Not to sound too bold, but we think that the DJI Pocket 3 has just obliterated every other vlogging camera on the market! We've tried and tested out a lot of vlogging and action cameras on our Editors Keys Youtube channel over the years, but the DJI Pocket 3 has really impressed us with what it has to offer. So in this blog we're going to have a look at all the features of this camera and show you why we think it's the ultimate vlogging camera on the market.
Before we dive into the details, it's important to note that this review is not in any way sponsored by DJI. This review is actually sponsored by our friends over at WEX Photo and Video, where camera was ordered from. WEX Photo are a trusted supplier with a stellar 4.9-star rating on Trustpilot based on a whopping 57,000 customer reviews.
Sensor
So the first question on everybody's mind regarding the DJI Pocket 3 is "does it beat the other 1-inch sensor cameras out there?And for vlogging, does it compete with other camera giants such as the GoPro Hero 12 or the DJI Action 4?" Having used this camera for 3 weeks now, we can safely say that we believe the DJI Pocket 3 beats these other cameras hands down. The DJI Pocket 3 is positioned as the front-runner among 1-inch sensor cameras, surpassing competitors like the Sony ZV-1 and GoPro Hero 12.
With features such as 4K at 100 frames per second, 10-bit recording, and exceptional stability, it outshines its rivals, making it the ideal choice for vlogging. When compared to something like the Sony ZV-1, which is commonly seen as the king of Vlogging cameras (it certainly was by us for a long time) the DJI Pocket 3 takes a massive lead
Comparison
When pitted against the Sony ZV-1, a current favourite in the vlogging community, the DJI Pocket 3 blows it clear out of the water. The Pocket 3 shares a 1" sensor, but due to the in-built gimbal, the footage is much more stabilised and steady than the Sony ZV-1 - as well as this, the battery life on the Pocket 3 lasts longer than the Sony. The Pocket 3 offers 10-bit recording and 4K 100 frames per second recording which are things that the Sony ZV-1 just can't do.
Then there's the price: The Sony ZV-1 Mark 1 comes at around £649 or if you wanted to get the ZV-1 Mark 2, it'll cost you £849. This is a lot of money for some seriously professional kit, however the DJI Pocket 3, along with the creator kit which includes a tripod, extended battery grip and a DJI wireless mic kit that works directly with the device comes to £619. Considering the specs and features of this camera and everything that comes with it, this is a great price and still comes out cheaper than the Sony ZV-1!
Footage
The DJI Pocket 3 performs incredibly well in low-light conditions; something that other action cameras like GoPro could only dream of! Be sure to check out our Youtube review video below to see the results of our low-light shooting tests, but we were incredibly surprised at the results. The footage looks great, there's little to no grain on it and the shots looked as if they were straight out of a Christopher Nolan film. We took the Pocket 3 around Manchester cathedral, as well as Manchester's famous seasonal Christmas markets at night, and we were blown away at the performance of this camera.
In most other shooting scenarios, such as action filming, cameras like the GoPro Hero or even the DJI Osmo Action series would be the go-to choices as they're built for action. Snorkelling, diving, snowboarding etc are all activities where you'd want an action camera as they're built for those kinds of activities - But when it comes to vlogging and image quality, we don't think the Pocket 3 can lose.
If you're looking for a new action camera then it's important to think about your shooting scenarios and what kinds of shots you're looking to capture with your camera. Each camera is different for each person and everyone's got their own personal requirements for a camera, but in terms of a vlogging, travel camera that you'd happily leave your professional DSLR camera at home for...it's gotta be the DJI Pocket 3 for us
Image Quality
Firstly, we think the image quality coming from the DJI Pocket 3 is incredible for the size and price of the camera. The Pocket 3 can produce some shots that honestly look like they could've come from a £3,000 mirrorless camera, we were amazed by the image and footage quality from this camera. D Log M and 10bit means that you can colour grade your footage with ease in post-production, and it doesn't really matter whether you'll use this as a primary vlogging camera or a B-cam, we don't think anyone would be disappointed with this footage.
If you're looking to enhance your action camera footage, then you'll want to take a look at our Editors Keys POCKET 3/ACTION 4 LUT PACK which has been created by our own videographer, Lewis, especially for action cameras like the DJI OSMO Action 4 or the Pocket 3. They help to transform your footage into cinematic and atmospheric looking shots
Battery Life
The battery life on the DJI Pocket 3 is surprisingly good for the size of the camera. We've been mainly using it without the battery grip and we've managed to film little clips throughout the whole day. The battery itself is listed as having over 2 hours of battery life just from the camera itself, but if you grab the battery grip, you can get around 4 hours of solid battery life which we think is more than enough!
One thing we like about the battery grip is that it makes the DJI Pocket 3 a little easier to hold in your hand, and it charges the camera first. This means that once you're up to around 80-100% battery life, you can then take the grip back off and charge it, perhaps with a wireless battery pack in your bag.
Focus Modes and Shooting
One thing that we loved about Sony's vlogging camera: The Sony ZV-1 was the "product showcase" mode that it had. The DJI Pocket 3 has something similar where you can hold an object or product up to the camera lens and the camera will auto-adjust to focus on the object in your hand. Most cameras are fixed on facial recognition, so if someone was filming a product review video and holding up multiple items, cameras can struggle to un-focus from the subject's face and focus on the item in hand; even if it's right in front of the camera.
The DJI Pocket 3 is really good at tackling this - the Product showcase feature allows for the camera to focus on an item being held up, even if the subject's face is still in shot. This is super handy, especially if you're a solo-shooter filming on your own. From our Youtube review you can see that the auto-focussing is instant and super fast, gone are the times of hassling with the focus and placing your hand behind an object or in front of your face in order to get the camera to focus on something else.
Speaking of solo-shooting, the Pocket 3 has an in-built auto-focus and a gimbal. With the new 6.0 deep tracking, the Pocket 3 can follow you around the scene with superb tracking and smoothness, and the movements are surprisingly human. Be sure to watch our review for the test footage because we were very impressed by the tracking and stabilising capabilities of the DJI Pocket 3
Gimbal
So most action cameras have built-in stabilisation, so why would one need a gimbal? Well most action cameras have a digital stabilisation that crops into your footage, this means that in lower light scenarios the shutter speed changes and can introduce some wobble or tiny micro-jitters into your footage. They won't exactly ruin your footage, but it doesn't look the best, especially when put up onto a bigger screen. As the Pocket 3 has a built-in gimbal AND stabilisation, this means that the shutter speed can still be low and the quality looks great - there are some higher end cameras that can't record this well in low-light!
Conclusion
There's so much to go over with the DJI Pocket 3, but we think that it's the new ultimate vlogging camera. The image quality looks amazing, especially in lower light situations that other cameras would normally struggle with. We think that for the price and everything that's included in and with the camera, it's a no-brainer for anyone looking to upgrade their vlogging setup, or even anyone who's just getting into vlogging and wants a professional and capable camera to start of with. Image stabilisation and the in-built gimbal means that all the footage is not only crystal clear and high quality, but it's also stable and contains no motion blur or micro-jittering from failed stabilisation attempts.
What do you think of the DJI Pocket 3? Do you own one, and if so then what's your favourite feature of the camera? If you haven't already, be sure to check out our Youtube review of the DJI Pocket 3 below!
