DJI OM 4 Gimbal Review

What’s the difference between the OM 4 and Osmo 3?

• Magnetic quick release clamp: Attaching and detaching your phone from the gimbal is a lot more easier on the OM 4 thanks to the magnetic clamp. You simply place the clamp on your phone and if you’re going out for a day of shooting, you can just leave it on your phone (it’s a little bulky, so you probably don’t want to leave it on your phone day-to-day). The clamp works with most phone sizes and can be put on over top of your phone case.
• Magnetic ring holder: A more permanent attachment is a magnetic “sticker” you would place on the back of your phone. DJI recommends attaching the sticker to the back of your phone and not on a case.
• Stronger motor: The OM 4 can support heavier phones as it has a stronger motor compared to the Osmo 3.

Performance

The DJI OM 4 does a great job of smoothing out movement and “jitters” in your video recordings. I took the OM 4 on a road trip and was surprised by the smooth video I was able to capture out the passenger-side window of the car, even on a bumpy road.

The physical buttons definitely make taking photos and recording videos convenient, but you need to make sure the clamp is not pressing again one of your phone’s physical volume buttons. Otherwise, the physical buttons on the OM 4 may not work.

The OM 4 also does an excellent job of removing the up and down motion of walking while recording, but it does not completely eliminate it. The built-in optical stabilization of the iPhone X does not seem to interfere with the OM 4.

The ActiveTrack feature also does a decent job of following people and dogs, but seems to be less effective when targeting inanimate objects.

Features

• Portable: The OM 4 folds up nicely for travel, taking up minimal space in your bag. The OM 4 does not come with a hard case, but a soft pouch is included instead.
• ActiveTrack 3.0: This OM 4 can follow a person or pet automatically, using either the back or front-facing camera. You can use it to record yourself demonstrating something or to follow your dog playing ball in the yard.
• Gesture Control: With this feature, you can make a palm or “V” gesture with your hand to activate the ActiveTrack 3.0 feature.
• Dynamic Zoom: This is a cool effect that you’ve probably seen on TV. The subject stays stationary while the background seems to zoom in or zoom out. You can accomplish this effect by following the steps in the DJI Mimo app.
• Story Mode: This includes some pre-canned Instagram story-worthy templates for your videos.
• Tripod mount: A small tripod mount is included and can be screwed to the bottom of the OM 4 to capture selfies or group shots with yourself included.

Battery Life

On my road trip, I used the gimbal for over an hour and the LED lights still indicated that I had near-full battery. DJI states the OM 4 can get up to 15 hours of battery life and takes about 2.5 hours to recharge with a 5V 2A wall charger (not included).

However, the DJI Mimo app seems to be processor-intensive as I find my phone’s battery draining quickly (and heating up) while using it.