FauxFilm
lvl.3
United States
Offline
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I was happy to be a beta tester for the wired video adapter, and really looked forward to getting it... thinking it could solve A LOT of issues.
When I first got the OSMO Pro last year, I loved the camera, but my very FIRST observation about it was the clunkiness of the Wi-Fi connection. I remember telling numerous people "I'd have gladly paid another five hundred bucks if this thing came with a hardwired screen."
I didn't like having to use my phone, and establishing the Wi-Fi connection and manually launching the app every single time I turned on the camera was a royal pain in the rear, especially because sometimes it would take two or three start-from-scratch launches to get all the devices properly talking with each other. It was all very clunky and time consuming, and I'm sure there were many instances that I would have liked to include an OSMO shot in whatever scene I was shooting, but simply didn't because it was a pain to launch.
After that, I didn't think much more about it, other than "It is what it is."
Then I got a Mavic Pro when they first came out, and instantly fell in LOVE with the hardwired USB connection to my phone... which always connects instantly and perfectly, and automatically launches the DJI GO app. I instantly thought "If only the OSMO would do this."
Well... now it does.
I'm happy to say the wired video adapter works exactly as promised. It connects easy, connects fast, launches the app automatically, and appears to have minimal-to-zero lag with the now-perfect picture on my phone. I never noticed much of a lag before, but didn't realize how much of the little bit that was there before was making my focusing so challenging. It REALLY did. I haven't used the device on a real shoot yet, it was only delivered about an hour ago (of course it's a tiny tiny device arriving in a GIGANTIC by comparison box... why do people ship that way?), but in my first quick test I'm able to tell that focusing will be much much improved.
From a technical does-it-work perspective it does seem to be a perfectly-working solution. That being said, visually it is not a very ELEGANT solution, it makes for a rather Frankenstein-esque assortment of cables and connectors now dangling off the device, which I think is a big opportunity for improvement. Now, I'll admit I don't have a proper USB cable for the setup with my phone, the only one I could quickly put my hands on is much too long, and I need to get one of a more usable length. Mine will probably take a slightly unusual length... I have put witness marks on my focus wheel, so I use a straight extension arm on my phone holder to move it away from the wheel a bit, to make it easier to see the distance marks (the phone in its normal position would block that view). Ergo, I'm going to need a slightly longer-than-normal USB cable. Once I get that and all the cables properly dressed I think it will work pretty well.
What would REALLY work well, that I can see in future generations, is a device that does NOT have the cable pigtail coming out of the box that terminates in the camera-side connector... but rather a box that plugs DIRECTLY into the camera, that has a couple of cables coming out of it going to both the handwheel and the phone. Just an idea, but seems like an elegant potential solution.
And while we are talking about focus wheels, I desperately wish there was some way to change the defaults on it (or make the changes stick). Every single time I turn on the Osmo the first thing I have to do is go in and set the handwheel from "APERTURE" to "FOCUS." Why they have the focus wheel default to aperture is beyond me. Also, I have to change its direction to "REVERSE." If left in the default forward position, then the focus wheel works backwards from every other focus wheel in the history of cinema. If you are not used to using a focus wheel then it's not that big a deal I suppose, but for those of us who use them every day then they have to operate in the proper direction... or it will quickly drive one insane. If this setting change would stick through reboots (like virtually all the other custom settings) that would completely solve that problem.
Anyway, back to the video adapter... for technicality and operability, I give it a very solid "A"... maybe even an "A+." For aesthetics and just general elegance of the solution, I give it a high "C", maybe a "B-."
All in all great job for a first effort at this.
T2
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