Hi DJI officials (and other users as well for your experience),
One first question as introduction: What are DJI's dev doing?!... Do they even try to use the app they are coding?
I have bought an Osmo Mobile 6 to use with my Oneplus 9 Pro. Quite great smartphone, especially regarding video part (4K @30,60,120 fps, 8K @30 fps), and I was hoping to get the best of it with the help of the OM6 gimbal.
But that dream vanished very quickly when I started using Mimo app…
First, gimbal to Mimo connection:
Two ways to connect with Bluetooth: Direct connection inside Mimo (without having previously paired the OM6 in system's BT devices), and OM6 previously paired the OM6 in system's BT devices, which is mandatory if you want to use the gimbal with other camera apps than Mimo.
As Mimo doesn't have auto launch upon OM6 BT connection detected (at least for my Android phone), I use Macrodroid to do it, so I don't have to bother with app launching manually and concentrate to install the phone on the gimbal. But, problem is that the detection of BT connection is a veeeery long process. 23 seconds to get the device detected, it's the time to wait until ready to shoot! If we want to try accelerating and hit the camera button to acces the connection screen, it may sometines accelerate the process, but sometimes also (not rarely), there is no device detected at all, although the gimbal connection led states the connection is established (solid green led)... Dumb.
Second, Mimo's ergonomics is very poor:
- All texts and selections lists are far tooo small for using the tip of a finger, with the hand resting on nothing and the phone not firmly hold. I’ve never seen any smartphone app with so small texts and selection boxes!
Applies to the Mode selection side bar too. Not so easy to catch and slide the tiny text line on the border of the display.
- If I use the Mode selection screen by hitting 3x the Switch button (after having enabled this function in the settings), it is not a big help because it ALSO suffers poor ergonomics: All texts but the center one are greyed out so much that they are just unreadable. No way to anticipate the direction of search in the list. So we have to slide the list one by one until the desired mode appears in the center. If we do that with the finger, we have to reklease the touch each step, to get the text displayed in solid white, else it remains in that light grey, unreadble.
Then, we have the option in the same screen to select the stabilizing mode in a second list on the right (also greyed out). But not possible to activate the list by just touching or sliding on it, we have to slide form right to left first to access the list, then only we can brwose the list. Not very straight forward….
If “by chance” we slide to the left, we enter a view of the latest media captured. Whithout any control over it anyway. What the hell is that intended for here?!... Totally useless. Seems that devs just wanted to use free space in the screen…
Well, we have selected the capture mode and gimbal mode, then… how to validate and come back to camera screen? No obvious “OK” or “Done” button to hit, the only option is to find and hit the soooo tiny cross in the upper right corner on the screen (especially not easy with a curved sides screen). Dumb.
Oh, I forgot to mention… When you are sliding the lists of modes, for both capture and gimbal modes, the gimbal doesn’t stay still, it tilts up/down upon the mode passing in the middle of the creen... Very practical!
After having “played” with that screen a bit, I realized that it actually was intended to be used with the gimbal controls (joystick). Manipulations become a bit more intuitive with joystick navigation, but it doesn’t avoid the phone to tilt, and still no obvious command to validate settings and exit the screen. Oh yes there is one…. again 3x push on switch button. Soooo practical.
Would it be so difficult for the devs to freeze the gimbal movements in this screen, and add a third list on the right with 2 buttons as “OK/Done/Confirm/Validate” and “Cancel/Exit”, whatever the naming?...
Especially as the “exit” function is missing (I mean quitting without any setting change): As a general rule in computing, the little cross on the upper right corner of a screen/window is to quit the screen without validating anything. Here, the displayed settings are validated when we hit the cross. That means if we have started to change modes, and for some reason we want to abandon the operation and return to camera app with the previous settings (this is not a so exceptional situation), we have to first select back the previous settings before exiting the screen, else we exit the screen with new unwanted settings. One more time, dumb.
There would be more to say about ergonomics, but less important, and it was already long to explain the main points above, so let's switch to next point.
Next topic, camera features:
I said I was expecting to use most of the definitions and rates the camera of my phone offers, but it is far to be the case. Soooo far!
Mimo just let me access 720 and 1080p vertical definition, and a unique rate of 30 fps for both definitions. ARE YOU SERIOUS?!!!
Those were settings I was used to see on my old phones 10 or 15 years ago!
We clearly expect today to exploit the full performance of our devices, and we need access to greater definitions and rate than 1080@30 for having minimal latitude in the post-processing, keeping a decent quality (zoom-in, crop, resize, slow motion….).
You have a kind of “disclaimer” stating somehow that it is the fault of the manufacturers that don’t allow access to all the camera features… Really?!
In this case, could you please explain me why a third-party app as Open Camera, has no trouble to access 4K definition, and up to 20fps?!... Clearly DJI’s Mimo app is fooling us here.
I clearly expect a serious update of the app, because as is, it is so disappointing that I’m about to resell that gimbal and see what the competitors can offer…
The resolution issue you note must be related to the phone in use (app recognition of phone capabilities) or the version of the app (Android) - I see full resolution selections (4K 60fps, etc.) in the iOS version with my OM 6 and an iPhone 14 Pro Max.
DaveSp Posted at 9-19 11:01
The resolution issue you note must be related to the phone in use (app recognition of phone capabilities) or the version of the app (Android) - I see full resolution selections (4K 60fps, etc.) in the iOS version with my OM 6 and an iPhone 14 Pro Max.
As I wrote, Open Camera, which is a third-party app from Play Store, CAN detect definition up to 4K (and rate 120 fps), so definitely, it's not a limitation of the phone but of the Mimo app!
EUbkd Posted at 9-19 11:36
As I wrote, Open Camera, which is a third-party app from Play Store, CAN detect definition up to 4K (and rate 120 fps), so definitely, it's not a limitation of the phone but of the Mimo app!
I didn't mean to imply the phone was at fault, just that Mimo is not working with this particular model as it should. The app is at fault.
DaveSp Posted at 9-19 11:45
I didn't mean to imply the phone was at fault, just that Mimo is not working with this particular model as it should. The app is at fault.
OK sorry I didn't understand well your meaning then ;)
I too have the same problems with the Mimo app that you have. I am using a iPhone 14 Pro max though. I find that the menus are very hard to navigate and the screen could be easier to use. When I am putting my phone on the gimbal it doesn't ever start the program ever at all. In fact the gimbal doesn't even straighten out for about a minute or two. But once I get it going it finally works.
We appreciate you taking the time to show us the flaws you are experiencing with the Mimo app. Please rest assured that we will register the information and provide feedback to the related departments for evaluation. In the future, we will optimize and improve the product or service based on user comments. Thank you for your support and understanding.
I wasn't expecting any feedback (from DJI), just reporting the numerous issues any user may expect when buying this product with a software in beta test
lvl.1
Second Officer
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