PolarPro Accessories for Osmo Pocket Hit The Bullseye
When the Osmo Pocket 4K vlogging camera was launched last year, DJI promised a range of accessories to help creators get the most from the 4K vlogging camera.
So far DJI has only released the Wireless Module, a Controller Wheel and an Accessory Mount that let’s you connect the Osmo Pocket to things using GoPro mounts. (Check out our videos on them here.)
We’re still waiting for DJI to release an Underwater Housing, Extension Rod, ND Filters and Charging Case. We’ve heard they’ll all be available in the early Spring.
PolarPro has been making accessories for DJI products for years. And their especially well known for the Neutral Density filters they sell for all of the DJI drones. So you can understand our joy when PolarPro emailed us last week to let us know they were sending us a test kit full of their all-new accessories for the Osmo Pocket.
We’ve been dying for accessories for the Osmo Pocket. It’s a great little camera full of amazing potential, but without some supporting parts none of us are gettting the most from it. Especially when it comes to tripod mounting.
Before we begin our rundown on the PolarPro accessories, there are some key positives you should know about the Polar Pro Osmo Pocket accessories:
- every single accessory we reviewed comes with PolarPro’s Lifetime Warranty
- every accessory (not including the ND filters) costs less than $25
- all of the Polar Pro Osmo Pocket accessories are available right now at the PolarPro Amazon store
With that out of the way, let’s start unboxing!
The first accessory we opened is the PolarPro Minimalist Case. And we loved it right away. Until now we’ve been using a tech bag from a local office supply store to cart around the Osmo Pocket and all of it’s attachments. It wasn’t ideal, but it did the job.
But the new Minimalist Case is exactly what we’ve been waiting for: a foam-lined custom case that keeps the Osmo Pocket secure and protected in a small case that carries what we need. It’s literally our go-to case for the Osmo Pocket now.
We’re not sure how PolarPro expects to make money on the Minimalist Case. Just under $25, it’s value far exceeds it’s price.
The Minimalist Case is solid. Made with robust materials, it has a zippered inside mesh pocket for sd cards, filters, etc. and an outside elasticized mesh pocket as well.
PolarPro Tripod Mount for Osmo Pocket
We hinted above that tripod mounting has been the least pretty aspect of life with the Osmo Pocket. Yes, the DJI Accessory Mount lets you configure your GoPro arms and bases into a tripod mount, but it’s far from perfect. And the DJI mount doesn’t let you use the Controller Wheel or Smartphone connector with the Accessory Mount.
PolarPro solved these, and several other problems, with a really well thought out Osmo Pocket Tripod Mount. First off it’s a ‘skeleton’ case…so it’s light, minimal and maintains key Osmo Pocket functions. Made from strong, flexible nylon the PolarPro Osmo Pocket Tripod Mount has a 1/4 – 20 tripod nut on the bottom and a second 1/4 – 20 nut on the side. This is great for attaching an accessory light, external microphone or maybe even configuring a different mounting arrangement.
The skeleton case lets you keep your Smartphone attached to the Osmo Pocket allowing a larger viewscreen and PRO mode controls at your fingertips. You can also connect the Controller Wheel easily while the Osmo Pocket is in the PolarPro Tripod Mount.
Access to the USB-C connector on the bottom of your Osmo Pocket is available via a strategically placed cutout allowing you to continue to supply power during use.
Your Osmo Pocket is held securely in the Tripod Mount with a locking hinged clasp that gives you a reassuring ‘click’ when you close it.
Like all of the Osmo Pocket accessories, the PolarPro Tripod Mount is under $25 at PolarPro’s Amazon store and comes with a lifetime warranty.
PolarPro Action Mount for Osmo Pocket
PolarPro’s Action Mount for the Osmo Pocket expands your mounting options and functionality well beyond the basic mount that DJI released.
With three connection points built in to the PolarPro mount you have the choice of connecting your Osmo Pocket from the side, bottom or rear. Individual creators are now free to unleash the creative potential of the Osmo Pocket without cumbersome configurations of GoPro arms & connectors.
The Action Mount has a foam lining on the inside as well as on the inner panel of the latch to securely hold your Osmo Pocket.
Built from the same high grade nylon as the other accessories, we tried using considerable force and inertia to eject the Osmo Pocket from the Action Mount but it held tight as a vice.
The latch on the Action Mount is more robust than the Tripod Mount (for obvious reasons) which means you also lose access to the Universal Port on the Osmo Pocket. But we don’t expect ‘action mounts’ that are designed for the rough and tumble adventure filming to be needing either of those.
PolarPro still gives you access to the USB-C power port on the bottom of the Osmo Pocket via an appropriately sized cutout on the bottom of the Action Mount.
Since the Osmo Pocket was released last year there have been many, many comparisons with the GoPro HERO7. We won’t wade into that debate, but we will comment that PolarPro’s accessories are priced no where near the ridiculously high premiums that GoPro charges for theirs.
From the accessories released so far, PolarPro really really wants you to connect your Osmo Pocket to gear that expands your filming options.
When we reviewed DJI’s Wireless Module, we were honestly surprised that DJI didn’t put a tripod nut in the wireless base. And a lot of our readers shared that same view with us.
PolarPro is once again to the rescue with a Wifi Tripod Adapter that grips the Osmo Pocket Wireless Module giving you the best of both worlds: wireless connectivity via the Wireless Module and a secure tripod connection with PolarPro’s Tripod Mount.
And if you already have a tripod with an Arca mount there’s a bonus for you: PolarPro designed the Wifi Tripod Adapter with a built-in Arca base for even faster mounting.
We use frequently use multiple tripod setups when we’re filming for our YouTube channel so we like the flexibility and convenience of being able to reposition the Osmo Pocket quickly and easily (and inexpensively) with multiple mounts.
As for price, the Osmo Pocket Wifi Tripod Adapter is $19.99 at Amazon.
There are lots of times when we’re on the go with the Osmo Pocket that it just gets tossed into a bag or a pocket. And there have been more than a few times we haven’t been as careful with the camera gimbal as we should have. The Osmo Pocket is a solid little device, but the camera lens and LCD display aren’t designed to take the rough treatment that the gimbal might tolerate.
PolarPro’s Gimbal Lock is a simple 3 in 1 solution to keeping your gimbal secure and the camera protected for those moments when it gets tossed into a bag or jammed in a pocket.
When powered off, the Osmo Pocket gimbal is secured in place by the Gimbal Lock. It covers the camera lens (with enough space to accomodate an ND filter) while also protecting the LCD screen.
Slightly larger than your thumb, the Gimbal Lock is an inexpensive way to protect the fragile parts of your Osmo Pocket when you don’t have the rest of your kit with you. $24.99 at Amazon.
PolarPro Shutter Series and Vivid Series ND Filters
If you aren’t yet familiar with ND filters, and why they’re so important to capturing truly cinematic video, we have a separate article to help you out here.
For those of you already on the page with ND filters, you gotta love the magnetic connection feature that DJI designed into the Osmo Pocket. No more fumbling with clumsy threads and no more messy fingerprints! Finally we can attach ND filters in an instant.
While DJI has been slow to release it’s own set, PolarPro has hit the ground running. We’ve been testing the Shutter Series and Vivid Series of ND filters that come in 3-packs of ND4, ND8, and ND16. The Vivid Series have a circular polarizer built-in that let’s you easily manage the ideal angle for best results.
Both sets of filters come in a convenient case with magnetic latches, and also have PolarPro’s lifetime warranty benefit.
While we’ve left the PolarPro ND filters to the end of the list you really should consider putting them much, much closer to the top of your own list. Now that PolarPro has opened up an entirely new range of creative options for your Osmo Pocket you really need to incorporate ND filters and the cinematic settings to capture the best video possible.
The Shutter Series and Vivid Series 3-packs are priced the same at $59.99 at Amazon.
The Bottom Line
We’ve been using PolarPro accessories for DJI drones for several years now, and we’ve been impressed with the intelligents design of their products. But the most important factors for us when evaluating new products are quality and practicality. Will we actually use this thing? Is the quality good enough that we would buy this thing?
The high quality of PolarPro products makes us look forward to what they will make next, and the PolarPro family of accessories for the Osmo Pocket is no exception. The Osmo Pocket is a slippery little device, but it’s also an expensive piece of gear for some users. PolarPro’s accessories for the Osmo Pocket are robustly made, and provide a high level of security and protection for the Osmo.
PolarPro has priced the Osmo Pocket accessories so well that we must recommend them. Yes, they absolutely fill a gap that needs filling, and they do it extremely well. But for the price points and the combination of functionality and value PolarPro gets 5 stars from us.
PolarPro sent us the filters and accessories to get our feedback on how they fit into our workflow and for review.
I can say that they integrated instantly into our workflow. Our appetite for proper Osmo Pocket connectivity to tripods and other devices has been building for 2 months. The performance of the PolarPro gear has been excellent. We’ve been extremely pleased with how well they’ve been designed with the end user’s needs in mind. As we mentioned before, the accessory gap for the Osmo Pocket has widening for two months, and we’re really pleased to see it being filled so well.
We suspect there are many potential Osmo Pocket buyers sitting on the fence who haven’t purchased yet because there hasn’t been the supporting pieces to give them the filming experience they want. We wouldn’t be the least bit surprised to see a whole new round of buyers for the Osmo Pocket show up simply because of the new accessories PolarPro has brought to market.
