Mini test: DJI RS 4 Mini Combo

Posted on May 18, 2025 by Pro Moviemaker

If DJI’s RS 4 Pro is the gimbal that does it all, the RS 4 Mini is the one that does just enough – and does it brilliantly

When we tested the DJI RS 4 Pro gimbal we said it was the best, most feature-packed gimbal that doesn’t break the bank, and works as long as your camera payload is 4.5kg/9.9lb or less. And we still stand by that.

But if you use a lighter mirrorless camera set-up, don’t want to spend as much and yearn for a gimbal that’s lighter and more compact than DJI now offers, this could be the perfect stabiliser for you. It’s the RS 4 Mini, which handles a payload of up to 2kg/ 4.4lb and, in the Combo kit, costs just £419/$459; less than half the price of the RS 4 Pro kit and around two-thirds the weight. It’s also been designed to pack up flatter than any other DJI gimbal, to make it easier to store and carry around in a bag.

Of course, it doesn’t come with all the high-tech spec of the RS 4 Pro, such as the Raven Eye wireless transmitter that beams the video signal to a remote monitor. But it does have a trick that the Pro doesn’t; the RS Intelligent Tracking Module, which enables hands-free subject tracking. This uses the same magnetic attachment system as older DJI action cameras, and the module clips right next to the camera.

A red light shows it’s powered up and taking power from the main gimbal battery. When the subject in the frame raises a hand, or the front trigger button is pressed, the gimbal locks on to the subject and the red light turns green. The RS 4 Mini then automatically tracks them as they move around the frame, even briefly out of it and back in again or when other people cross in front. You can reframe the shot using the gimbal controls too, or set the menu to keep the subject right in the centre. The RS4 Mini keeps tracking your subject wherever they go. It’s a great feature and works incredibly; you can adjust settings like speed, but only for people up to ten metres away, so sadly this is no use for cars, bikes or animals.

If you’re a solo vlogger, you can put the gimbal on a tripod or solid surface and walk around talking to the camera, with the green light letting you know the camera is following you around the frame. Of course, the gimbal can be fitted with a smartphone instead of a camera if that’s important to you, with the new smartphone holder included.

The Intelligent Tracking Module comes in the Combo kit but not with the stand-alone gimbal, which is a bargain at £339/$369. The kit is worth the extra money as it also buys you a separate, second handle which makes it far easier to use with low angles. The RS 4 Mini Briefcase Handle is smaller than previous DJI handles, and fixes on with a Nato port. Using a second hand to hold the gimbal really takes away some of the strain and makes it so much easier to use for low-angle shots. Like on the Pro, there are more powerful motors and faster swaps to vertical camera positioning, ideal for social media videos. Тhе Міnі’ѕ ѕесоnd-gеnеrаtіоn аutоmаtеd ахіѕ lосkѕ еnаblе truly speedy sеt-uр, unlосkіng аll thrее ахеѕ іn just оnе ѕесоnd. It takes only a few more seconds to ѕwіtсh to vertical shooting by unfastening a clamp and repositioning the camera plate.

A camera with a microphone on top positioned on a stand facing away

The rear handle is an improved ergonomic design, which allows for more creative shots

There’s also Вluеtооth ѕhuttеr соntrоl, which еlіmіnаtеѕ thе nееd fоr саblеѕ, аllоwіng for wіrеlеѕѕ rесоrdіng аnd zооm аdјuѕtmеntѕ dіrесtlу frоm thе gіmbаl’ѕ соntrоlѕ. DJI lists all the compatible cameras, but sadly the Sony A1 II we used for the test is too new to be included. We tried a Sony A7S III and it worked perfectly too.

Setting the gimbal up is as pain free as it could possibly be. Teflon-coated rails make movement far smoother than on many other gimbals, which really makes a difference. There’s also a nice micro-adjustment knob on the camera plate, and once you have done the manual balancing, auto-calibration mode makes sure everything is spot on and ready to go.

It has all the regular controls of most DJI gimbals, such as the trigger button at the front that can do several things. But the most useful function is that, if you hold it down, it locks the camera in its current position despite moving the gimbal around. Just tap the trigger twice and it resets to the starting point, while three taps turns it around for selfie mode.

Unsurprisingly, the Mini has all the most-used modes, including pan-follow, pan-and-tilt follow, FPV and 3D roll 360 for those Inception-style barrel rolls. The OLED touchscreen displays icons more clearly than on older models. When using the touchscreen auto-lock feature, the screen will display the current gimbal and joystick modes at low brightness to help conserve battery power. The menus are where you can set how smooth or responsive you want the movement to be, and responsive mode lets you use hand gestures to start and stop filming for fast orbit shots.

Like many professionals, we’re more interested in how smooth and controlled the movements are for cinematic shots, rather than flashy, vlogger-style TikTok moves. DJI says the upgraded fourth-generation stabilisation algorithm strikes a balance between strength and the tactile feel of camera movement, and we have to agree. It feels like a more modern, controlled movement. If you are using an older-generation gimbal, it might be time to upgrade.

The RS 4 Mini also offers improved stability when shooting in vertical orientation, and is optimised for compatibility with various cameras, automatically calibrating motor strength to adapt. We found it worked just as well with the supported A7S III as the officially unsupported A1 II, though. No complaints at all, it’s just a smooth, yet controllable device.

Compared to the older RS Mini, the battery life has been upped by 30%, giving up to 13 hours of filming. If you’re strong enough to hold on to a gimbal for 13 hours of shooting, then you’re made of tough stuff. Suffice to say, we never ran out of battery power on any shoot. If you do run the battery down, a 30-minute charge via USB-C gives around five hours of use.

Overall, this is a great-value kit that has serious tech like the intelligent tracking, and does what most people want a gimbal to do. But why haven’t they offered a black-coloured version yet?

£419/$459

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