DJI unveiled the Osmo 360 II on 3 September, timed to the opening of IFA in Berlin. It’s the second generation of its pocket 360 camera and, for once, there is something in it that matters to people working on sets rather than only to people making social content: the front lenses are user-replaceable.

What DJI announced

  • 8K60 panoramic video (7680×3840), 6K60 and 4K slow motion up to 240 fps.
  • Two square 1/1.1″ sensors behind f/1.9 optics; DJI claims a 1-inch-equivalent result across the 360-degree field.
  • A claimed 14.5 stops of dynamic range, ISO 100-51200.
  • 10-bit recording with D-Log M in every format, up to 170 Mbps.
  • User-replaceable front lenses with a harder scratch-resistant coating than the first generation.
  • 128 GB internal storage (105 GB usable) plus microSD up to 1 TB, and a 2150 mAh battery rated for 100 minutes at 8K30.
  • 183 grams, 61 × 36.3 × 81 mm, IP68: 10 metres without a case, 50 metres with the dedicated housing.
  • European pricing: 589 euros for the Standard Combo, 739 euros for the Adventure Combo, on sale from 15 September.

Replaceable lenses are not press-release filler

Anyone who has used a 360 camera on set knows the problem: the lenses stick out, and they stick out in the worst possible place. A scratch can’t be hidden with a different reframe — it lands on the stitch line and stays there for the whole take. On the previous generation, a damaged front element meant a service trip, dead time, and usually the decision to live with the flaw. Being able to swap them yourself changes the risk maths: you can actually put the camera where it earns its keep — on a bonnet, in the dust, inside a cramped cabin — instead of babysitting it. What we don’t have yet is official pricing for spare lenses in Italy, and that’s the first question to ask when they land.

Where it genuinely helps on a production

It isn’t a main camera and nobody is selling it as one. In our view there are three real uses. First, VFX: one 360-degree grab in the middle of the set and post has the environment for reflections and lighting, with no chrome ball chase at the end of the day. Second, a b-cam you reframe in post, for all the positions an operator can’t occupy: car interiors, bikes, tight working spaces, shots where you don’t know in advance where the action will go. Third, behind the scenes, where one file gives you the horizontal cut for the client and the vertical one for social.

The spec that makes all of this usable is 10-bit D-Log M in every format: the footage joins the main cameras in the timeline and gets graded in the same pass, instead of sitting there as the odd clip nobody wants to touch.

What to keep in mind

A 1/1.1″ sensor is still a small sensor: below a certain light level the image gives up, and if darkness is the problem the answer is a different body, not this one. Then there’s the resolution misunderstanding: 8K panoramic is not 8K of delivered detail, because reframing a 16:9 crop inside the sphere only uses part of it. Judge this camera on the final frame, not on the number in the spec sheet. Finally, the files are heavy, and on a remote location offloading and sending them to the edit becomes the real bottleneck — that’s where a proper connection matters, like our Starlink kit.

Rent it or buy it?

Here’s the awkward thing for a rental house to say: at 589 euros a 360 camera like this isn’t a rental item. Use it three or four times a year and it has already paid for itself, and keeping it in your backpack makes more sense than booking it. What is worth renting is everything around it: the main body the project actually runs on, such as a Sony FX3, the gimbal for serious movement — DJI RS 3 Pro, or the RS 3 Mini on a lighter set — and the support the location needs. The Osmo 360 II is a smart accessory around that kit, not the kit itself. If you’re putting a production together in Abruzzo and want to work out what to bring, our rental gear is the place to start.

Official source: DJI Osmo 360 II product page. Independent verification at CineD.