I’ve owned a DJI Pocket2 for a while now, and have been very satisfied with its performance.

However, my own limitations, due to an age-related degenerative nerve-sheath disorder, mean that I can no longer hold the thing still enough to get none-shaky video results.  It’s fine when tripod mounted, of course. But that’s no use when walking about.

The solution appeared to present itself, when I discovered that the DJI Action2 can be worn around the neck on a magnetic lanyard.  So I ordered the Action2 Power Combo direct from DJI, and received it a few days later, complete with FREE magnetic protective case.

I’ve spent the last few days evaluating its suitability for my needs.  And so far, so good.

Everything works as it should, straight out of the box, and I was pleased and relieved to find that the latest iteration of DJI Mimo works effortlessly with my Samsung Galaxy A51, whereas earlier versions were troublesome and wouldn’t work at all.  Kudos to DJI for (finally) updating the App to be compatible with the more recent Android versions.

The magnetic lanyard will be adequate for the gentle stresses it will have to undergo with my usage,

but it should be noted that putting anything but the thinnest garment between the camera and/or charging block, and the magnetic “keeper” soon reduces its grip strength.

I fitted the magnetic protective case (free gift with the power combo), half to the camera block and half to the charging block, and quickly found that this assembly was too heavy to be reliably retained by the magnetic lanyard, due to the separation of a millimetre or so of the thickness of the plastic protection. Even the slightest jog due to a heavier than normal footfall caused it to detach from the lanyard.  Definite cause for concern.  So I removed the half case from the charging block – (and the devil’s own job it was, to remove) in order that close contact between the block and the magnet was restored. I left the protective half case on the camera.  In this setup, all was well.

Confidence in the retentive capability of the magnetic lanyard was regained.

DJI recommend adjusting the lanyard so that the camera hangs just below the collarbones.

But in that position, unless you are a barrel-chested Schwarzenegger type or (may I delicately say)

a well-endowed lady, the camera and lanyard will swing forward and back and/or side to side as you walk. This was my disappointing discovery after first use.

The solution, for me, was to shorten the lanyard until the camera hangs just under the Adam's Apple rather like a throat mike.  In this position the stability was much improved.

I also discovered that the best option (indeed, the only one for me) for stable video is the ROCKSTEADY option. Although of course, the eternal problem of walking “bounce” to a video

cannot be entirely eliminated even when practising the “Ninja Walk” – which always turns heads.

The FOV settings are Standard, Wide and Ultrawide, but anything other than Standard renders the edges of the frame ridiculously distorted. ( May be of some use on maximum zoom). But I shan’t be using anything other than standard.  Even on this setting the corners of the frame are crushed inwards a little.

So. Am I satisfied with my purchase?   A qualified “yes”.  It does allow me to take shake-free video.

But of course lacks the versatility of the Pocket2.

To use an abbreviation I learned recently – YMMV.

Thanks for sharing your experience
And I learned a new abbreviation

Montfrooij Posted at 2-10 00:48
Thanks for sharing your experience
And I learned a new abbreviation

Thanks Monty.
And if my observations help someone else, then so much the better.

Blériot53 Posted at 2-10 00:59
Thanks Monty.
And if my observations help someone else, then so much the better.

You're welcome.
Exactly.

Excellent review of your experiences with the Action 2.    Sounds like you need a hybrid that is a cross between a Pocket 2 and the Action 2 to meet 99% of your needs.  Again, very thorough review of your experiences.  No doubt this well help somebody contemplating buying the Action 2.

DowntownRDB Posted at 2-10 05:16
Excellent review of your experiences with the Action 2.    Sounds like you need a hybrid that is a cross between a Pocket 2 and the Action 2 to meet 99% of your needs.  Again, very thorough review of your experiences.  No doubt this well help somebody contemplating buying the Action 2.

Thanks RDB.  I'm reasonably satisfied with the purchase.

Blériot53 Posted at 2-10 07:39
Thanks RDB.  I'm reasonably satisfied with the purchase.

You're very welcome Mr. B.    Always nice to know when you make a satisfying purchase.  I'm sure you did a bit of due diligence before making the purchase though.

DowntownRDB Posted at 2-10 10:39
You're very welcome Mr. B.    Always nice to know when you make a satisfying purchase.  I'm sure you did a bit of due diligence before making the purchase though.

It was an impulse buy, actually

Blériot53 Posted at 2-10 10:49
It was an impulse buy, actually

I try my best not to impulse buy but sometimes you just get caught up in the moment and make the buy.  In this case I think it is working out well for you.  

DowntownRDB Posted at 2-10 11:07
I try my best not to impulse buy but sometimes you just get caught up in the moment and make the buy.  In this case I think it is working out well for you.

It helped that it was heavily discounted - I cashed in my Forum points

Blériot53 Posted at 2-10 11:13
It helped that it was heavily discounted - I cashed in my Forum points

Well worth the purchase then.    I'm still waiting to see what the Pocket 3 will offer when it comes to market.  

Thanks for your post there.
I'm now a dedicated Action 2 driver. The 155 degrees WA suits me fine.
Points -
- you need a tripod for steady - I have a similar problem with reducing instability in under water work and wonder if I might suggest you look into a monopod. Works for me anyway.
- you mention a good link to the latest MIMO with your camera. Fell with a crash in that one myself and now realise that my phones are 1. totally wrong for this or 2. held together with great wodges of superglue or 3. just way too old or 4. have suffered my wish to alter way to much about their systems ..... I need a new phone, it's timely, and will check w the dji website re supported models etc before doing anything.
- only use I have for the lanyard is to store the power unit safely above water level when out in the tide. No layers of anything between unit and lanyard magnet.
Thanks again.

Neico Posted at 2-10 13:44
Thanks for your post there.
I'm now a dedicated Action 2 driver. The 155 degrees WA suits me fine.
Points -

Hi Neico. Glad to know you're pleased with yours.
I'm liking mine more and more now.
And the lanyard is the right solution for me.
A monopod has been mentioned as a viable solution for my pocket2, but that sort of defeats the "pocket" idea.  I do have a Mini tripod (telescopic legs) which is just as compact as the Pocket 2. Great for portability, and fits into a coat pocket nicely.
It's unlikely that I'll be using the Action2 underwater - but I've seen some great work from them in that environment. Maybe we'll catch some of your work on the forum too.
As for phones, I've always stuck with Samsung Android devices.
The  S7, S9 and A51 all work fine.
I guess you could pick up a cheap second hand model to dedicate to the DJI devices.
Enjoy the hobby, whatever you do
Cheers

Sorry to hear about your nerve-sheath condition, but glad to hear you are happy with the Action 2. Also, thanks for the throught and honest review, not afraid to show both pros and cons of the camera and for the helpful tips about having the best results for the footage. Also, made me snicker a bit about the well-endowed woman part, maybe my sense of humour is occasionally a bit juvenile

HGDC84 Posted at 2-11 05:33
Sorry to hear about your nerve-sheath condition, but glad to hear you are happy with the Action 2. Also, thanks for the throught and honest review, not afraid to show both pros and cons of the camera and for the helpful tips about having the best results for the footage. Also, made me snicker a bit about the well-endowed woman part, maybe my sense of humour is occasionally a bit juvenile

Thank you.  It's not a painful condition, just debilitating. I'm due to see a specialist soon.
I'm looking forward to producing some decent footage with the Action2.
Ok on your dubious sense of humour.  You are not alone, but I did try to put it as delicately as possible

Blériot53 Posted at 2-10 14:43
Hi Neico. Glad to know you're pleased with yours.
I'm liking mine more and more now.
And the lanyard is the right solution for me.

Many thanks for your post here.
Have sorted my own issues with activation based on your experiences with other Samsung devices. saved me heaps!

Neico Posted at 2-11 12:32
Many thanks for your post here.
Have sorted my own issues with activation based on your experiences with other Samsung devices. saved me heaps!

Great news mate!  Enjoy

Blériot53 Posted at 2-11 05:50
Thank you.  It's not a painful condition, just debilitating. I'm due to see a specialist soon.
I'm looking forward to producing some decent footage with the Action2.
Ok on your dubious sense of humour.  You are not alone, but I did try to put it as delicately as possible

Glad to hear it's not causing you pain. I hope the specialist could make it at least a bit more tolerable.
And it will be interesting to see more of the footage from the Action 2.
As for your expression, I think it wasn't that offending. There could be way more cruder ways to express the thought

HGDC84 Posted at 2-12 06:39
Glad to hear it's not causing you pain. I hope the specialist could make it at least a bit more tolerable.
And it will be interesting to see more of the footage from the Action 2.
As for your expression, I think it wasn't that offending. There could be way more cruder ways to express the thought

I'm sure there are.
I experimented with the Action2 as a dashcam today -it works quite well to record a car journey.
But that is, of course, not really why I bought it

Great review! I still use my Action 2 occasionally after the Action 3 purchase. Additionally, speaking from experience, a well endowed lady (read wife) has more options with the magnetic lanyard than those of us who have fewer "options." There seems to be more "stability" with a lower "point of view." You can "quote" me on that!

Blériot53 Posted at 2-12 12:13
I'm sure there are.
I experimented with the Action2 as a dashcam today -it works quite well to record a car journey.
But that is, of course, not really why I bought it

I can see how the Action 2 could be handy for that, the form factor is small and quite similar to many "official" dashcams. Add some magnetic mount to the dashboard, and it would also be very handy to mount/remove from the car. It certainly is a good idea to think of many different use scenarios, that's great for getting the most bang for the buck :-)

I did make a video where I used the Pocket 2 to record car driving, but I am a bit uncertain about the mounting options I use - the lousy suction cup mount of my GPS device has made me somewhat vary of attaching expensive electronics to dashboard or windscreen using it, and I think placing a head mount band on a passenger's seat's neck support might not be an optimal solution either. But well, that hasn't been my main idea of use either

KLRSKIR Posted at 2-12 12:16
Great review! I still use my Action 2 occasionally after the Action 3 purchase. Additionally, speaking from experience, a well endowed lady (read wife) has more options with the magnetic lanyard than those of us who have fewer "options." There seems to be more "stability" with a lower "point of view." You can "quote" me on that!

The quality of your wife's charms is duly noted
No offence!

HGDC84 Posted at 2-12 12:42
I can see how the Action 2 could be handy for that, the form factor is small and quite similar to many "official" dashcams. Add some magnetic mount to the dashboard, and it would also be very handy to mount/remove from the car. It certainly is a good idea to think of many different use scenarios, that's great for getting the most bang for the buck :-)

I did make a video where I used the Pocket 2 to record car driving, but I am a bit uncertain about the mounting options I use - the lousy suction cup mount of my GPS device has made me somewhat vary of attaching expensive electronics to dashboard or windscreen using it, and I think placing a head mount band on a passenger's seat's neck support might not be an optimal solution either. But well, that hasn't been my main idea of use either

My car has  a central container on the dashboard with a hinged lid. Trapping the lanyard under the lid holds the camera (without the charging block) perfectly in place, and the unit works a treat.  I used the lowest resolution video setting for a 20 minute journey from home to my daughter's house. No overheating, and only 7Gb of the 22 Gb of internal storage was used.  The video looks pretty decent too.
Not a bad experiment.

Keep talking about this subject, and we will soon be seeing very... interesting... videos

HGDC84 Posted at 2-12 12:57
Keep talking about this subject, and we will soon be seeing very... interesting... videos

One thing it did teach me - I need to clean the windscreen of the car

Blériot53 Posted at 2-12 12:56
My car has  a central container on the dashboard with a hinged lid. Trapping the lanyard under the lid holds the camera (without the charging block) perfectly in place, and the unit works a treat.  I used the lowest resolution video setting for a 20 minute journey from home to my daughter's house. No overheating, and only 7Gb of the 22 Gb of internal storage was used.  The video looks pretty decent too.
Not a bad experiment.

Sounds great If you happen yo upload some footage using it as a dashcam, I would be very interested in seeing it!

HGDC84 Posted at 2-12 13:03
Sounds great  If you happen yo upload some footage using it as a dashcam, I would be very interested in seeing it!

Check back tomorrow. I'll clip out the most scenic bits and assemble a short video (2 minutes or so)

Blériot53 Posted at 2-12 13:00
One thing it did teach me - I need to clean the windscreen of the car

Yeah, I noticed the same thing with my own windshield when I shot my dash video

Though I'll have to say I was referring to the earlier female subject . But I guess you wanted to remain a gentleman and intentionally referred to another subject

Blériot53 Posted at 2-12 13:04
Check back tomorrow. I'll clip out the most scenic bits and assemble a short video (2 minutes or so)

Thanks for the heads-up, I do have a couple of things to take care of tomorrow, but I'll think I'll manage to find some time for a quick check-up on the forums too

HGDC84 Posted at 2-12 13:05
Yeah, I noticed the same thing with my own windshield when I shot my dash video

Though I'll have to say I was referring to the earlier female subject . But I guess you wanted to remain a gentleman and intentionally referred to another subject

Least said, soonest mended

HGDC84 Posted at 2-12 13:09
Thanks for the heads-up, I do have a couple of things to take care of tomorrow, but I'll think I'll manage to find some time for a quick check-up on the forums too

Blériot53 Posted at 2-12 13:11

Checked and commented on the forementioned thread. Good video

HGDC84 Posted at 2-13 09:22
Checked and commented on the forementioned thread. Good video

Yes, thanks mate  

Blériot53 Posted at 2-13 09:39
Yes, thanks mate

No problem, thank you for sharing this

HGDC84 Posted at 2-13 09:44
No problem, thank you for sharing this

You're welcome