DJI OM 4 Review

Best known for its drones, China’s DJI has also for a few years run a decent line of cameras and related accessories. Its new sub-$250 OM 4 smartphone stabiliser could entice content creators – but is it worth the price?

Physically, the OM 4 is a sturdy beast. Its pistol-grip handle feels nice and solid in the hand, and its collapsible three-axis gimbal arm doesn't feel like it'll snap in half in a stiff breeze.

It charges through USB-C and boasts 10 hours of battery life, which isn't bad, and also comes with a USB-A slot to charge your phone from as you go.

Also on the handle are the controls: a lock-on trigger; a zoom slider; a thumb joystick; a record/capture button; and a multipurpose button (marked M) whose functions include powering the device on and off, entering and exiting standby, and switching between portrait and landscape mode.

Of those, the zoom slider and the record button control phone functions directly, so require a Bluetooth connection; the multifunction M button can also switch between photo and video mode in the DJI Mimo app.

Overall, the controls are fine. The joystick pans left and right, and tilts up and down, with a good range of movement – at least a full 180 degrees side-to-side, and less than that up-and-down.

You do have to dig into the Mimo app to change the speed, though.

The lock-on trigger is decent, keeping the phone pointed straight ahead as the gimbal moves while you hold it down. If you want to force the gimbal to track a specific target – such as a person's face – you'll need to use the Mimo app, where you can lock on to a subject with a quick squeeze of the trigger.

Tracking works pretty well, as you can see in the video, where the camera follows a rolling ball right up until it falls off a table without needing to move the phone.

It can't track at higher zoom levels, though – I found about 3.0x is its upper limit.

“the OM 4 is a decent entry point for amateur smartphone videographers and content creators”

VERDICT

At $239 from JB Hi-Fi, the OM 4 is a decent entry point for amateur smartphone videographers and content creators, though it's held back by its reliance on DJI's proprietary Mimo app. It does what it's supposed to, and you can't ask for much more than that – except maybe for a more case-friendly clamp.

+ PROS

Solid build quality Works well when coupled with DJI Mimo app Great battery life Quick to attach and detach clamp from gimbal Affordable price point

- CONS

Clamp doesn't work well with phone cases or central side buttons Functionality limited outside Mimo app

Rating 7.5