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Battery and accessories
Screen-on time and Wi-Fi connections to a phone will be the biggest drains to the Osmo Action’s 1300mAh battery. You’ll be able to get through a full day out grabbing 30-second to two-minute clips shot at regular intervals, but if you’re planning on getting long bouts of footage, pack a power bank or a spare battery.
The Osmo Action has two microphones, which struggle with wind and loud noise. You can fire up wind noise reduction in the settings, and this takes the edge off, but for anything beyond casual vlogging and reference audio, you’ll want to invest in a USB-C microphone adapter from DJI’s online store, or an external audio recorder.
On the subject of accessories, given the fact the Action uses the same mounting system as GoPros, its housing will work with GoPro grips and mounts, but its different sized body means it won’t support GoPro housings.
That said, DJI’s store gives you a range of optional extras, from screw-on ND filters, waterproof casing, additional batteries and charging kits, as well as a range of grips and mounts.
Verdict
DJI’s first attempt at an action camera is a triumph and has earned a place in the market, even after GoPro launched the Hero8 Black. The Action packs a larger, 16:9 touchscreen and a front live-view display, while still delivering solid video quality and stabilization.
If you use a lot of mounts, hate cases and want the smallest mountable body around, or love GoPro’s Timewarp 2.0 feature, the Hero8 Black is the obvious choice.
For vloggers who want to maximize on savings, a selfie-screen and/or have other DJI products, like an Osmo Mobile 3, then the Osmo Action could be just the ticket, delivering fantastic video and photo capture in good lighting, solid construction, and a fair price.
