Osmo Action Camera Review: Top-Notch Gadget That Packs Quality Shots
- Affordable.
- Delivers true 4K footage.
- RockSteady
- Packed with features.
- Easy to use.
- Beginner-friendly
Price list
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Description and Review
DJI is well known as the world-leading industry in drones such as the Mavic 2 Pro / Mavic 2 Zoom and its flagship: Phantom 4 drone. However, it is no surprise that DJI is looking to expand from what it is known as the drone industry to a technology consumer industry. Its latest gadget called the Osmo Action is a high-tech action camera that delivers everything you need to produce stunning footage content.
Instead of being subtle with it, DJI is taking heads-on with GoPro HERO 7 Black. With a design that is so similar and comes with identical features. However, Osmo Action does two things that have succeeded so far: undercutting the HERO 7 Black with a much lower price tag. Furthermore, it comes with a front color display. But, can DJI’s first shot at taking down GoPro’s action camera that has been popular for decades?
Design & Build
The new DJI Osmo Action is surprising a well put together gadget. It features a waterproof metal frame that comes with textured rubberized sides for a firm grip. The Osmo Action buttons are very easy to press. In addition to that, it delivers a satisfactory amount of click feedback. Even if you are wearing gloves, you can easily fire up Osmo Action camera without too much hassle.
On the left side of the Osmo Action camera, it has a built-in water-sealed section that contains both USB-C Port and a MicroSD card slot. For this action camera, I highly recommend 128GB microSD card so that you will have plenty of storage to store stills and videos. At the base of the action, the camera is where the battery compartment is located. On the front, it comes with a powerful and small camera featuring a 1.4-inch square display.
Around the back, it is all screen with a 2.4-inch LCD touchscreen. Furthermore, the screen features over 300PPI that delivers nice and crispy clear resolution that goes gentle on your eyes. Upon ordering the Osmo Action camera, it comes with the housing case and an adhesive mount. Pretty much out of the box, you can affix the camera in your car, helmet or anything. Though, you will have to purchase additional accessories like microSD cards separately.
Features
The Osmo Action camera is outfitted with a powerful 12MP sensor that combines with an ultra-wide-angle lens. It delivers an impressive 148-degree field of view. In addition to that, it comes with an f/2.8 aperture. Which directly competes with the popular GoPro HERO 7 Black action camera full head-on. Not just only that, the Osmo Action camera has a slightly bigger battery that lasts longer than its counterpart.
The quality of videos is captured from 720P HD to 4K UHD. The aspect ratio of these footages can be adjusted from either 4:3 or 16:9 and can go up to 60 FPS. All of the videos are capable of doing so. In addition to that, the Osmo Action Camera features an advanced stabilization system called RockSteady. This feature keeps the footage smooth by eliminating shakiness and vibration while you are capturing the shots.
The Osmo action camera also comes with the ability to shoot videos up to 8 times slower. Furthermore, its 12MP camera supports manual exposure control, timelapse video and more. But wait, there is more. One of the coolest tricks if you are in the party, you can capture stills thanks to a built-in front display screen. Which is activated by double-tapping the main screen? This means you can vlog your content and get your framing right.
Performance
Video sample of DJI Osmo Action Camera in action below:
When it comes to performance, the DJI Osmo Action is an impressive gadget. It pretty much beats most of its competitors in the same price range. Unlike its main competitor, GoPro, the Osmo Action camera meters everything for faces by default. Which makes them the focal point for exposure point of view. In addition to that, it can produce much more vibrant skin tones and colors in general. This reduces the need to edit your footage to get the best quality out of it.
The 4K UHD footage captured on DJI Osmo Action is beautiful and packs with so many details. With great lighting quality, this footage can be cropped in post-processing for around 20% to 40% to deliver full HD content without breaking down too much. Although, its dynamic range is fair. As a result of this, we found ourselves ignoring the HDR mode given the fact that it deactivates EIS. The low light performance is grainy and noisy which is similar in terms of quality that GoPro HERO 7 Black has.
Ergonomically, the front screen is incredibly handy for selfie shots. Even though the lens is wide, you are always guaranteed to get your face in the selfie shot. This means you can frame up background elements and adjust the settings to deliver the best still. Furthermore, the main touch screen is responsive and comprehensive as it needs to be. The inclusion of Quick Select makes switching much simpler and easy to use.
The built-in RockSteady feature, an advanced image stabilization technology is nothing short of gravity-defying footage. It makes the footage looks like if the action camera is mounted on a 3-axis gimbal stabilizer handheld. It is also much more superior to HERO 7 Black by holding a fraction of footage together. This is also important to note that the implementation of the RockSteady feature doesn’t come without a cost.
If you are looking for a good action camera with an excellent app. The Osmo Action Camera is the perfect match. Because it comes with an app that you can connect via your iOS and Android. To connect Osmo Action camera to the app, simply position next to your smartphone device that is clear of frequency interference. Once the connection has been established, you can share your content on life and much more.
Final Verdict
DJI managed to create a brand new action camera that turns out to be one of the best when it comes to imaging quality and stabilization. Even though the Osmo Action Camera is one of the first gadgets that DJI made for the action camera market. It is an impressive and ideal alternative option for the popular GoPro HERO 7 Black.
When the videos and stills are captured on GoPro action cameras, it tends to edit themselves. Which makes them the preferred action camera for video professionals. It is still far from being perfect as they suffer from live view lag issues at max resolution. But, if you are going to look for a quality action camera that makes the most out of its money’s worth. The DJI Osmo action delivers and will exceed your expectations. You can buy it on Amazon.
| Price history for DJI OSMO Action Cam Digital Camera with 2 Displays 36FT/11M Waterproof 4K HDR-Video 12MP 145° Angle Black | |
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