The DJI Osmo Mobile 8 has four follow modes plus a lock mode, and most owners only ever use one of them. That is a shame, because each mode exists for a specific shooting style, and using the wrong one is why gimbal footage sometimes looks worse than handheld. Here is what PTF, PF, FPV, and SpinShot actually do, how to switch between them, and which one to reach for in each situation.
Watch the video above for the visual walkthrough, then read on for the detailed breakdown.
How to switch modes
You can cycle through the four modes with the M button on the handle or with the on-screen mode button on the FrameTap display. PTF is the default when you power on. The trigger on the front has two extra jobs: press and hold it to temporarily lock all axes, and triple-press it to flip the phone between the front and rear cameras. The mini joystick gives you manual pan and tilt whenever you want direct control over the gimbal arm.
PTF: Pan and Tilt Follow
PTF is the default mode and the one you will use most. The camera follows your pan and tilt movements and stays level during rolls. Rotate the handle in the horizontal plane and the phone pans with you; swing the handle back and forth and the phone tilts. Roll movements are stabilized out, so the horizon stays put no matter how you move. This is the mode for general walking, vlogging, and anything where you want natural, level footage. Per DJI’s own description, it is great for shooting up, down, and diagonally.
One thing that makes PTF more useful on the 8 than on older models: the pan axis now rotates a full 360 degrees with no mechanical limit, so the gimbal can follow a subject all the way around without hitting a stop.
PF: Pan Follow
PF follows pan only. Tilt and roll stay locked no matter how you move the handle. Rotate horizontally and the phone follows; pitch the handle forward or back and nothing happens to the framing. This is the mode for shooting horizontally or moving around a subject, think walking a circle around a person, a product, or a car. It keeps the camera at a fixed tilt angle while you orbit, which produces those smooth, deliberate tracking shots that look hard but are actually the gimbal doing the work.
FPV: Pan, Tilt, and Roll Follow
FPV lets all three axes follow your hand. Pan, tilt, and roll all respond to how you move the handle, which gives the footage a first-person, action-camera feel with natural banking and horizon tilt as you move. DJI positions it for dynamic filming of still subjects, landmarks, buildings, statues, where the movement comes from you, not the subject.
One honest note from published reviews: FPV looks more capable than it behaves. Because all axes are loose, it struggles to keep up with a subject walking around the gimbal, and the same goes for SpinShot. Treat FPV as a creative effect for static scenes, not as a tracking mode.
SpinShot: FPV plus joystick spins
SpinShot behaves like FPV, all three axes follow, with one addition: push the joystick left or right and the phone rotates in the vertical plane, creating a barrel-roll spin of the camera view. That is the whole trick, and it is a good one. It is perfect for push, pull, and high-angle movements where a rotating frame adds energy, the classic being a spinning reveal shot that would be nearly impossible to do smoothly by hand.
Use it sparingly. A spin effect in every clip gets old fast, but one well-timed SpinShot in a travel video or product reel genuinely elevates the edit.
Bonus: Lock mode
There is a fifth state worth knowing. Press and hold the trigger and the phone stops following your handle movements entirely, freezing your framing while you reposition your hand or your body. It is a temporary hold, not a separate mode in the cycle, which is exactly right: you grab it for a few seconds when you need to move without the camera moving, then release and keep shooting.
Which mode for which shot
Walking and vlogging: PTF. Orbiting a subject or a product: PF. Dynamic moves around static scenes with a natural horizon roll: FPV. One dramatic spinning transition: SpinShot. Repositioning without moving the camera: hold the trigger for Lock. Learn that mapping and you have the gimbal mastered, because everything else on the Osmo Mobile 8, ActiveTrack subject tracking, ShotGuides templates, the 360-degree pan, is built on top of these five states.
The honest limitations
Two things from real-world use are worth flagging. First, as noted above, FPV and SpinShot are not tracking modes: if your subject walks around you, the gimbal cannot keep up, so use ActiveTrack or the AI tracking module for moving subjects instead of relying on the loose axes. Second, a small Android annoyance: the DJI Mimo app is not on the Play Store, so Android users download the APK from DJI’s website to install and update it. iPhone users get it from the App Store normally, and Apple DockKit support means iPhones can also track directly in the native camera app.
Verdict
The Osmo Mobile 8’s follow modes are simple once you see the logic: each mode just adds one more axis of follow, from PF’s pan-only up through SpinShot’s joystick spins. Most people should live in PTF, visit PF for orbits, and save FPV and SpinShot for deliberate creative moments. Combined with the 360-degree pan, built-in extension rod and tripod, 10-hour battery, and the tracking module, it is a genuinely complete phone filmmaking kit in one folding package.
Check the current price of the DJI Osmo Mobile 8 on Amazon. The standard combo lists around $109 USD, with the Advanced Tracking Combo a step above that.