So last week, I was 3,000 miles away from home in the great city of Seattle!
I've never been there before and I kind of just decided to hop on a plane and check it
out!
It was a lot of fun.
Anyways, before I left for Seattle, I got the new DJI OM 5, which is a new smartphone
gimbal that’s ultra portable and great for travel so I figured I’d toss it in my bag
and take it on an adventure!
What is up my friends!
It's Ray back here and I am back in my studio after a random trip out to the Pacific Northwest.
I've never been to that side of the country before and I've always wanted to go so I did
to and I had a blast!
I'm really excited for the next time that I get to go back out there and explore it
even more!
In today's video though, we're going to be taking a look at a gadget that I took with
me across the country.
It's the new DJI OM 5 smartphone gimbal.
Now this review is a bit different than my others because I was actually out and about
traveling with this gimbal.
I was by myself, 3,000 miles from home and I spent a lot of time using the OM 5 with
my iPhone 12 Pro to document my time in the Seattle area.
The one thing that I learned very, very quickly about this gimbal is that this thing is how
awesome it is to just toss in your bag or even your pocket and just get out there and
get filming!
During my trip, I used the OM 5 with my iPhone 12 Pro just about everyday to document my
adventures and what I really love about this gimbal is how lightweight and compact it is.
Seriously, the OM 5 might just be the perfect gimbal to just toss in your bag and go.
It's also light enough so that you can use it for long periods of time without feeling
that quote on quote "gimbal fatigue".
The OM 5 folds up to be just about the size of a water bottle, which is impressive given
the things that it can do.
It's even small enough to slide right into your pocket making it discreet and easily
accessible for when you need it.
Unlike other gimbals, the OM 5 uses a detachable magnetic clamp that you can snap right onto
your phone and it magnetically attaches right to the gimbal.
There’s no balancing or calibrating the gimbal, just power it on and you’re ready
to go.
What's also cool is that it can balance the majority of smartphones out there right out
of the box.
This removable clamp design allowed DJI to keep this gimbal incredibly small and lightweight.
The clamp also isn't that thick so you can leave it on your phone if you find yourself
using the gimbal quite often.
As far as controls go, the OM 5 is super easy to operate.
It has a multi-function power button, a joystick, record button, orientation button, a zoom
slider and a trigger around the back.
If you've ever used a gimbal before, the OM 5 is really no different.
What's new with the OM 5 compared to previous OSMO gimbals is the addition of a 215mm extension
rod.
This essentially makes the OM 5 part gimbal, part selfie stick.
While I didn't find myself extending the gimbal all of the time, I knew it was something that
was there when I needed it.
Whether it was for wider selfies, high or low angle shots, there are many, many use
cases in which this little bit of extension can add a whole new dynamic to your shots.
Even when fully extended, the OM 5 feels solid and securely keeps your phone in place.
There was never a point where I felt like my iPhone would fall and go crashing down
to the ground.
If it did, I think I would cry.
Like a lot.
When it comes to performance, you've been seeing it first hand throughout this video,
the OM 5 does a fantastic job at keeping your phone stable and producing buttery smooth
footage.
No matter if you plan to use this gimbal in horizontal or vertical mode, the results are
the same and the footage looks great.
If you pair the gimbal with the DJI Mimo app on your smartphone, you can unlock many more
features such as ShotGuides, which recognizes a users environment and recommends a shot
sequence to fit the subject and the awesome ActiveTrack 4.0.
This essentially lets you lock onto a target and precisely track its movement as it’s
moving around.
ActiveTrack is a really great tool to take advantage of and I found it to be very precise
when it's tracking a subject.
While I was out on my trip, I didn’t use the Mimo app very much.
I really just used the stock camera app on my iPhone, which produces amazing results
with just a tap.
The Mimo app is great and adds a ton of flexibility to the OM 5 but it isn’t necessary to film
with.
In my opinion, it’s just easier to use what you’re already used to.
The stock camera app can also take advantage of all the gimbal controls once it’s paired
with your phone so it basically acts as like a Bluetooth remote.
You do however, need the DJI app to activate the gimbal, update the firmware and all of
that fun stuff.
Do keep that in mind.
The one issue that I found with the OM 5 is its battery life.
The OM 5 is rated at only 6 hours, which isn’t all that much compared to the 10 to 15+ hours
that competitors and even previous DJI mobile gimbals get.
Honestly though, I filmed a lot with this gimbal already and I didn’t even have to
charge it while I was out in Seattle so battery life is far from a deal breaker here.
6 hours is more than enough and in some cases, the gimbal is probably going to outlast your
phones battery while your phone is recording.
There’s more than enough juice here to get you through anything life throws your way.
There's no doubt in my mind I'll be using this thing for more travel adventures and
even event coverage in the future!
I’m just going to be sure to carry around a portable battery with me.
Just in case!
All in all, the new DJI OM 5 is a fantastic smartphone gimbal that is very, very good
at what it does.
The gimbal is small and lightweight, has an extension rod built-in for extended range,
offers simple controls and buttery smooth footage out of your smartphone.
It's size, portability and performance easily make it one of my favorite smartphone gimbals
to date.
The addition of a selfie stick extension rod won't be a gamechanger for everyone but for
those who are vlogging and looking to get creative shots like some low angle stuff,
there's nothing quite like being able to do it all by yourself like I was able to do in
Seattle with this little gimbal.
It makes it all possible.
The OM 5 is a fantastic tool to have in your bag!
Anywho, that’s about it for this video!
I hope you enjoyed it and found out helpful.
If you did and you liked what you saw, be sure to give it a thumbs up and hit that subscribe
button because it always helps out the channel.
Also, don’t forget to follow @raystrazdas on Twitter and Instagram for much more!
Until the next one, I will catch you guys later.
Peace!