At NAB 2026, DJI’s presence feels less about individual product launches and more about ecosystem thinking. Getting hands-on with the new Osmo 360 camera alongside the latest RS5 gimbal, the throughline is clear: simplify capture, expand creative flexibility, and reduce the friction between shooting and delivery.
Starting with the Osmo 360, DJI is entering an already competitive space, but doing so with a distinctly “DJI” approach. The camera is compact, self-contained, and immediately intuitive, but under the hood, it’s pushing serious imaging capabilities. Shooting native 8K 360° video with large-pixel sensors and wide dynamic range, the footage coming off the camera feels detailed, flexible, and surprisingly robust in mixed lighting conditions.
In practice, what stands out isn’t just resolution: it’s usability. Switching between full 360 capture and single-lens shooting is seamless, allowing the camera to function both as a spherical capture device and a more traditional action camera. That flexibility matters, especially for solo operators or smaller crews who don’t want to commit entirely to a 360 workflow on every shot.
On the show floor, the real appeal becomes clear in post. Like other modern 360 systems, the Osmo 360 is built around reframing, capturing everything, then deciding later where to point the camera. But DJI’s ecosystem integration, particularly with its mobile and desktop tools, makes that process feel fast and accessible rather than technical or burdensome.
Physically, the camera feels purpose-built for run-and-gun shooting. It’s lightweight, durable, and designed to slot into existing DJI accessories and mounting systems. The ability to capture immersive footage without significantly changing your shooting style is arguably its biggest strength.
Paired with the Osmo 360, the RS5 gimbal continues DJI’s steady refinement of its stabilization platform, but with a noticeable emphasis on supporting heavier, more complex camera builds. While previous RS models already set a high bar, the RS5 feels tuned for today’s hybrid production environments, where mirrorless cameras, cinema lenses, wireless video, and focus systems all coexist on a single rig.
In use, the RS5 delivers the kind of stability you’d expect, but with improved responsiveness and control. Balancing is faster, motor strength is more forgiving with uneven payloads, and the overall system feels more adaptable to real-world shooting conditions rather than ideal setups.
What’s particularly interesting is how these two tools complement each other philosophically. The Osmo 360 leans into capture-first flexibility: shoot everything, decide later, while the RS5 reinforces precision and intentional camera movement. Together, they represent two ends of a spectrum that modern creators are constantly navigating.
More broadly, DJI seems focused on collapsing complexity. Whether it’s stabilizing increasingly heavy camera rigs or simplifying immersive capture, the goal is the same: reduce the number of barriers between idea and execution.
If there’s a takeaway from seeing both the Osmo 360 and RS5 at NAB this year, it’s that DJI isn’t just iterating on hardware; they’re refining workflows. The emphasis is less on specs in isolation and more on how those specs translate into faster, more flexible production.
And after getting hands-on, that approach feels well aligned with where the industry is heading: toward smaller teams, faster turnarounds, and tools that adapt to the creator, not the other way around.