Thenew Osmo Actionis so GoPro - like , it ’s almost insulting . But calling DJI ’s new action River Cam a GoPro clone ignores the innovative tweaks that define the Osmo Action apart . DJI has been creating solid camera for its drones and gimbals for twelvemonth . And while some of the features seem designed to vie with GoPro ’s up-to-the-minute and large , the Osmo Action boasts at least one solid feature article not feel on any GoPro cameras — and one potentially disastrous design fault .
DJI Osmo Action
What is it ?
Photo: Adam Clark Estes (Gizmodo)
4 kB action camera
price
$ 350
Photo: Adam Clark Estes (Gizmodo)
Like
Full - colour front - face selfie screen , solid image stabilisation
No like
Photo: Adam Clark Estes (Gizmodo)
Lacks HDMI out , too easy to drown
In terms of specs , the Osmo Action compare most close to GoPro’sHero7 Black , the company ’s top model . Both cameras can shoot in 4 K at 60fps . Both have in - camera slow - mo and timelapse features . Both are waterproof without the need for a case ( more on this by and by ) . Both germinate 12MP still images . And perhaps most significantly , both pack telling range of a function stabilisation tech .
GoPro made abig dealabout its HyperSmooth prototype stabilization at the Hero7 Black ’s release last September , and it ’s well the camera ’s most impressive feature article . Meanwhile , DJI has been stabilizing shaky photographic camera on lagger for year . The Taiwanese companionship has also been expanding its stretch into drone - devoid image stabilisation with its logical argument of Osmo tv camera - gimbal combossince 2015 . The most recent looping , the gimbal - powered Osmo Pocket , impressed uswith its capacity to do image stabilization in a small form agent . So I was frantic to examine out how the Osmo Action ’s in - television camera stabilisation technical school , which it call RockSteady , fared against HyperSmooth .
Photo: Adam Clark Estes (Gizmodo)
As I ’d antecedently done with the Hero7 Black , I tie the Osmo Action to my Harley - Davidson Sporter to see how it manage shake and all the bumps , twists , and plow in the road . The Harley vibrate so much that it crap my bridge player go benumbed after an hour equitation , so it ’s certainly a good testing ground for the range of a function stabilisation computer software . And after a few hours rip around the backroads of New York ’s Hudson Valley with both the Osmo Action and the Hero7 Black , it ’s clear that GoPro should be nervous about its novel competitor .
The Osmo Action and its RockSteady stabilisation handled my rumbly motorcycle ride with comfort . The DJI cam produces clean , sharp footage that reckon fundamentally as politic as the footage I fascinate using GoPro ’s HyperSmooth stabilisation . The Osmo Action performed equally well when panning and transcription while run and even jumping on a trampoline .
That sound out , RockSteady is not needfully unspoiled than HyperSmooth — in some ways , it ’s worse . Shooting with RockSteady stabilization on harvest the simulacrum , giving you a tighter field of view than you get with the Osmo Action ’s non - stabilized mode as well as the Hero7 Black in HyperSmooth mode . The Osmo Action image is also gentle than footage shot with RockSteady turned off , which is hard to dismiss once you remark it . Neither camera offer perfect figure stabilization , and if you need cleanly stabilized footage , you ’re in force off picking up a gimbal . But for your modal adventurer , YouTuber , or tourist , the Osmo Action and the Hero7 Black both volunteer icon stabilization that ’s better than you might guess possible for such thickset , elementary devices .
Photo: Andrew Couts (Gizmodo)
One characteristic the Osmo Action has that the Hero7 mordant want is HDR video . With HDR , you would believe the Osmo Action could produce A-one - vibrant footage and help you care less about capturing subjects in both direct sunlight and shade . However , even when pip in HDR mode , the Osmo Action footage looked less robust and less elaborated than the Hero7 Black ’s non - HDR footage . ( When shoot in non - HDR fashion , I found the Osmo Action ’s footage to be slightly wash out . ) You also ca n’t fool away mellow than 30fps at 4 K result or plow on RockSteady when shooting in HDR . So the whole feature feel like a bit of a flop .
Where the Osmo Action emphatically beat the Hero7 Black is in the tv camera ’s invention . On the back , there ’s a 2.25 - inch colour touch screen show . It ’s only a quarter - inch larger than the Hero7 Black ’s 2 - inch touchscreen , but that makes a huge dispute when the integral twist is just 2.56 inch wide . ( That ’s just a few millimetre wide than the Hero7 Black ’s width of 2.45 column inch . ) And the Osmo Action ’s screen is much better - looking when you look at the two displays next to each other . The Osmo Action ’s footage might be a routine lackluster colouring material - wise , but at least the screen looks well .
Flip the Osmo Action over , and you ’ll find what is likely its main selling point : a selfie screen . I loathe take selfies of any type , but I still found the front - facing , 1.4 - in , full - color LCD display to be a welcome characteristic that is whole absent from GoPro ’s current camera lineup . ( The sinister - and - white cover you ’ll discover on the Hero7 Black only displays photographic camera information , not footage . ) Like the rear screen , the image is bright and vivid . And it definitely helped me set up my shots when shoot myself on my bike or bounce around on a trampoline .
Photo: Andrew Couts (Gizmodo)
However , because the front display has a 1:1 panorama ratio ( it ’s square ) , not the 16:9 landscape of the rear screen , you’re able to only see a fraction of your shot . And you ca n’t swop between the front and rear screens while you ’re recording , which I found endlessly objectionable . Still , it ’s better than the nothing you get with a GoPro . So if shooting selfie videos is one of the principal path you want to use an action television camera , the DJI may be the better pick for this feature alone , which you ca n’t find on any GoPro model .
As unnerving a competitor as the Osmo Action is , a few of its machine characteristic are pestering enough to keep it from clearly outdo the Hero7 Black . When shooting in 4 chiliad at 60fps , for example , the screen lags behind the live military action . That stand for what you see on screen is just a few moments behind realism . ( I did n’t observe this when shooting at lower resolution and physique rates . ) It ’s potential that DJI can fix this in a future software update , but that ’s certainly not guaranteed .
sorry than the screen meanwhile is the Mount Rushmore State card time slot itself , which does n’t have quite enough spring action to set aside you to easily polish off the posting every metre you essay to pop it out . It was reach or miss — sometimes it was easy to grab with my fingers , but other times it was virtually inconceivable . In one instance , I had to pull the bill out with the pair of scissors on my Swiss Army knife . I know I have stubby digit and short nail , but good lord .
Screenshot: Andrew Couts (Gizmodo)
The most knotty design feature ask the battery and the door to the South Dakota card slot . If not properly latch , these can be point of failure for the Osmo Action ’s waterproofing . The battery itself has two point where it lock into place on the television camera , and both must be fully closed or water could seep in . You really have to press on both sides of the battery , to fully engage the latches and make the waterproof cachet . The real trouble with this design is that once you get just one side latched , it looks like the battery is secure . The other side will be affluent with the lawsuit . DJI is aware of this issue because the door latch on the outer corner of the camera has a red indicator to let you know when the door latch is n’t engaged . So you have to bear attention to that .
The door for the Coyote State plug-in slot is also easy to close halfway , which is just as dangerous . Gently sliding the SD card up will give you one chink , and it basically attend like the hatch is closed . But it ’s not fully waterproofed until you hear the second mouse click .
This is all to say , we by chance drink down our Osmo Action .
Screenshot: Andrew Couts (Gizmodo)
To be fair , the Osmo Action exploiter manual warns user ( multiple times ) to ensure that the bombardment is fully locked and the door for the SD card time slot fully closed . The matter is , not everybody reads user manual . That might be even more true for folks who have used other action River Cam , like a GoPro , hold that the twist are so similar . ( In my experience , the Hero7 Black ’s battery / Mount Rushmore State identity card time slot doorway is easier to properly close . ) The Gizmodo staff member who take the Osmo Action surfing — that was when our twist took on water — is a veteran natural action camera user . He had n’t read the drug user manual of arms or the referee guide provided to us by DJI .
Yes , you could chalk all this up to user erroneousness , which it is . But it also feel like a fault any user could make . The extra exploit ask to to the full waterproof the Action Cam does n’t palpate very intuitive . There are also no alerts on cover to let you know if the action River Cam is n’t in full waterproofed . And as we teach the tough fashion , even a few moment in the ocean can cause enough water wrong to cause catastrophic damage .
There are other aspect of the Osmo Action ’s design that were n’t as serious as the waterproofing material but were vexatious nevertheless . DJI definitely guide inhalation for GoPro in its minuscule - touchscreen user port . While both cameras pack a quite a little of functionality onto a 2 - in screen , I found the Hero7 Black ’s interface to be more intuitive than that of the Osmo Action . DJI ’s camera does have a “ Quick Switch ” ( QS ) button on the side , which you use to switch between the unlike shooting mood , activate the front display ( which you may also do by tip the seat touchscreen doubly with two digit ) , and to access tradition preferences . I suspect some substance abuser will notice the QS clitoris helpful , but I really found it easier to navigate the GoPro ’s functions , which are all accessed through the touchscreen .
Screenshot: Andrew Couts (Gizmodo)
For some users , the most thwarting thing about the Osmo Action will be what it miss . Unlike the Hero7 Black , the Osmo Action has no HDMI port , which is great for showing off your footage straight from the photographic camera onto a television or other screen . The DJI action cam also lacks the option to shoot telecasting in the RAW file format , which you also ca n’t do with GoPro ’s new camera . ( you could shoot RAW still with the Osmo Action and the Hero7 Black . ) The unfitness to shoot video in RAW means less allowance when working with your footage .
But even if you add up all the faults of the Osmo Action , you ’ve still got a solid action television camera that deftly followed the GoPro blueprint . It has all the niche have you ’ll get hold in a Hero7 Black : slow - bit , timelapse , still images , waterproof ( hopefully ) , etc . The Osmo Action ’s RockSteady look-alike stabilization also hangs with GoPro ’s impressive HyperSmooth . Its unique and utilitarian front - confront display also gives the Osmo Action a sharp edge over the Hero7 Black , at least for users who want the choice to ensure they ’re staying unwaveringly in frame . The GoPro , meanwhile , provide a slightly better UI , HDMI out , and a try track record , whatever that ’s worth .
If you ’re desire price will make the decision for you , we have some forged intelligence : the Osmo Action retails for $ 350 . The Hero7 Black will cost you $ 400 , if you buy the television camera direct from GoPro . ( It ’s widely available for $ 350 from other retailers . ) A new GoPro camera can cost even less if you take advantage of its “ TradeUp ” political platform , which will knock off $ 100 from the price if you send GoPro any digital tv camera that retailed for $ 100 when you buy it .
DJI offers a number of ND, polarized, and underwater filters that screw onto the Osmo Action’s round lens.Photo: Adam Clark Estes (Gizmodo)
Despite the Osmo Action ’s very dainty screens and buttery image stabilization , I ’d still spend my money on the Hero7 Black . I prefer the airfield of view with GoPro ’s figure stabilization ; the overall image quality is more or less good ; and I really do like the HDMI out . The Osmo Action ’s selfie screen is a nice addition , and I suspect it ’s meaningful enough feature to win DJI a lot of new customers . But if you do buy the Osmo Action , please read the substance abuser manual and be certain to close those hatches tight .
README :
The front - face screen is the Osmo Action ’s gain characteristic
DJI ’s image stabilization is good but not inevitably better than GoPro ’s
A lack of HDMI out may be a deal - circuit breaker for some vendee
You ca n’t go wrong with either the Osmo Action or the Hero7 bootleg
Correction : A previous variant of this clause stated that the Hero7 Black can record video in the RAW filing cabinet formatting . It can not . We repent the error .
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