DJI's dual-lens Osmo Pocket 4P brings D-Log2 and 240 fps slow motion to its gimbal camera. Image quality impresses, but some areas, such as zoom and remote handling, need work.
It's fair to say that the DJI Osmo Pocket 4P had a bit of a rocky release, with a confusing set of embargoes that lifted at different times around the world. The device is now available globally, though still not officially in the US, bringing with it dual lens/camera functionality, D-Log2, and 240 fps slow motion.
That said, the gimbal camera market is fast becoming one of the most hotly contested camera genres right now, and it's only going to get more intense in the coming years. So, how does the Pocket 4P stack up against increasingly intense competition in a space that DJI itself pioneered?
At first glance the Pocket 4P doesn't appear too much different to the standard Pocket 4 model, other than the addition of the twin lens setup. Look more closely however, and the differences become more apparent.
The 4P has some new buttons beneath the LCD display for adjusting the lens zoom factor, as well as a custom button. Annoyingly, these buttons are not usable when the LCD is in a vertical orientation, leaving you to operate some functions from the display itself.
Yes, I know some people still view vertical video as the work of the devil, but it is now essential in a world of social media.
The two cameras consist of a 1-inch type sensor on the main wide lens, and a 1/1.28" sensor on the 3x telephoto camera. Switching between the two is quick and easy when using the zoom button, although I do find the rocker switch on the Luna Ultra a bit more intuitive and flexible in comparison. One thing that's slightly odd though, is that when you cycle through the zoom states, it jumps immediately to the 3x zoom and then the 6x zoom, missing out the 2x option.
On the plus side, as per all DJI cameras, the user interface on the touch screen is responsive and easy to use. It's also consistent with other cameras in the DJI range, so if you can find your way around the company's other cameras, you'll have no issues here.
Unlike the Luna Ultra, the Pocket 4P doesn't offer an 8K video option, despite the fact that the 4P's sensors are more than capable of it. Although the full technical specifications are not known, I'm presuming that both cameras are using pixel binning, which allows a higher effective pixel pitch along with potentially a dual gain output functionality to help with dynamic range. While this isn't known for certain, it would explain why DJI has kept to a 4K output, so that all the benefits of the sensor can be put into the image rather than sacrificing some aspects just for a pixel count race.
The Pocket 4P comes with 103 GB of onboard storage, which is incredibly generous compared to the 47 GB on the Luna Ultra. With RAM prices as they are, it's actually quite surprising that DJI is installing such a high capacity while still keeping the price reasonable. Regardless, it'll receive no complaints here. The included storage on DJI's cameras has been a lifesaver for me on more than one occasion due to forgetting an SD card, or just running out of storage on one.
Slow motion is another of the current "arms races" amongst camera manufacturers. Just like the Pocket 4, the 4P offers 240 fps in 4K. The drawback is that unlike the 120 fps mode on the Luna Ultra, both 120 and 240 fps on the 4P are currently limited to using the camera's standard profile, with no log option available.
It's been rumored on the grapevine that DJI is looking at adding D-Log to the slow motion modes later in the year. I do hope this is the case, and preferably sooner rather than later.
The advantage of having two focal length choices on a gimbal camera really does open up a whole new world of creative possibilities. The 3x lens gives you the equivalent FOV to a 60mm lens on a full-frame camera, while the wide lens is the equivalent to a 20mm. So, you have two useful focal lengths straight out of the gates.
It's possible to further expand those focal length choices digitally by using the zoom function. The digital zoom isn't officially claimed to be "lossless" in terms of the 2x and 6x options, but they are effectively so, cropping in pixel for pixel onto the high resolution sensor.
My suspicion is that you will be losing some of the sensor's capabilities because of the 1:1 crop, but it does give you more options while shooting. If you desire, you can go up to a 12x digital zoom, but the image quality takes a noticeable hit when doing so.
Just as with the Luna Ultra, the Pocket 4P is capable of some amazing macro shots. The minimum focus distance of 20 cm (7.9 in) on the 3x lens and 9 cm (3.5 in) on the 1x lens means that in conjunction with the digital zoom you can get very creative with macro imagery.
One of the standout features of the Pocket 4P is the inclusion of the new D-Log2 logarithmic profile. More than anything about the camera, it's this that has caused the most buzz. With a claimed 17-stop dynamic range, it puts the 4P into Arri Alexa territory in some ways. Please don't @ me; I do realize that I'm talking about a highly compressed 10-bit image vs a large sensor raw capture cinema camera!
However, 17 stops is an enormous leap for consumer devices. There's just one rub. D-Log2 can only be used on the 1x lens. It's understandable that this is the case, due to the two different sensors on the camera having very different technical capabilities. But, it does cause some practical issues.
The first, and most obvious issue, is that if you want consistency when switching between lenses, your D-Log2 shots will need to be graded differently to your non D-Log2 images. The second is that the camera locks you out from using the zoom function when you're in D-Log2 mode. The result of that is that if you want to switch to the telephoto lens you need to go into the menu, switch back to standard D-Log, and then use the zoom.
It would be much more practical if it was possible for the camera to automatically switch to standard D-Log if you used the zoom button, and then switch back to D-Log2 when you go back to the 1x lens. As it is, it's just not practical for fast shooting if you need to capture a lot of different angles.
D-Log2 is undoubtedly impressive, but I don't think its true potential will be unlocked until both sensors on the camera are capable of the same dynamic range.
D-Log2 ungraded
D-Log2 + Rec.709 transform
D-Log2 in a high contrast situation
Just like the single lens Pocket 4, object and people tracking on the 4P is excellent. The Registered Subject option in particular ensures that if you're in a busy area the camera can be programmed to recognize you and keep locked onto you with both focus and tracking.
Registering yourself is easy. You simply go to the subject registration menu and allow the camera to capture an image of your face. You can register up to three people. You could even register yourself multiple times with different appearances. Lastly, the 4P can track groups of up to eight people, dynamically reframing the image as necessary.
When I use gimbal cameras like this, I'm often self shooting for vlogging purposes, and that usually requires setting the camera up from a slight distance if I'm not hand holding it. One of the features I love about the Luna Ultra is the detachable screen, because it allows me to set the camera up from a distance with full access to all the camera's settings.
The screen on the Pocket 4P isn't detachable, but there is an optional remote control available. Unfortunately, while it does allow you to change modes on the camera, change some parameters such as the gimbal tilt mode, and set up basic tracking and framing, it has some major limitations.
For one thing, you can't change the resolution and frame rate of the camera. You can't change any of the picture setup options either. So, if you need to switch between D-Log2 and standard D-Log, you will need to do this on the camera itself. The screen is also very small and difficult to view in outdoor sunshine. Lastly, you can't turn the camera on and off from the remote.
The detachable remote system on the Luna Ultra is one of the features I use a lot on that camera. I use it for self shooting, and I use it to help me frame product shots for review videos. So, it's a shame that the remote control on the 4P is limiting in comparison.
It might sound as if I've been rather negative about the 4P. The reality is that it is an incredibly capable camera from a technical standpoint. The image quality from it is outstanding, as you would come to expect. It's just that the practical implementation of some of its features could do with some improvement.
Competition in the gimbal camera space is intensifying, and given the popularity of these devices it's fast becoming the new "camera arms race." The direction in which devices like this are headed would point to them eventually replacing your mirrorless camera for many general video duties, if they haven't already got there to a degree.
As technology improves, I wouldn't be at all surprised to eventually see either an optical zoom or even an iris control appear before long. We've seen how the Action 6 implemented a micro-sized iris to ensure close focus for vlogging. It's certainly not beyond the realms of possibility to see one eventually included on a gimbal camera for more image control, too.
The Pocket 4P will make a great addition to existing DJI creators' kits, giving consistency of image across multiple devices. Some of the niggles I have with the camera can likely be solved with a firmware update, and DJI has a history of giving its cameras major new capabilities through such updates.
The Pocket 4P is available now worldwide apart from the US, priced from $619* / £529 / €599. Vlog combo is $699* / £605 / €689.
*US dollar price as listed in Canada. Grey market imports currently running at roughly +40%.