Guy S.
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New to the forums here. I ordered an iPhone 7+ 256 GB on its pre-order day, it's set to be here Friday Sept. 23, and my intention was to pair it with an Osmo Mobile. Prior to ordering the Osmo Mobile, I fortunately did some Googling and ended up here a few days ago, was just lurking and reading this particular discussion about the Osmo Mobile and how it's functioning when used with iPhone 6 and 7 (and the various plus models), phones with OIS (which Samsung S7 has OIS, too). I am intrigued, to say the least.
The footage DJI Ken just posted with the Osmo Mobile and Samsung S6 is, IMO, really nice footage for a gimbal and smartphone combo. I currently have a Samsung S6, which I had to pay off early in order to get the iPhone 7+ 256 GB. My dilemma is do I order the Osmo Mobile knowing that my Samsung S6 can, in theory, produce comparable footage to the footage DJI Ken just posted, or do I go with a Smooth II for the iPhone 7+ that I'll soon have? Frankly, after looking at the Smooth II and the Osmo Mobile, I prefer the Osmo Mobile because it just looks and would seem to "feel" better in the hand than the Smooth II.
To me, from what I have read here, DJI is trying to tackle the bobbing or stuttering effect problem. I can understand the frustration by many who paid for the Osmo Mobile and it's not producing reliably consistent video footage for them. The odd thing is that other users have posted footage on plus-size iPhones that seem to show only what I, and DJI Ken describe, as being a normal bobbing effect caused by walking normally rather than either a shuffling style of walk or a heel-to-toe "rocking walk" which is something that I use in my video shooting projects. You DO have to walk with intention to not walk at a normal walking rhythm when shooting handheld video, but I also will say that some of the footage that reportedly has "bobbing or stuttering" looks to be either improperly balancing of the gimbal and phone when in set-up OR it's from the phone and gimbal device just not sync'ing correctly in the DJI Go app. The latter, if true, is a real pickle because DJI might be inclined to say it's possibly a faulty iPhone situation...and iPhone will undoubtedly be inclined to say it's a DJI problem. When neither side can definitively say "We know what the REAL problem is" then to me smartphone companies and/or DJI can take the stance that they're not going to take the blame for something they can't prove is their fault or not. That's understandable if we look at this from an objective viewpoint, right? On to the next train of thought then...
POINT BLANK: To me, and this is just based on being new here (I have no personal bias toward or against any members here, since I'm obviously new here), but to me it seems like this could be a combination of the gimbal motors, the DJI Go app, AND a bit of user error when first balancing the phone and Osmo Mobile. Lastly, I do think it's possible that the weight of the plus size phones could be a real factor that adds to the problem in a big way. Personally, I would prefer it if DJI would--and maybe they do, I've not purchased a DJI product before--replace a returned Osmo Mobile to let the user see if it was a glitchy Osmo Mobile (be it in the gimbal motors, whatever). We KNOW Apple is not going to save us. But I think DJI could score points and probably retain disgruntled customers if they would offer a return and replacement so long as the customer pays for the new shipping. I have seen people in this thread say they will wait a few months until they can buy it at BestBuy so they can return it and not have to pay return shipping costs, which I'm sure is a perfectly well-reasoned stance for those people. I think that DJI is going to dutifully work on the issue and try to resolve it on their end and just move on with it--some are having the problems, some are not. It makes more sense for DJI to study and test, on their end, and to attempt to resolve it via updates to the Osmo/DJI Go app, and that's going to take time. The different lenses on the newer smart phones is probably another set of headaches for DJI to overcome. Yes, Filmic Pro can disable those, but No that's not a good solution because undoubtedly the reason I want an OM is for the DJI Go app's ability to do pan/tilt via its face tracking function AND for the time laps feature that requires the DJI Go app. Without the DJI Go app, it's simply a standard gimbal and you then have to use Filmic Pro to even get the image stabilization of the phone turned off. That's not an optimal solution.
This is why I am holding off on purchasing an Osmo Mobile. If I ordered an iPhone 7+ 256 GB, a near $1,000 phone, I'm not paying another penny for a gimbal for it unless and until I can know that I won't become a disgruntled person here on the forums...just waiting and waiting, and hoping and hoping, that DJI will get it figured out and will be able to send Osmo Mobile users the fix for the supposed problem(s). That frustration is mine to deal with, so I'm not attacking DJI at all, just saying that this thread has been very useful for my research prior to making a purchasing decision on it or the Smooth II.
Things I LOVE about the Osmo Mobile:
1. Face-tracking. It's real slick to be able to set up the phone and Osmo Mobile to basically pan and tilt on its own. It gives a one-man user the ability to simply use his/her smartphone on-the-go and make things look like someone was performing all those pans and tilts.
2. The way the handle/wand looks and feels. It looks as if it is a great fit in the hand, well styled, and the button layouts seem very intuitive compared to the Smooth II.
3. Time lapse. If it works as advertised, and I saw a rooftop time lapse in this thread earlier on...then that's a real cool feature for the Osmo Mobile.
Things I don't like about the Osmo Mobile:
1. Too many user complaints regarding the interaction between the DJI Go app, the motors, and the phones that some are having difficulty with in terms of producing reliably stable footage. Normal "human walking rhythm" aside, there is definitely some stuttering of footage and users saying they feel they balanced the phone properly and still they couldn't get reliably stable footage on a consistent basis. If the DJI Go app and/or the motors and the phones in plus sizes are all playing a role--to whatever degree--then you can kiss goodbye the face tracking and probably even the time lapse features, as well. And that's a shame because those are the two main features that I think people want in the Osmo Mobile, aside from the obvious use of it as a steady cam for run-and-gun etc.
2. The "we're working on it" responses, by DJI staff, within this thread. I get it, I really do: DJI is actually working on it, and it's good that at least a DJI rep is on here to let us know they're working on it. However, for the price point, the hype, and how people are purchasing smart phones of a level of functionality that they imagined they'd pair with the Osmo Mobile, to me I'm a little bummed that the Osmo Mobile has this many people on the forums all saying that their experience has not been phenomenal from a right-out-of-the-box standpoint. It's disconcerting and has prevented me from purchasing one yet, and I might add that I'm also feeling Buyer's Remorse on the iPhone 7+ now. I could have stuck with my Samsung S6 instead, and I might just do that if DJI cannot remedy the situation or figure out the root cause soon. I can't wait on a smart phone steady cam forever, and so I've begun researching the Smooth II with greater intensity now.
My question for all of you: Is it worth waiting it out, for DJI, or is the Smooth II something to throw money at? I actually think DJI is going to conquer this problem, i really do. I just don't know how long it will take. I wonder what you all think about the Smooth II, if it's worth the near-similar price point as an Osmo Mobile or if it's inferior enough to the OM that it's worth sticking it out with DJI to wait on them to remedy or to show what they think is the root cause of why so many OM users are having shaky/stuttering footage on the newer smart phones. |
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