One of the most useful tools we can buy for our mobile is a video stabilizer or gimbal. It is an accessory whose main function is to counteract the movement that occurs when moving while recording. DJI, best known for being a drone manufacturer, introduced its new stabilizer earlier this year. During these weeks we have been testing the DJI Osmo Mobile 2 and here we bring you our analysis.
The DJI Osmo Mobile 2 could go through a modern selfie stick but it is a highly recommended accessory for any user who is accustomed to recording videos or wants to improve the photographic capabilities of his mobile. The Osmo Mobile 2 is connected via Bluetooth, has its own application and in addition to having an excellent stabilization system allows you to identify faces and follow them, record both horizontally and vertically and capture time-lapse or hyper-lapse videos. Let’s see what this second generation DJI gimbal offers, an option that has dropped in price and is one of the most interesting on the market.
DJI Osmo Mobile 2: Technical Specifications
| DJI OSMO MOBILE 2 | |
| DIMENSIONS | 295 × 113 × 72 mm |
| WEIGHT | 485 grams |
| COMPATIBLE PHONES | from 58.6 – 85 mm up to 8.9 mm |
| CONTROLLABLE INTERVAL | Panning: ± 160º Inclination: ± 155º (landscape mode) 120 ° / s |
| MECHANICAL RANGE | Panning: ± 170º Rotation: -90º to + 70º Inclination: ± 170º |
| BATTERY | 2600 mAh |
| PRICE | 149 dollars |
Lightweight and comfortable in hand
In the same way that the drones of DJI stand out for their design, the work with this DJI Osmo Mobile 2 is very good. We have a tube-shaped accessory about 30 centimeters high, with a comfortable grip to hold and an upper part that will be where we put the phone. While the gimbal is off, that part can easily be folded to make it easier to store it.
In total weighs about 485 grams and is built in a reinforced nylon body that feels very nice in hand and brings a little warmth to the metal. Having tried other stabilizers for the mobile, the DJI Osmo Mobile 2 is slightly thicker but it is one of the best sensations it offers when it comes to recording, something very important to not tire us.
In the lower part of the device we find the connection for standard tripod, very useful to keep it standing while it is recording. Unfortunately the DJI Osmo Mobile 2 is sold alone and the rest of the accessories will have to be purchased independently.
Inside the handle keeps a 2600 mAh battery that we can charge through the microUSB port located on the right side. Next to this connection we have three white and one green LED lights. These will indicate whether it is off or on, but also the battery status. Another very useful small addition that we do not have in all the gimbal.
Another connection that we found is a USB port that we can use so that the stabilizer battery powers the mobile. Here we will find a conflicting point, since depending on the situation we will be exhausted sooner than the other.
In the center of the grip we have the controls that we will now describe. Finally, the upper part is the stabilizer itself. We have two wheels that allow us to adjust the phone to our liking. The small one is to separate the body more or less, depending on the size of the smartphone itself. The second wheel allows us to rotate the support and in fact is one of the novelties of the DJI Osmo Mobile 2 compared to the first generation. The mobile can be placed either horizontally, which would be usual, or vertically. Although we do not have a button that allows us to exchange between these two positions automatically.
The support for the mobile is a physical mechanism that we must extend with the hand to place the smartphone. DJI has designed his gimbal with the iPhone in mind, but is compatible with all types of mobile phones while they meet the allowed dimensions: from 58.6 to 85 mm and a maximum of 8.6 mm thick
To perform this analysis we used a Google Pixel 2 XL with a six-inch screen and beyond having to adjust the height slightly, we have not had any more problems. Yes it is true why it works better with somewhat smaller devices. The grip of the support is very good and fortunately our mobile has remained in place without falling during every test day. On the contrary, this clamping prevents us from connecting cables or accessories to the mobile, such as a microphone. What would be very useful in the recordings?
DJI offers us a stabilizer very comfortable to handle and with a gray and rectangular case that protects it from all the blows. Although in the case of the cover, what we gain in security we lose in portability since it is quite thick and rigid.
A control mode for each scene
To control the DJI Osmo Mobile 2 we can do it from different points. The main button is marked with a letter ‘M’, it does the function of off / on and also the one of changing of way. Then we have a trigger button marked with a red dot that will help us to start recording or take a photo at a distance, although in this case it will only serve us through the official application. A similar case occurs with the button for the zoom that we have on the left side, works perfect via Bluetooth but only with the DJI GO app.
Finally we find the joystick, which works both vertically and horizontally and allows us in a very simple way to control the orientation of the mobile. The DJI Osmo Mobile 2 has several automatic modes of movement, but the joystick will always end up being our best ally.
Once we know the controls, we go on to describe the various modes of use that we have available.
- The first one is the default sweep mode. Here the camera only moves horizontally and we always try to keep it at the same height so that the video comes out as stable as possible even though we are walking and our body moves up and down.
- The second is a combination of sweep and tilt. The gimbal will follow the movements that we make although always trying to soften them. In this mode it will move on all axes.
- The third is the fixed mode, where the camera will always point to the same direction. Here it does not matter how we move the gimbal that unless we give a very sharp movements, the mobile will always stay still. Even if we start to turn our hand or turn around. In fact, here we can place the inverted mode in which we will have the mobile below the grip of the stabilizer and will help us to make videos at ground level.
These are the three modes that we will use to record our videos. Depending on the shot we will choose one or the other, always having the possibility of using the control of the joystick to move the mobile at our whim. The movements are very smooth, although somewhat slow. It is not always so easy to point to the place where we want, because if there is a quick camera change the DJI Osmo Mobile 2 will take time to point there. Something logical if we want to keep the video stable, but a detail to take into account.
In addition to swapping the sweep modes, if we press once on the main button we will stabilize the gimbal horizontally and if we press twice we will center the camera. A configuration that is not very transparent but after a few days we will get used to it.
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DJI Go, the application to get the most out of the gimbal
After talking about the physical controls, touch it from the official application. Although it works with the native camera of the mobile, the maximum game to the DJI Osmo Mobile 2 will be released through the official app DJI GO, available in both iOS and Android. It is from the app where we can use the triggers and where we find functions like ActiveTrack to follow our face, the broadcast of live video or the realization of timelapses.
Once connected by Bluetooth, the application offers a small tutorial to learn how to use it. Then we have before us a camera application similar to the traditional ones for the mobile but with more options. On the right side we find the start buttons, camera settings such as video resolution, beauty mode or white balance and an option to choose if we want smooth movements to walk or if we will be running.
If we access the settings located in the lower right corner we have to reset the configuration, choose the movement mode through the app and auto calibrate the DJI Osmo Mobile 2. The gimbal comes calibrated from the factory, but it does not cost anything to calibrate it from time to time, more if they offer us the option.
On the left edge of the application we have starting from the bottom access to the gallery itself of the content recorded from this app, the button to switch to the front camera, the image or video modes and the big red button to capture. Here depending on whether we want to take photos or video we have some options or others.
DJI GO is the most complete app. In fact, it has a simple image and video editor and the possibility of live streaming directly, whether on Facebook, YouTube or Weibo. Simply request us access to our account and start a live as if it were made from the official app of each social network.
However, it has a limitation and it only allows us to record at 1080 / 60fps or 4K / 30fps resolution. If our mobile allows to record more frames per second and in more resolution, we must use the native camera for it.
Stabilization quality and video recording
When recording the movements of the DJI Osmo Mobile 2 are quite stable. If we are walking we will notice the camera movement up and down but most changes are softened. Stabilization is more appreciated when we run, because despite the increase in speed the video does not come out that much.
The panning is also quite stable. Although we move the body horizontally, the camera will keep pointing practically towards the same place. In case we set the sweep mode, the camera will move very slowly and will not create sudden movements. It works well, although if we move very fast we will not be able to point where we want since the turn is slow. To get a good sweeping movement and something faster it is advisable to use the joystick and move it manually.
The quality of the video will depend logically on the mobile used but it is possible to get much stabilized shots. This is not always the case, since getting the gimbal in the ideal position all the time is not automatic either. If for example we hold the DJI Osmo Mobile 2 in the air it may give the feeling that we are fixed on a tripod or resting on some surface.
By comparing the stabilization quality we have used the DJI Osmo Mobile 2 with a Pixel 2 XL without stabilization and then we have tested the OIS stabilization of the device itself.
In case we are using the stabilization system of the mobile itself, the use of the stabilizer will not be so necessary. In fact, we have noticed that they are in conflict when the two assets are active and strange stumbles occur.
Face Tracking
One of the exclusive functions of the DJI Osmo Mobile 2, only through its application, is the tracking of faces. It is a very interesting tool for those who wish to record a vlog or want to be centered on all the videos.
The application will detect our face and automatically follow us. If we go to the right, the gimbal will rotate alone. If we raise the head it will tilt and if we go to the left the same. The movement is smooth and quite precise, although logically if we move very fast we will lose sight of it and stop monitoring.
Panoramic
Through the DJI GO application we also have the option to perform various types of panoramas. From the most classic, where it combines up to 3×3 photographs, to stitching wide-angle photos with up to 27 captures .
Undoubtedly it is a very funny way of doing panoramas since, unlike what happens with the usual applications where we are the ones who have to move the mobile, in this case the gimbal acts for us and starts moving to one side and another to capture all the necessary photos that will then combine into one. Equivalently, it also allows us to capture long exposure images.
Timelapse and Hyperlapse
Finally the DJI Osmo Mobile 2 introduces the possibility of recording timelapses or hyperlapses in a simple way. Various camera applications already allow these functions, but the addition of the gimbal is that it allows you to configure a panning movement to right, left or up, down during the timelapse.
Also a combination of these for example to turn to the right and then go up the image. Timelapses with movement is not something that mobile phones usually offer and with the DJI Osmo Mobile 2 it is easy and economical to apply. Be hyperlapses or timelapses, let us choose the interval of seconds and the total duration of the video.
The result is good and is one of the funniest add-ons of mobile stabilizers. Beyond the quality of stabilization itself, having such accessories through the official application makes this gimbal is an accessory with many possibilities for those who want to experiment with different recording modes.
Battery for several days
One of the main changes with respect to the first generation is that the DJI Osmo Mobile 2 incorporates an integrated battery of 2600 mAh, unlike the removable battery of the first model. With this we lose the possibility of carrying a secondary battery but the autonomy has been greatly improved.
The DJI Osmo Mobile 2 offers us about 15 hours of autonomy with each load. Through the application DJI Go we can take control of the autonomy, but also with the four LED lights that will indicate the state of the battery. In general, we have no problems to spend several days with him. On the morning we were using it intensely, he only lowered a quarter of a battery and it was after three or four days of moderate use when he reached the last light.
The charge of the DJI Osmo Mobile 2 lasts two hours. But beware, because that is through a 2A charger. If we do it through a USB 2.0 port, the loading time is much longer. Even from a USB 3.0 port like the Macbook the load will exceed three hours. The truth is that we would have liked to find a USB port type C in the DJI Osmo Mobile 2.
The USB port of the DJI Osmo Mobile 2 is interesting because it also allows charging the mobile while we are using it. The occasion is given that we never know which battery will last longer, if the one of the mobile recording the gimbal stabilizing. The sensations with the battery of the DJI Osmo Mobile 2 have been very good but on the contrary, we have noticed that the consumption of the DJI GO application is very high.