DJI Pocket 3 Love/Hate

In This Week’s Post

  • My favourite Pallas Cat image received a critique. They might be right.
  • There are still a couple of places left on my Svalbard Trip.
  • I hate my new DJI Pocket 3. It’s so good, but I don’t like it.
  • Video of the Week.

Read Time: 4 minutes

To see larger versions, click on the images.


Pallas Cat Critiqued

Below is one of my favourite wildlife shots from my recent Mongolia trip.

It shows the incredibly harsh environment that these wild cats have to endure.

Pallas Cat in Snow Storm

But… would it have been better if the eyes were open? 

This is one particular critique that really got me thinking. 

The eyes open would have made more of a connection with the viewer.

The eyes closed show a less lucid portrait of this cat and the struggle is emphasised.

It doesn’t matter either way. I can’t change it and had no control over it at the time. The cat was only in this pose for a few seconds before wandering off into the whiteness. 

This was a positive critique to receive because it got me thinking. I always encourage debate, no matter what the subject and never like to shut down any criticisms or questions. 

Every critique (photographically or otherwise) should be welcomed and considered. This is how we grow and improve.

Watch the video to see the full Pallas Cat adventure.

It’s Not Too Late To Come To Svalbard

We stil have a couple of spots open on our 10 Passenger Ice-Breaker. We will sail from May 15th to May 24th and witness some of the worlds most pristine wilderness.


Love/Hate Video Camera

Over the past few months, the DJI Pocket 3 has been responsible for more and more footage that you see on the channel.

This camera was only ever meant to be a backup, yet somehow it has been over taking my Fujifilm X-T4.

I love it, but I don’t trust it. It’s like having an incredibly attractive girlfriend, who you know is going to cheat on you at some point.

It ticks most of the boxes when it comes to what I look for in a video camera:

  • Compact & lightweight.
  • Good IQ.
  • Capable in low light.
  • Affordable.
  • Acceptable battery life.
  • Excellent audio.

It has extras that I never knew I needed, such as Face Tracking, which is like having a cameraman with me at all times, although the face tracking cameraman doesn’t understand how to compose a portrait, but we will let that slide.

With all that being said, the DJI Pocket 3 will never be my main camera because it is quite frankly too unreliable. 

DJI products, in my opinion, are not to be relied upon. They fail at an unprecedented rate, at least that is my experience. 

I have had drones that fly away, action cameras that become ‘bricked’ after only a short amount of use. I have had wireless mics that stop taking a charge, all of which either get repaired or binned. 

My default position on DJI products is that they are great, but they will let you down at the worst possible time.

My most recent example of this was in Mongolia, when after 7 days of searching for Snow Leopards, we finally found one. Just as I was beginning my hike up the mountain, the Pocket 3 failed to start up. The timing could not have been worse. 

In the end, I gave up trying to bring it back to life and, ironically, borrowed a Pocket 2, which is nowhere near as capable. 

Ok, so now that I have that out of my system, what’s the solution?

  1. Keep the Pocket 3 as a backup only. This would be shame because it is so handy and so good.
  2. Risk it. Most of the time it will be fine, until it isn’t.
  3. Buy 2 of them. Annoyingly, this makes the most sense. They’re so small, you wouldn’t notice another one in your bag. They’re affordable, so if “vlogging” makes up part of your income, it’s a worthwhile investment. They do tick enough boxes and make life so much easier, that this option is not a bad one. Although, it is a tough pill to swallow.

Video of the Week

Today, I am sharing a recent video from Simon Baxter. His content is always thoughfull, inteligent and insightful, but this particular video really struck a chord with me, as it seems we both had the same childhood.

Thank you for reading.