execs and cons
- Compact and light-weight design for adventures and day by day use
- 4K/120fps recording and D-Log M profile supply glorious video high quality and enhancing flexibility
- Constructed-in storage and fast-charging battery.
- Tougher to suggest to newbies because of the depth of recording options
- Restricted sturdiness in comparison with different rugged motion cameras.
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It looks as if everybody and their canine is recording their adventures today. And why not? Whether or not it is for posterity, to bore your family and friends, or for YouTube fame, it is by no means been simpler to seize vital moments.
In contrast to the cameras I used to make use of “again within the day” — which required shouldering and holding as much as your eye (so the particular person recording the second obtained a bizarre filtered actuality) — cameras at the moment are sufficiently small to clip onto a baseball hat or cling off a pendant.
Cameras do not get a lot smaller than the DJI Osmo Nano, and I have been testing this setup fairly extensively over the previous few weeks.
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The Osmo Nano is marketed as a 4K POV digicam and vlogging digicam. It is a step down in efficiency and robustness in comparison with full-on motion cameras just like the Osmo Motion 6 or GoPro HERO13 Black, nevertheless it’s a step up in compactness and value.
A tiny digicam that packs a punch
The Osmo Nano is tiny. The primary digicam measures 2.25 × 1.16 × 1.1 inches and weighs 1.8 ounces. It isn’t a lot larger than my thumb (although I do have massive thumbs). Even when mixed with the multifunction Imaginative and prescient Dock, which provides one other 2.33 × 1.66 × 0.88 inches and weighs 2.5 ounces, it stays compact.
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Each models are constructed to deal with the outside, with the digicam capable of be submerged all the way down to 30 ft and the dock capable of shrug off rain and splashes.
However do not let the scale idiot you. That tiny digicam includes a 1/1.3-inch sensor with an unimaginable 13.5 stops of dynamic vary (placing it on par with pro-grade cameras). This implies it is excellent whether or not you are out in shiny daylight, snow, or low-light situations. It may possibly seize video in cinematic 4K/60fps or 4K/120fps sluggish movement utilizing the 143° ultra-wide lens.
Output could be saved as 10-bit video, able to discerning a billion colours, or as a pro-grade D-Log M profile that preserves extra element in highlights and shadows, permitting for a lot higher flexibility in coloration grading throughout enhancing.
There’s additionally a SuperNight mode for getting the very best, least-grainy evening pictures.
A be aware in regards to the D-Log M profile: Solely use this profile if you are going to do some enhancing past the fundamentals and know what you are doing (and what a LUT is). When you strive utilizing the uncooked footage, it is going to look flat, washed-out, desaturated, and low in distinction. Whereas it does have extra coloration and distinction than a full D-Log profile, it nonetheless requires enhancing.
Constructed-in storage goes a great distance
Video could be saved on the inner reminiscence (the Osmo Nano is available in 64GB and 128GB variants), and you’ll develop it with microSD playing cards as much as 1TB. I like that trendy cameras have built-in reminiscence as a result of it eliminates these heart-stopping moments once you notice you have hiked out to a cool location and left all of the microSD playing cards at house.
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Whereas DJI is thought for its drones, the corporate actually is aware of the right way to get the very best out of small cameras, and it applies this experience to its ground-based cameras.
Battery life is stunning sufficient
Since these cameras are designed for on-the-move use, they want their very own energy, and batteries are one other space DJI is aware of so much about. The digicam homes a 530 mAh battery, and the dock provides an extra 1,300 mAh.
The digicam alone can run for round 60 minutes, with the dock extending this to 200 minutes. I’ve examined this, and that is positively achievable. When the battery is low, I discovered {that a} 20-minute cost brings the digicam as much as about 80%. The digicam also can run whereas related to the dock, which may itself be charging.
What about audio?
Audio is commonly the Achilles’ heel of this type of compact motion digicam, however the Osmo Nano as soon as once more delivers. It has two microphones constructed into the Osmo Nano, excellent for capturing each speaking and ambient sounds. If you’d like extra, you’ll be able to join the digicam to as much as two DJI Mic 3 transmitters, making it an ideal setup for vlogging and even interviews.
Integration with the DJI Mic 3 microphones is a winner for me.
Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET
This characteristic, for me, takes the Osmo Nano to a complete new stage as a result of I’ve discovered that audio — particularly voice recording — is commonly a weak level in lots of action-style cameras.
Energy in numbers
OK, so what is the cope with the dock? Along with the additional battery, the multifunction Imaginative and prescient Dock provides a touchscreen. This offers you a fast, easy strategy to work together with all of the digicam’s settings, in addition to a display for framing pictures.
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You may save on battery in case you be taught to make use of the button controls to navigate by all of the totally different capturing menus as a substitute of pawing on the touchscreen. Nevertheless, in case you’re like me and do not use the digicam usually, that easy-to-use display interface is a welcome addition.
Even with the dock hooked up, it isn’t too large.
Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET
The dock additionally has one other trick up its sleeve: You should utilize it to switch video information from the digicam’s inner storage to microSD playing cards. This gives a fast and straightforward strategy to release the digicam’s inner storage whereas on the transfer.
The combo equipment additionally comes with some neat equipment. There is a magnetic pendant for carrying the digicam round your neck and clamping it to clothes (you place the pendant below your garments), and a swivel clip that may connect to the pendant or clip to a hat.
The magnetic pendant makes attaching the digicam to clothes straightforward.
Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET
There’s additionally a protecting case for the digicam that DJI recommends utilizing in case you maintain it for prolonged durations (as a result of it may well get considerably toasty). I are inclined to maintain the digicam within the case more often than not for added safety (I am not utilizing it in significantly sizzling situations right here within the UK).
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The combo equipment additionally comes with a suction cup holder, which is nice for infrequent use, however I would not connect it to a automotive or something the place I might lose the digicam. However in case you unscrew the suction cup, you will discover a super-useful and ubiquitous 1/4″-20 threaded gap for a tripod or selfie stick.
There are some extra equipment that these eager to take their videography to the subsequent stage may admire, akin to a set of ND (impartial density) filters, a should for bright-lit scenes.
Why I Switched from my GoPro
OK, so why has the Osmo Nano changed my GoPro HERO13 Black? Backside line: comfort. With the Osmo Nano, there’s built-in storage for these “aww shhhhhhhhh….ucks!” moments, and a built-in fast-charge battery means there isn’t any faffing with exterior batteries.
It is also smaller and lighter, and I can dispense with the display once I want a compact system.
Connection to my iPhone is rock-solid each time, and I just like the DJI Mimo app (iOS/Android) for fast footage enhancing earlier than importing. And throw within the skill to connect with my DJI Mic 3 transmitters, and that is the cherry on the already overflowing cake for me.
It is this marriage of {hardware} and software program that appears like a significant benefit for DJI over my present GoPro setup, and why I am particularly excited to see what’s subsequent for GoPro because it’s releasing the Mission 1 quickly
ZDNET’s shopping for recommendation
The DJI Osmo Nano is proof that good issues actually do are available in small packages. It is compact, feature-packed, and extremely straightforward to make use of, making it excellent for adventurers, vloggers, and anybody who desires to seize life’s moments with out the trouble of cumbersome gear.
At $409 for the 128GB model (I like to recommend this over the 64GB model since this compromise solely saves you $30), it isn’t an inexpensive digicam, nevertheless it’s an exceptionally good setup. It is excellent for
When you’re in search of a digicam that is each moveable and reliable, the Osmo Nano may simply be your new finest pal. It is positively develop into my bestie!
