On My Wish List: The DJI Osmo Pocket 4P

I write dark stories — but I’d also like to show how they come about and where they take me: readings, visits, walks through Leonberg, small moments between two chapters. On Instagram and Threads, as short videos, ideally in portrait format. For that, I’d love a camera that fits in my jacket pocket: the DJI Osmo Pocket 4P. I haven’t bought it yet — it’s on my wish list.

Why a separate camera?

A phone can do a lot. But if you film on the move — walking, talking and keeping an eye on the picture all at once — you need a steady hand, or a gimbal. That is exactly what the Pocket 4P is: a small camera on a three-axis gimbal, just under 16 centimetres long and weighing 230 grams. The gimbal evens out the movements of your hand, so the picture stays steady while you walk. The camera can also follow a subject (DJI calls this ActiveTrack) — handy when you are filming on your own and are in the shot yourself.

What I like about it

Two cameras instead of one. The main camera has a 1-inch sensor and a 20 mm wide-angle lens (full-frame equivalent) — room enough for me and the street behind me. The second camera works at 60 mm with an f/1.8 aperture, three times the focal length. It is meant for portraits and for moments when I can’t get any closer — say, at a reading from the third row.

Vertical, straight out of the camera. The camera films directly in 9:16, at up to 3K — exactly the format Reels and Stories need. Landscape works too, of course: in 4K at up to 60 frames per second, and for slow motion with the main camera at up to 240.

Light and shadow. My books are dark, and so is much of what I want to film: evening light, candles, fog over the old town. DJI quotes up to 17 stops of dynamic range for the main camera — in the flat D-Log 2 colour profile meant for editing. I’d like to find out for myself what that looks like in Leonberg’s November fog.

Sound and storage. Three microphones are built in, along with 103 GB of internal storage and a slot for microSD cards of up to 1 TB.

Why the Vlog Combo

I have my eye on the Vlog Combo because it comes with the accessories I would otherwise have to track down one by one: a wireless clip-on microphone (the DJI Mic Mini 2 transmitter), a fill light whose brightness and colour temperature can each be set in three steps, a mini tripod, a grip with a 1/4-inch thread, a carrying bag — and the Osmo FrameTap remote with its own touchscreen showing the live image. At a reading, the camera could stand on the tripod while I sit at the front and still keep an eye on the picture.

What I want to use it for

Short videos for Instagram and Threads: a look behind the scenes while a new book is taking shape, readings and book presentations, walks to the places in Leonberg that appear in my stories — such as the Pomeranzengarten or the old town. And maybe, one day, a proper vlog you can come along on.

Until then

For now, the Pocket 4P is a wish. If it finds its way to me one day, I’ll show you here what it captures in Leonberg. If you’re interested — the link is below (affiliate link).