DJI has been on a tear with its cameras lately. The DJI Osmo Pocket 4 made major improvements over the already popular Pocket 3, so there could not be much room for another leap, especially so soon, right? Not so fast. DJI’s newest camera, the DJI Osmo Pocket 4P, improves the specifications even further, promising a true professional experience.
We received an early version of the DJI Osmo Pocket 4P Creator Combo, which includes slightly different accessories. The Vlog Combo, which is the version going to market, includes the DJI Osmo Pocket 4P, a USB-C cable, a handle with a quarter-inch thread, a mini tripod, the Osmo FrameTap with a charging cable, the Osmo Pocket 4 Fill Light, a DJI Mic Mini 2 with a charging cable and other microphone accessories, as well as a carrying pouch for everything.
In terms of its design, the DJI Osmo Pocket 4P closely resembles the Pocket 4, retaining the same compact body, rotating touchscreen and pocket-friendly shape. The key difference is the addition of a second lens, which gives the camera far more flexibility without making it noticeably larger or harder to carry. Its main 20 mm lens handles wide shots and everyday filming, while the new 60 mm portrait lens delivers 3x optical zoom. It also creates stronger subject separation, making faces, products and other focal points stand out more clearly in both video and photography.
“DJI’s newest camera, the DJI Osmo Pocket 4P, improves the specifications even further, promising a true professional experience.”
While the extra lens is the main physical difference, the DJI Osmo Pocket 4P also includes several other upgrades. The one-inch CMOS sensor has been upgraded from a 14-stop dynamic range to 17 stops, while the Pocket 4’s D-Log colour profile has been upgraded to D-Log 2 on the 4P. It also offers a wider dynamic range and a lower base ISO of 100, compared with ISO 400 on the Pocket 4. Each of these changes would be significant on its own, but together they help the camera earn the P at the end of its name.
The main lens on the DJI Osmo Pocket 4P has an f/2.0 aperture, while the 60 mm portrait lens pairs an f/1.8 aperture with a 1/1.28-inch sensor. Both lenses perform well in low light, producing bright, detailed footage without introducing excessive noise. The camera can record 4K video at up to 60 fps, while its slow-motion mode reaches an impressive 240 fps for capturing fast movement. It also provides up to 12x digital zoom when you need a tighter composition, along with hyperlapse, time-lapse and motion-lapse modes that can record footage at up to 30 fps.
The DJI Osmo Pocket 4P’s ActiveTrack technology has been upgraded to version 8.0, expanding the range of subjects it can recognize and follow. It can track people, vehicles and pets, while also locking onto stationary objects when you want to keep a point of interest centred in the frame. That makes it a strong option for capturing dynamic footage without having to manually adjust the gimbal or follow the subject yourself. It is equally useful for product B-roll, since the camera can stay focused on an object while you move around it to create smoother and more varied shots.
“I cannot overstate how easy the DJI Osmo Pocket 4P is to use.”
Gesture controls make it easy to start recording after stepping away from the camera, which is useful when filming alone or setting up a wider shot. FrameTap takes that convenience further by giving you a remote view of what the camera is capturing, while also letting you trigger recording and adjust the gimbal without touching the camera itself. During testing, it made framing shots from a distance much easier and reduced the need to repeatedly walk back to the camera. It is a useful accessory for both the DJI Osmo Pocket 4P and the Osmo Mobile 8P stabilizer.
The DJI Osmo Pocket 4P captures impressive video, with sharp detail, smooth motion and enough dynamic range to handle challenging lighting conditions. Shooting in D-Log 2 gives experienced creators more flexibility in post-production, whether they prefer to colour-correct footage manually or apply one of DJI’s LUTs for a faster workflow. The results can look cinematic, with vibrant colours, strong contrast and plenty of retained detail in both highlights and shadows. Other colour profiles are equally useful, including the recently added 10-bit HDR mode, which delivers excellent results for creators who want polished footage without spending time on colour correction.
Audio captured by the DJI Osmo Pocket 4P is crisp and clear, even without an external microphone, provided you are not standing too far from the camera or filming in an excessively noisy environment. Voices sound natural, with enough detail for casual vlogs, quick interviews and other everyday recording situations. When greater isolation is needed, the included DJI Mic Mini 2 does an excellent job of reducing background noise and keeping speech easy to understand. The camera can also connect to two microphones at once, making it especially useful for interviews, conversations and other multi-subject recording setups.
“For anyone shopping now, however, the added features of the DJI Osmo Pocket 4P make it the stronger choice.”
I cannot overstate how easy the DJI Osmo Pocket 4P is to use. Its features are intuitive, creating a highly user-friendly experience. ActiveTrack can be activated with a simple tap on the touchscreen or by registering a subject’s face. Colour profiles are easy to navigate, and switching between shooting modes and orientations is remarkably simple. Even first-time users can create professional-quality content with little effort.
The DJI Osmo Pocket 4P Vlog Combo costs $969 CAD, while the standard combo costs $859 CAD. That is a significant investment, but it is still less than many cameras that go beyond what most creators need. Vloggers can get a lot from this camera, since it allows them to travel light and shoot quickly without having to buy a shotgun microphone or wireless microphone kit.
Instead of buying multiple lenses, you get two built-in. You can also purchase several filters, including black mist, wide-angle and neutral-density filters, that attach securely to the lenses and create useful effects at a much lower cost. People who recently bought the Osmo Pocket 4 may feel some buyer’s remorse with an upgraded version arriving so soon, but there is no need to worry. It is still an excellent camera that can produce impressive footage. For anyone shopping now, however, the added features of the DJI Osmo Pocket 4P make it the stronger choice.
