DJI is back with a new generation of smartphone gimbals. The Osmo Mobile 8 aims to turn your handset into a genuine professional camera. We put it through its paces over several weeks.
DJI Osmo Mobile 8 price and availability
Available now from DJI’s official website and authorised retailers, the Osmo Mobile 8 costs €159. It is a particularly competitive price point for producing high-quality videos without a major outlay.
A range of accessories is also offered, including magnetic mounts, DJI Mic audio transmitters and tripod grips. DJI Care Refresh is available as an optional comprehensive protection plan, covering accidental damage including collisions, water damage and normal wear, with up to two replacements in one year or four over two years.
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Improved stabilisation and intelligent pet tracking
DJI has further refined its smartphone gimbal. Like the model before it, the Osmo Mobile 8 provides three-axis stabilisation, now enhanced to follow fast movements and cope with complex settings. Its stable performance delivers exceptionally smooth, shake-free footage in a lightweight, compact format.
The Osmo Mobile 8 can now rotate horizontally through 360 degrees. This gives users greater framing flexibility, whether recording panoramic videos or shooting from a low angle. It is a welcome boost for creativity.
The Osmo Mobile 8 continues to offer intelligent tracking for human subjects. However, this generation introduces tracking for household pets, including dogs and cats. Animal lovers will welcome the addition.
The gimbal provides three different tracking methods to suit each kind of scene. For iPhone users, Apple DockKit support enables active tracking directly in the iPhone’s native camera app or in more than 200 compatible iOS apps. Put simply, the Osmo Mobile 8 offers more for iPhone users.
In every scenario, the DJI Mimo app, available on iOS and Android, includes ActiveTrack 7.0.1 technology. This advanced version tracks simultaneously using wide-angle and telephoto lenses, ensuring the subject stays in frame regardless of its speed or the complexity of the surroundings. Intelligent Capture recognises several subjects and makes it easy to switch quickly between them, even in a very busy environment. Brilliant!
A highly comprehensive multifunction module
The Osmo Mobile 8 comes with a multifunction module that enhances content quality and unlocks additional shooting modes. The module attaches magnetically to the gimbal.
Its strengths include a fill light adjustable across eight brightness levels and eight colour temperatures, making it ideal for smartphone filming in low-light conditions. A built-in microphone receiver compatible with several DJI transmitters - Mic 3, Mic 2 and Mic Mini - also allows high-quality audio to be recorded at the same time. Vloggers and streamers will be delighted.
The multifunction module also delivers highly effective gesture controls. Showing an open palm enables or disables tracking; making a V sign takes a photo or starts and stops recording; and making a double-L gesture with both hands automatically adjusts the framing around the subject. Magic!
Ergonomic, comfortable DJI Osmo Mobile 8 handling
The Osmo Mobile 8 also impresses with its exceptionally straightforward handling. Its highly comfortable grip has been redesigned to make more unusual shots, such as low-angle footage, easier to capture. Weighing just 370 grams, the Osmo Mobile 8 includes an extension rod that converts into a tripod. The control buttons are also ideally placed.
DJI has made activation and switching between modes especially intuitive. A simple triple press of the shutter button turns the rear camera towards you, a wheel on the left-hand side of the grip controls zoom, and double-pressing the rotation button switches from landscape to portrait mode. In short, everything is remarkably simple.
Finally, the Osmo Mobile 8 offers excellent battery life - almost 10 hours. Better still, it can charge a smartphone while it is in use. Your smartphone may well run out of battery long before the gimbal does.
Our verdict on the Osmo Mobile 8
At a time when built-in smartphone stabilisation is reaching new heights, DJI has succeeded in renewing the appeal of gimbals. The DJI Osmo Mobile 8 is much more than a basic stabiliser: it is a truly mobile, near-professional smartphone video-creation station. With advanced stabilisation, intelligent tracking that now includes pets, a comprehensive multifunction module and ergonomic handling, it completely changes the way users film every day. All for a tiny price. What more could you ask for?
DJI Osmo Mobile 8
€159
Overall score
9.5/10
What we like
- Outstanding stabilisation
- Extensive creative features
- Highly effective additional module
- Very comprehensive companion app
- Low price
What we like less
- No Android compatibility without the companion app
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