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 the
00:41Pocket 3 starts to look like a really good deal and, if you will, a steal. The camera alone,
00:47because 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 in its use because you're tethered.
01:12But with the FiU Pocket 3, they finally cut the cord, but it doesn't fix all of those limitations.
01:18The 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 $200 to $340
01:29more than the FiU Pocket 3. Is it that much better? I've tested and used plenty of FiU Tech's DSLR
01:36gimbals and they're a great budget alternative to the DJI Ronin, but this is my first time actually
01:42trying the Pocket series out. And honestly, my first impressions here were a bit of a mixed bag.
01:47Unboxing the Pocket 3, I immediately noticed its cheaper plastic build, both on the camera itself
01:52and on the controller. It's not a deal breaker, but it does remind you of the cost cutting measures
01:57that were made to get to this price point. The buttons lack satisfying clickiness both on the
02:02controller and the gimbal. And again, we started on its gimbal cover. It's big, it's bulky, and it
02:08takes away from an otherwise really compact setup. The other interesting thing is when attached,
02:16the center of mass, because it's so forward, it just tips over. You know, there's something to be
02:22appreciated about having a gimbal camera combo that, even without its foot, just sits down and
02:27stays upright. The FiU Pocket series has always been in the shadow of the Osmo Pocket lineup,
02:33but the Pocket 3 is trying to break the mold by coming up with this radical new design. It's got
02:39that detachable cordless gimbal camera, and it's a design you're either going to love for its
02:44flexibility or hate for the added parts and setup. And because of this unique detachable design, I feel
02:50like the Pocket 3 is a mix between obviously the Osmo Pocket 3, but also the Insta360 GO3S, which at
02:57its core is just a camera with very few buttons and interfaces, and its main station, which has the
03:04screen and all the other controls that you would need. The Osmo Pocket 3 with its one-inch CMOS
03:09sensor can shoot up to 4K 120 frames per second. Meanwhile, the Pocket 3 can shoot up to 4K 60
03:15frames per second. But just as with the Insta360 GO3S, it features a magnetic design that basically
03:22allows you to mount this anywhere. Biotech claims that this is the world's first detachable cordless
03:28gimbal camera. And 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 offered as a separate
03:40purchase. Now, even though the Pocket 3's base is a lot chunkier, you can see overall it does have a
03:45much smaller footprint without its camera remote attached. The other benefit is that its bottom is
03:51also magnetic. And so this smaller magnetized setup opens you up to a lot of creative possibilities,
03:58whether you want to stick it on an elevator door, overhead pipes, street signs, you name it. But
04:03that detachable design also makes the Pocket 3 more, in my opinion, action ready because of how easily
04:09you can attach it to not only yourself, cars, pets, or with its IPX, a dive waterproof case,
04:16and even be used underwater. But one of the biggest questions for me is how usable is the Pocket 3 on its
04:21own without the remote controller. The camera body has basic controls for power, shooting modes, and a tiny
04:27little black screen here for you to check out what mode you're in and if you're recording. But what
04:32do you do when you want to set up your framing or change some of your advanced video settings? The
04:36Pocket 3 doesn't come with this in the box that's an optional purchase, so for users who don't want
04:41to use this, you are going to need to rely on your smartphone. It's not a huge complication, but just keep
04:46that in mind, this little screen isn't going to help you for that much. That said, even though their
04:51smartphone app does work relatively well as far as getting a live view and quickly changing some of your
04:55manual settings, it does have some limitations like setting manual white balance. And because of that,
05:01I do think a lot of people are actually going to want to use the remote controller here just because
05:06it's a little bit quicker to connect. You don't have to drain your phone's battery and it feels like
05:11a more, I don't know, connected product like this. So the $329 kit is what most people are probably going
05:19to want to get as opposed to buying this separately. You do actually save a little bit of money by buying
05:24both together with that kit as opposed to buying them on their own. The remote adds some functionality
05:30including the joystick, which I think you kind of need on, you know, the camera itself. A zoom slider,
05:36which I think is pretty dumb. No one's going to be digitally zooming on this. And a 1.3 inch
05:42touchscreen, which next to the Osmo Pocket 3's 2 inch rotatable screen, feels very underwhelming to say
05:48the least. I think all those quirks that I mentioned so far are fairly forgivable, but how does it
05:54actually perform, especially side by side with the Pocket 3? Let's start with the field of view.
05:59The Pocket 3 gives you a wider 130 degree field of view compared to the Osmo Pocket 3's 93 degree
06:05field of view. This extra width is great for capturing more in your shot and it makes taking,
06:10for example, selfies or videos vlogging feel less cramped. On the DJI, you might need to use its wide
06:16angle filter to achieve a similar look. The Osmo Pocket 3's wide angle field of view increases the
06:22field of view to 110 degrees, which is still less than on the Pocket 3. In terms of video quality
06:29itself, the Pocket 3 shoots 8-bit video at 120 megabits per second, whereas the Osmo Pocket 3 offers
06:3510-bit at 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.
06:47A couple differences in the video with the DJI Osmo Pocket 3. We have the depth of field, so again,
06:55it's giving me that subject separation where the background looks a little bit more blurred out,
06:59whereas this, again, very similar to more of like a phone where everything is in focus. Not bad,
07:06but when you want to take your footage to the next level, I think this is a really easy way to do it,
07:11in a small package with the DJI Osmo Pocket 3, whereas the Phaiotec, again, is basically
07:18cell phone footage that is smoother. That's one of the biggest advantages with the Osmo Pocket 3.
07:25It gives you shots that look somewhat similar to DSLRs, or at least small pocket cameras.
07:30This, on the other hand, has a fixed focus, so it can't give you that depth of field as you move
07:35closer or further away from your subjects. But this is one of the biggest reasons I love the Osmo Pocket 3,
07:40is because of how I can seamlessly cut between my footage, the Sony a7S III, which we're shooting on now,
07:45and this. In many ways, I'm actually using this more often, especially on the go, because I'm getting
07:50those really nice vlogging shots. The Pocket 3's modular and smaller design also sacrifices battery life.
07:58The DJI Osmo Pocket 3 can 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, but again,
08:23that's at 1080p 30 frames per second, not 4K 60. That's not even mentioning the fact that DJI also offers
08:30some cool accessories, like its battery handle, which nearly doubles its battery life. Because of
08:35that, the Osmo Pocket 3 is one of the longest lasting cameras for its size. I mean, I can use this all day,
08:41like four hours, and I don't even have to worry about charging this. Listen for how each of them
08:46sounds. I think the DJI mic sounds a little bit richer. It sounds like I'm a little bit closer,
08:51and overall, I think it sounds better. Whereas with the Fiotech Theo, it sounds, I don't know,
08:58a little bit further away, a little bit more muffled. But DJI also has another ace up its sleeve,
09:03and that's with the wireless mic 2. It supports connecting 2 via Bluetooth, and they sync automatically
09:10when turned on. You couldn't really ask for a better setup, and again, this combo is what I use
09:15almost every day when I'm filming on the go, whether it's filming myself or interviews. Yes,
09:20that is another pricey investment, but that's exactly what the DJI Osmo Pocket 3 combo can be
09:26considered. An investment, a tool I can rely on, a tool I use almost every day. So yeah, the Pocket 3
09:32turned out to be much more interesting than I originally thought. It makes some sacrifices in terms
09:37of performance, especially 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, especially more
09:47quick setups, thanks to its smaller and magnetic design, and of course, for support for accessories
09:53like the diving case. It's like a hybrid between the Osmo Pocket 3 and the Insta360 GO 3S, giving you
10:00a lot of flexibility for creative shots quickly, in exchange for more versatility as an all-in-one
10:06camera that combines the elements of both the Osmo Pocket 3 and the GO 3S, and you also want
10:11to save some money while you're at it, then the Pocket 3 is definitely worth considering. Just keep
10:16in mind a number of those quirks that we mentioned. So what do you think? For more cool tech, you can
10:20find us everywhere at Tom's Guide, and you can follow me to see what I'm reviewing next. Thanks for
10:25watching. Catch you in the next one.
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