DJI, best known for its drones, gimbals and action cameras, is releasing its first 360 camera, the Osmo 360. It has some impressive specs, with big 1-inch sensors, 8K video at 50 frames per second and 120-megapixel photos.
The 360 camera market certainly isn’t crowded. Insta360 is the biggest name, followed by Kandao and GoPro with its refreshed-but-aging Max. The Osmo 360 seems interesting on paper, but then there’s the little wrinkle that for now it’s not available in the US. The reasons why are unclear.
Specs
- 1-inch 360-degree imaging
- 8K50 360 video
- 5K60 16×9 “flat” video
- 120 megapixel photos
- 105 GB of built-in storage
The Osmo 360’s headline spec is “1-inch 360-degree imaging.” This wouldn’t be the first 360 camera with 1-inch sensors, but what DJI is doing is a little more interesting than that, hence the hedging with the marketing.
The Osmo 360 uses square image sensors instead of the usual rectangular ones. Since all lenses, 360 camera lenses included, focus a circular image onto a sensor, a square image sensor has fewer unused pixels (i.e., the sides of a rectangular image sensor). This has theoretical benefits in terms of cost, size and power consumption. According to DJI, this is a custom square image sensor with 4K-by-4K resolution.
The actual size of each chip is 1/1.1 inches, so technically, they are slightly smaller than 1 inch, but are among the largest ever put in a 360 camera. DJI says the pixels themselves are 2.4μm — almost the same size as our current pick for best 360 camera, the Insta360 X5, which has a pixel size of 2.44μm with smaller 1/1.28-inch sensors (though it hedges by saying this is the “max. equivalent pixel size”).
Regardless, the Osmo 360’s sensors are large for the category. DJI says the sensors have 13.5 stops of dynamic range, which is also what Insta360 says with the X5. In my testing, the X5 does great with high-dynamic-range scenes and in low light. The Osmo 360 has slightly faster lenses, f1.9 versus the X5’s f2.0, so performance should be good in low light. Also, DJI’s Osmo Action 5 Pro is our low-light action cam champ.
The video and photo specs are impressive. The Osmo 360 maxes out at 8K resolution at 50 frames per second. The Insta360 X5 can do 8K too, but at a lower 30fps. That means that motion can be a bit smoother, objects in motion can be less blurred or you can slow down the footage slightly for slow motion. If you want to slow it down even more, the Osmo 360 also offers 4K100.
The 120 megapixel still images are simply massive. Even Kandao’s QooCam 3 Ultra, our current pick for best 360 camera for image quality, maxes out at “just” 96 megapixels. So theoretically, the Osmo 360 will offer even more detailed images and let you zoom in and crop even tighter.
Overheating has long been an issue with higher-resolution 360 cameras when recording video and DJI says the Osmo 360 can record 8K30 for up to 100 minutes. That’s great, though only 7 minutes longer than what the Insta360 X5 can do. An optional extension rod “selfie stick” with an integrated battery can extend the recording time to 180 minutes. The Osmo 360 will also charge quickly, getting to 50% capacity in 12 minutes.
The Osmo 360 has 105GB of built-in storage, but no removable storage is mentioned. With these high-resolution video and photo files, that storage will fill up quickly.
Lastly, there’s the weight. DJI says the Osmo 360 weighs just 183 grams. That would make it even lighter than the Insta360 X5 and significantly lighter than the Kandao QooCam 3 Ultra. For a camera designed to replace a traditional action camera, that’s great.
Availability
I’ve been using and reviewing 360 cameras since they first hit the market over a decade ago. The Osmo 360 ticks a lot of the boxes for “interesting new camera.” It’s lightweight, looks to be a decent size, and it has a large image sensor for better low-light performance. Its video and image resolutions and framerates move the needle upwards compared to previous generations. In my experience with DJI’s action cameras, the company typically does a good job with image quality in a variety of environments, better in some cases than GoPro or Insta360.
So color me interested… except for one issue. It’s not available “through official DJI channels” in the US, and DJI does not have an estimated date when the Osmo 360 will be available, if at all. When I asked DJI for clarification, they responded: “We have had to adjust our market strategy as local conditions and the industry environment have evolved. We do not have a timeline on when or if this will be available, but we will keep you posted if there are any updates.”
DJI does have US pricing, at least for now. The Osmo 360 will theoretically be $550 for the Standard Combo, which comes with a rubber lens projector, or $700 for the Adventure Combo, which includes a selfie stick, adapter mount and some other accessories. This puts it right in the same range as the X5 and QooCam 3 Ultra.
In addition to covering cameras and display tech, Geoff does photo essays about cool museums and other stuff, including nuclear submarines, aircraft carriers, 10,000-mile road trips.
Also, check out Budget Travel for Dummies, his travel book and his bestselling sci-fi novel about city-size submarines. You can follow him on Instagram and YouTube.
