Big cameras and top-notch gear usually make all the buzz over the Internet, at least in the filmmaking community. Every new announcement gets a lot of attention, reviewers, comparisons, and so on. But there’s been a lot of turmoil in the lower end of the spectrum as a lot of interesting cameras and solutions are popping up.
Being at the lower end of the spectrum is not a bad thing per se. It’s just a different kind of tool for a different task or environment. While ARRI Alexa is great for a movie, smaller videographers may find useful smaller and more versatile pieces of gear. The mini gimbal cameras like the FeiyuTech Pocket or DJI Osmo Pocket are the perfect example.
They’re small, tiny little cameras, but they have a right to their own spot in the sun. Mauro’s Films is comparing the two mini-gimbals and will help you to determine which is going to be the one that suits more your needs.
If you are dwelling in the filmmaking world you’ve surely heard of DJI. The Ronin in all its various declinations and the army of drones make it one of the best-known gear companies on the market. The same cannot be said for the rival, Feiyu-Tech.
Unknown to the most part of filmmakers, they’ve been working a lot in the gimbal area, producing some handheld stabilizers with pretty good results. Some are almost copycats of much more known models, but still, it seems that the company is trying to innovate along the way, and moreover, it seems that it’s doing the same in the mini-gimbal area.
While the menu system of the two rivals is almost completely identical up to the point that you could swap the two gimbals and no one would notice, the same cannot be said for the hardware part. Feiyu-Tech did their homework and added a couple of features here and there, thus improving the concept rather than simply copying it.
The first main difference regarding the body of the Feiyu-Tech Pocket is the quarter-inch screw-hole on the bottom. The Osmo Pocket does not have anything like that. The sensor of the Feiyu-Tech is even a tad bigger and with a larger field of view: 120° against the 80° of the Osmo. We cannot confirm, but the battery may even be swappable if you can get past the small screws on the bottom.
Furthermore, the camera on the Feiyu-Tech has a pretty decent range of recording options for 2020: 4K up to 60p and 120p in FullHD. Timelapse and Hyperlapse are there just as one may expect, whereas the Panorama is a nice surprise.
The mini-gimbal is controlled through the proprietary app. DJI’s app is smoother, but still, Feiyu-Tech’s works well. All the needed options are there and you have an added feature: you can control your gimbal by moving the smartphone. Cool, uh?
Entering the Pro mode on the Feiyu-Tech will give you control over every setting like White Balance and so on. There is even a Fy-Log profile, similar to the D-C like you’ll find on the Osmo, but even flatter. If we have to point out a feature missing, and that we would not expect to be missing on any camera in 2020, that would be the face tracking.
Overall the Feiyu-Tech is a nice camera, but the Osmo has a much better color science and audio, and those are two key factors. There’s some innovation on the Feiyu-Tech Pocket, that is true, but besides the ability to control the gimbal moving the phone, there’s nothing really out of this world. And even that one is borderline gimmicky.
So, is the Feiyu-Tech Pocket a failure? Absolutely not. The battery life is superior when compared to the Osmo, and a few updates may even correct what is missing, like the face tracking feature. Should you think of buying it? Well, if you have budget constraints while looking for longer-lasting battery life, then you should definitely consider the Feiyu-Tech Pocket.
If your priority, on the other hand, is color science and image quality, even on such a small sensor scale, then the answer will be the Osmo Pocket.
[source: Mauro’s Films]
Order Links:
DJI Osmo Pocket Gimbal (B&H, Amazon)
Feiyu Pocket Handheld Gimbal (B&H, Amazon)
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate partner and participant in B&H and Adorama Affiliate programmes, we earn a small comission from each purchase made through the affiliate links listed above at no additional cost to you.
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