A Pocket Camera at the Venice Film Festival – What DJI Wants With the Osmo Pocket 4P

by Nino LeitnerToday

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DJI brought the Osmo Pocket 4P to the Venice Film Festival, screened four short films shot on it, and put three working cinematographers on stage to discuss them. I was in the room, and in our new video I explain what the event tells us about DJI’s plans for this camera in professional filmmaking.

I attended the DJI Filmmakers & Visionaries Session at DJI’s invitation. It was part of the Venice Production Bridge, the market side of the 83rd Venice International Film Festival, and it took place on the Lido while the festival was running next door. All the Venice footage in the video comes from the Osmo Pocket 4P, including the night walk along the canals after my arrival and the water taxi ride to the Lido the next morning. The video covers DJI’s strategy for the camera. For measurements, please see our Lab Test.

Four short films, three cinematographers

The session ran under the title “New Generation, New Cinematic Language”. DJI had given the camera to four young filmmakers: Gabriele Mencaroni and Alessandro Tempestini from Italy, Liu Yadi, who works between China and France, and Zhou Chengzhou, who works between China and the Netherlands. Each of them shot a short film entirely on the Osmo Pocket 4P, and we watched all four on a cinema screen.

Three established cinematographers then reviewed the films on stage. Valentin Vignet is known for his work on Faces Places. Cristiano Di Nicola had a film, L’Estranea, in the festival’s Official Competition this year. Michele D’Attanasio is a two-time David di Donatello winner whose credits include Freaks Out. These are people who shoot features on large cameras with full crews.

“What struck me most about these four short films is that none of the filmmakers needed to compromise on quality to use a more lightweight camera,” Cristiano Di Nicola said, according to DJI’s summary of the session. DJI closed the morning with an awards ceremony for the four young filmmakers.

Watch two of the presented short films below (the other two have not been made public yet):

Nobody on stage talked about vlogging

The Osmo Pocket line built its reputation with vloggers and travel creators, so I expected at least part of the conversation to go there. It did not. The roundtable was about how a camera this small changes the relationship between the camera and an actor, and about what a crew of two can do with it. Some of the cinematographers said they plan to use it on upcoming feature films.

Venice was the third step in a longer campaign. DJI first showed the camera at Cannes earlier this year. It then had Isabelle Huppert star in and creatively direct FAMILIARITÉ, a short film shot entirely on the Osmo Pocket 4P, and Japanese cinematographer Mikiya Takimoto directed a second one, Looking for Her. A company that only wanted to sell this camera to creators would have no reason to spend that effort on film festivals.

We have seen DJI do this before. The company came into our industry through gimbals, then wireless video with products like the SDR Transmission 2, then the Ronin 4D and the Inspire 3. Each time, people on set were skeptical at first, and each time the gear later turned up on real productions.

What our lab measured

The reason this pitch does not sound absurd is the image. When Gunther tested the Osmo Pocket 4P in the CineD lab, the wide camera with its 1-inch LOFIC sensor measured 16 stops of dynamic range at a signal-to-noise ratio of 2, and 17.2 stops at a signal-to-noise ratio of 1. That is the highest dynamic range result we have recorded since we started testing cameras, and it is above the ARRI ALEXA 35. We discussed the result in detail in Focus Check episode 127. I did not expect to write that sentence about a camera that weighs 230 g (8.1 oz).

What the lab result does not cover

The 16 stops apply to the wide camera with its 20mm equivalent lens. The 60mm equivalent tele camera uses a different sensor and measured 11.6 stops at a signal-to-noise ratio of 2. In exposure latitude, the wide camera reached 10 stops in 10-bit D-Log 2, while the ALEXA 35 reached 12 stops in ARRIRAW.

The focal lengths are fixed, and there is little control over depth of field. A short film made for a brand event is also a different test from a feature shoot that runs for weeks. I do not see this camera replacing anybody’s A camera.

As a specialty camera for positions that a cinema camera cannot reach, for example inside a car or within arm’s reach of an actor, it now delivers an image that can be cut into a professional film. That is new for a camera of this size. Our launch article on the Osmo Pocket 4P has the full specifications.

The key light in the studio shots

One more thing about the video, and this one concerns us directly. The key light on my face in every studio shot is the OrBrella, which I only show at the end. It is our own product. We developed it together with SmallRig, and CineD earns money when it sells, so please read this section with that in mind.

The OrBrella is a 60W bi-color soft light that opens like an umbrella to a diameter of 58 cm (22.8 in). Folded, it is 34 cm (13.4 in) long and weighs 1.3 kg (2.87 lb), and it is ready to use in about 15 seconds. It comes from the same wish as that pocket camera, which is to travel light. As documentary filmmakers, we often arrive somewhere with ten minutes to set up an interview, and the soft light we want usually means a softbox, a stand and another case. The design is explained in our article on the crowdfunding campaign.

The OrBrella is in a crowdfunding campaign on SmallRig’s website until November 8. During the campaign it costs $169.99 / €178.90, and the regular price afterwards will be $199.99 / €209.90. SmallRig expects to ship the first batch on January 20, 2027.

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Price and availability

The DJI Osmo Pocket 4P Standard Combo is available in Europe, the UK, Canada and Australia. DJI’s price is €599 including VAT in most EU countries. At CVP it currently sells for £529 including VAT, or €521.83 excluding VAT. DJI did not release the camera in the US at launch, so there is no US price. For more information, please visit the DJI website.

Would you use a pocket camera like the Osmo Pocket 4P on a professional job, and for what kind of shot? Don’t hesitate to let us know in the comments below!