Taking video recording, photos and selfies to the next level… my latest new gadgets.
I enjoy documenting family trips, interesting places, good eats and cool things. Seeing as we have an upcoming Japan and Taiwan trip around the corner, I knew that I’d be wanting to record a lot of our experiences and travels. So, after many years of being a minimalist in terms of my filming and photography efforts… aka just an iPhone, I decided to up my game and started looking into a travel friendly gimbal for more steady filming and doubling as a selfie-stick. (I’d been wanting a selfie stick for a while too, despite its negative reputation several years ago.)
I was seeking something moderately lightweight, or at least not too heavy. I wanted good stabilization ability, easy and quick setup & removal of the phone, portable with maybe some cool features, but prioritizing on build-quality and reputation. After doing some online research, reading reviews and also seeing what brands that Apple Store carries… because if a product makes it into an Apple Store, you know it’s been vetted and not some cheap gadget that’ll break on you… I settled on the dji OSMO Mobile SE.
In addition to the OSMO Mobile SE, I also purchased the Fill Light Clamp… seeing as it might be useful for those selfies in low-light situations.
On that note… let me showcase the video of my new gadget below. Just fyi… I’m actually currently writing this blog post from Japan on the Shinkansen. By now, I’ve used the gimbal quite a lot and have really enjoyed it. It does add extra weight in my tote when I’m out all day and night, on my feet, walking 20,000+ steps a day, but I still keep it with me because when I get to someplace that I really want to film, it’s so easy to pop my phone in and out.
We are on way to Kyoto right now and should arrive in another 30 min. Hope you enjoyed this video. Some of my future videos will definitely be utilizing my new gimbal. 🙂
One thing to mention though, unrelated, is that the Free Wi-Fi on this Nozomi Shinkansen is so slow, such that it’s been 97% unusable, which is why this is currently typed on my iPad in Apple Notes and will be turned into a blog post when I arrive and get real internet.
Some additional information regarding the gimbal is that you can use it directly with your native iPhone photo and video features, with the buttons on the gimbal. However for more functionality and that cool/trippy facial tracking feature, you would need to download their app, the DJI MIMO. I’ve downloaded it and paired it with my gimbal, which went quick and without a hitch. However, now that I’m in Japan and need to conserve my battery, I mostly just stick with the native iPhone photo/video apps and haven’t touched the MIMO yet on this vacation.
And finally, as you’ve guessed since you are now able to read this post… we’ve arrived in Kyoto and I’ve finally found a moment to finish this and take it live.
