DJI is a major player in the camera market with its drones and gimbals, so why hasn’t it had as much success with action cams? The answer is simple: GoPro. The company’s Hero lineup has offered excellent image quality and stabilization. The same goes for Insta360’s action cams, which have caught people’s attention. Now, DJI is taking another stab at its competitors with the $350 Osmo Action 5 Pro, which is perhaps the biggest upgrade in the series so far. Nearly everything inside has changed, from the sensor to the battery life and storage.
However, it looks very similar to its predecessor, the Osmo Action 4. However, video quality on the new model only goes up to 4K, compared to 5.3K for the latest GoPro Hero 13 and 8K for the Insta360 Ace Pro 2 released last week. Still, the Action 5 Pro surpasses its rivals in several key areas and is easily DJI’s best action camera yet.
Long battery life and internal storage
The Action 5 Pro now boasts the longest battery life of any action cam, and it’s not even close. Thanks to a higher-capacity 1,950 mAh battery (up from 1,770 mAh), it can shoot 4K 60p video for over two hours and 1080p for up to four hours. By comparison, the GoPro Hero 13 can only last 88 minutes at 4K 60p with the same size battery. Another rival, the Insta360 Ace Pro 2, can last a little over 90 minutes at the same resolution.
With the optional charger (available in a $400 Adventure Combo with two extra batteries), the battery takes about 30 minutes to fully charge. Three batteries should be enough for most people to shoot a full day at 4K 60p without needing to recharge — that’s pretty impressive for an action camera.
Another big upgrade on the Action 5 Pro is 47GB of internal storage, up from zero previously, on top of the microSD slot. This allows you to capture an extra hour of 4K 60p footage even if you fill up your memory card. Neither the Hero 13 nor Insta360’s Ace Pro 2 have any internal storage.
At 5.15 ounces, the Action 5 Pro is slightly smaller and lighter than the Hero 23, which weighs 5.6 ounces. Plus, the Action 5 Pro is waterproof up to 66 feet, which is double the range of the Hero 13. If you need to go really deep, DJI’s waterproof case increases the maximum depth for this device to nearly 200 feet.
DJI has increased the size of the rear OLED display from 2.25 inches to 2.5 inches by shrinking the bezels — a small change that makes the touchscreen menus easier to use. The 1.4-inch front OLED panel is also slightly larger than before. Both screens are sharp and easy to see in sunlight, with a maximum brightness of 800 nits.
The Action 5 Pro’s textured body offers a firm grip, and the record and power buttons are larger and less rigid than those on the Action 4. Settings can be changed from the rear display by swiping up and down or side to side, although it can be hard to remember where the settings are.
You can also connect your smartphone using the Mimo app to operate the camera and gain access to editing features. An interesting addition is the new pressure sensor that shows how deep you’re diving or how high you are when climbing – a useful feature that rival cameras don’t have.
One thing I’ve liked about some of DJI’s past action cameras is the magnetic mounting system. This lets you instantly clip the Action 5 Pro onto almost any accessory, including car, bike, helmet and chest mounts, without the need for screws or useless brackets. That being said, GoPro finally implemented its own magnetic mount on the Hero 13 and the Ace Pro 2 has a similar system.
However, DJI has lagged behind its main rival in the area of optics. GoPro’s Hero 13 now supports optional removable lenses, allowing you to change from the usual wide angle field of view to ultra-wide, macro and more. Although they are quite expensive, they are a good option if you want something other than the usual action camera look.
Sharper video and subject tracking
With a new 1/1.3-inch 40-megapixel sensor, the Action 5 Pro has a sensor that is the same size as its predecessor but is almost four times sharper. It is much larger than the GoPro Hero 13’s sensor and has more than double the area. This extra size helps the Action 5 Pro take clearer shots with more detail, especially in low light.