00:00At $329 is the FIU Pocket 3 kit. Really? A DJI Osmo Pocket 3 that's $200 cheaper?
00:09I've spent some time, some serious time with both of these and they do share a lot of similarities,
00:14but for anyone considering the FIU Pocket 3, it probably at first glance looks like a super
00:20tempting offer for its price and its quick magnetic mount. But it probably doesn't come
00:25as a surprise. It's got a lot of trade-offs that you should consider. So between these two,
00:30which one should you go for? Let's get into it. Now because of those confusing names,
00:35I'm going to refer to the FIU as the Pocket 3 and the DJI as the Osmo Pocket 3. Here's where
00:41the Pocket 3 starts to look like a really good deal and, if you will, a steal. The camera alone,
00:48because this actually detaches, is only $249 and that's less than half the price of the Osmo Pocket
00:543. But as I'll get into, there's a good reason for that lower price. The Pocket 3's design is a
01:00throwback to the FIU Pocket 2S, which introduced this first detachable camera concept. The 2S was
01:06held back by a tethered cable, which limited its flexibility and its use because you're tethered.
01:12But with the FIU Pocket 3, they finally cut the cord, but it doesn't fix all those limitations.
01:17The Osmo Pocket 3, on the other hand, will set you back $519 or, if you go all out like I did,
01:23with the Creator Combo that costs $669 and includes a bunch of accessories, that's about
01:28$200 to $340 more than the FIU Pocket 3. Is it that much better? I've tested and used plenty of
01:35FeiyuTech's DSLR gimbals and they're a great budget alternative to the DJI Ronin, but this is
01:41my first time actually trying the Pocket series out. And honestly, my first impressions here were
01:45a bit of a mixed bag. Unboxing the Pocket 3, I immediately noticed its cheaper plastic build,
01:51both on the camera itself and on the controller. It's not a deal breaker, but it does remind you of
01:55the cost-cutting measures that were made to get to this price point. The buttons lack satisfying
02:00clickiness both on the controller and the gimbal. And when you start it on its gimbal cover, it's
02:06big, it's bulky, and it takes away from an otherwise really compact setup. The other
02:13interesting thing is when attached, the center of mass, because it's so forward, it just tips over.
02:21There's something to be appreciated about having a gimbal camera combo that, even without its foot,
02:26just sits down and stays upright. The Feiyu Pocket series has always been in the shadow of the Osmo
02:32Pocket lineup, but the Pocket 3 is trying to break the mold by coming up with this radical new design.
02:39It's got that detachable cordless gimbal camera, and it's a design you're either going to love for
02:44its flexibility or hate for the added parts and setup. And because of this unique detachable
02:49design, I feel like the Pocket 3 is a mix between, obviously, the Osmo Pocket 3, but also
02:54the Insta360 GO 3S, which at its core is just a camera with very few buttons and interfaces,
03:01and its main station, which has the screen and all the other controls that you would need.
03:07The Osmo Pocket 3, with its 1-inch CMOS sensor, can shoot up to 4K 120 frames per second.
03:12Meanwhile, the Pocket 3 can shoot up to 4K 60 frames per second. But just as with the Insta360
03:19GO 3S, it features a magnetic design that basically allows you to mount this anywhere.
03:24Biotech claims that this is the world's first detachable cordless gimbal camera.
03:29And that's a mouthful, but what does that really mean for you? The camera, basically,
03:34is just this lens and gimbal now, with the handle and display and controls
03:39offered as a separate purchase. Now, even though the Pocket 3's base is a lot chunkier,
03:44you can see overall it does have a much smaller footprint without its camera remote attached.
03:49The other benefit is that its bottom is also magnetic. And so this smaller magnetized setup
03:55opens you up to a lot of creative possibilities, whether you want to stick it on an elevator door,
04:00overhead pipes, street signs, you name it. But that detachable design also makes the Pocket 3
04:06more, in my opinion, action-ready because of how easily you can attach it to not only yourself,
04:11cars, pets, or with its IPX8 dive waterproof case, and even be used underwater.
04:17But one of the biggest questions for me is how usable is the Pocket 3 on its own without
04:21the remote controller? The camera body has basic controls for power, shooting modes,
04:26and a tiny little black screen here for you to check out what mode you're in and if you're
04:30recording. But what do you do when you want to set up your framing or change some of your
04:34advanced video settings? The Pocket 3 doesn't come with this in the box as an optional purchase,
04:39so for users who don't want to use this, you are going to need to rely on your smartphone.
04:44It's not a huge complication, but just keep that in mind. This little screen isn't going
04:48to help you for that much. That said, even though their smartphone app does work relatively well as
04:53far as getting a live view and quickly changing some of your manual settings, it does have some
04:57limitations like setting manual white balance. And because of that, I do think a lot of people
05:02are actually going to want to use the remote controller here just because it's a little bit
05:07quicker to connect, you don't have to drain your phone's battery, and it feels like a more,
05:12I don't know, connected product like this. So the $329 kit is what most people are probably
05:19going to want to get as opposed to buying this separately. You do actually save a little bit
05:23of money by buying both together with that kit as opposed to buying them on their own.
05:28The remote adds some functionality including the joystick, which I think you kind of need on,
05:33you know, the camera itself, a zoom slider, which I think is pretty dumb,
05:37no one's going to be digitally zooming on this, and a 1.3-inch touch screen,
05:43which next to the Osmo Pocket 3's 2-inch rotatable screen feels very underwhelming to say the least.
05:50I think all those quirks that I mentioned so far are fairly forgivable, but how does it actually
05:55perform, especially side-by-side with the Pocket 3? Let's start with the field of view. The Pocket 3
06:00gives you a wider 130-degree field of view compared to the Osmo Pocket 3's 93-degree field
06:05of view. This extra width is great for capturing more in your shot and it makes taking, for example,
06:10selfies or videos, vlogging, feel less cramped. On the DJI, you might need to use its wide-angle
06:17filter to achieve a similar look. The Osmo Pocket 3's wide-angle field of view increases the field
06:22of view to 110 degrees, which is still less than on the Pocket 3. In terms of video quality itself,
06:29the Pocket 3 shoots 8-bit video at 120 megabits per second, whereas the Osmo Pocket 3 offers 10-bit
06:35at 130. That extra video information allows the Osmo Pocket 3 to capture better dynamic range,
06:42so whether it's the details in the skies or dark shadows, it's not lost, it's not below now.
06:48A couple differences in the video with the DJI Osmo Pocket 3. We have the depth of field,
06:55so again, it's giving me that subject separation where the background looks a little bit more
06:58blurred out, whereas this, again, very similar to more of like a phone where everything is in focus.
07:05Not bad, but when you want to take your footage to the next level, I think this is a really easy
07:10way to do it in a small package with the DJI Osmo Pocket 3, whereas the FeiyuTech, again,
07:16is basically cell phone footage that is smoother. That's one of the biggest advantages with the
07:23Osmo Pocket 3. It gives you shots that look somewhat similar to DSLRs or at least small
07:29pocket cameras. This, on the other hand, has a fixed focus, so it can't give you that depth of
07:34field as you move closer or further away from your subjects, but this is one of the biggest reasons I
07:39love the Osmo Pocket 3 is because how I can seamlessly cut between my footage, the Sony
07:43a7S III, which we're shooting on now, and this. In many ways, I'm actually using this more often,
07:49especially on the go, because I'm getting those really nice vlogging shots.
07:53The Pocket 3's modular and smaller design also sacrifices battery life. The DJI Osmo Pocket 3
07:59can be charged 80% in just 16 minutes, and that gives you up to two hours of shooting.
08:04When fully charged, you can record up to 160 minutes of 4K 60 frames per second footage
08:10or 166 minutes of 1080p 24 frames per second. The Pocket 3 states that you only get 60 minutes at
08:171080p 30 frames per second, and with its controller installed, that goes up to 160 minutes,
08:23but again, that's at 1080p 30 frames per second, not 4K 60. That's not even mentioning the fact
08:29that DJI also offers some cool accessories like its battery handle, which nearly doubles its
08:34battery life. Because of that, the Osmo Pocket 3 is one of the longest lasting cameras for its size.
08:40I mean, I can use this all day, like four hours, and I don't even have to worry about charging this.
08:44Listen for how each of them sounds. I think the DJI mic sounds a little bit richer.
08:50It sounds like I'm a little bit closer, and overall, I think it sounds better, whereas with
08:54the FeiyuTech FiiO, it sounds, I don't know, a little bit further away, a little bit more muffled.
09:00But DJI also has another ace up its sleeve, and that's with the wireless mic too.
09:06It supports connecting to via Bluetooth, and they sync automatically when turned on.
09:12You couldn't really ask for a better setup, and again, this combo is what I use almost every day
09:16when I'm filming on the go, whether it's filming myself or interviews. Yes, that is another pricey
09:21investment, but that's exactly what the DJI Osmo Pocket 3 combo can be considered, an investment,
09:28a tool I can rely on, a tool I use almost every day. So yeah, the Pocket 3 turned out to be much
09:33more interesting than I originally thought. It makes some sacrifices in terms of performance,
09:38especially stacked up next to the Osmo Pocket 3, but you got to. They're both Pocket 3s.
09:43On the flip side, though, it is better suited for a wider range of setups, I think,
09:47especially more quick setups, thanks to its smaller and magnetic design,
09:51and of course, for support for accessories like the diving case. It's like a hybrid between
09:57the Osmo Pocket 3 and the Insta360 GO 3S, giving you a lot of flexibility for creative shots
10:03quickly in exchange for more versatility as an all-in-one camera that combines the elements of
10:07both the Osmo Pocket 3 and the GO 3S, and you also want to save some money while you're at it,
10:12then the Pocket 3 is definitely worth considering. Just keep in mind a number of those quirks that
10:17we mentioned. So what do you think? For more cool tech, you can find us everywhere at Tom's Guide,
10:22and you can follow me to see what I'm reviewing next. Thanks for watching. Catch you in the next
10:27one.
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