Gimbals mix stabilization with cinematic camera movement, but the mixture often creates a system that’s geared toward experienced users. That’s not the case, however, with the DJI OM 4. The three-axis gimbal that needs little balancing can have even novice users up and running — literally or figuratively — in only a couple of quick tutorial videos.
Designed from a corporation known for its drones, the DJI OM 4 is about quite taking the shake out. With Story mode, the OM 4 will even add cinematic camera movement with a couple of taps, while modes like Dynamic Zoom mimic advanced dolly zoom techniques. Gesture control with tracking even exposes the gimbal to be used by vloggers.
The DJI OM 4 creates the perfect blend between beginner-friendly features and advanced cinematic effects — but it’s almost perfect. As a photographer — not a videographer — I took DJI’s latest gimbal bent see just how newbie-friendly it's .
Specs and Features
The DJI OM 4 may be a three-axis motorized smartphone gimbal that has several tweaks from the previous version, including a stronger motor. It’s compatible with any phone that’s but 3.3 inches wide and 10.23 ounces, with an app for both iOS and Android. (I tested the OM 4 with an iPhone 11 Pro).
The gimbal offers an honest range of motion between roughly 333 degrees to 343 degrees on each of the three axes. The gimbal will stop panning once it reaches all the way around to the front of the gimbal handle, and it's a tilt range from about the sky to the bottom .
Beyond simply stabilizing video, the gimbal includes several different modes to help with creative shots. Follow mode will follow an individual or animal, and with gesture controls on, are often activated by putting your hand up, palm toward the camera. Sport mode is meant for using the gimbal while active.
One of my favorite aspects of the gimbal is that the different modes that simplify adding professional-looking camera motion. Inception mode will use the joystick to spin the camera rather than panning or tilting. Dynamic Zoom or Dolly Zoom zooms in or out but keeps the topic within the same position, changing the background instead. Hyperlapses and timelapses also are included, also as panoramas, including an choice to clone yourself in one photo.
Design
The DJI OM 4 uses two different mount options — a skinny metal plate that stays permanently fixed to the device or a removable smartphone clamp. DJI says that the plate is quicker and doesn’t need rebalancing, but shouldn’t be used over a case. I used the clamp option.
The spring-loaded clamp was impressively still ready to grab onto and balance my iPhone 11 Pro with its case. The clamp, however, does got to be perfectly aligned to urge the horizon straight. I regularly needed to nudge one side of the clamp to urge the phone perfectly balanced. The app also houses an option for re-balancing the gimbal for phones that are skewed to at least one side even with a correct alignment, and can likely be necessary to use accessories like add-on lenses.
Once the clamp or plate is in situ , mounting the smartphone to the gimbal is as simple as lining up the 2 dots on each magnet. I occasionally needed to tweak the position of the clamp once mounted to urge an ideal balance.
The handle offers an ergonomic design that puts almost every control within easy reach. The front houses the joystick for re-directing the gimbal, a record button, and a mode button that both switches between video and stills and from vertical to horizontal orientation. Near the tip of the thumb sits a zoom toggle at the side of the handle — I could just barely reach this control without adjusting my whole hand and users with small hands might not quite like that button placement.
At the rear is that the trigger to lock the gimbal in one direction. Two taps on the trigger re-centers the gimbal, while three taps switches to the front-facing camera inside the DJI app.
After recording, the highest arm of the gimbal folds down on itself, shortening the general height of the gimbal. At roughly 6.5 inches tall folded, the sole pocket it'll slot in are oversized coat packets or cargo pants, but will only add about 14 ounces of weight to a bag. The gimbal also ships with an optional folding tripod base for using the gimbal on a tabletop.
The DJI App: A cameraman in your hands
The controls on the gimbal still carried over to the iPhone’s native camera app — but the gimbal’s best features are tucked inside the DJI Mimo app. From in-app tutorials to automating camera tricks, the app is impressively well-built and straightforward to use. The initial app set-up was simple and didn’t accompany the headaches that some Bluetooth devices cause on the primary connection.
For the foremost part, the app helps beginners start quickly. Mimo launches with a built-in tutorial that walked me through the various controls and shortcuts. Then, once I inevitably forgot exactly where those controls were, I could head to the tutorial section for a fast refresher.
The main portion of the app, however, is that the camera mode. Much of the choices and controls feel a bit like using the essential camera app on my iPhone, including a mode slider underneath the record button and therefore the same tap to focus and slide to regulate exposure.
Story mode was my favorite a part of the whole app — and that i very rarely actually share social media Stories. The feature creates different motion effects using the gimbal that I wouldn’t otherwise skills to capture, then puts everything together into an edited, easily shareable clip, complete with music. The feature is both an excellent thanks to create highlight clips for straightforward sharing, and for producing professional-looking video effects without actually knowing the way to shoot or edit them.
The Story shortcut from inside the camera mode allows you to shoot and edit a video at an equivalent time. during this mode, the app and gimbal work together to automatically create short, edited videos with motion effects supported the template that you simply choose. for instance , the gimbal can create a 360 video pan, add tilt effects, or create motion blur between cuts with fast gimbal movement.
The app will count until recording starts, then automatically move the gimbal to make the effect. the method is repeated for every clip within the template. Some templates use camera tricks, while others simply add music, text, and filters. The custom template option allows you to customize the camera movement (but, unfortunately, not factors just like the length of the clip). Stories are often saved as drafts, so you'll shoot the clips at different times of the day.
Accessing the Stories from the house page — rather than the camera mode — edits video that you’ve already shot with templates that include clip transitions, music, filters, and text. While it doesn’t add the camera effects for you, this is often the mode that you simply would want to use if recording a once-in-a-lifetime shot, since the shooting mode counts down and stops after a couple of seconds, counting on the template that you simply choose.
My only complaint on the app is that I wish Stories would do even more, including longer videos and custom clip length. When using Stories in selfie mode, a number of the motions also are reversed during a way that doesn’t always add up , like tilting the camera down rather than up when using the front camera.
Ease of Use
As a photographer and not a videographer, I can count the amount of gimbals that I’ve tried on one hand. Yet, the OM 4 was easy to leap in and begin using directly . At an equivalent time, the OM 4 dumbs down more advanced camera tricks enough for nearly anyone to shoot, because of the app’s built-in tutorials and different modes.
For basic operation, i used to be up and running after just a couple of minutes of fooling around . The gimbal’s stabilization is superb — I used the OM 4 rollerblading and even while jogging backward with excellent results.
The OM 4’s ability to follow a topic ahead of the camera is sweet , though almost perfect. With one subject staying ahead of the gimbal, like for vlogging or creating tutorial videos, the gimbal’s performance is superb . The gimbal has trouble following subjects that move to the side of the gimbal, well before the pan limit is reached, however. When tracking people, the gimbal did sometimes switch and follow a special person.
That’s to not say a touch of practice and time spent with the gimbal isn’t beneficial. The gimbal has different shortcuts using an equivalent button and that i had to shoot with it a couple of times to recollect all of them, like that one click of the mode button changes the mode from photo to video, two clicks changes from vertical to horizontal, and three switches to standby mode.
With a couple of tutorials, i used to be up and shooting with just a touch of practice. Accessing the more advanced modes, however, took more patience in large part because they aren’t organized during a single spot. Many of the advanced shooting modes are located within the mode dial on rock bottom of the screen within the camera mode. But, to activate Inception mode and spin the camera, for instance , you've got to travel into the settings and alter the follow mode.
Others aren’t even a labeled button in the least or maybe a part of the first in-app tutorials — entering underslung mode, for shooting low angles, is activated by tipping the gimbal upside-down. Low slung mode, entered by holding the trigger and tilting the gimbal forward, didn’t work for me; I couldn’t adjust the angle of the smartphone to shoot anything but the ground .
The OM 4 also wasn’t very third-party tripod friendly. While I had no issues using the included tripod, once I used a full-height tripod, I saw a couple of challenges. In Story mode, a number of the automated movements shook the camera, an odd error that didn’t repeat when using on the included tripod. Tightening the tripod screw mount helped, but didn’t eliminate the difficulty . The patterned ridges on rock bottom of the gimbal also tore off a number of the grip on my tripod’s mounting plate.
Our Take
The DJI OM 4 isn’t just a smartphone gimbal — it’s a tool that adds cinematic moves for even novice users. The well-designed app, easy mounting system, plethora of shooting modes, and portable design makes the gimbal simultaneously simple and leading edge , a mixture that’s near impossible to try to to well.
While the DJI OM 4 is eons before the gimbals the corporate was creating just a couple of years ago, it’s not perfect. The modes might be better organized and a couple of of the more advanced features require some digging. I couldn’t get the low angle shooting modes to figure well, follow mode didn’t use the complete pan range, and therefore the OM 4 didn’t play nice with a third-party tripod.
Is there a far better alternative?
Smartphone gimbals are getting more common — and there’s a touch of competition. None, however, seem to be quite as beginner-friendly because the no-balancing design and intuitive app of the OM 4. The Zhiyun Smooth 4 may be a bit cheaper but actually has more advanced controls. Advanced users will just like the focus dial also because the other physical and app-based controls, but beginners could also be more intimidated by the extras.
How long will it last?
The DJI OM 4 already prompted us to download a firmware update, an honest sign that the OM 4 will still see new improvements via software.
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