The thing i love about the Pocket 3 is that I can record video without any annoying notifications. Plus, when using it with the dji mic 2, the Noise Reduction and internal record works. Those don't work with a smartphone or connected to a non-dji camera; i can't get them to work on my Samsung S23 Ultra or Insta360 X3. So if I wanna use it with those devices, I have to disconnect the Mic 2 from either device and use it standalone. Also with the Pocket 3, magnetic filters to add ND to add motion blur whereas with an iPhone, it needs a special case to add any kinds of filters
I like my iPhone but LOVE my Pocket 3. I walked the Camino Frances from St Jean Pied de Port to Finistere between April - June this year and used both devices, but the Pocket 3 was much more convenient & instantly produced superb footage and clean audio (thanks to the additional mic). Both are great but as a dedicated camera - the DJI Pocket 3 is superior with VASTLY less faffing around.
It’s definitely really hard to judge pure image quality on a phone screen.. but when it comes to editing 4K footage on a proper computer, I would never use iPhone, really .. that computational videography you mention in the review is precisely what makes feel the footage so artificial. I just bought a pocket 3 a few weeks ago and I’m blown away how it’s capable of generating pretty “cinematic” footage (sorry for using the C word .. ) .. or at least I would call it “natural looking” with that slight depth of field.. I always shoot D-log M and yet it’s not as flat a slog3 for example it has a quite impressive dynamic range. I also agree on what you said about preferring using a dedicated device for filming than using a phone that well , you use all the time for communication, navigation, weather, notes.. you name it .. I also the pocket 3 for Timelapse’s in movement .. And also , for file size only .. just for that .. I think the iPhone is totally useless.. so yes, for me it would be pocket 3 all the way
Just for fun it would be interesting to compare the Mavic 3, with these cameras because a lot of people are now using the Mavic 3 hand held on a bracket to film or take pictures in a verity of projects. Maybe because it is stable, and the big sensor is better than some DSLR cameras, therefore the Mavic 3 may reduce the amount of cameras required on a particular project.
I have used my old crashed Phantom like that. Surprising how good the footage is, but you still have to faff about connecting DJI apps on your phone - it gets annoying rather than grab & go. Separately recording & synchronising audio in post is another step & gets a bit tedious - BUT HEY - the best camera is the one you own or have with you.
Final thoughts - this video shows just how capable the iPhone can be as a video camera - however, the need to use external memory card is a lot of faffing and likely risky if you bump or damage the cable or card reader in the middle of shooting. To me this is a little unfair to the Pocket 3. I'd like to see a comparison with the iPhone using it's internal storage & normal camera app like I used in Spain. My footage & images are great - and I didn't fill the phone in 8 minutes !
Sorry I should have specified that some of this was internal and some was external. If you are t shooting pro res log then you can shoot a TON of footage on a 256gb iPhone and not have to worry about storage.
Seems more & more are going with the iphone. Great in Depth Comparison.. I have to say iphone for the win. I have the iphone 14 pro max i ordered it with 1TB. I'm happy with it. Nice informative video Jake Thanks
