DJI Osmo Mobile 2

So I bit the bullet and bought an expensive gimbal! I was hesitant about getting one, especially at this price point, but my phone video footage was so shaky and rough I just knew I needed to step it up a level with a good gimbal. I watched a lot of reviews before choosing this gimbal, my criteria and thoughts are:Carry case - an expensive item such as this which is sensitive to being bashed around needs a god case. This comes with a hard foam case for protection. The case doesn't have any carry handles but fits easily into a backpack and holds the gimbal in a good position.Battery life - I'm yet to drain the battery. I did a full day of filming at Stonehenge and the battery was still over half full. No complaints there. Charge time is fairly quick - certainly not something I've noticed enough to be concerned by.Android compatibility - I initially thought that the app has one major flaw for me. I couldn't choose my external storage for the video files which meant it fills up very quickly and stops recording! A google search told me that it wasn't possible. However I since discovered it just is really un-obvious how you do it. To set the SD card as the storage you go into Settings, Camera, Click to change storage location and then it appears to show you some instructions, what wasn't obvious is that at the very bottom of the 'instructions' there is a button which you click. You then select the root of the SD card and it does the rest.The app - You can use the native camera app and still get the benefit of a nice smooth gimbal, however you will not then have access to the additional functions on the gimbal controller (pan, tilt, zoom and record start/stop). The app lets you record up to 4k on my Samsung S7. Its got great functions such as object tracking, slow motion and various gimbal modes. The only downside so far is the stuttery zoom - this may be asking too much from my phone and perhaps a more powerful phone would help. You can't expect everything from a phone! So I'm not marking the gimbal down on this count.... and anyway, it would only be a digital zoom which I could always do post production.Smooth video! - the gimbal is brilliant for creating nice smooth video for panoramic shots and recording while walking. The pan/tilt control is over sensitive and takes some getting used to. I suspect that if I could use the app then I might have control over how sensitive it is, but I can't use the app as explained above.Ease of use - the setup is very easy, you just have two thumb screws to loosen and position the phone until it balances correctly. As soon as I power the gimbal on it connects to my phone almost instantly and positions itself. If it was slow at this point it would be really annoying if you quickly wanted to deploy it, so I'm very pleased with this part. If you want to see some video, head over to Henry's Hysterical History on Youtube to see some of the videos shot using this, specifically the Stonehenge one in comparison to the caernarfon castle one which didn't use a gimbal.

I chose the DJI because it seemed the most compatible for android and also appeared simple to use. I make basic vlogs and so I wanted something I could use straight out of the box and not have to learn a great deal to start.The Osmo was a perfect choice, I managed to get it set up, balanced and connected to the DJI app fairly easily and went straight out to test it on the move. The difference between my old method of vlogging with a selfie stick and now using the gimbal is incredible. So much smoother and more professional looking. I also don't need to keep checking that I am in still in shot. The ability to track is also really great. I had a practice using it hands-free and even when running it followed me pretty well.The handle is really nice to hold and doesn't strain my hands and its not too heavy either. I've been using it for a few days now and haven't had to charge it yet which I am rather surprised about.The Osmo, paired with the app, has the ability to do so much, I'm only beginning to learn but already the quality of my vlogs is so much better. I shall be giving it a test run at Glastonbury next week!If you want something that's quick and easy to set up, simple to understand and start filming straight away with, then this is the one!

Brilliant. But WON'T work with Huawei 20 X even though it is within specSad not to be able to use but even though it's within weight & dimensions, the OSMO just cannot be balanced to accommodate. Shame DJI don't state this

Paired with a Samsung S8 and Filmic Pro you see immediately this favors the iPhone more. The Samsung's ear phone/mic jack is annoyingly on one of the gripping areas, but you can work with it. It still works fine and provides excellent smooth stable footage that even a 10 year old can achieve. Setting up once you understand the procedure can be quick and effortless if you have a table /flat surface to hand to get the right balance. One issue I did have though was the time from turning on to acquiring the Bluetooth signal. This could take as long as a minute and sometimes not at all. "Run and Gun" it most definitely isn't. But if you have the time to set up a shot, maybe a planned walk and get connection the resulting footage looks great and I'm sure in hands that have more time on them, more subtle and professional results can be achieved. Comes with it's own storage case which is nice. Good cheap gimbal that can transform what would be unwatchable shaky cam into something usable.

My videos have hugely improved thanks to this gadget. It's taken my videos to a whole new level. You can have some great fun with the osmo. I'm not particularly good with technology but I found this simple and straightforward to set up and start using.The only issue I've had so far with it is due to my phone being quite small (Sony ZX1 compact). The camera just shows a little of one of the motors in the bottom corner of the screen at times. This probably won't be a problem with the vast majority of phones but just beware if your phone is as small as mine.Overall an amazing product. I love the results.

The media could not be loaded. Used it for 6 months, no issues at all even jammed into a backpack it still works fine. Only one complaint is that the app for the gimbal, wich is really great, drains your battery about twice as fast which is annoying and means I carry a battery pack but other than that it’s super light weight and works great