Expert review of the DJI Osmo Action
Successor: DJI Osmo Action 4
The DJI Osmo Action is no longer available. DJI has released a successor: the DJI Osmo Action 4. This camera is waterproof up to 18m and allows you to record in 4K at 120 fps.
First impression
In terms of appearance, the DJI Osmo Action looks like a GoPro action camera. The biggest difference is the shape of the lens. The action camera feels sturdy when I take it out of the box. I think that's because of its weight. For such a small camera, it's not very light. In the box, you'll find a battery with a protective cover, 2 adhesive attachments, a screw to attach the casing to the accessories, and a manual. Time to test it.
Image stabilization
I'm very curious about the image stabilization, which is called RockSteady. It exceeds the expectations I had. I move my hand on purpose and the image remains very stable. When I turn off the stabilization and do the same thing, I can see a clear difference. This function is nice if you attach the Osmo Action to your mountain bike, skateboard, or surfboard. If you want to record in HDR, you're not able to use image stabilization.
User-friendliness
The controls of the Osmo Action are user-friendly. Via the touchscreen, you can swipe up, down, to the left, and to the right. I was able to find all of the settings quickly. During your workout, you can use the voice control. This way, you won't have to use your hands. A big advantage of the Osmo Action is the selfie screen. Simply double-tap on the screen with 2 fingers and the screen will flip. This allows you to see whether your camera is at the right angle.
Image quality
With the action camera, you can record in 4K resolution with 60 fps. This ensures sharp videos. If you're at an external location with high contrasts between light and dark, you can record in HDR. This way, you can record the transitions from light to dark with more details. The disadvantage of HDR video is that you're not able to use image stabilization. Use a stabilizer so you can still record smooth images in that case.
Recording options
With the DJI Osmo Action, you can record slow motion videos in Full HD resolution. You can record with up to 240 fps, so you can slow down the footage up to 8 times. You can do this when you edit the footage afterwards or while you're recording. In addition, you can make time-lapse recordings. The camera takes a photo every so often and pastes the frames together to form a video. You can set the interval and duration of the recording yourself.
Conclusion
The image stabilization is what stands out most to me about the DJI Osmo Action. It's as if you're using a stabilizer, even though you're making handheld recordings. Thanks to the selfie screen, the Osmo Action is suitable for vloggers. The controls via the touchscreen and voice control are very use to use. This makes the camera suitable for both novice and professional videographers. The action camera has various recording option to record creative videos, such as time-lapse and slow motion.
