimbal on my recent trek to Pin Parbati Pass and during the entire trek at no point I felt that the magnetic connection was flimsy.

Layout

The layout of the DJI OM4 Smartphone gimbal consists of a rubberized joystick which is for panning and tilting. There is a record button for Start and Stop while a mode button for switching between the various creative modes. This mode button also works for changes in orientation between landscape and portrait.

There is a control button on left for zooming in and out which we also have a USB-C charging port and a USB-A port with which we can use the DJI OM 4 smartphone gimbal stabilizer for charging the smartphone as well.

If pinning is your way of bookmarking a post . Then pin this under Best smartphone Gimbal in 2021

The drawbacks

Compatibility. The OM 4 is not compatible with all smartphones models available. So, this has to be checked before going in for this gimbal, in order to use all the features available through the Mimo App.

iOS vs Android. Again, this gimbal has been designed with the iOS system in mind hence with Android again many features are limited/ not accessible. Maybe in the future times ahead DJI will be able to integrate all the features of this gimbal with Android as well. The gimbal for android smartphone has always been an issue with reputed manufacturers.

Software. I found the smartphone not connecting to the gimbal through the Mimo app on quite a number of occasions. I used an I-phone for this test.

Supplied Tripod. The supplied tripod (mini) is flimsy and care has to be taken while using this attachment. Buy a better one if you can.

Features. Some of the features especially Dyna Zoom and Slow motion are glitchy and maybe will stabilize with future software upgrades.

Conclusion.

The gimbal for smartphone is a critical component and I will any day pick this gimbal up for usage with an iOS device. The magnetic mounting system, Active Track, hyper-lapse, ease of switching between modes is definitely exceptional along with using 4K video option. The smooth silky motion is a standard fit and I am not dwelving into it.

There are glitches as I did mention as well as it is not the cheapest gimbal for smartphone ( DJI OM 4 price in India is around INR 10,000); but then considering the option available, I will reach out to the DJI OM4 gimbal combo as the preferred best gimbal for smartphone .