Goodbye GoPro? Chinese drone maker DJI brings super-smooth 4K video to terra firma with new handheld Osmo steadicam

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When the Post took the Osmo for a test drive this week, the team was most impressed by its incredible level of stabilisation, mechanical pan and tilt, and recording selfie function. Photo: SCMP Pictures

Published: 1:00am, 9 Oct 2015Updated: 7:07pm, 9 Oct 2015

Chinese drone maker DJI is looking to tap the action camera market with its new handheld Osmo camera, which takes things one step further by offering built-in image stabilisation as well as the ability to record ultra high-res 4K video.

Housed in what looks like a miniature guitar case, the company’s latest toy for videographers marks a new departure for DJI beyond unmanned aerial vehicles.

“DJI consistently refines the way cameras move in space – whether they are in the air or on the ground,” said DJI founder Frank Wang Tao.

The Osmo delivers video as smooth as (Chinese) silk, and it doesn't look half-bad, either. Photo: SCMP Pictures

"With the Osmo, we have created a camera specifically designed to capture a smooth moving image regardless of filming conditions.”

Rumours circulating on websites like Droneenthusiast.com suggested DJI may supply add-ons to the device so it can be used underwater, but these could not immediately be confirmed.

Based in the former boomtown of Shenzhen in southern China’s Guangdong province, DJI ranks as one of China’s most valuable start-ups with an estimated value of US$10 billion. It controls about 70 per cent of the global market for civilian drones.