After three years, DJI has made another fun "toy"!

Friends familiar with DJI know that this is not only a company that has ridden the dust in the field of drones, but also a company that likes to roll its former self to death.

Just when you think that this generation of DJI products is already good, it will always give you a new life in the next generation.

For example, when Tony thought that the dessert-level drone Mini 3 Pro was already very strong, the Mini 4 Pro actually had more omnidirectional obstacle avoidance...

In the same way, after the action camera Action 2 adopted a modular design, DJI moved out of the traditional action camera shape Action 3, and then quickly launched the full-body Action 4.

Although a bit of a backstabbing Action 3 user, the Action 4 is indeed a well-balanced and well-rounded action camera, and it is much cheaper than the GoPro 12.

Only the Osmo Pocket series, which has gained a lot of popularity with its unique form in the past few years, has not been heard from since the release of the second generation in 2020...

Perhaps this form is still too partial and has not been recognized by the market, so although the second generation is still on sale, DJI may have given up on new product development and focused on other places, which is reasonable.

But guess what? The three-year period has arrived, welcome Pocket 3 to its homecoming!

Truth be told, when the editorial office received this secret new product, everyone was shocked...

No, there is really a third generation of this thing...

Good you DJI, this is also too able to hold back, and conceal our gang of countless media teachers.

After confirming that this is the new generation of Pocket, Tony can be said to be surprised and worried.

On the one hand, I am glad that DJI has not given up this unique form of product, on the other hand, I am still worried about how many people this product is suitable for.

With this doubt and curiosity, I used Pocket 3 a few days in advance, intending to face this problem with everyone.

The overall shape of the Pocket 3 remains the same, consisting mainly of a handle, a screen and a built-in gimbal.

This pocket camera that combines grip, screen, lens and gimbal is what makes the Pocket stand out in the first place.

Pocket 3 still continues this design, but in fact, all aspects of it have evolved a lot.

For example, DJI actually gave it a flip screen...

Really, I never thought that the touch flip screen would appear on the same device as the gimbal, DJI, you really dare to do it...

But this screen is still quite easy to use, the thumb will become a horizontal screen with a gentle push, and the machine will automatically turn on, which is still a simple and practical operation logic typical of DJI.

Although it can only be pushed out from right to left, there is a small bump on the edge for you to rotate, and it feels good and crisp and neat.

The only small slot is that left-handed people do not push out, but thumb the opposite direction to "hook" the screen...

But except for a slight loss and awkwardness, it is still very silky to use, and there is not much problem.

The rest of the appearance changes of the Pocket 3 are not so obvious, mainly becoming shorter and fatter, and it will obviously feel more weighty when held in the hand.

Like the previous generation of joysticks and the switch / record button, they have been retained.

So this most important camera, it seems that nothing has changed?

Wrong! It's the one that has changed the most...

I'll just say three words: an inch.

Yes, even the one-inch sensor that is only used in its own drones and imaging flagships, and now you can also experience it on the Pocket 3.

Just by one inch, the selling point of the Pocket 3 is enough to explode.

But the price is the starting price of 3499 yuan and the all-round set of 4499 yuan, which is indeed a lot higher than the previous generation...

Worthy of you, DJI.

So what was the Pocket 3 video shooting experience like this time?

Our result in saving data is that the image quality and stabilization are quite good, and the operation is simple and easy to use.

In terms of unfolding, the excellent picture quality is actually very easy to understand, because it uses a one-inch sensor, and the poor picture quality is really a problem.

Pocket 3 supports up to the classic 4K 60-frame video specification, as well as HLG 10bit and D-Log M 10bit formats.

In landscape orientation, it records 4K video in 16:9 ratio, while if you turn the screen upright, it crops to 3K.

Although the picture quality is also enough to shoot short videos, you can also turn it sideways, and then the gimbal will automatically rotate the camera 90 degrees, and you can shoot vertical 4K videos, but it will be a little awkward to use.

In well-lit daylight, the Pocket 3's image quality is impressive, and detail, resolution, backlit shots, and more are difficult to match.

Coupled with three-axis gimbal stabilization and three-array microphones, it is extremely suitable for individual combat users, how to say that? You just shoot, Pocket 3 does the rest...

The operating logic of the joystick is the same as the previous generation, you can choose to control the lens or zoom, double-click to return the gimbal to center, three-click lens rotate 180 degrees for selfies, and the difficulty of getting started is very low.

Pocket 3 comes with three more interesting following shooting modes, in fact, you can also double-tap the screen directly, at this time the screen will automatically lock to follow if the subject is detected.

DJI's algorithm this time is very powerful, not only the automatic following is very accurate, the process of following the focus is also very silky, and the experience is quite good.

Thanks to Pocket 3's built-in stabilization and features, you can basically shoot videos with decent quality.

And thanks to the one-inch blessing, the video also comes with some depth of field blur effect, which looks particularly comfortable.

But the Pocket 3 is certainly not perfect, for example, it still only supports 2x zoom at large, basically can't shoot distant things, and the picture quality is not as good as 1x.

Overall, the Pocket 3 performs very well in good light, but in dark environments and night scenes, it performs very average...

Even with an inch blessing and a low-light mode, the picture shot at night is still visible to the naked eye...

In the overnight scene, Pocket 3's ability to capture the light is okay, at least it will not be exposed, and the picture quality is better than a simple low-light scene.

It seems that even with an inch sensor, the night scene is a problem...

After talking about the upgrade points and picture quality, the accessories of the Pocket 3 this time are also very talkative.

Take the all-around set in Tony's hands as an example, most accessories rely on the Type-C port on the bottom and the physical buckle to connect, reliable and simple.

For example, this extra large battery can not only increase battery life, but you can also use it as an extension handle.

If you want to connect more accessories, DJI has also prepared a 1/4 threaded handle. Plug it in and all kinds of messy accessories will work.

There is also a very mini tripod, which is very suitable for some fixed camera positions and time-lapse photography, and it is enough for ordinary use.

And the most unbelievable of all the accessories is this DJI second-generation microphone...

Yes, there's already a microphone in the all-around suit, and it's a transparent microphone you've never seen before.

If you have a microphone from the previous generation, what do you say... It can also be used with Pocket 3, but not completely.

Anyone who knows DJI knows that the company's products are very good, but their old and new accessories are often incompatible with each other, and the Pocket 3 also encountered this problem.

Previous generation microphones can't connect wirelessly like new microphones...

It will work if you use it, but you need to plug the receiver into the bottom of the Pocket 3 so that you can also use the old microphone, but the shape and feel will become very weird...

So Tony still recommends that if you are not short of money, you can get an all-around suit in one step.

Because you can not only use the new wireless microphone, the accessories inside are also enough for ordinary users and even personal self-media.

Finally, let me talk to you about some small discoveries from my usual use, as well as purchase suggestions.

The Pocket 3 can rotate the lens 180 degrees with a three-hit stick, which does move freely between front and rear shots, but it also shows noticeable breaks.

This break is still quite uncomfortable to look at, obviously it is a very smooth 180-degree turn, but the picture is stuck...

In addition, in addition to the exposed C port, the SD card slot design of the Pocket 3 is also completely exposed like its own drone.

This means that the Pocket 3 is not an action camera, it is not waterproof.

Although it is not waterproof, it should be safe to resist falls...

Why do we know? Because we really accidentally dropped the Pocket 3...

In addition to falling out of the battle damage appearance, the gimbal protection mechanism was also triggered, and the Pocket 3 continued to record.

The quality is good, but it is distressing, and this may be one of the few Pocket 3 drop tests on the whole network...

Finally, there is another question, that is, action cameras such as Action 4 and Pocket 3, how to choose?

In fact, after the gorgeous evolution of Pocket 3, this problem became very simple.

As long as your use case is sports, including but not limited to cycling, skiing, surfing, etc., then be sure to choose the serious action camera Action 4.

The Pocket 3 is more suitable for shooting people such as Vlogs and short videos, or outdoor people who mainly walk.

Colleagues like cyclists say they still need a rugged camera that can be fixed, not a handheld image stabilization camera.

Colleagues who make short videos like this thing very much, and even think that they will consider using Pocket 3 when shooting videos in the future.

Compared with mobile phones, it has super anti-shake and more professional shooting capabilities, which is a professional counterpart device, and its grip is much more comfortable than mobile phones when shooting for a long time.

At the end of the day, it's still a matter of demand, and some people think Pocket is nothing, while others like to shoot videos with Pocket and find it very useful.

In short, Tony is still happy that the Pocket 3 is back, which may have the opportunity to seize a small part of the mobile phone and micro market after evolution.

For those who don't have a flagship phone or camera themselves, but have shooting needs, the Pocket 3 is also a good choice.

For video creators, self-media and Vloggers, it just happens to be stuck in this position, anyway, the company's friends are still quite excited.

This is the Pocket 3, a pocket camera that is still very unique, not only with better picture quality, but also more convenient to use.

But as for whether the market will accept it this time, it is up to time to witness.