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Examples Of Real Estate Video Shot With The DJI OSMO

In: 
Published: 23/11/2015

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DJIOSMOExampleBack in October I did a post on the introduction of the DJI OSMO. Just recently both Jim Barnes and Fred Light shared some of their real estate video done with the OSMO. Here are their videos:

Here are Jim's comments on the DJI OSMO:

First let me say, I normally shoot real estate video with a Canon C100 / Movi 5 / Ninja Blade recorder. This combo can get really heavy so I bought the Osmo to help fill in for some outdoor shots. I routinely edit 4k footage from the Phantom P3 and Inspire so I already knew what I was in for and understand the Osmo's camera’s limitation regarding dynamic range etc.

I decided to take Osmo along on a recent photo shoot for a lower priced listing as an experiment. (Out of the box)

The good: Osmo is very fun and you can get shots not attainable with any other system. With some practice, creativity and discipline, Osmo can do wonders. Evenly lit scenes are pretty good. Did I say this is fun?

The bad: Osmo is terrible at handling high-contrast scenes that I normally run into shooting real estate videos. Window blowout is unacceptable. I had a real problem maintaining horizontal roll access to maintain verticles. I had to spend extra time in post to correct for this issue. Shooting in 4K with final output to 1080P gives the editor lots of extra latitude but still complicates the post production workflow.

What I learned: Turning off the tilt function in the app helps. You can also fine-tune the horizontal axis in the DJI app.

Here is my first attempt (FYI I got this home in contract in 1 day!)

Here are Fred's comments on the DJI OSMO:

This thing is a ton of fun and definitely opens up possibilities for some interesting angles… (I use it a lot mounted on my car). The quality is good outside, but as with most camera like this (and GoPro classic and Hero 7, etc.), it falls apart inside with low light. And as I know, many people live in pseudo caves with one 40 watt bulb in a nightstand lamp as the only light source in a bedroom. I’ve even noticed it falling apart outside on cloudy days. Bright light? Awesome. The video is also a little ‘crisp’ for me, sort of like the GH4, but definitely workable. It oftentimes looks very over sharpened. They just added a couple of log settings which may reduce that a bit.

This video someone did is a perfect example of the super sharp (and I find annoying) crispness of the image.

It’s not going to replace my regular inside gear at the point, but I’m definitely using it for certain things.

Thanks to Fred and Jim for the examples and insights.

Larry Lohrman

20 comments on “Examples Of Real Estate Video Shot With The DJI OSMO”

  1. I actually been using the Ronin with a T2i to do video of properties and is in the market to upgrade at this point. My delima is that we can go with a Osmo type set up or go with a Sony A7RII w/ the 5-axis stabilization. The Osmo, being an all in one, will definitely be the more "efficient" setup but I am worry about the "image" factor when clients see me bringing in "tiny" equipment to a "professional" shoot. I have clients that doesn't know anything about photography and looks at my ancient T2i w/ a battery grip with the notion that it's the nicest camera in the world. The Sony will almost be 4 times of the cost of the Osmo after you factor in the cost of a wide angle lens. However, I would be able to use the increased camera capabilities in other applications. I haven't seen the Sony in real estate application so I wonder if I would be able to get smooth video without the use of the Ronin. To me the original Ronin is a overkill for this types of application. I can shoot a typical home in less than an hour but the setup/breakdown time takes about 30 mins.

    Anyone can chime in on this?

  2. @Alton

    The sony 5-axis stabilization is nothing like a stabilizer, especially when walking etc, its more for very small adjustments.

    Have you tried the Ronin M? By using a Pelican 1600 case and keeping my Sony A7s permanently mounted I can setup/breakdown in about 60 secs. There is the odd time (1 out of 10 shoots maybe) when I have to auto tune again using the DJI app but that only takes and additional 15 secs or so. The Pelican case is a little large, but its definitely worth it for a custom setup and has enough room rot he stand as well.

  3. @Chris

    I looked at the Ronin M when it first launch and think that's probably would be the best setup for real estate videos but unfortunately we also use heavier cameras so it wasn't practical for us to have both the Ronin M and the original Ronin. But it sounds like you got a good set up keeping the camera attached. I also do photography as well so I wouldn't be able to that unless I have a dedicated camera set aside just for video; maybe a used GH2 perhaps? Really wish that the setup for the Ronin would be easier because it's definitely works great when used properly.

    At a almost a grand for the nicest version and accessories, I wasn't really impressed with Osmo. Not sure what it is but I just think it's not production quality enough to me. For the vblogger types it would work well though.

    Here is my youtube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCN_Qa6cDVTkEWRAajNF-ooQ. As you can see, the T2i dynamic range/exposure really isn't any better than the Osmo but it think the Ronin is much smoother in my opinion. There is still some tiny movements in some of my shots but I think it's due to not moving smoothly enough. Let me know if what are some areas we can improve on.

  4. @Alton

    To cut down on costs, you really just need a 2nd body, and then just swap the lens from to/from your photography camera. Since the weight/size remains the same from the initial manual balance and auto tune it rarely needs to be redone.

    I use the A7s on the Ronin M and a A7II for photos, using a sony 16-35 for both.

  5. I bought the Typhoon 4K setup, which has a similar handheld option. The video from it is practically identical to the samples posted.

    One thing I did though, was I mounted that setup on a glidecam via velcro, which gave me a double gimbal. It was incredibly smooth walking with it, and you could make the same moves you already do with the glidecam, only super lightweight. You can see in the samples that making turns and rotations with just the Osmo or the Typhoon is more awkward to acomplish smoothly.

  6. @alton I thought the same thing about the OSMO being so small and what the client reactions would be. But clients are going to jump into that arena sooner or later. But, you and I know they ll find out, it aint so simple. I have a a ronin-m with a canon 5d mark 11 and the thing is a pain to carry around. I have the inspire 1 pro with the X5 camera so I'm waiting for the OSMO adaptor to come out. The x5 can use a 12mm Olympus lens F2.0 so you get an effective 25mm view which is good enough for a pannning interior shots with pretty low light. I would shoot completely manual and just re-meter for each pan and then do your edit magic

  7. Just did my first walkthrough shoot with the OSMO. Its a lot easier to maneuver around than the Ronin. Turning corners is very smooth with use of the joystick. Image quality is what you can expect from such a small sensor, but the dynamic range is surprisingly good.

    I'll post a ling to the final edit once I get to it.

    It took me 45 minutes to shoot footage that takes me over 2 hours to shoot on the Ronin. Not to mention my back doesn't hurt as much.

  8. @Jonathon - I would be soooo stoked if you could send a link of the video footage you have using the OSMO. I've been back and forth about the OSMO out-of-the-box vs. upgrading to the X5 lens. And yes, still waiting for the adapter if I pull the trigger and get the X5 lens. I'm very new to the video world. My back up camera is a Canon T5i with an STM lens, so the Ronin M has been on my radar. Just don't know if I should go Ronin M or OSMO if I jump into the deep end of the pool for video work. Anyway...I am curious about your results.

  9. There are butter options that the Ronin-M, you might want to take a look at the gstab H3 http://aerialalchemy.com/ The key to using any gimbal is how easy they are to deploy and the camera and lens combinations you can use.

    Newer gimbals are using encoded motors which provide considerably more resistance so you can use longer lenses and they are much easier to balance. I'm using a GH4 with Canon lenses and it takes very little time to balance. It also has a stand that tucks up into the handles so its totally self contained.

    There are also quite a few smaller handheld gimbals similar to the DJI OSMO that can carry a Sony A7S etc..

    Like most products, gimbals are getting much better over time, if your serious about using one then I'd recommend looking at gimbals from companies who develop gimbals. Is DJI a camera company, a gimbal company or a drone company?

  10. Here's a couple of different reviews and info on some of the smaller gimbals for some of the smaller lightweight cameras like the Pan GH series and Sony's etc

    Things are moving so fast in this tech there could be a new one out tomorrow - in a few years we'll have something the size of the Osmo with the capability of an A7sii and a 5DMK3 🙂

    Dave Dugdale - Pilotfly vs CameTV single https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0pa1Zu6reM

    Darren Miles - Beholder https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjkhHm3n5Yc

    MrCheesyCam - Nebula 4000, Came TV etc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_b4IXrb7c98

    Tom Antos - CameTV single https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyDney-Dk-Q

  11. Alright... I finally got to do a quick edit on the walkthrough video I shot with the OSMO.

    IMHO it came out OK for a first attempt. getting smooth movement is fairly easy, I was having a hard time controlling the vertical movement. Does anyone have a tip for that?

    Anyway, heres the clip:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TvpVAiktLM

  12. For a basic walk-through shoot this is pretty good Jonathan. Did you spend much time editing?
    Walk throughs will never compete with a professional video tour using rails etc but they do have there place. I find out-of-town buyers love them! Yes the windows are blown out most of the time but most buyers won't notice as they are looking at the house.
    For the price the Osmo may well be the way to go. Compared to a GH4 plus 7-14mm lens plus pilotfly H1+ setup.

  13. @Jonathon For your first effort, for what it's worth I reckon you did a pretty bloody good job!

    Showed the house off (nice house), saw the view - and I was surprised at the richness of colour - well done. Seen a lot worse so called 'professional' videos.

  14. @Lyndon --- Nice Job, I'm in---gonna sell my ronin-m once they get the x5 zenmuse adaptor for the OSMO. Hopefully soon.

  15. Thanks guys,

    I'm offering these simple walk through videos as a more affordable alternative to my full cinematic videos.

    It seems to be a hit, I started doing it with the ronin and now the Osmo makes everything simpler.

    I would NOT use the Osmo on any high end stuff given I have the ronin. But this opened a product class for me and hopefully use this to get more agents into the full production videos.

  16. Hi guys!

    First of all, thank you for sharing your work Jonathan!
    few weeks ago i got my Osmo and what iv noticed is that the battery is crap. 30-40min maximum and then its gone. Also verticals are disappoitment. I have very hard times geting it straight and keep it "in line"
    Iv only tested "auto" on it. Mostly because i dont know how to use manuals. Somebody said ill need to use 30 in shutter, and auto white balance. Is it something that any of you have experience of?

  17. I've been reluctant to get into the video game but have purchased a drone (Mavic, due to arrive in a couple of weeks) because I realized providing aerials of some of my larger properties (and also elevations of hillside homes) was definitely a problem that needed solving.

    I can't help but feel that for those looking to do professionally excellent work, the OSMO is just not going to cut it. All examlpes I've seen show a lack of cinematic awareness, usually poor camera direction, slightly jitters and a subtle but impactful oscillation that ultimately is probably syncronised with the operator's steps. To me this will only be a solution for absolute low budget productions and the kind of clients who also think that HDR is a viable solution in photography.

    Film making is a discipline unto itself. OSMO may well have its place but really isn't in my books going to work in any high end markets. Now that said, perhaps the X5 on an OSMO may provide some image improvement but I still wonder if the camera motion of these really is professional quality.

  18. Is there any way to get vertical lines with the OSMO Mobile 3? I have handheld my mobile videos and they are 95% stable and I was looking for 100% with the DJI. But what good are real estate interiors, even in video, without perfectly vertical edges? I can do it hand held, but can't seem to make the DJI do it, as it keeps wanting to lean out and I can't get pure verticals without holding the phone with my other hand, which kind of defeats the purpose. If anyone has any idea, let me know. Thanks!

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