For the last couple of years, if you wanted a super portable camera to help you capture stills and video while travelling, you couldn’t really do better than the DJI Pocket. It was tiny, had a built-in gimbal, and support for 4K. Now, DJI has returned to give its pint-sized camcorder a big revamp with the DJI Pocket 2. The 4K should be better, and a new modular design could even fix some of our biggest complaints with the original.
While it might not look like much has changed on the outside, if you look at the bottom of the DJI Pocket 2, you’ll see a base plate that can be removed to reveal an expansion port for attaching various accessories. There’s a micro-tripod accessory for added stability, a wireless module, or the Do-It-All Handle that adds a tripod mount, support for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, a speaker, wireless micro receiver, and a 3.5mm audio jack. That kind of expandability helps address previous shortcomings of the original Pocket such as mediocre sound capture, and practically turns the DJI Pocket 2 into the world’s smallest vlogging kit.
[referenced id=”1142788″ url=”https://gizmodo.com.au/2018/12/dji-osmo-pocket-review/” thumb=”https://gizmodo.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/20/bspf0d5yp6zelkkodshp.jpg” title=”The DJI Osmo Pocket Feels Like The Camcorder Of The Future” excerpt=”We didn’t know what to think about the Osmo Pocket when DJI announced the device earlier this month. It’s basically a tiny drone camera and three-axis gimbal on a stick. There’s a little screen so you can see what you’re filming and some smart features that help you track subjects….”]
And even if you don’t opt for any add-ons, the Pocket 2 sports DJI’s new Matrix Audio system which is comprised of four built-in mics that can capture 360-degree sound and includes automatic sound tuning that can adjust for directional audio, reduce wind noise, track sound from a specific subject, and perform audio zoom-ins. We’re not sure how much it will improve audio quality, but those are a lot of big words that have us optimistic.
As for image quality, the DJI Pocket 2 features a larger 1/1.7-inch sensor (up from the 1/2.3-inch sensor on the original Pocket) that supports 4K/60fps video and stills at either 16-MP or 48-MP. On top of that, DJI’s hybrid AF 2.0 should deliver faster autofocus performance, with the Pocket 2 also supporting a 4x lossless zoom that can be expanded to an 8x digital zoom. And with a new 93-degree field of view, the Pocket 2’s 20mm f/1.8 lens is wider and faster than before as well. The Pocket 2 also has support for HDR video capture, though DJI says that feature won’t be available until sometime after release.
Finally, to help users capture better footage, the DJI Pocket 2 comes with a number of new and improved shooting modes including ActiveTrack 3.0 which lets you select a subject for the camera to automatically follow and keep in frame, slow-mo at up to 8x speed at 1080p, new panorama features, a gimbal lock setting (one of the most highly requested features for the previous Pocket), livestreaming directly to YouTube and Facebook, and more.
And with a price that starts at just $599 (available starting on November 1), you won’t have to shell out any more for the DJI Pocket 2 than you had to for the original Pocket when it launched back in 2018. That is, unless you want the full Creator Combo which includes the Pocket 2 along with a mini control stick, tripod mount, wide-angle lens, wireless mic plus windscreen, micro tripod, and the Do-It-All handle for $799.
Whether this upgrade to the camcorder of the future is worth it remains to be seen. So stay tuned for our review.