What do you look for in an action cam? It needs to be robust, reliable, and capable of capturing great video and audio. But this is just the bare minimum for DJI and its all-new Action 5 Pro, a serious big-wig model that could dethrone GoPro.
action camera. Where would we be without them? When we covered the launch of the all-new GoPro early last month, rumors were already ripe for the arrival of DJI’s latest entry into the field. And when DJI launched the Osmo Action 5 Pro a few weeks later, there were unavoidable similarities between the two products.
I spent over two weeks testing and putting DJI’s latest and greatest products through their paces. There are a lot of improvements that the company has brought to this camera compared to the previous model, from the battery to the image quality and even the low-light capabilities. Let’s dig deeper.
Starting with the hardware, the Osmo Action 5 Pro looks pretty much like any other action cam. It’s boxy, feels rugged, and has dual screens, both of which are touch-sensitive. There’s a power button and USB-C port on the left, a microSD card slot and battery access door on the right, and a prominent capture button on the top.
Utkarsh Sood / New Atlas
The dual screens are plenty bright, but that’s because they’re OLED panels. It’s also slightly larger than the Action 4’s 1.4-inch and 2.25-inch displays, with a 1.46-inch front screen and a 2.5-inch rear screen.
The Action 5 Pro has a total of three microphones, which are very effective indoors or in relatively quiet situations. However, if you want the best audio quality, you can pair the DJI Mic 2 system in seconds. In my testing, I used the camera’s native mic in mostly low-noise situations, and the sound was great.
Utkarsh Sood / New Atlas
Speaking of the most important things, the Osmo Action 5 Pro upgrades the Action 4’s image sensor, but its resolution, frame rate, and color selection remain mostly unchanged. The 1/1.3 CMOS sensor shoots at 4K 120 fps, 2.7K 120 fps, or 1080p 240 fps with up to 10-bit color sampling and 100 Mbps compression. Additionally, it captures 40 MP still images in 14-bit Raw DNG or 8-bit JPG format.
In addition to the standard video mode, you can also choose time lapse mode (using 1,080p at 30 fps) or slow motion (instantly switching to 1,080p at 240 fps). As expected, the camera incorporates DJI’s RockSteady stabilization technology, and you can toggle between three settings: Rocksteady, Rocksteady+, or stabilization off.
Utkarsh Sood / New Atlas
Action 5 Pro offers three color profiles: Standard, HLG, and D-Log M. Standard is available in both 8-bit and 10-bit color. However, for a wider dynamic range, we recommend sticking to 10-bit color. On the other hand, if you want to record in low-light conditions, you’ll need to switch to 8-bit as you won’t be able to use Super Night Mode if you enable 10-bit.
When it comes to low light, the Action 5 Pro produces truly impressive results for an action cam. That doesn’t mean the footage is comparable to that of an iPhone, but it’s still very good considering its size.
Personally, I love the footage I get from DJI action cameras. It’s bright enough, has a wide dynamic range, and has well-balanced colors. Part of the field of view is cropped for stabilization, but my favorite is Rocksteady mode. But if you really want to go ultra-wide, a 155-degree field of view is plenty for most situations.
Utkarsh Sood / New Atlas
I also ended up using the Action 5 Pro as my webcam for all my online meetings over the past two weeks, and I have to say I was impressed with the ease of setup and the quality of the video I captured.
One of the main features that DJI touted when it launched the Action 5 was its battery life. As someone who spends a lot of time sitting in the saddle of my bike, replacing the battery on my GoPro has become standard operating procedure. When shooting with a GoPro, I usually carry two extra batteries to ensure I have enough battery to record enough material throughout the day of riding.
Utkarsh Sood / New Atlas
With Osmo Action 5 Pro, you might not even need that. It boasts an efficient 4 nm architecture image processor and comes with a modern 1,950 mAh battery. DJI credits this to the camera’s ability to record for four hours on a single charge. That’s quite a claim considering the likes of GoPro can’t even achieve half that.
While we didn’t quite hit those thresholds in our hands-on testing, we were still able to record over three hours at 1080p on a single charge. At 4K 30 fps, I was able to record over 2.5 hours at a time, but at 60 fps that number drops to just around 2 hours. By the way, there was no overheating during the two-week test. That is, the camera stopped recording only when the battery died every time.
If you compare these numbers to the latest GoPro Hero 13 Black, there’s a clear winner in the battery department. DJI also offers an “Adventure Combo” bundle that comes with two extra batteries, a charger, and a few other nifty accessories. Magnetic mount allows you to easily attach your camera to all accessories. I found it a little difficult to mount at first, but eventually I got the hang of it.
Utkarsh Sood / New Atlas
This camera is easy to operate. The interface is clean and free of clutter, the sound is loud, touch sensitivity is adequate on either display, and the buttons are tactile. The camera can be paired to your phone via the Mimo app. It’s not as feature-rich as GoPro’s Quick app, but it’s easy to use. One annoying thing, however, is the fact that you have to link to the camera using Wi-Fi every time you open the Mimo app.
Action 5 Pro is waterproof up to 20 m (66 ft), but can be extended to 60 m (197 ft) with the purchase of a separate diving case. What I really liked from the start is the impressive 47 GB of internal storage that the Osmo Action 5 Pro comes with. You can record a fair amount of footage without the need for a microSD card, but it does support microSD cards up to 1TB if you need one.
Introducing DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro – an action camera with revolutionary image quality
In summary, the DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro has the best battery life of any action camera we’ve ever seen, significantly outperforming modern GoPro cameras. It’s a great all-rounder with a bigger and brighter screen, deeper dive rating, 47GB of internal storage, and integrated compatibility for professional wireless audio setups.
The quality is evident in everything from the packaging, accessories, mounts, cables, and camera body. It’s also $50 cheaper than the GoPro, priced at $349, and while it may not have higher resolution than the more expensive GoPro Hero 13 Black, 10-bit recording at 4K is more than enough for most users. If you’re a loyal GoPro user, we recommend adding the Osmo Action 5 Pro to your list when considering your next purchase.
Product page: DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro
