If you’re not familiar with DJI, that’s ok. It isn’t really a well-known company for the average smartphone consumer, and that’s partly because it’s most well-known for making some of the best drones you can buy on the market. It also makes smartphone gimbals though which are perfect for helping to stabilize the smartphone when recording video. The latest gimbal for smartphones from DJI is called the Osmo Mobile 2 that it unveiled at CES 2018 this week, and while it promises to be a pretty compelling accessory for creators, budding videographers, or anyone with a special love for shooting video, it is likely going to cost a bit, though the expected cost is going to be $129 which is lower than the cost of the original Osmo Mobile gimbal.
With the Osmo Mobile 2 DJI made some noticeable improvements. It’s surprisingly lightweight at 485 grams and it has a 15-hour battery, so it should be able to last you as long as you could possibly need for any one sitting of shooting video, as it’s unlikely that most people would be using it for 15 hours continuously without the chance to stop and give it a charge.
When it comes to features there are specific functions for zoom control so you can always ensure that you’re getting the perfect shot or the perfect video. While zooming in on subjects on smartphones isn’t terribly difficult it be comes a little bit less easy when trying to fidget with those on-screen touch controls for pinching the display to zoom in and out, especially given that the point of using a device like the Osmo Mobile 2 is to help stabilize the device during video capture. This is where having the zoom controls comes in handy as you can do everything from the handle of the gimbal itself and not have to mess with touching the display of your device.
Beyond the zoom control the Osmo Mobile 2 also features active tracking using artificial intelligence to track the subjects in your shot, timelapse movement, motionlapse movement, hyperlapse movement, and a slow-mo movement to give you a range of different shooting capabilities all with pretty little effort. What’s more is that DJI is boasting that the Osmo Mobile 2 can help you get the perfect panoramic shot as well, and while allowing you to put the phone in either landscape or portrait orientation before starting the shot so you get the picture to look just the way you want it to look. The handle is also more ergonomic than before and is made of a tough nylon material instead of the magnesium and plastic material used for the base on the original Osmo, which still helps it to stay strong and durable but also keep it from weighing as much, which is how DJI was able to bring the weight of the unit down to the above-mentioned 485 grams. Right now DJI hasn’t mentioned anything about a specific release date for the Osmo Mobile 2, but it is supposed to be launched sometime this Spring, so those who were either fans of the original Osmo Mobile or a different type of gimbal and are wanting to give this one a shot will have a few months to wait.
