DJI Osmo Action Review
Hey Folks, welcome back, today we are going to review DJI Osmo Action, DJI has entered the action camera market with the Osmo Action, we haven’t really seen that much innovation when it comes to action cameras in the past few years, the improvements were basically limited to higher frame rates and electronic stabilization. DJI Osmo Action finally changes that with some new features.
It is not really possible to make Dji Osmo Action review without comparing it to GoPro Hero 7 Black, because it is a benchmark but I will try to keep that for a separate review. Some of those innovations have been made in the physical design so let’s take a look at that.
Built Quality
The Size of the Osmo Action is similar to other action cameras but it is a bit wider the build quality is very good, it is made of high-quality plastics with a nice grippy texture. The lens cover can be easily unscrewed which is the simplest and in my opinion the best option. The bottom side of the battery is actually a part of the structure which saves the space, that is a clever solution.
The most striking difference in comparison with other action cameras is definitely the second screen on the front side of the device but I will talk about that later, Dji Osmo Action is water-resistant up to 11 meters without the housing, overall I like the build quality a lot it feels very solid so no complaints.
Camera Quality
DJI Osmo Action uses 12 megapixels one over a 2.3-inch sensor, that we already know from the Osmo Pocket. The field view is 145 degrees so it is an ultra-wide-angle lens with F 3.8 aperture if you use Rocksteady electronic image stabilization it gets cropped by 18 to 22 percent that is usually considered to be a disadvantage, but for me personally it might be an advantage because I prefer a bit narrower and more natural-looking field of view, ff you just want the widest possible angle and electronic stabilization it will be a disadvantage.
here I will also mention one of my most favourite features of the Osmo Action, which is the deep warp which fixes the fisheye look and the distortion in camera, which means now the footage would no longer have to be associated with the cheap action cameras. And for me personally that is actually a game-changer because I generally use an action camera as a small point-and-shoot camera, so being able to get footage that looks like footage from normal camera is great.
4K Video
4k video looks generally good but there is one problem, and that is the over sharpening and noise art effects associated with that. It doesn’t fix the over-sharpening of how bad it depends on the scene, in good light it is not great but not terrible in the low light or high dynamic range scenes the over-sharpening makes noise very unpleasant. At the moment Osmo Action can’t match the Osmo Pocket in terms of the image quality, despite both use the same sensor.
HDR Video
HDR video is also one of the standard features of the DJI Osmo Action and I have to say that it is great, it really captures a lot of dynamic range. But the problem is that it doesn’t work with Rocksteady stabilization if you can use it though it will probably provide the best image quality from the Osmo Action. The quality of the pictures is actually outstanding and the amount of detail is very good, so I am very happy with the Picture.
Image Credit-DJI
Exposure Bracketing
it is also possible to do exposure bracketing with DJI Osmo Action, so the camera will take five pictures with different exposures and then you can merge those into one picture in editing software. if you turn the work feature, I have to say that the DJI Osmo Action is already the best action camera for shooting pictures. Stabilization has always been a strength of DJI in a wide variety of devices, but I think that this is their first attempt at electronic image stabilization and it is very efficient.
Stabilization
It completely neutralizes shaking if you are trying to hold the camera or just handheld shooting with your small action. I also have to mention that there is a lake on the screen if you have the rocksteady turned on, but I haven’t found this to be an issue. I am very happy with the stabilization as I have mentioned many times, stabilization makes a huge difference in the overall look of the footage. And it’s good to see that, it is a priority for manufacturers and DJI did not disappoint in this regard.
Handling and Controls
Handling and controls in this device are great as well, there are just three buttons on the DJI Osmo Action, Shutter button, and Power button are on the top of the camera. And that is what I prefer, a long press of the power button turns the camera on and off. What I like a lot is that the short press works as a sleep mode, which makes the whole operation much faster and also thumbs up for that quick switch button, which is located on the left side and it can be used for switching modes. You can also customize, which items do you want to see.
Image Credit-DJI
Screen
It has a great two and a quarter inch back screen with 325 pixels per inch, which is actually one of the most impressive things about the DJI Osmo Action. The increase of the size in comparison with GoPro definitely makes a difference. It is very sharp and the brightness is sufficient, the functionality is flawless. It is very important because that is also how we change the settings.
Osmo Action also has a front screen, which is one of the main standout features of this device. It has a 1.4-inch screen which is enough for vlogging and checking the settings. It is also sharp and bright enough and you can change whether you want to see the whole frame or just zoomed in square, dual-screen setup is a great idea in my opinion.
User Interface
It reflects the needs of customers, the user interface on the DJI Osmo Action is just as good you can swipe from the top edge to access the general settings and from the bottom edge. Functions to change the resolution and frame rates, video, or photo settings are also well organized and all of the main features are easily accessible. It is by far the best user interface that I have seen on an action camera, and the larger screen also makes the navigation easier. So overall thumbs up for the handling.
USB and Card Slot
On the left side, we have a door that can be removed just like on the GoPro, here you can find USB C and micro SD card slot. There is no HDMI output though and it seems like the USB C cannot output the video signal, so it is not possible to use the DJI Osmo Action with the external monitor which is a bit unfortunate.
Lens Cover
Another good thing that I like about the DJI Osmo Action is the lens cover, it can be screwed on and off, which is the simplest and in my opinion the best solution. I already have a ton of filters for the Osmo Action, from free well and from sky red including all kinds of specialized filters.
Mount and Cage
One more thing that I miss on the Osmo Action is the quarter-inch mount on the bottom side, but considering the amount of technology in this tiny camera I can’t blame DJI for not putting it there. DJI has made it capable with GoPro mount which is definitely a wise decision, which means now we can use it with GoPro shorty handle.
The cage is made of very high-quality plastics it is very easy to open and close, and the buttons have good feedback as well top LED is also clearly visible when you use the cage. One thing that I didn’t like about this housing is that you can’t access the USB / SD card without removing the door.
Battery Life
The bottom part of the battery is also a part of the outer shell of the camera, so there is a gasket to keep the Dji Osmo Action water-resistant. Osmo Action uses a custom battery with 1300 mAh and battery life is similar to GoPro, it should last about 60 to 75 minutes of 4k recording which is okay for this type of device.
Image Credit-DJI
DJI App
One thing that I like a lot about the DJI Osmo Action is the app, it uses the same DJI Memo app as the Osmo Pocket and it works just as well. The connection is very fast and very reliable and it lets you change all of the settings. Firmware updates also work flawlessly so thumbs up for wireless functionality.
First Impression after DJI Osmo Action Review
To sum up, my first impressions of the DJI Osmo action are generally very positive, it is definitely the most innovative action camera that came out in a long time. I like the build quality and some of the physical aspects such as the filter thread SD card compartment on the side and excellent back screen and the front screen is also a very useful addition for vlogging.
Rocksteady electronic image stabilization is the most efficient that I have seen, but it comes at the price of a larger crop. User interface and smartphone app are also the best on the market in my opinion, regarding the things that I don’t like that much at the moment that is mainly the over-sharpening. DJI was able to fix that in the Osmo Pocket so I am pretty sure that they will fix that here as well.
One other thing that I don’t like is that you can’t use it with external mic at the moment but that may change as well. I think that it is a great action camera but also a great point and shoot camera, with a wide-angle lens and a very useful camera for professional productions.
So, that’s it for this DJI Osmo Action Review, I hope you would like it and find it useful. if you want to ask anything or share your opinion please do so in the comment section.
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