The DJI Pocket 3 is a brilliant little gimbal camera, but its size creates a problem the moment you try to put it down and film. In this video, Pete makes the case for one affordable accessory that fixes that weakness: the DJI Osmo Mini Tripod. It is a tiny, lightweight tripod that screws into the bottom of the camera, and Pete is clear that filming without it feels like asking for trouble.
Watch the video above for the installation and a demonstration of how easily the Pocket 3 can topple on its own, then read on for why the tripod helps as a handle and transforms timelapse and hyperlapse work.
Why the Pocket 3 needs help standing up
On its own, the Pocket 3 is very small, so small that some people have a hard time holding on to it without covering the screen or accidentally pressing buttons. Setting it down is even trickier. The base is just a small square, and while you can balance it on a flat surface, it only takes the gimbal moving around, especially during tracking, for the thing to fall over. Pete says this has happened to him multiple times, which is not a risk you want with a gimbal camera.
The mini tripod answers that problem directly. It does not have a wide footprint, but Pete found it is wide enough to add a huge amount of stability. Instead of a camera teetering on its narrow base, you get a proper platform that stays planted while the gimbal does its work above it.
Quick to fit, and more comfortable to hold
Fitting the tripod takes seconds. The grip supplied with the Pocket 3 has a quarter-20 thread on the bottom, and the same fitting works on the battery grip. The mini tripod simply screws into that thread and folds out, and you are ready to film. Pete also notes that the tripod is not limited to the Pocket 3: it will work with anything else that uses that standard tripod connection, from a podcast microphone to other small gear.
Plenty of owners also use it as a handle rather than a tripod. Some people find the Pocket 3 more comfortable to hold that way, a little further from the body and out at an angle, rather than gripping the small camera body up close. Pete says his own favourite use is as an actual tripod, but the extra grip helps if the bare camera feels fiddly in your hand.
Made for timelapse, hyperlapse and tracking
Where the tripod really earns its keep is locked-off filming. Pete likes to use his Pocket 3 for timelapse and hyperlapse work, and he calls the tripod an absolute no-brainer for those features, adding that he would not do another hyperlapse without it. The tripod itself is super light at 45 grams and only about 3 inches long, so it adds almost nothing to a kit built around travelling light.
The same stability helps with any unattended shot. A timelapse or a tracking shot asks the camera to sit still for a long stretch while the gimbal moves, and that is exactly the situation where the bare Pocket 3 base is most likely to give up. Set the camera down on the mini tripod and, in Pete’s words, it is good to go, stable with no problem.
Steady shots even on uneven ground
One aspect Pete says he loves is freedom from perfectly flat surfaces. Because the Pocket 3 is a gimbal camera, the footage can stay level, but only if the camera stays upright. Resting on its small square base, the camera is limited to flat surfaces only. With the tripod legs opened and adjusted on a less even spot, he could still set the camera down and get completely flat, stable video, something he says you cannot do without the tripod fitted.
That opens up far more places to film. A rock, a wall, a bench or a patch of rough ground stops being a balancing act and becomes a usable filming position. For a camera built to be carried everywhere, setting it down safely almost anywhere is a bigger advantage than its size suggests.
Frequently asked questions
Does the tripod work with the battery grip? Yes. The tripod screws into the standard thread on the bottom of the Pocket 3 grip, and Pete confirms it also works on the battery grip in the same way.
Can I use it with other gear? Yes. It uses a standard tripod connection, so it works with other devices that share that fitting, including things like a podcast microphone and other small camera accessories.
How portable is it? Very. Pete describes it as super light at 45 grams and about 3 inches long, so it is easy to carry with the Pocket 3 without adding bulk.
Is it only useful as a tripod? No. Many owners also find the Pocket 3 easier and more comfortable to hold with the tripod attached as a small handle, holding it further away and at a more natural angle.
Verdict
Pete’s recommendation is straightforward: if you own a Pocket 3 and do any filming that is not handheld, do it on this inexpensive tripod that is designed for the camera, rather than trusting the small base. It prevents the falls he has already experienced, makes timelapse and hyperlapse work far more secure and even helps on uneven ground.
For a small, cheap accessory, the improvement is out of proportion to the cost and size. If your Pocket 3 has ever toppled over mid-shot, you can pick up the DJI Osmo Mini Tripod on Amazon here and give your camera the stable base it should have had all along.