Digitek DSG-005 gimbal: A slow yet sturdy stabiliser for mobile videos

Digitek needs to improve the overall experience in order to compete with rivals; DJI's Osmo Mobile 2 is a better option despite its Rs 10,999 price tag

The quintessential mobile phone has developed by leaps and bound and is now considered a serious option in filming professional videos, though image stability has been a major issue, with jerks and shakes ruining important moments. While optical image stabilisation available in premium smartphones solves this problem to some extent, silky smooth stabilisation remains a distant goal. Which means an external aid is a must if you are into serious filmmaking with your smartphone. 

While 3-axis gimbals are common attachments for professional cameras, a few options are also available for mobiles and DJI's products have been setting benchmarks for sometime now.

Digitek, a brand known for its reliable camera accessories, also has a product for the same and is a budget alternative to DJI Osmo Mobile 2. 

The Digitek DSG-005 gimbal is sturdy and well-built with no creaky parts. Although heavy, it is surprisingly comfortable to hold and I have recorded a 30-minute long footage without any hiccups. The controls are handy as well and won't be a problem to master, but the device stutters a lot while setting up. It takes a good 3-4 minutes to balance and at times starts overloading if not used for a while. I faced the this problem while filming sudden moments and had to do without the help of the gimbal. 

Once set up and balanced, the gimbal works perfectly fine and the operational modes -- Pan-Tilt Follow mode, Pan Follow mode and Lock mode, which can be switched by pressing the "mode" button, enhances the overall workflow. Other buttons are also placed conveniently and the built-in joystick works wonders while capturing tilt and pan shots. The on/off button doubles up as a toggle between front and back cams, a dedicated capture button for clicking or recording footages is placed on the flip side, right at the point of your index finger. The Zoom in-out toggle is located on the right side of the handle and all the buttons work just fine provided you are connected via Bluetooth and is using the "Gimbal Pro" app available in App stores across Android and iOS. 

The app is not great but does the job anyway. You can control actions such as focus, ISO, white balance and can also access various modes such as face tracking, smart object tracking, timelapse, panorama shooting. Downloading the app may get confusing as it has no official sign of Digitek, so scanning the QR code available in the information booklet is a safer option.

In terms of performance, the gimbal works well in eliminating jerks and shakes but if you are pace-walking and filming a moving object then you might face a few shakes here and there. The gimbal may stray away from your subject as well and it is suggested that instead of relying on the gimbal and the tracking feature of the app, you keep your focus on the screen.

The gimbal comes bundled with USB cable, a nice hard-shell box and a mini tripod which can be attached to the tripod mount at the bottom. 

Digitek DSG-005 was initially priced at Rs 9,990  but is now available somewhere between Rs 8,250 to Rs 8,500 on Amazon and Flipkart which is atleast a 1,000 bucks cheaper than the DJI counterpart. 

Although well built and decent in its job, Digitek needs to improve the overall experience in order to compete with rivals in the market and DJI's Osmo Mobile 2 is still a better option despite its Rs 10,999 price tag.