The Osmo 360 is something of a reverse situation for DJI. Rather than being a category leader in this respect, the device is more of a response to what competitors like Insta360 have been doing. That widens the scope and scrutiny for what a camera like this could and should be, given the versatility DJI claims it has.
The nature of 360 cameras is that their field of view means you capture whatever you want and worry less about angles and perspectives, because there’s no real blind spot. My experience with the Osmo 360 (and other similar cameras) tells me that’s not always the case, and frankly, how you accessorize the camera makes a very big difference. In this case, a very long selfie stick turns out to be a big part of achieving objectives.
Depending on the bundle you get, the Osmo 360 starts at about $430 for the Standard Combo, which doesn’t include much beyond the camera and lens protector, and goes up to $580 when you add the Invisible Selfie Stick and extra batteries. To make things really interesting, you could also go for the 2.5-meter Extended Carbon Fiber Selfie Stick for another $105.
Finding an Osmo 360 in the U.S. won’t be easy since it’s not available through any direct channels. Online retailers are your best bet, or barring that, you can always buy one from a Canadian retailer, where the camera is readily available.
DJI Osmo 360 Review: Design and Build
First and foremost, DJI positions the Osmo 360 as an action camera. That’s a given for any 360-degree camera, but capturing any scene in an all-around way makes this just as interesting for travel or less adventurous pursuits as well. That is at least part of the reason DJI looks to outdo competitors by using a larger 1/1.1-inch CMOS sensor on either side here.
Looking at the overall build, it’s quintessential DJI. A ruggedized body with the familiar locked latches for both the battery and memory card, along with a power button on the side. On one side, there’s a small touchscreen with record and stop buttons.
It’s hard to say whether the body is “big” or “small”. It’s certainly pocket-friendly enough, though the lens protector has a thickness that adds girth to it when carrying it around that way. A sturdy build, the Osmo 360 doesn’t feel cheap and can take some punishment, though the exposed screen may give you some pause on that.
While waterproof with IP68 protection, there’s a catch if you plan on submerging it to capture footage or photos. Technically, the body can handle depths down to 10 meters, but DJI warns that footage will likely look distorted due to the lenses, so it recommends using an underwater housing instead. The problem is that DJI doesn’t make one, leaving you with third-party options instead — another added expense.
In a nod to streamlining its accessories, DJI also integrates its proprietary magnetic quick-release mount at the bottom, making the Osmo 360 very interchangeable with the various accessories supporting the connector. That includes a range of sticks, as well as mounts, and other adaptive ways to use the camera.
The camera itself has 105GB of internal storage, so a microSD card isn’t a must off the bat but certainly good to have if you plan on doing a lot of 8K footage or longer timelapses. Like the Osmo Action 5 Pro, you can also switch between the built-in storage and memory card through the settings, in case you want to compartmentalize whatever content you want to capture.
DJI Osmo 360 Review: Setup and Controls
It’s a fairly straightforward setup to get the Osmo 360 rolling out of the box, where you could be recording footage in mere minutes. DJI also makes the Osmo 360 directly compatible with the Mic 3, Mic 2, and Mic Mini, letting you get higher-quality audio with any video you capture.
At a base level, you can simply press the circle to start recording and then stop it with the square button. If you’re in Photo mode, the record button snaps a photo or starts the timer if you’ve set one before snapping the image.
The display is bright enough to see in sunny conditions, but its smaller size presents challenges I didn’t anticipate going in. One is that DJI tries not to make onscreen controls in live view a hindrance to seeing what the camera sees. The problem is that the corresponding buttons are very small, which is fine when leisurely setting up a shot, but not so much when doing so in action situations or where time is of the essence. I had to sometimes tap the same area twice or more while moving to make an adjustment.
Also, with swiping and scrolling being a key part of the interface, there were numerous cases where I inadvertently navigated out of the gallery or accidentally selected the wrong video settings. These are usually quick to fix, but they add up over time, and it may take a while before muscle memory kicks in.
The Osmo 360 can record in 8K between 24–50 fps, 6K at up to 60 fps, and 4K at up to 100 fps (in panoramic). There’s 10-bit color, with 13 stops of high dynamic range, plus DJI’s RockSteady 3.0 and HorizonSteady stabilization to keep footage from getting too shaky.
Still photos make the most of the dual sensors for a 120-megapixel (15520 × 7760) 360-degree image. Like with video, you also have the option to shoot single-lens shots at 30.7 megapixels (6400 × 4800) or lower when you don’t want a spatial perspective. The wider f/1.9 aperture helps with low-light shots, though DJI includes a dedicated SuperNight mode just for that in both video and photo.
What you choose also matters within the interface because it can alter how content appears. For instance, RockSteady and HorizonSteady stabilization both introduce crop factors of 15mm and 19mm equivalents, respectively, in the Standard (Dewarp) setting. It then goes to 12mm under both when switching to Wide or Ultra Wide. Turn stabilization off completely, and you get a much wider 8mm equivalent.
To extract content, you have two options. On the mobile side, you can use the DJI Mimo app, which you’ll need to download as an APK file on an Android device. The iOS version still lives on in the App Store. This combination can prove useful as a means of remotely controlling the camera, but it’s also important to have handy for firmware updates.
In addition, Mimo lets you browse your gallery and use the app’s own editor to create your own videos using templates and effects that DJI offers within it. Much of it focuses on active situations like riding or skiing, but at least there are some that cater to sightseeing and adventurous travel. You can do a lot of it manually or utilize the onboard AI to splice together selected clips and images and create something for you. I like the variety here for the simple fact that it offers the less experienced a chance to share content more readily.
DJI Osmo 360 Review: Image Quality
The larger sensors inside enable the Osmo 360 to capture larger 2.4μm pixels, presumably giving it more range and better low-light capability. By the numbers, that amounts to almost double the available pixels compared to the Insta360 X5, with the additional caveat that, being square sensors, DJI’s camera isn’t wasting any of the surface area, as can happen with rectangular sensors.
You lose some of that advantage if you use one of the crop factors, but in any case, the results will show some consistency. Starting with video, footage looks nice and vibrant, offering excellent subject separation and background depth to add a certain immersion to the scene. While colors are a bit saturated in some respects — particularly skies, grass, and water — I didn’t feel like results skewed too far overall. There is the option to record in 10-bit D-Log to work on color grading in post, so options abound here.
For 360-degree footage, the software does an excellent job stitching the two sides together for a seamless view all around. It also does a great job removing any selfie stick, regardless of whether I used the Battery Extension Rod fully extended to 90cm or Extended Carbon Fiber Selfie Stick fully extended to 2.5 meters. DJI gave me both sticks, and while the former was useful for extra battery life, the latter turned more heads than the camera itself ever did.
Fully extended, whether vertically or laterally, the Extended Stick afforded me angles and views that would’ve been all but impossible to achieve without it. Bystanders noticed more times than I could count. In Italy, I maneuvered it past barriers and over ledges to capture unique views that look more cinematic and drone-like when viewed later. In fact, I tried to deploy it high up in the Accademia in Florence in Michelangelo’s David Gallery, only lasting five seconds before security accosted me, telling me the Osmo 360 was fine but not the fully extended stick.
Setting a timer opened enough of a window to position the camera to capture any scene from any safe position. While the two stabilizing modes crop in to reduce shake, I didn’t mind because it made panning by hand smoother. Like other 360 cameras, holding or mounting it can make a real difference in how the resulting images look. I didn’t have a helmet or chest mount, nor did I get the chance to use it extensively while riding my bike, which required holding it with one hand.
Even so, there’s a lot to like about what the Osmo 360 can do, though still images will often come out soft and noisy. Full 360 images tend to look better than their single-lens counterparts. This is definitely not going to replace a capable, dedicated camera, or even the versatility of a really good smartphone, but it can get to places those devices can’t.
Battery Life
When launching the Osmo 360, DJI said it could record in 8K at 30fps for up to 110 minutes on a single charge. That number turns out to be wholly accurate. Shooting clips at varying times throughout a day never really put me at a big disadvantage battery-wise. Mind you, I had help in the form of backups and the Battery Extension Rod, but there’s solid efficiency going on here, as is.
Maintaining its streamlined approach, the Osmo 360 uses the same 1,950mAh battery DJI introduced in the Osmo Action 5 Pro. If you have that camera, then the batteries are totally interchangeable. Plus, because the magnetic connector can double as a charging port, the Extension Rod can funnel power to it without needing a cable between them.
Durability and Longevity
Despite all the positives, there’s reasonable concern over device support. Unlike the Insta360 X5, which lets you replace lenses yourself, there’s no way to do so with the Osmo 360. Moreover, you have no retail outlet to do it, especially in the U.S., where there’s no official availability. In Canada, retailers selling the camera don’t have in-house support to do the job on-https://creatorkitdepot.com/, either.
This is a miss on DJI’s part. A 360-degree camera with two lenses, designed for active pursuits, is exposed to potential danger at any given time. I can see a situation where a motorcyclist might encounter a rock chip hitting the lens while riding down the road. Same with off-roading, where a stray branch might clip the glass, or even just that rare case where it slips out of your hand and falls on concrete. Losing out on functionality simply because of these potential pitfalls feels like you have to baby the thing just to avoid the inconvenience. I think it’s still worth the risk, but I would recommend understanding your options first before diving in.
DJI Osmo 360 Review: Stick to Video First
The DJI Osmo 360 is always going to be a video-first device, and it shows given that footage often looks better than still images do. That goes for spatial images as well, which are fun to look at, but aren’t enough on their own to warrant going with a device like this. It’s moving images that ultimately make this the interesting tool that it is, and that was the consistent takeaway for me.
Are There Alternatives?
The most obvious competitor is the Insta360 X5, which not only offers modular repair but also takes things further on the software side with a more elaborate app and plug-ins for popular editing programs like Final Cut and Adobe Premiere Pro. That makes it very tough to beat as an alternative, though I will say that the Osmo’s shorter stature makes it easier to wield and mount than the taller X5.
The GoPro Max 360 uses a similar form factor to the Osmo 360, except it won’t do 8K resolution and limits your options for still images. On the other hand, it sports a well-established accessory ecosystem and software set on mobile and desktop that makes dealing with footage fairly straightforward.
Should You Buy It?
Maybe. The camera’s capabilities, especially for video, won’t let you down, so your decision may be based more on availability and device support down the line. Outside the U.S., you can feel more secure about going with it because you have a more direct line with DJI in case something happens
