It seems like everyone and their dog is recording their adventures these days, which is great for posterity, YouTube fame, or ensuring your friends and family can't escape your vacation slideshow. Unlike the shoulder-hugging beasts of yesteryear, cameras are now small enough to clip onto a baseball hat, and none are smaller than the DJI Osmo Nano.
The Osmo Nano is marketed as a 4K POV and vlogging camera, a step down in ruggedness from the DJI Osmo Action 6 or GoPro HERO13 Black, but a massive leap in pocket-friendliness. The main camera measures a laughable 2.25 × 1.16 × 1.1 inches and weighs 1.8 ounces - barely bigger than a thumb (admittedly, the reviewer has large thumbs). Even with the multifunction Vision Dock (2.33 × 1.66 × 0.88 inches, 2.5 ounces), it stays compact.
Both units can handle the outdoors: the camera can be submerged to 30 feet, and the dock shrugs off rain and splashes like a grumpy cat. But don't let the size fool you - it packs a 1/1.3-inch sensor with 13.5 stops of dynamic range (pro-grade territory), making it perfect for bright sunlight, snow, or low-light shenanigans. It captures cinematic 4K/60fps or 4K/120fps slow motion via a 143° ultra-wide lens, outputs 10-bit video with a billion colors, and offers a pro-grade D-Log M profile for color grading - though using raw D-Log M footage without editing will make it look like a washed-out ghost. There's also a SuperNight mode for the least-grainy night shots.
Storage is handled by internal memory (64GB or 128GB variants) plus microSD cards up to 1TB. Built-in memory eliminates those heart-stopping moments when you hike to a cool location and realize you left all your SD cards at home - a feature that should be mandatory for all cameras by now.
The camera's 530 mAh battery runs for about 60 minutes, extended to 200 minutes by the dock's additional 1,300 mAh. A 20-minute charge gets you to 80%. Audio, the usual Achilles' heel of action cams, is handled by two built-in microphones, and you can connect up to two DJI Mic 3 transmitters for vlogging and interviews.
The multifunction Vision Dock adds a touchscreen for easy settings and framing, plus lets you transfer video files from internal storage to microSD cards on the go. The combo kit includes a magnetic pendant, swivel clip, protective case (recommended because the camera gets toasty), and a suction cup holder with a 1/4"-20 threaded hole for tripods. Optional ND filters are available for bright-light videographers.
So why did the Osmo Nano replace the GoPro HERO13 Black? Convenience. Built-in storage eliminates the "aww shucks" moments, the battery fast-charges without external faff, and the connection to iPhone via the DJI Mimo app is rock-solid. The ability to use DJI Mic 3 transmitters is the cherry on an already overflowing cake. At $409 for the 128GB version ($30 more than the 64GB), it's not cheap, but it's an exceptionally good setup for adventurers, vloggers, and anyone who wants to capture life's moments without bulky gear.