DJI Adds Zoom, Time-Lapse Feature to New Osmo+

When the original DJI Osmo was initially released a little less than a year ago, it presented a very interesting value proposition by putting the technology it used to stabilize video in its drones into the palm of your hand. Shots that previously might have gone to go a GoPro (but wouldn't be stabilized)—or maybe to a Steadicam (but who would risk a Steadicam on a trampoline?)—were now the province of Osmo, in 4K and RAW. But its biggest drawback was the lack of zoom.

Now, just a month after DJI has brought optical zoom to its drones, we get it on the ground with the Osmo+, which should open up a whole host of new shots and applications. You only get 3.5x of optical zoom, which makes sense considering the small form factor of the camera, but you do get 2x of digital zoom in 1080p mode that is apparently quite usable. This makes sense since the native 4k sensor of the Osmo+ provides plenty of oversampling resolution for a quality digital push. You'll lose the 2x digital zoom if you shoot full 4k resolution footage, but that 3.5x zoom covers a useful 35mm equivalent range of 22mm to 77mm.

DJI Osmo+ PackageCredit: DJi

The other nifty new feature in the Osmo+ is built-in motion timelapse for doing stabilized time-lapse shots, similar to the popular Hyperlapse app for smartphones. While, of course, you could just shoot a very long take and speed it up later, considering the limited internal storage of the small camera, a time-lapse mode that takes advantage of stabilization will lead to some pretty interesting shots. If you are having trouble getting inspired for motion time-lapse, give City of God another watch; it features amazing moving time-lapse action shots, especially in the soccer match. Or, of course, the classic speeder sequence inReturn of the Jedi, the original stabilized moving timelapse.

Tech specs

• Handle Dimensions 2.4×1.9×6.4 inches (61.8×48.2×161.5 mm)
• Handle Weight (including battery) 201 g
• Supported Mobile Device Max Size: 6.2 (L) x3.1 (W) inches 158.2 (L) x 77.9 (W) mm
• Model X3 ZOOM / FC350Z
• Sensor Sony Exmor R CMOS; 1/2.3”
• Effective pixels:12.40 M (Total pixels: 12.76 M)
• Lens 3.5× Optical Zoom, 22 – 77mm Equivalent F2.8 (Wide) – F5.2 (Tele),
• FOV 92° (Wide) – 35° (Tele)
• Focus: 1 m to infinity
• ISO Range 100-3200 (video); 100-1600 (photo)
• Electronic Shutter Speed 8 s-1/8000 s (up to 30 s when camera is in M mode)
• Max Image Size 4000×3000 pixels
• Still Photography Modes Single Shot
• Photo Burst Mode: 3/5/7 shots
• Auto Exposure Bracketing (AEB): 3/5 bracketed frames @ 0.7 EV bias
• Interval, auto panorama, selfie panorama
• Video Resolution UHD: 4K (4096×2160) 24/25p 4K (3840×2160) 24/25/30p
• 2.7K (2704×1520) 24/25/30p
• FHD: 1920×1080 24/25/30/48/50/60/100p
• Video Recording Modes Auto; Slow Motion
• Max Video Bitrate: 60 Mbps
• Supported File Systems: FAT32 (≤ 32 GB) ; exFAT (> 32 GB)
• Photo Formats: JPEG, DNG (RAW)
• Video Formats: MP4/MOV (MPEG-4 AVC/H.264)
• Supported SD Cards Micro SD; Max. Capacity: 64 GB, Class 10 or UHS-1
• Operating Temperature: 32° to 104° F (0° to 40° C)
• Audio Output: 48 KHz; AAC
• LiPo Battery Capacity: 1225 mAh
• Flexi Microphone Sensitivity: -32 ± 3 dB (0 dB = 1V/Pa)
• Frequency Response: 100 -10000 Hz
• Weight: 4g