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Is the Feiyu Pocket 3 a budget alternative to the DJI Osmo Pocket 3, or do the trade-offs make it a tough sell? We’re diving into their features, performance, and real-world use cases for both of these pocket 4k cameras to help you decide which one is worth your investment.

Looking for the best pocket gimbal 4k camera on a budget? We’re comparing the Feiyu Pocket 3 vs DJI Osmo Pocket 3 to see if the $329 budget setup can stack up against one of the best portable cameras we’ve ever reviewed which is almost twice the cost. We break down the key features, design differences, and performance of both cameras, helping you choose the best small pocket camera for your needs. Whether you’re after top-notch video quality or a modular/magnetic design, each camera has its strengths… and some a few more quirks than the other.

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00:00At $329 is the FIU Pocket 3 kit. Really? A DJI Osmo Pocket 3 that's $200 cheaper?
00:09I've spent some time, some serious time with both of these and they do share a lot of similarities,
00:14but for anyone considering the FIU Pocket 3, it probably at first glance looks like a super
00:20tempting offer for its price and its quick magnetic mount. But it probably doesn't come
00:25as a surprise. It's got a lot of trade-offs that you should consider. So between these two,
00:30which one should you go for? Let's get into it. Now because of those confusing names,
00:35I'm going to refer to the FIU as the Pocket 3 and the DJI as the Osmo Pocket 3. Here's where
00:41the Pocket 3 starts to look like a really good deal and, if you will, a steal. The camera alone,
00:48because this actually detaches, is only $249 and that's less than half the price of the Osmo Pocket
00:543. But as I'll get into, there's a good reason for that lower price. The Pocket 3's design is a
01:00throwback to the FIU Pocket 2S, which introduced this first detachable camera concept. The 2S was
01:06held back by a tethered cable, which limited its flexibility and its use because you're tethered.
01:12But with the FIU Pocket 3, they finally cut the cord, but it doesn't fix all those limitations.
01:17The Osmo Pocket 3, on the other hand, will set you back $519 or, if you go all out like I did,
01:23with the Creator Combo that costs $669 and includes a bunch of accessories, that's about
01:28$200 to $340 more than the FIU Pocket 3. Is it that much better? I've tested and used plenty of
01:35FeiyuTech's DSLR gimbals and they're a great budget alternative to the DJI Ronin, but this is
01:41my first time actually trying the Pocket series out. And honestly, my first impressions here were
01:45a bit of a mixed bag. Unboxing the Pocket 3, I immediately noticed its cheaper plastic build,
01:51both on the camera itself and on the controller. It's not a deal breaker, but it does remind you of
01:55the cost-cutting measures that were made to get to this price point. The buttons lack satisfying
02:00clickiness both on the controller and the gimbal. And when you start it on its gimbal cover, it's
02:06big, it's bulky, and it takes away from an otherwise really compact setup. The other
02:13interesting thing is when attached, the center of mass, because it's so forward, it just tips over.
02:21There's something to be appreciated about having a gimbal camera combo that, even without its foot,
02:26just sits down and stays upright. The Feiyu Pocket series has always been in the shadow of the Osmo
02:32Pocket lineup, but the Pocket 3 is trying to break the mold by coming up with this radical new design.
02:39It's got that detachable cordless gimbal camera, and it's a design you're either going to love for
02:44its flexibility or hate for the added parts and setup. And because of this unique detachable
02:49design, I feel like the Pocket 3 is a mix between, obviously, the Osmo Pocket 3, but also
02:54the Insta360 GO 3S, which at its core is just a camera with very few buttons and interfaces,
03:01and its main station, which has the screen and all the other controls that you would need.
03:07The Osmo Pocket 3, with its 1-inch CMOS sensor, can shoot up to 4K 120 frames per second.
03:12Meanwhile, the Pocket 3 can shoot up to 4K 60 frames per second. But just as with the Insta360
03:19GO 3S, it features a magnetic design that basically allows you to mount this anywhere.
03:24Biotech claims that this is the world's first detachable cordless gimbal camera.
03:29And that's a mouthful, but what does that really mean for you? The camera, basically,
03:34is just this lens and gimbal now, with the handle and display and controls
03:39offered as a separate purchase. Now, even though the Pocket 3's base is a lot chunkier,
03:44you can see overall it does have a much smaller footprint without its camera remote attached.
03:49The other benefit is that its bottom is also magnetic. And so this smaller magnetized setup
03:55opens you up to a lot of creative possibilities, whether you want to stick it on an elevator door,
04:00overhead pipes, street signs, you name it. But that detachable design also makes the Pocket 3
04:06more, in my opinion, action-ready because of how easily you can attach it to not only yourself,
04:11cars, pets, or with its IPX8 dive waterproof case, and even be used underwater.
04:17But one of the biggest questions for me is how usable is the Pocket 3 on its own without
04:21the remote controller? The camera body has basic controls for power, shooting modes,
04:26and a tiny little black screen here for you to check out what mode you're in and if you're
04:30recording. But what do you do when you want to set up your framing or change some of your
04:34advanced video settings? The Pocket 3 doesn't come with this in the box as an optional purchase,
04:39so for users who don't want to use this, you are going to need to rely on your smartphone.
04:44It's not a huge complication, but just keep that in mind. This little screen isn't going
04:48to help you for that much. That said, even though their smartphone app does work relatively well as
04:53far as getting a live view and quickly changing some of your manual settings, it does have some
04:57limitations like setting manual white balance. And because of that, I do think a lot of people
05:02are actually going to want to use the remote controller here just because it's a little bit
05:07quicker to connect, you don't have to drain your phone's battery, and it feels like a more,
05:12I don't know, connected product like this. So the $329 kit is what most people are probably
05:19going to want to get as opposed to buying this separately. You do actually save a little bit
05:23of money by buying both together with that kit as opposed to buying them on their own.
05:28The remote adds some functionality including the joystick, which I think you kind of need on,
05:33you know, the camera itself, a zoom slider, which I think is pretty dumb,
05:37no one's going to be digitally zooming on this, and a 1.3-inch touch screen,
05:43which next to the Osmo Pocket 3's 2-inch rotatable screen feels very underwhelming to say the least.
05:50I think all those quirks that I mentioned so far are fairly forgivable, but how does it actually
05:55perform, especially side-by-side with the Pocket 3? Let's start with the field of view. The Pocket 3
06:00gives you a wider 130-degree field of view compared to the Osmo Pocket 3's 93-degree field
06:05of view. This extra width is great for capturing more in your shot and it makes taking, for example,
06:10selfies or videos, vlogging, feel less cramped. On the DJI, you might need to use its wide-angle
06:17filter to achieve a similar look. The Osmo Pocket 3's wide-angle field of view increases the field
06:22of view to 110 degrees, which is still less than on the Pocket 3. In terms of video quality itself,
06:29the Pocket 3 shoots 8-bit video at 120 megabits per second, whereas the Osmo Pocket 3 offers 10-bit
06:35at 130. That extra video information allows the Osmo Pocket 3 to capture better dynamic range,
06:42so whether it's the details in the skies or dark shadows, it's not lost, it's not below now.
06:48A couple differences in the video with the DJI Osmo Pocket 3. We have the depth of field,
06:55so again, it's giving me that subject separation where the background looks a little bit more
06:58blurred out, whereas this, again, very similar to more of like a phone where everything is in focus.
07:05Not bad, but when you want to take your footage to the next level, I think this is a really easy
07:10way to do it in a small package with the DJI Osmo Pocket 3, whereas the FeiyuTech, again,
07:16is basically cell phone footage that is smoother. That's one of the biggest advantages with the
07:23Osmo Pocket 3. It gives you shots that look somewhat similar to DSLRs or at least small
07:29pocket cameras. This, on the other hand, has a fixed focus, so it can't give you that depth of
07:34field as you move closer or further away from your subjects, but this is one of the biggest reasons I
07:39love the Osmo Pocket 3 is because how I can seamlessly cut between my footage, the Sony
07:43a7S III, which we're shooting on now, and this. In many ways, I'm actually using this more often,
07:49especially on the go, because I'm getting those really nice vlogging shots.
07:53The Pocket 3's modular and smaller design also sacrifices battery life. The DJI Osmo Pocket 3
07:59can be charged 80% in just 16 minutes, and that gives you up to two hours of shooting.
08:04When fully charged, you can record up to 160 minutes of 4K 60 frames per second footage
08:10or 166 minutes of 1080p 24 frames per second. The Pocket 3 states that you only get 60 minutes at
08:171080p 30 frames per second, and with its controller installed, that goes up to 160 minutes,
08:23but again, that's at 1080p 30 frames per second, not 4K 60. That's not even mentioning the fact
08:29that DJI also offers some cool accessories like its battery handle, which nearly doubles its
08:34battery life. Because of that, the Osmo Pocket 3 is one of the longest lasting cameras for its size.
08:40I mean, I can use this all day, like four hours, and I don't even have to worry about charging this.
08:44Listen for how each of them sounds. I think the DJI mic sounds a little bit richer.
08:50It sounds like I'm a little bit closer, and overall, I think it sounds better, whereas with
08:54the FeiyuTech FiiO, it sounds, I don't know, a little bit further away, a little bit more muffled.
09:00But DJI also has another ace up its sleeve, and that's with the wireless mic too.
09:06It supports connecting to via Bluetooth, and they sync automatically when turned on.
09:12You couldn't really ask for a better setup, and again, this combo is what I use almost every day
09:16when I'm filming on the go, whether it's filming myself or interviews. Yes, that is another pricey
09:21investment, but that's exactly what the DJI Osmo Pocket 3 combo can be considered, an investment,
09:28a tool I can rely on, a tool I use almost every day. So yeah, the Pocket 3 turned out to be much
09:33more interesting than I originally thought. It makes some sacrifices in terms of performance,
09:38especially stacked up next to the Osmo Pocket 3, but you got to. They're both Pocket 3s.
09:43On the flip side, though, it is better suited for a wider range of setups, I think,
09:47especially more quick setups, thanks to its smaller and magnetic design,
09:51and of course, for support for accessories like the diving case. It's like a hybrid between
09:57the Osmo Pocket 3 and the Insta360 GO 3S, giving you a lot of flexibility for creative shots
10:03quickly in exchange for more versatility as an all-in-one camera that combines the elements of
10:07both the Osmo Pocket 3 and the GO 3S, and you also want to save some money while you're at it,
10:12then the Pocket 3 is definitely worth considering. Just keep in mind a number of those quirks that
10:17we mentioned. So what do you think? For more cool tech, you can find us everywhere at Tom's Guide,
10:22and you can follow me to see what I'm reviewing next. Thanks for watching. Catch you in the next
10:27one.

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