High quality video in a truly tiny action camera

Dji may be an innovative company, but she has played a catch-up for Insta360 rival in the world of Cam action. A perfect example of this is his latest product, the OSMO Nano ($ 299). It follows an Insta360 paved path with its tiny GO ultra and Go 3s, which allows you to separate the cam from the display to shoot with as little weight as possible. Like these, the tiny camera of the nano can be detached from the screen and easily carried to record activities ranging from extreme water sports to cat’s camera videos.

The Osmo Nano is not quite a copy of his rival, however. Rather than inserting the camera into the Flip Up screen housing like Go Ultra, the Nano screen collapses magnetically at the bottom of the camera so that you can point it forward to capture the action or back for the vlogging. Although it is always lagging behind in its rival in certain regions, the Dji Osmo Nano is a first solid attempt at a mini-size camera thanks to its excellent video quality.

A small size designed for daily activities

With its light detachable camera which can be cut in the head or carried on your body like a pendant, the nano can be used in daily activities such as hiking or swimming – with the latter possible thanks to its 33 -foot underwater note (10 meters). It is also small enough to be attached to children and pets to create a visual newspaper for their activities. At the same time, when attached to the vision quay that houses the screen, the nano works like a normal action camera.

In this spirit, size is the key. The Osmo Nano camera is built from light translucent plastic and weighs only 1.83 ounces (52 grams) in itself. It’s about the same as the Insta360 GB Ultra but a heavier touch than the Go 3s. Its capsule shape is similar to Go 3S (but a little larger), while the GO Ultra is more rounded. All this is to say that the nano is incredibly small and light compared to a GoPro Hero 13 or to Dji’s Action 5 Pro – I barely felt it when you use the new band accessory

They are attached in two ways, with the screen facing the front or rear, using DJI magnetic support that it has been used for a few years now. Together, they weigh 4.37 ounces, even less than an ordinary action camera. The vision quay can wirelessly control the camera without being connected, at a distance of 33 feet. The frame also allows the Nano to connect to the family of DJI accessories, including a new hat clip and a lanyard.

During my tests, the camera and the module were easy to connect in both directions thanks to magnets and locks. To go from vlogging to the front view, you must detach and reconnect the vision quay. The Insta360 system is better because you just need a turn of the X5 screen to modify the modes.

The difference in camera modules sizes can be explained by the sensors. Where the Go 3S has a small sensor of 1 / 2.3 inch, the Nano and the GO Ultra have sensors of 1 / 1.3 inch larger in place but operate better in low light. Regarding optics, the Nano uses an ultra -wide angle lens with a field of vision of 143 degrees, giving you the possibility of switching between an ultra -wide video and Déwarped (square). The GO Ultra is slightly wider at 156 degrees, while the FOV of Go 3S is 125 degrees. I found that Nano’s field of vision was an ideal compromise between the two.

Orders and functionality

The only physical control over the nano is the recording / power button, with the vision quay holding everything else. The typical actions of DJI screen and tapping are used to select things such as voice control and screen brightness, as well as video resolution, image frequency, rock stabilization and capture of Logm D. Once you are used to sliding and typing on such a small screen, these menus are reactive and allow you to quickly modify the settings. However, navigation is not particularly intuitive, the parameters therefore require some time to learn.

As with the other recent DJI products, the OSMO Nano has a generous integrated memory, with 64 GB (400 MB / s transfers) and 128 GB (at 600 MB / s). Note that these speeds do not affect the quality of the video; These are only the prices you can transfer images to your PC. This internal memory is practical because it means that you do not need to dig for a microSD card and that it facilitates unloading. That said, it is also nice to also have a MicrossD – GO Ultra location has only a microSD storage option, and the Go 3S has only an internal memory.

Each module has its own non -removable battery with 530mAh and 1,300 mAh of capacity for the camera and the vision quay respectively. These allow operating times up to 90 minutes for the camera alone, or 200 minutes when associated with the screen module, according to DJI. In comparison, the Go ultra Insta360 Go camera can operate for 70 minutes or a maximum of 200 minutes when moored at the display.

Note that these specifications only apply when recording in 1080p at 24p. During the shooting with the Nano to a more typical 4K 60p frame, I found that the battery life was less than half, about 35 minutes for the camera alone. However, this increased to 49 minutes when using DJI’s endurance mode, with activated Rocksteady stabilization, but Wi-Fi turns off. I also noticed that when I filmed in 4K at 50p or more with the camera alone, it stopped after 20 minutes of continuous recording due to overheating.

Nano’s camera has no USB-C input, so it must be connected to the charging station. However, the reception station alone can load the Nano camera with an 80% battery in 20 minutes. It takes about 20 minutes to load the two devices together at 80% and 60 minutes for a full load – 20 minutes more than the GO Ultra.

The other key characteristics include the control of voices and gestures (tapping or nodding) to start the recording, the Timelapse and the GO 3S pre-recap of the Insta360 has some features that are found on the nano, namely to find me for iPhone if lost and the Dolby Vision HDR support.

The Nano can also be checked using the DJI Mimo smartphone application, although the remote control of the vision view station makes it useless most of the time. This application also allows you to modify the video, but the Studio of Insta360 is superior to that thanks to its more complete editing toolbox and its AI Lab Shot module which allows you to make neat effects with little or no work required. Dji is certainly well behind his rival in this area.

Video and image quality

A large argument for sale of DJI Nano is that it produces a high quality video with faster image frequencies than rival cameras. You can capture 4K up to 60 IPS, or 120 IPS in slow motion mode, compared to only 4K 30 IPS for the Go 3S. It also supports the video 4: 3 4K with full sensor up to 50 IPS. The Go ultra is maximum at 60 IPS at 16: 9 4K and 30 IPS to 4: 3 4K.

Thanks to the large sensor of 1/1.3 inch, the video is brilliant and cutting directly from the camera during the lighting in light. Dji has improved color performance compared to its old products, with more natural colors. Where the sharpening was too aggressive on models like action 5 (which makes artificial video), Dji attenuated this on the Osmo Nano. And if you don’t like the default application, you can modify it in the settings.

Like action 5 pro, the nano can film a video with 10 bits of color in D-Logm and regular modes. The latter gives users a more dynamic beach without having to play with delicate journal settings. My preference is always to turn D-LOGM and then apply Dji’s LUT in the post. This gives more natural colors and gives you up to 13.5 stops from the dynamic distribution area in difficult lighting conditions, such as trails bordered by trees by a sunny day.

The largest sensor also makes the OSMO Nano superior to the GO 3S and almost equal to the GO ultra in the insta360 in low light. When I turned night urban landscapes and in interior bars, he delivered a clean video with a relatively low noise. For even lower light situations, Nano and Go ultra shooting modes have respectively the night shooting modes called Supernight and Purevideo. Both work well if you don’t move the camera too quickly, because they combine several frames in one. If I moved the camera too quickly, it caused a vague movement and other problems. The Insta360 GB Ultra is slightly better in this regard.

DJI Rocksteady 3.0 reduces the camera shake in normal shooting conditions, although it is not entirely up to the straightening algorithms of GoPro. When I tested it while walking, stabilization collapsed a little in the night shot due to the lower shutter speeds, with notable blur and pixelization on sharp tremors and bumps. To avoid this, it is best to manually increase the ISO level and the shutter speed. The company’s horizonbalancier, on the other hand, reliably corrects the inclination up to 30 degrees to maintain the video level.

As with the other recent action cams of DJI, the OSMO Nano connects to the MIC 2, MIC 3 and Micri Mini via its Osmoaudio Osmoaudio owner. This offers a better quality connection and a more reliable connection than Bluetooth, while allowing you to use two microphones at the same time for interviews or multiserse action scenarios. The nano also has integrated microphones for stereo recording, but in my tests, the tiny audio was only enough for ambient sounds and not voices.

Conclude

It is interesting to see Dji try to catch up with another business for a change. With the Nano, he relied on his camera experience and corresponds above all or beats his main rival in terms of video quality. However, the company is still lagging behind in a few areas, in particular its publishing application – which is important for many creators.

Dji seems to be aware of this and the price of nano much cheaper than rivals. The Nano costs $ 299 (€ 279 and £ 239 in Europe) for the 64 GB combo and $ 329 for the 128 GB combo (€ 309 / £ 259), both include the vision cure, the magnetic hat clip, the high -speed magnetic protective case. This is compared to € 429 for the Insta360 GB Ultra, which has no integrated memory and includes fewer accessories, and € 400 for GO 3 with 128 GB of internal storage.

Update of September 23, 2025 at 8:50 am: The exam was updated to reflect American availability.