Gimbal producer Hohem has announced a move into producing actual action cameras , with a handheld gimbal attached of course.

Hohem teased the upcoming device, called the Hohem Eyepic, at the IFA tech show and suggested it will be ready for a full announcement early next year at Las Vegas’s CES.

The Hohem Eyepic already exists as a working prototype, though.

A small screen-free camera part connects to a handheld stabilizer body using a magnetic interface. The camera can also work without it, though, and Hohem says it is developing a series of accessories to offer other ways to use the camera.

It already has a necklace-like holder that leaves the Eyepic camera sitting on a person’s chest, while a magnetic tripod is one other application Hohem says it has in the works. The company is yet to reveal all of the Eyepic camera’s specs, but there’s enough to provide a solid idea of its abilities.

Hohem Eyepic Action Camera Key Specs

The Hohem Eyepic will be able to shoot video at up to 4K resolution at 60 frames per second, and can capture both horizontal and vertical video at that resolution. When attached to the gimbal section, the preview screen can be physically rotated, and this alters the orientation of the footage captured.

It makes the 3-axis gimbal jump into action, rapidly turning the camera by 90 degrees. This can be done on-the-fly during capture too, although the actual orientation of the final clip will predictably be determined by the setting when you begin capture.

Hohem says the Eyepic captures 4K video with no sensor crop — which tends to be a topic of discussion in dedicated mirrorless cameras where sometimes a sensor crop is used to achieve a certain maxed-out resolution and frame rate.

What else? The Hohem Eyepic is water resistant — you’re invited to “dive to 10m” although this seems quite ambitious given the extra pressures involved in real-world diving versus lab-style submersion at 10m. Wait for the final water resistance rating spec before thinking this is going to be great ideal for a diving holiday.

The Hohem Eyepic has another great feature too. Its gimbal base can be used as a wireless preview screen, the camera transmitting at distances of up to 10m. Hohem’s rep said the battery lasts up to 90 minutes when shooting with the camera alone, or up to 2.5 hours when used with the gimbal base.

I don’t believe any resolution was specified for these figures, so they may refer to 1080p shooting rather than the 4K capture.

That Hohem has the chops on the gimbal side is not in doubt. But alongside the as-yet unannounced specs and price, the key question is whether Hohem has the requisite imaging chops to impress too.

It needs to be able to compete with the rival DJI Osmo Pocket series, but whether the plan is to significantly undercut that bigger player on price is yet to be seen.

More on the Hohem Eyepic action camera will, with any luck, be revealed early next year.