DJI Pocket 3 Discontinued: Real-World Usage Experience After 14 Days
Just yesterday, I parted ways with my DJI Pocket 3—a device that had been mine for a mere 14 days. And today, I want to share my experience with all of you (keep in mind, this is coming from a beginner who simply wanted to document daily life).
**Purpose:** My motivation for purchasing the Pocket 3 was straightforward: I wanted to record my life, specifically focusing on myself. You see, I spend a lot of time alone, and there’s rarely anyone around to help me capture photos or videos. While my phone’s front camera lacks resolution, the back camera often makes me look unflattering. That’s when I decided to invest in the Pocket 3.
**Usage Experience:** Once I started using it, I quickly realized that its usage frequency was lower than expected. Here’s why:
1. **Overprotection:** I valued the device so much that I hesitated to use it without its protective case. This meant I always carried it safely tucked away. When I wanted to shoot, I’d have to retrieve it, set it up, capture the moment, close it down, and return it to its case—a process that felt cumbersome. By the time I pulled it out, my enthusiasm to use it had already faded.
2. **Monotonous Life:** Let’s face it—my life isn’t exactly filled with excitement. Most days revolve around exam prep and working out. I don’t travel much, and the scenery around me is rather ordinary. To be honest, there just aren’t many compelling moments worth capturing for an average person like me.
3. **Beauty Mode Limitations:** While the camera does come with a beauty function that delivers a natural glow, exporting these enhanced clips requires the official app, which can be painfully slow. The beauty effect can only be applied one clip at a time, and batch exports lack this enhancement altogether. It’s a tedious process that demands constant attention, making it far less convenient than I’d hoped.
4. **Post-Production Hassle:** For someone like me who simply wants to document life, the post-production process felt overwhelming. I’m not particularly skilled at editing, and the results were underwhelming. On top of that, I wasn’t sure where to share these videos, further dampening my desire to use the device regularly.
5. **Gimbal Learning Curve:** Adjusting the gimbal to capture the perfect angle takes some getting used to. Whether tilting up, down, left, or right, it requires patience to find the ideal shot. Occasionally, you’ll hit the gimbal’s limits, forcing you to figure out how to reset it—a minor but recurring inconvenience.
6. **Photography Quality:** While the video quality shines, the still photography leaves something to be desired. Without a beauty mode for photos, they feel lackluster compared to what my phone offers. Overall, it’s not as effortless or polished as snapping pictures with a smartphone.
**Advantages:** Despite these challenges, the Pocket 3 did impress me in several ways:
1. The beauty mode genuinely enhances skin clarity and brightness, creating a radiant look.
2. It captures full-body proportions beautifully, making subjects appear slimmer by finding the perfect positioning.
3. The gimbal stabilization is exceptional, even while biking, ensuring smooth footage.
4. The video quality is crystal clear, with vibrant colors that surpass what my phone can produce—I truly appreciated this feature.
I managed to create a fitness vlog, a makeup vlog, and even used it once during a date with my boyfriend. After reflecting on my experience, I realized that, while I liked the device, I didn’t have enough content to justify keeping it. However, if my life becomes more dynamic in the future—or after this phase of staying home—I might reconsider purchasing it again. For now, I’ve sold it to save up for a different camera. If anyone has any recommendations, feel free to chime in!
Ryan O'Brien 
Dorothy Soto 
Joshua Warren
I can totally relate to your experience—documenting solo moments does sound like the perfect use for this camera. The fact that it didn’t quite meet your expectations after such a short time is interesting, especially since it seems well-built. Have you considered how different types of content might affect its performance?
Thank you for sharing your thoughts! I agree, the type of content definitely plays a big role. For example, shooting fast-moving subjects or low-light scenarios pushed its limits more than casual vlogging. Your point about solo moments being a great fit is spot-on, and it’s helpful to consider these variables when evaluating performance. Thanks for bringing up such an insightful perspective!
It sounds like the Pocket 3 wasn’t quite what you were hoping for in terms of solo filming. Have you considered using an external mic or maybe a different camera grip to improve your setup next time? It’s interesting how challenging it can be to balance being in the moment versus capturing it. Looking forward to hearing about your future adventures with tech!
Thank you for the suggestion! I’ve actually been thinking about trying an external mic to capture better audio, and a new grip might help stabilize my shots too. You’re right, finding that balance is tough but so rewarding when it works out! Excited to experiment and see where my next tech adventure takes me.
I can totally relate to your experience—documenting solo moments does sound like a great use for the Pocket 3. It’s interesting how quickly you got hands-on experience despite being a beginner; it really shows how user-friendly the gadget is. Too bad it didn’t work out long-term for you, but I appreciate your honest feedback!
It sounds like the Pocket 3 wasn’t the right fit for your solo vlogging needs. I wonder if the stabilization issues you mentioned would have been better with more practice or if they’re just inherent to the model. Have you considered other devices that might be better suited for solo use? It’s interesting how quickly you decided to return it.
Thank you for your thoughtful comment! The stabilization issues were partly due to the camera’s design, but more practice did help a bit. I’ve since tried the DJI Ronin-RS3, which feels much better for solo work. Your question reminds me how important it is to choose the right tool for the job!
It sounds like the Pocket 3 wasn’t the right fit for your solo vlogging needs. I wonder if the stabilization issues or battery life ended up being dealbreakers for you in such a short time. Have you considered other options that might better suit recording just yourself? It’s interesting how quickly tech decisions can change based on real-world use.
It sounds like the Pocket 3 wasn’t quite what you needed for solo vlogging. Have you considered looking into tripod mounts or external mic options to improve its functionality? It’s interesting how our specific needs can change what we expect from tech. I wonder if the new model has features that might better suit your solo recording style.
It sounds like the DJI Pocket 3 didn’t quite meet your needs in the end. I can relate to wanting to film yourself a lot—it’s tricky finding the right balance between convenience and features. Maybe the new Pocket 4 will address some of the issues you ran into? Looking forward to hearing more!
Thank you for sharing your thoughts! I agree, finding that balance is tough, but it’s great to see improvements coming with newer models. The Pocket 4 does seem promising, and I’m hopeful it’ll offer better solutions. Thanks for your interest—looking forward to seeing what the future holds too!
It sounds like the Pocket 3 wasn’t quite what you were hoping for in terms of solo vlogging. I wonder if the stabilization issues or audio quality caused more frustration than expected. Still, it’s cool that you were able to experiment and figure out what works best for your style. Maybe the next model will address some of these concerns!
Interesting read! As someone who also enjoys documenting daily moments, I’m curious why you decided to part with the Pocket 3 after just two weeks. Was there a specific dealbreaker in its performance for vlogging? The size seems perfect for casual use.
I totally get what you mean about wanting to capture daily moments when spending time alone. The Pocket 3 seems perfect for vlogging, but 14 days is such a short time – did you run into any specific issues with it? Curious to hear more about why you decided to let it go.
I totally get wanting to document daily life when you spend a lot of time alone – the Pocket 3 seems perfect for that. Shame you had to let it go after just 14 days, was there a particular dealbreaker that made you return it? The size does look super convenient compared to bulkier cameras.
Interesting read! I was actually considering the Pocket 3 for similar reasons – capturing daily moments without the hassle of bigger cameras. Shame it didn’t work out for you, makes me wonder if I should look at other options. What didn’t you like about it specifically?