DJI is likely to be an revolutionary firm, however it has been taking part in catch-up to rival Insta360 within the motion cam world. An ideal instance of that’s its newest product, the Osmo Nano ($299). It follows a path Insta360 paved with its tiny Go Extremely and Go 3S, which allow you to separate the cam from the show to shoot with the least weight attainable. Like these, the Nano’s tiny digicam might be indifferent from the display screen and simply worn to document actions starting from excessive watersports to cat cam movies.
The Osmo Nano isn’t fairly a copy-paste of its rival, although. Moderately than inserting the digicam into the flip up display screen housing just like the Go Extremely, the Nano’s display screen magnetically clips to the underside of the digicam so you possibly can level it ahead to seize motion or backward for vlogging. Whereas it nonetheless lags behind its rival in some areas, DJI’s Osmo Nano is a stable first try at a mini-sized digicam because of its wonderful video high quality.
DJI
The Osmo Nano is DJI’s first mini motion cam designed to tackle Insta360’s Go 3S and Go Extremely. Video high quality is a bit higher than these rivals, however it’s nonetheless lacking just a few options.
- Tiny dimension
- Log and 10-bit video
- DJI Mic compatibility
- Beneficiant built-in reminiscence
- Video modifying app falls brief
- Poor stabilization in low gentle
- Vlog mode is much less handy than rivals
A small dimension designed for day by day actions
With its light-weight removable digicam that may be clipped to your head or worn in your physique like a pendant, the Nano can be utilized in on a regular basis actions like climbing or swimming — with the latter attainable because of its 33 foot (10 meter) underwater score. It’s additionally sufficiently small to be connected to children and pets to create a visible journal of their actions. On the identical time, when connected to the Imaginative and prescient Dock that homes the display screen, the Nano features like a standard motion digicam.
With that in thoughts, dimension is essential. The Osmo Nano digicam is constructed from light-weight translucent plastic and weighs simply 1.83 ounces (52 grams) by itself. That’s about the identical because the Insta360 Go Extremely however a contact heavier than the Go 3S. Its capsule-like form is just like the Go 3S (however a bit greater), whereas the Go Extremely is extra rounded. All of that’s to say that the Nano is extremely small and lightweight in comparison with a GoPro Hero 13 or DJI’s Motion 5 Professional — I barely felt it when utilizing the brand new headband accent
They connect collectively in two methods, with the display screen dealing with both ahead or backward, utilizing DJI’s magnetic mount that it’s used for just a few years now. Collectively they weigh 4.37 ounces, nonetheless lower than a daily motion digicam. The Imaginative and prescient Dock can wirelessly management the digicam with out being related, to a distance of 33 toes. The mount additionally permits the Nano to hook up with DJI’s household of equipment, together with a brand new hat clip and lanyard.
Throughout my testing, the digicam and module have been simple to attach in both path because of the magnets and latches. To change from vlogging to the entrance view, although, it’s worthwhile to detach and reconnect the Imaginative and prescient Dock. Insta360’s system is healthier, because it simply takes a flip of the X5’s display screen to alter modes.
The distinction in digicam module sizes might be defined by the sensors. The place the Go 3S has a small 1/2.3-inch sensor, each the Nano and Go Extremely have bigger 1/1.3-inch sensors that take up extra space however work higher in low gentle. As for optics, the Nano makes use of an extremely large angle lens with a 143-degree subject of view, providing you with the flexibility to modify between extremely large and dewarped (sq.) video. The Go Extremely is barely wider at 156 levels, whereas the Go 3S’s FOV is 125 levels. I discovered the Nano’s subject of view to be a super compromise between the 2.
Controls and options
The one bodily management on the Nano is the document/energy button, with the Imaginative and prescient Dock holding every thing else. DJI’s typical display screen swiping and tapping actions are used to pick issues like voice management and display screen brightness, together with video decision, body fee, RockSteady stabilization and D-LogM seize. When you get used to swiping and tapping on such a small show, these menus are responsive and allow you to change settings rapidly. Nonetheless, the navigation isn’t notably intuitive so settings require a while to be taught.
As with different current DJI merchandise, the Osmo Nano has beneficiant built-in reminiscence, with 64GB (transfers at 400 MB/s) and 128GB (at 600 MB/s) choices. Be aware that these speeds don’t have an effect on video high quality; they’re solely the charges at which you’ll switch footage to your PC. This inside reminiscence is handy because it means you don’t have to dig round for a microSD card and it makes offloading sooner. That stated, it’s good to have a microsSD slot as properly — the Go Extremely solely has a microSD storage choice, and the Go 3S solely has inside reminiscence.
Every module has its personal non-removable battery with 530mAh and 1,300mAh capacities for the digicam and Imaginative and prescient Dock respectively. These enable working instances of as much as 90 minutes for the digicam alone, or 200 minutes when paired with the display screen module, in response to DJI. Compared, Insta360’s Go Extremely digicam can run for 70 minutes or a most of 200 minutes when docked to the show.
Be aware that these specs solely apply when recording in 1080p at 24p. When taking pictures with the Nano at a extra typical setting of 4K 60p, I discovered that battery life was lower than half that, round 35 minutes for the digicam alone. Nonetheless, that rose to 49 minutes when utilizing DJI’s endurance mode, with RockSteady stabilization enabled however Wi-Fi turned off. I additionally seen that once I shot in 4K at 50p or greater with the digicam alone, it shut down after 20 minutes of steady recording resulting from overheating.
The Nano’s digicam has no USB-C enter so it have to be related to the docking station for charging. Nonetheless, the docking station alone can quick cost the Nano digicam to an 80 % battery in 20 minutes. It takes about 20 minutes to cost each units collectively to 80 %, and 60 minutes for a full cost — 20 minutes greater than the Go Extremely.
Different key options embrace voice and gesture management (tapping or nodding) to start out recording, timelapse and Pre-Rec to save lots of footage taken simply earlier than the document button is pressed. Insta360’s Go 3S does have a few options not discovered on the Nano, specifically Discover Me for iPhone if it’s misplaced and Dolby Imaginative and prescient HDR assist.
The Nano will also be managed utilizing the DJI Mimo smartphone app, although the Imaginative and prescient Dock’s distant management makes that pointless more often than not. That app additionally permits you to edit video, however Insta360’s Studio app is superior for that because of its extra full modifying toolkit and Shot Lab AI module that allows you to do some neat results with little-to-no work required. DJI is certainly properly behind its rival on this space.
Video and picture high quality
A giant promoting level of the DJI Nano is that it produces high-quality video with sooner body charges than rival cameras. You possibly can seize 4K at as much as 60 fps, or 120 fps in sluggish movement mode, in comparison with simply 4K 30 fps for the Go 3s. It additionally helps full sensor 4:3 4K video at as much as 50 fps. The Go Extremely maxes out at 60 fps at 16:9 4K and 30 fps at 4:3 4K.
Because of the large 1/1.3-inch sensor, video is vivid and sharp straight out of the digicam when taking pictures in daylight. DJI has improved the colour efficiency in comparison with its older merchandise, with hues which are extra pure. The place sharpening was overly aggressive on fashions just like the Motion 5 (which makes video look synthetic) DJI has toned that down on the Osmo Nano. And in the event you don’t just like the default utility, you possibly can change it within the settings.
Just like the Motion 5 Professional, the Nano can shoot video with 10-bits of colour in each D-LogM and common modes. The latter provides customers further dynamic vary with out having to mess with tough log settings. My choice continues to be to shoot D-LogM then apply DJI’s LUT in submit. That yields extra pure colours and offers you as much as 13.5 stops of dynamic vary in difficult lighting situations, like tree-lined trails on a sunny day.
The bigger sensor additionally makes the Osmo Nano superior to the Go 3S and about equal to the Insta360’s Go Extremely in low gentle. After I shot nighttime cityscapes and in indoor bars, it delivered clear video with comparatively low noise. For even decrease gentle conditions, each the Nano and Go Extremely have night time taking pictures modes referred to as SuperNight and PureVideo, respectively. Each work properly in the event you don’t transfer the digicam too quick, resulting from the truth that they mix a number of frames into one. If I moved the digicam too quickly, it brought on movement blur and different points. The Insta360 Go Extremely is barely higher on this regard.
DJI’s RockSteady 3.0 reduces digicam shake in regular daylight taking pictures situations, although it’s not fairly as much as GoPro’s canny smoothing algorithms. After I examined it whereas strolling, stabilization fell aside a bit in night time taking pictures because of the decrease shutter speeds, with noticeable blur and pixelization over sharp jolts and bumps. To keep away from that, it’s greatest to spice up the ISO degree and shutter pace manually. The corporate’s HorizonBalancing, in the meantime, reliably corrects tilting as much as 30 levels to maintain video degree.
As with DJI’s different current motion cams, the Osmo Nano connects to the corporate’s Mic 2, Mic 3 and Mic Mini through its proprietary OsmoAudio direct connection. That gives greater high quality and a extra dependable connection than Bluetooth, whereas permitting you to make use of two mics on the identical time for interviews or multiperson motion eventualities. The Nano additionally has twin built-in microphones for stereo recording, however in my testing, the tinny audio was solely ok for ambient sounds and never voices.
Wrap-up
It’s attention-grabbing to look at DJI attempt to catch as much as one other firm for a change. With the Nano, it leaned on its digicam expertise and largely matches or beats its primary rival by way of video high quality. Nonetheless, the corporate continues to be lagging behind in just a few areas, notably its modifying app — one thing that’s essential for a lot of creators.
DJI appears to concentrate on that and priced the Nano less expensive than rivals. In Europe and the UK, the Nano prices €279 (£239) for the 64GB combo and €309 (£259) for the 128GB combo, each of which embrace the Imaginative and prescient Dock, magnetic hat clip, magnetic lanyard, protecting case, high-speed charging cable and dual-direction magnetic ball-joint adapter mount. That compares to €429 for the Insta360 Go Extremely, which has no built-in reminiscence and contains fewer equipment, and €400 for the Go 3S with 128GB of inside storage.
As with different current DJI merchandise, the Osmo Nano isn’t formally coming to the US simply but. Nonetheless, the corporate is that includes it prominently on its US web site, so there’s hope that it is going to be bought on Amazon and different websites quickly.
