It’s been an thrilling few weeks for photography-gear fanatics, with product-announcement rumors coming in from each path. However amongst all of the hypothesis, as you would possibly already know, DJI has formally entered the 360-degree-camera market with the launch of the Osmo 360.
This daring transfer is greater than only a new product launch; it’s a big step from an organization that has formed the way in which we seize visuals with drones. It additionally challenges the 360-degree-camera market and (hopefully) pushes product innovation to a better top, benefiting customers.
Construct High quality
My first impression when selecting up the Osmo 360 is that it feels remarkably stable within the hand. There’s a reassuring density for such a compact digicam. Weighing simply 183 g with dimensions of 61 mm × 36.3 mm × 81 mm, it’s very pocket‑ready, so I wouldn’t thoughts together with it as a enjoyable on a regular basis‑carry—simply in case the chance to border one thing fascinating arises. Being a 360 digicam, I consider it as sitting on the excessive finish—a specialist digicam or a “enjoyable‑to‑go” digicam. Whether or not you deliver it with a powerful capturing objective in thoughts or under no circumstances, both works—and its compact type issue encourages it to return out always.
As with all 360 cameras, the twin fisheye lenses on the Osmo 360 are its most susceptible elements. They protrude prominently from the physique to realize that full‑spherical area of view, which additionally means they’re always uncovered to potential injury. Utilizing the digicam with care is crucial, and it’s good apply to maintain the protecting rubber lens cowl on each time it’s not in use. In case you favor higher, all‑time safety, DJI additionally provides clear lens protectors that you would be able to depart on throughout capturing, including peace of thoughts. Simply be certain that the corresponding setting is enabled within the menu to make sure correct picture stitching. It’s additionally value noting that the Osmo 360’s lenses aren’t simply consumer‑replaceable, so severe injury may imply a full service. On the upside, I discovered the lens coating holds up nicely towards fingerprints, lowering the necessity for fixed cleansing throughout common dealing with.
Whereas the construct high quality usually feels glorious, the digicam physique feels a bit too quick for a correct grip. It’s not probably the most pure to carry naked‑handed, and when used with out some type of extension, you could end up pinching it awkwardly. I’d say it requires two‑hand operation for security. However then once more, this isn’t actually designed for handheld use. I think the broader, shorter physique design caters to a broader horizontal preview display whereas conserving measurement compact and sustaining battery compatibility with the DJI Osmo Motion 5 Professional. It’s a small design compromise for an even bigger profit. For these preferring a extra compact setup with out a selfie stick, I discovered a price‑environment friendly answer: mounting a generic small tripod for simpler gripping and fast setup.
Buttons are clicky, agency, and responsive, although I personally discover the shutter button barely stiff when handheld with out equipment. However these stable buttons make sense to stop unintentional recording—particularly in a bag. You possibly can entry on the spot recording even when the Osmo 360 is powered off. Press the shutter button, and it begins recording instantly; when you cease, the digicam shuts down inside three seconds. Observe the moment‑recording perform defaults to the final capturing mode used earlier than energy‑off. Startup time can be spectacular—almost instantaneous if not too long ago used. I think DJI applied a deep‑sleep mode fairly than full shutdown, enabling fast wake‑ups; the digicam totally powers off solely after longer inactivity.
The Osmo 360 is constructed to thrive in excessive circumstances; it has an IP68 waterproof ranking, may be submerged as much as 10 m underwater, and might report for over 1.5 hours—even in temperatures as little as −20 °C (−4 °F). Regardless of the ranking, DJI doesn’t advocate lengthy‑time period underwater capturing or use in environments with excessive water‑influence strain—seemingly a precaution round seals and temperature. I haven’t personally stress‑examined these circumstances, so I can’t converse to lengthy‑time period underwater sturdiness. That stated, all ports and slots are nicely‑sealed with rubber gaskets, and the development feels stable.
Battery entry makes use of a twin‑locking sliding mechanism for additional safety. The micro SD card slot is contained in the battery compartment, which makes removing difficult with out eradicating the battery. I might have most popular it behind the USB‑C port door—it will make file transfers a lot less complicated. That stated, you may switch recordsdata through USB‑C, so until your card is full and desires substitute, there’s little must take away it.
On the underside, you’ll additionally discover the magnetic fast‑launch mount—appropriate with DJI’s Osmo Motion accent system—and a normal 1/4‑inch thread for broader mounting choices to simply swap between immersive 360° photographs and single‑lens selfie vlogging.
Options
One headline‑grabbing innovation of the Osmo 360 is its business‑first sq. sensor—a sensible engineering selection value consideration. As an alternative of utilizing a traditional 4:3 rectangular sensor and cropping unused areas, DJI rethought sensor geometry by trimming it to a 1:1 sq. format, leading to a extra environment friendly 1/1.1‑inch efficient sensor that retains the advantages of a full 1‑inch sensor whereas bettering dynamic vary and low‑mild picture high quality because of successfully bigger 2.4 μm pixels. It might sound technical, however in layman’s phrases: DJI preserved a lot of the usable sensor floor whereas reducing waste, lowering energy consumption as a bonus.
With twin 1‑inch sensors and an f/1.9 aperture, the Osmo 360 performs noticeably nicely in low mild. Whereas it’s not on par with a mirrorless digicam, footage holds up with sturdy element, balanced publicity, and minimal noise—even in much less‑than‑ideally suited lighting. The digicam claims 13.5 stops of dynamic vary, which is spectacular given its sensor measurement.
Because of the environment friendly sq. HDR sensor, the Osmo 360 can report as much as 100 minutes at 8K/30 fps on a single cost. For a small 360 digicam pushing such excessive decision, that’s exceptional battery administration. It displays how the re‑engineered sensor boosts picture high quality and helps cut back energy consumption throughout demanding shoots.
For extra energy, the Osmo 360 works with DJI’s Battery Extension Rod—it doubles runtime and prices the digicam throughout lengthy shoots, like timelapses. With it, you may function the digicam with out the battery inserted, which can help cooling—however I don’t advocate it, since unintentional disconnection stops operation. In my expertise, prolonged battery life through the rod eliminated my energy nervousness and even added prolonged management buttons on the grip. I think that if the rod battery totally drains, grip controls could cease—however thus far, it hasn’t reached that time. One caveat: the grip can present barely in body, so that you’ll need consciousness of your setup.
That stated, the digicam does get noticeably heat after round 20 minutes of steady 8K recording, which is regular contemplating that it doesn’t have any vents for cooling. Whereas this has not brought about operational points in my expertise, it’s one thing to control for prolonged shoots in humid environments the place airflow is proscribed. There’s additionally 105 GB of inner storage, which I feel is a sensible addition that may function a backup to maintain the digicam operating even once we overlook our microSD card or when it runs out of house. File switch is equally environment friendly when utilizing the included USB-C to USB-C PD cable (USB 3.1), which helps speeds as much as 600 MB/s.
The digicam additionally provides a full suite of inventive capturing modes catering to varied capturing circumstances: 4K as much as 100fps panoramic video, 120 MP 360° photographs, single-lens video of 5K as much as 60fps 4:3, hyperlapse, and time-lapse modes. Options like Gesture and Voice Management, HorizonSteady, RockSteady 3.0, GyroFrame, and clever monitoring present ease of use whereas nonetheless providing exact management over footage. The Osmo 360 additionally helps seamless back and front lens switching when filming in a single-lens mode for vlogging-style footage, and due to the combination of the DJI ecosystem, it permits the Osmo 360 to pair with the DJI Mic 2 or Mic Mini for wi-fi audio recording with out a bodily receiver.
For creators who work throughout platforms, the Osmo 360 integrates nicely into DJI’s present ecosystem. Footage may be imported and edited through the DJI Mimo app or the extra superior desktop app, DJI Studio. In the meantime, for many who use Adobe Premiere Professional, DJI additionally provides a plugin catering to extra skilled workflows. This ecosystem integration pushes the envelope of what a standard 360 digicam can do.
Actual-World Utilization and Examples
What I take pleasure in most about utilizing the Osmo 360 is the way it adjustments the way in which I take into consideration image-making. It’s not about chasing good picture high quality or conventional framing—it’s about creating freely and experimenting in ways in which break boundaries. With a digicam this small and versatile, you cease worrying in regards to the typical guidelines and begin considering when it comes to spatial prospects, motion, and placement. It permits us to discover angles and views that may be tough or unimaginable with typical gear. For instance, suspending the digicam a number of meters up with the two.5 m selfie stick vastly expands its usability—simply pay attention to your environment when doing that. The shift in mindset away from technical precision and towards spontaneous creation is the place the true power of this digicam lies.
I might not have believed that that is all it’s good to begin content material creation—a compact 360° digicam (Osmo 360) able to filming all angles and a wi-fi mic (DJI Mic Mini) able to receiving good audio. Including their respective charging instances offers you adequate energy for prolonged hours of filming. Its ease of operation makes it a fairly clear gadget, outputting the thought we have now in our mind with no boundaries. Being such a compact measurement additionally makes it ideally suited for putting in tight or uncommon places—excessive angles, low flooring photographs, poles, corners. The Osmo 360’s 2-inch touchscreen is dependable and vibrant sufficient to preview framing even in backlit circumstances, making it a standalone gadget. Whereas operation management with the app will not be vital, it’s extremely really helpful for simpler and extra seamless management, particularly when the digicam is in an inconvenient location. My favourite means of utilizing the digicam is with the battery extension rod, because it permits me to regulate the digicam from an prolonged size whereas not needing to depend on the app.
Being a photographer first, I gravitated towards testing the picture capabilities, particularly when it’s such a small and unassuming digicam. Regardless of being a digicam that breaches boundaries, the outcomes gave me blended emotions. The uncooked output from the single-lens 12 MP picture mode with normal POV appears to be like underwhelming, similar to a smartphone output from greater than a decade in the past. I think that is because of the large cropping from a 180° fisheye view to a “regular” view and edge stretching, which causes extreme lack of picture high quality. That is additionally in all probability why the single-lens 30 MP wide-angle mode fares barely higher. There’s additionally a noticeable shutter lag, and no strategy to set the main focus level. Whereas it’s not often wanted for a digicam this extensive, focus shifts are fairly seen with nearer topics. Whereas the picture from the single-lens mode could depart room to enhance, the 120 MP 360° picture is fairly good with no bizarre publicity variance and no apparent stitching error if there are not any close-up topics, although they’re solely obtainable in JPEG format. That stated, there’s nonetheless one thing liberating about photographing with such a digicam. Whereas it was not designed for it, it removes some strain from the inventive course of and invitations experimentation we’d usually keep away from, even when the outcomes are imperfect.
Photos shot with Osmo 360 utilizing the one lens mode.
Now let’s discuss video, which is the place I feel the power of the Osmo 360 lies, because the expertise is way extra refined. The Osmo 360 is the primary 360-degree digicam able to recording 8K as much as 50fps panoramic video. Not like conventional video cameras, having excessive decision is vital in 360-degree video as you’ll seemingly conform the video right into a 2D video, previewing a small part of all the body, successfully dropping most of its decision. Even with 8K decision, I discovered myself wanting extra decision after conforming the video. The video from the single-lens mode at 5K decision is usable, although it might look a bit of glowy, which some could like for the “cinematic” look. I discovered the 4:3 format on the single-lens video fairly helpful, particularly if attempting to match the open-gate video output from, say, the Panasonic GH6. Personally, the low-light video efficiency is okay, however I might not movie with ISO above 3200, with ISO 6400 and 12800 for emergency use solely.
Colours of the video are good straight out of the digicam, even with auto white steadiness, probably helped by the 10-bit coloration recording. Recording in D-Log M profile is extremely really helpful, as I discovered the colours barely higher than normal profile after conversion, whereas additionally preserving all of the dynamic vary for put up flexibility. Exposing for 360-degree footage may be difficult because of the excessive tonal vary between vibrant skies and shaded floor, however with some publicity compensation, the sensor handles it nicely. Whereas some customers report that the Osmo 360 overheats, it didn’t occur to me, as I used to be in a position to repeatedly report for 1 hour 23 minutes with round 800 MB left within the built-in reminiscence earlier than I drained the battery. I did have the auto turn-off show setting on, and I used to be recording 8K/30fps at room temperature.
Whereas I often dislike recording in Auto mode, I discovered usability benefits baked into Auto mode with the Osmo 360. It transitions easily between publicity ranges in high-contrast scenes. The anti-motion blur function, which manages undesirable movement blur, is barely obtainable in Auto mode. I additionally discovered the RockSteady digital picture stabilization when recording within the single-lens mode to be good—simply be certain that your shutter pace is excessive sufficient to get sufficient frames for compensation. Nevertheless, I might keep away from Endurance Mode, as there’s a noticeable compromise on picture high quality in low-light circumstances in change for some battery life.
Until I’m planning to make a time-lapse that covers an prolonged interval, I favor capturing in Hyperlapse mode over Time-Lapse mode. The digicam’s Time-Lapse mode solely outputs video in a normal compressed profile, with no entry to the person uncooked or JPEG pictures or D-Log M profile. Hyperlapse, then again, retains the flat profile for flexibility in put up however at the price of not getting sufficient natural movement blur for slower topic motion, as you can not drag the shutter sufficient, and probably a heavier toll on the battery as it’s always recording the footage to be sped up later.
The 105 GB inner storage feels ample for my utilization, and I by no means felt the necessity to have a microSD card. For prolonged filming the place you don’t have any entry to your pc, it’s endorsed to have expandable storage so you may shortly swap playing cards when full. Regardless of not utilizing a microSD card, transferring the footage out of the digicam is straightforward and quick. Take note the digicam should be powered on to provoke the file switch, and utilizing the offered USB 3.1 Kind-C knowledge cable is really helpful. The largest weak point is the file format by which the video is saved. As I primarily edit movies in DaVinci Resolve, I used to be not in a position to import the OSV file format from the Osmo 360 with out first changing it with DJI Studio v1.0.2. The conversion time may be lengthy—it took me nearly an hour to export a complete of 9 minutes of panoramic video of various body charges. Observe that there’s a plugin for Adobe Premiere Professional, however I couldn’t take a look at whether or not it reads the OSV format immediately as I don’t personal the software program.
For many who get the Journey Combo, the Osmo Motion Multifunctional Battery Case 2 might be my favourite accent DJI has made. It conveniently shops and prices your additional batteries and likewise doubles as an influence financial institution, although DJI doesn’t formally promote that performance—I’ve examined it, and it really works. Lastly, an unofficial tip for many who run out of energy when filming and are determined: you may proceed filming with USB-C charging, however remember the fact that because the protecting flap is open, the digicam is now not waterproof.
Abstract
What I Preferred
Versatile 360-degree standpoint with video recording of 8K/50fps and 120 MP photographs
10-bit coloration and D-Log M video recording
105 GB of built-in inner storage
Compact measurement and lightweight weight
Entry to fast on the spot recording even when powered down
Sensible Multifunctional Battery Case 2 for handy battery storage and charging, additionally performing as an emergency energy financial institution
DJI ecosystem integration, together with compatibility with DJI wi-fi mics, DJI Osmo Motion 5 Professional battery sharing, and mounting equipment
Nice usability and consumer expertise
What May Be Improved
microSD card slot place
No replaceable lenses
The protecting pouch doesn’t match the digicam with the rubber lens protector on
Recording format within the OSV file, which is difficult to edit and consider on non-proprietary software program
Photograph high quality on the 12 MP single-lens picture mode
No guide focus level choice
Shutter lag reduces responsiveness in picture mode
Time-lapse doesn’t output particular person uncooked pictures
Closing Ideas
It was arduous to search out severe faults with the Osmo 360. There are a number of quirks and limitations, however none hinder usability or have an effect on its operation in attaining its inventive potential. Regardless of protecting a lot, I felt I used to be barely scratching the floor of what’s attainable with this digicam. Towards the tip of the overview, there was little emphasis on technical perfection—as an alternative, I used to be pushing the boundaries of what I may create with it.
The true energy of a transportable 360 digicam will not be in creating conventional 360° movies, however in the way it lets us simulate multi-camera angle setups, unlock dynamic actions by reframing photographs in put up, all from a single take. It’s a digicam that encourages play, experimentation, and rethinking how scenes are captured.
With instruments like this, you usually tend to run out of storage or battery earlier than you run out of concepts. The extra time you spend with it, the extra inventive doorways it opens—it is determined by how far you’re prepared to push.
The Osmo 360 isn’t attempting to be your essential video rig or change a devoted picture digicam. As an alternative, it’s constructed to be quick, enjoyable, and versatile. For somebody like me, who typically approaches gear from a photographer’s perspective, it might not shine in stills, however as I’m exploring my place within the video world, it completely earns its place. For many who have an interest, get yours at this time ranging from $549.99 (Normal Combo) or $699.99 (Journey Combo).
