DJI Pocket 3 Usage Experience: Compact Camera, Stabilization Review

It takes a little while to get fully accustomed to it, but here are my personal experiences:

Pros:
1. It’s incredibly convenient for shooting—lightweight and easy to operate with just one hand, making it the perfect companion for outdoor adventures.
2. You can customize parameters to match your preferred style, ensuring ease of use and versatility that caters to most vlog beginners.
3. The footage has a cinematic quality, and everything looks great regardless of what you’re filming.

It features a built-in skin-smoothing effect that enhances people’s appearances without over-sharpening. Whether indoors or outdoors, its wide range of usage scenarios shines through, even offering a night mode for low-light environments.
4. After recording videos, you can effortlessly export live photos—a highly convenient feature.

Simply take screenshots from downloaded videos, and the exported live photos deliver excellent results.
5. Stabilization is top-notch, thanks to the Pocket 3’s three-axis gimbal, which effectively minimizes shaking during shooting.

Cons:
1. The zoom capability falls short, maxing out at only 2x magnification. For higher zooms, you’d need to rely on your phone, which can be somewhat cumbersome.
2. There’s no beauty filter available during direct shooting, resulting in an image quality akin to an Android front camera. To enhance visuals, you’ll need to transfer the video to your phone, apply a beauty filter, and then re-export it.

However, the imported video will look significantly better (even without a filter).
3. Battery life is average—it doesn’t last particularly long. If used heavily throughout the day, the battery drains quickly. Carrying a power bank is advisable for extended sessions.
4. When using the selfie mirror, the lens may experience slight lag when flipping, affecting smoothness and reducing overall video quality.

This issue can be resolved by disabling the feature in settings if necessary.
5. The face-tracking function can only lock onto one person’s face (with the lens following the locked individual), limiting its effectiveness to single-person shots. Filming two or more people together yields less-than-ideal results.

Summary: While the Pocket 3 is undoubtedly an impressive shooting device, it might not suit everyone’s needs. If your shooting requirements aren’t too demanding, there’s a risk of it going unused after purchase. Before committing to a buy, ensure you avoid impulsive decisions and carefully consider whether it aligns with your actual needs.