Administrators Andrew Reid Posted December 27, 2015 Administrators Share Posted December 27, 2015 As part of a review I am writing for Mac Format magazine (out in the UK January 19th, issue 296) I had an OSMO sent. I couldn't resist having some fun with it, here are my first impressions of the 'steadicam on a stick'.Read the full article maxotics 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinegain Posted December 27, 2015 Share Posted December 27, 2015 Too bad about the bouncing... did you try the Dexter walk* at all?Some shots were really effective though, especially when turning and/or tilting. The walking around itself just didn't really work for me.Which camera unit was attached here? The X3? I don't see any article/mini review up quite yet? Ah, now it's up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Andrew Reid Posted December 27, 2015 Author Administrators Share Posted December 27, 2015 Yes X3. It handles turning superbly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Hughes Posted December 27, 2015 Share Posted December 27, 2015 I've played around with the OSMO a fair bit as well. Very fun and simple to use. It's extreme lightness is a double-edges sword - you can shoot forever without getting tired, but it makes the vertical bounce even harder to get rid of. This isn't a new issue, however, as steadicam operators spend years perfecting the technique of eliminating vertical bounce. Good technique and practice will always be necessary.While it's nice being able to monitor off the phone, the quality of the image is very hard to judge. Insane macro-blocking and other issues arise from streaming real-time 4k video to a smartphone. This issue won't be news to drone users. The integrated cell-phone holder is nice, but doesn't work well with bulkier cases. I have a mophie case (built in-battery backup), and I've had the phone slip out of the holder a few times. I have to take my phone out of the case for it to fit snugly in the holder, which is a little worrisome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richg101 Posted December 27, 2015 Share Posted December 27, 2015 I'm in awe. The motion is ground breaking, I actually love the robotic look, and it suites this piece amazingly. I love how the system handles all of those tricky lights. Maybe one of the most interesting aesthetics I;ve seen and one that's begging to be used as a pov camera for a robot character like Jonny Five Andrew Reid 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Andrew Reid Posted December 27, 2015 Author Administrators Share Posted December 27, 2015 Yeah Terminator POV shots, this camera is made for that. Totally interested in putting it to good use in a robotic first person perspective short!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AaronChicago Posted December 27, 2015 Share Posted December 27, 2015 I'm impressed. Best single hand gimbal footage I've seen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fuzzynormal Posted December 28, 2015 Share Posted December 28, 2015 I've used it. Fun stuff. Not my cup 'o tea for everyday work, but I'd turn to one to use for something special if the narrative I was building required it.One can minimize the bounce by smooth-walking and putting weights on the wrists or sum'such. That's a simple technique that'll go far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oliver Daniel Posted December 28, 2015 Share Posted December 28, 2015 I've got the DJI Ronin-M. I'd describe it as a very sexy girlfriend who you have lots of arguments with. It's a bit too heavy for long use. Works really well with the A7S II IBIS with 24-70 f4, pretty much eliminates the bounce. Thumb controller is ok. Had a BeSteady before (now the ACR Plus). Very nice organic movement (actually better than the Ronin for that), but would regularly act like a dying crab. The pistol grip is definitely the way forward, but the market needs to mature first. Bit too early. Blackmagic Micro would be a very interesting camera on a pistol grip!Everyone will have these in a few years - of course it will all come down to creativity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Andrew Reid Posted December 28, 2015 Author Administrators Share Posted December 28, 2015 Yep Blackmagic Micro would be the perfect camera head for the OSMO.In a way it is a shame DJI have gone down the path of making their own cameras, I'd have liked to have been able to put a GM1 or GoPro on the OSMO instead of the X3. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DBounce Posted December 28, 2015 Share Posted December 28, 2015 Love the Osmo for what it is. It's a way to augment your kit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garug Posted December 28, 2015 Share Posted December 28, 2015 The follow settings are not quite optimal and takes some practise to use the gimbal, but other than that I like the video and there is couple of interesting angles and views. The Ferris wheel took me some time to figure what is going on ;).For sure this is a product that will make people aware of gimbals and hopefully they find also the alternatives, here is a gimbal under development for BMMCC vimeo.com/150123373 (but still waiting for the BMMCC) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Ma Posted December 29, 2015 Share Posted December 29, 2015 Great video Andrew. You actually incorporated the Osmo bounce and added to the energy of the video.In other applications though, I really think DJI unnecessarily put effort into trying to smooth out the vertical axis by playing with the pitch. It creates like a bouncy effect that's not organic making the walking motion looking unnatural. I always felt walking with 3-axis gimbals looked fine because it gave you a sense of walking. Without another (4th) axis to stabilize the vertical, it would never look like you were on a slider anyway. But trying to smooth it out the bumps when you're walking to make it a smoother up and down motion was a bad idea by DJI. With that said, in the right hands, you have demonstrated you can use anything and make it a plus.Edit: After a second thought, I think the Osmo bounce may be more prevalent than bounce from a traditional gimbal due to its light weight, not pitch accommodations. If that was the case, DJI should have put at least 4x the battery to add to the weight. It would kill 2 large birds with one stone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DBounce Posted December 29, 2015 Share Posted December 29, 2015 Great video Andrew. You actually incorporated the Osmo bounce and added to the energy of the video.In other applications though, I really think DJI unnecessarily put effort into trying to smooth out the vertical axis by playing with the pitch. It creates like a bouncy effect that's not organic making the walking motion looking unnatural. I always felt walking with 3-axis gimbals looked fine because it gave you a sense of walking. Without another (4th) axis to stabilize the vertical, it would never look like you were on a slider anyway. But trying to smooth it out the bumps when you're walking to make it a smoother up and down motion was a bad idea by DJI. With that said, in the right hands, you have demonstrated you can use anything and make it a plus.Edit: After a second thought, I think the Osmo bounce may be more prevalent than bounce from a traditional gimbal due to its light weight, not pitch accommodations. If that was the case, DJI should have put at least 4x the battery to add to the weight. It would kill 2 large birds with one stone.Indeed, battery life on the Osmo is terrible. I would have love to get 2+ hours, but usually we are closer to 40 minutes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amanieux Posted December 31, 2015 Share Posted December 31, 2015 the phones we have in our pockets (we geeks have recent phones) are 1/2.6"-1/2.3" f1.8-f2.0 4k cameras with optical stabilization, in such low light should be better than the 1/2.3" f2.8 of the osmo so why don't we just buy a $150 3axis phone stabilizer http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1072867-REG/ikan_x3_x3_xtreme_handheld_gimbal.html ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robzy Posted December 31, 2015 Share Posted December 31, 2015 the phones we have in our pockets (we geeks have recent phones) are 1/2.6"-1/2.3" f1.8-f2.0 4k cameras with optical stabilization, in such low light should be better than the 1/2.3" f2.8 of the osmo so why don't we just buy a $150 3axis phone stabilizer http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1072867-REG/ikan_x3_x3_xtreme_handheld_gimbal.html ?Interesting point.I shot with the Osmo the other week and it was great fun to play with. The 4k footage was quite good, but I found the 1080 was very average (even the 120fps). I did a few tests with jumping and running - the results were better when you held the trigger down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amanieux Posted December 31, 2015 Share Posted December 31, 2015 Interesting point.I shot with the Osmo the other week and it was great fun to play with. The 4k footage was quite good, but I found the 1080 was very average (even the 120fps). I did a few tests with jumping and running - the results were better when you held the trigger down.also as the osmo will be used 99% of the time with a phone attached to frame your shoot, the total footprint osmo+phone is bigger than the footprint phone+ikan x3 gimbal (and for those who don't already have a 4k phone the one-plus-one phone is only $250 with 1/3" f2.0, it should be similar in low light to osmo, total price one-plus-one+ikan x3= $400, cheaper and more versatile as camera software on android evolves fast (we already have a 200mbit/s h264 4k with manual settings free android app)) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fritz Pierre Posted January 4, 2016 Share Posted January 4, 2016 Hi Andrew...what picture profile did you use? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Andrew Reid Posted January 4, 2016 Author Administrators Share Posted January 4, 2016 The flat one. Not quite LOG but better than Rec 709. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boxtree Posted January 4, 2016 Share Posted January 4, 2016 Hi, I am looking to add stabilisation/gimbal type shots to my family movies, to follow the kids riding bikes and running around etc. Dont want to spend a small fortune so was looking at the DJI Osmo or a 3-axis gimbal (Fei-yu / Ikan) to use with my Iphone 6S, or possibly even a Olympus EM5ii as I have friend selling one at roughly the same price as a Osmo.What would you learned Ladies and Gentlemen on the forum recommend?I would but cutting the footage with my GH4Boxtree. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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