Review | Best action camera: DJI Osmo Action beats GoPro with its front-facing display

Following its release of a pocket-sized handheld camera late last year, DJI – the Shenzhen-based tech company best known for its drones – has recently launched its first action camera, the Osmo Action. A latecomer to the game, will it be able to compete with similar products, such as the GoPro, that have already carved a nice niche in the market? We take a look. Design and hardware The Osmo Action doesn’t stray too far from conventional action camera design – it is small, rectangular-shaped and made of rugged composite material that combines plastic and rubber. It is waterproof, shockproof and, at 124g, can be easily mounted on top of helmets, skateboards or on bicycle handlebars. There’s a 12-megapixel fisheye lens with a wide 145-degree field of vision. All of this is standard fare for action cameras, and is neither better nor worse than GoPro’s Hero 7 Black in any meaningful way. There is, however, one stand-out feature: in addition to the main screen on the backside of the camera, there is a secondary front-facing display, which has never been offered before on an action camera. Four of the best true wireless earbuds you can buy right now Having a front-facing screen improves shooting selfie videos significantly as it allows the user to see exactly what they’re recording. It makes so much sense in today’s selfie-centric vlogger generation that, in hindsight, it’s baffling why GoPro has never thought of this before. The camera has three hardware buttons – power, shutter and mode switch – and a responsive main screen that supports swiping and tapping. The bright, 2.3-inch main screen is large enough to let the user easily tweak shooting modes and settings. The camera runs on a relatively small 1,300mAh battery, which offers about 90 minutes of recording time, but it is removable, and thus, interchangeable. Footage is stored on a micro-SD card, which is not included with the camera. Software and features The Osmo Action can connect to DJI’s Mimo app, available on both iOS and Android, and once linked, the camera can be controlled remotely with a mobile device. However, the device’s touch screen interface is so intuitive I’ve found little need to actually sync up the app. The camera can capture videos at a wide range of resolutions, from 720p all the way up to 4K/60fps. Shooting in lower resolution, such as 1080p, allows the camera to bump the framerate up to 240fps, ideal for capturing fast-moving moments. Performance Electronic image stabilisation (EIS) is crucial for action cameras as they’re meant to shoot on the move, so it’s just as well DJI has years of experience writing EIS algorithms for its high-flying drone cameras. The camera’s EIS mode is called “Rock Steady”, and it can be activated with a couple of taps. The reason DJI gives the option to toggle EIS on or off is because there are trade-offs. Footage with “Rock Steady” on have a slightly smaller field of vision (digital cropping is essential for EIS) and dynamic range suffers due to lack of HDR (high dynamic range). You should turn the mode off to get the best video quality and colours if you’re shooting with the device in a stationary position, but anytime you’re moving, turn it on as the difference in fluidity and stability is drastic. It is the same with the HDR video mode. Shooting in this mode will improve lighting and contrast in lowlight situations, but stabilisation takes a hit. The camera generally captures grainy night-time footage, but considering this is an action camera, it’ll mostly be used during the day. The video below contains a series of clips shot in different lighting conditions and with EIS on and off. Notice that the camera’s stabilisation is excellent – about on par with an iPhone XS – and audio recording is respectable despite many of the clips taking place in loud environments. The extra wide field of vision allowed me to easily fit a friend into frame without the need of a selfie stick. Overall, video quality captured by the Osmo Action is impressive for an action camera, but falls far short of video footage captured by any recently released big-name smartphone. Still, that’s not quite a fair comparison, as the DJI device is significantly more durable and portable. Conclusion At HK$2,999, the Osmo Action initially seemed expensive for someone like me, who doesn’t participate in extreme sports and who has tested fully capable smartphones for around that same price range. But then I realised I’m looking at it the wrong way. Extreme sport participants who like to document their adventures used to have their options dominated by GoPros. Now DJI is offering a cheaper alternative (GoPro’s Hero 7 Black retails for HK$3,300) that brings more functionality in a second screen. If you’re shooting in a controlled environment, there are options, including DJI’s own Osmo Pocket. But for shooting in challenging conditions, the Osmo Action may have just taken GoPro’s throne.

Review | Best action camera: DJI Osmo Action beats GoPro with its front-facing display

The Osmo Action is a solid action camera with one game-changing feature: a secondary front-facing display that lets users see what they’re recording Now extreme sport participants who like to document their adventures have more options that just GoPros

The Osmo Action is a solid action camera with one game-changing feature: a secondary front-facing display that lets users see what they’re recording

Now extreme sport participants who like to document their adventures have more options that just GoPros