DJI Osmo Mobile 8 Turns Everyday Phone Videos Into Something Remarkably Smooth and Steady

DJI’s Osmo Mobile 8, priced at $126 (was $149), significantly improves the quality of everyday phone videos, making them more stable and smooth rather than jittery and jerky. Whether you’re publishing family films, chronicling your travels, or simply sharing short snippets, footage that doesn’t bounce around is a game changer.

Its smoothness is thanks to DJI’s three-axis stabilisation, which has been refined throughout the years. Even while you’re sprinting or panning through a scene, your video remains level and flowing. They recently added the ability to complete full 360-degree horizontal rotation, allowing you to capture those sweeping shots without interruption. To get a low angle shot, simply tilt the pan axis forward and hold it normally. There’s also a built-in extension rod for those hard-to-reach selfies or group photographs, as well as a little tripod that unfolds from the handle so you can lay it down steadily on any flat surface and still get a decent shot.

The tracking, on the other hand, is completely automatic and keeps your subject in the center of the frame. You can utilize the Multifunctional module, which hooks onto the magnetic clamp and can handle people, cats, and dogs. It also allows you to start and stop recording with a single gesture. If you want to lighten up dim conditions or get some really clean audio, there is a fill light that connects wirelessly to your phone and can even be linked to a DJI microphone for even cleaner sound.

Even without the additional modules, simply attaching it to your phone allows you to use native tracking in the camera app or most third-party programs. If you have an iPhone, you may use the dock kit system across a variety of apps to provide seamless follow action without having to launch any additional software.

It also has a long-lasting battery (about 10 hours on a charge), so it won’t die in the middle of a shoot. Plus, the gimbal recharges your phone via the USB C port while you’re using it, so you won’t have to worry about running out of juice. The magnetic clamp is quite secure, even with the phone in a case, and it takes only a few seconds to set up: simply unfold, snap on, and you’re ready to go.

What truly sticks out about this item is how portable it is; when folded, it’s small enough to fit in a coat pocket or small purse, and it weighs only approximately 370 grams with all of the basics, so you can carry it around all day without feeling fatigued. The controls are rather simple, with a joystick for getting in close and precise, and a wheel for altering the zoom or getting in tight on your subject. When paired with the DJI Mimo app, you gain access to a plethora of additional functions, such as dynamic zoom effects and guided pictures, but it still works perfectly without it.