The leaps and bounds by which what we know as action cameras have grown is truly astounding. In the past, their quality was only good in the best light and their usability as anything outside a sport capturing device was virtually non-existent. Now, some of these cameras are changing the game and the action has spread from skiing on the slopes to vlogging and capturing better than decent nighttime footage. DJI’s latest action camera, the DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro, is among those with the most promise in the market today.
We tested the Osmo Action 5 Pro’s Adventure Combo, consisting of the camera, a 1.5m extension rod, 2 additional batteries and a battery charger that holds all of them. On the DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro, you have two OLED touchscreens, a 1.46” 342×342 front screen with 800 nits peak brightness and a 2.5” 400×712 rear screen with 1000 nits peak brightness, both of which are size and brightness upgrades from the Osmo Action 4. It’s waterproof to an impressive 20m, up from 18m on the previous model, it can support up to a 1TB microSD card, double the Action 4, and it even has 47 GB of internal storage, which is great if you are in a pinch with a full SD card.
The DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro’s specs are full of big upgrades. First up is their next-gen 1/1.3” CMOS sensor with up to 4K/120fps video and up to 40 MP photos, more than quadruple the photo resolution on the Osmo Action 4. While it maintains the same 155 degree field of view and f/2.8 aperture as the Action 4 and Action 3 for that matter, its low light capability goes out of this world with ISO going as high as 51200, up from the previous model’s 12800.
“The DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro’s specs are full of big upgrades.”
The latest modes on the DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro are also huge upgrades. The Subject Tracking will automatically centre you in the frame by changing the composition of the shot, making sure you don’t drift out of frame while you focus on the action, and the Supernight mode uses special algorithms to clean up the noise caused by low light videography, making for some of the cleanest night shots on any action camera. Supernight works at up to 4K/60 fps, but Subject Tracking is limited to 2.7K to allow for reframing the shot.
Another huge benefit of the DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro is its seamless connection to DJI’s wireless mics, namely the DJI Mic 2 and DJI Mic Mini, that can connect two transmitters to the Action 5 Pro without a receiver. The connection to these mics is crystal clear, and it makes capturing perfect audio so ridiculously easy in any condition.
Shooting on the DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro is so nice because of the front-facing screen, allowing you to see yourself when shooting selfie footage. When you see yourself in that square display, you know you are in the centre of the shot, It’s not as big as a flip-up screen on your mirrorless cameras or even something like the Insta360 Ace Pro 2, but it’s more than enough for you if you are vlogging to know that you’ve got your shot lined up. Its Rocksteady Stabilization and Horizon Lock also make for some of the cleanest footage that you would want, with smooth motion and a steady shot even if you’re out there doing flips.
“DJI upgraded their battery from 1770 mAh to 1950 mAh, giving the DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro 240 minutes of battery life…”
Battery life can be a challenge on most action cameras, which is why DJI upgraded their battery from 1770 mAh to 1950 mAh, giving the DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro 240 minutes of battery life, up from 160 minutes on the previous models. I took this camera to Walt Disney World for nine days, taking an awful lot of footage, and I only needed to swap batteries one time. This battery life, along with the extra batteries in a portable charger, gives you more life than you could ever need.
The DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro comes in at $349 USD for just the camera, but the Adventure Combo costs $100 more at $449 USD. The camera price alone is very reasonable, but the combo is an incredible deal, especially for someone who may spend extended times away from a plug socket while shooting.
“Shooting on the DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro is so nice because of the front-facing screen, allowing you to see yourself when shooting selfie footage.”
The Osmo Action 5 Pro also comes in other packages, including a motorcycling combo, diving combo, neck mount combo, multiple vlogging combos that come with different DJI Mics and so many more. The accessories that come in these combos are all available separately as well, so you can just pick the combo that works best for you and fill in whatever gaps that combo leaves, if any. Only the vlogging combo with the DJI Mic 2 costs more than $500, so they are all pretty easy on the wallet.
I will admit that the DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro came as quite the surprise to me. Other cameras had more hype than this one, it seems, but the Osmo Action 5 Pro is a camera with substance. It made all the right moves when it came to its upgrades and turned a lot of scenarios that didn’t look so great on older action cameras into must-shoots. The DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro is a camera worth having in your arsenal, even for vloggers, something that I’d have a harder time saying in previous years.
- Capture Urban Nightscapes – Osmo Action 5 Pro features a new 1/1.3″ sensor for stunning low-light. Great for nighttime biking adventures in dark environments.
- Enhanced Subject Tracking – 4nm Chip for fast, reliable framing. Keep fast-moving subjects centered. [7] The 4nm chip ensures smooth and fast framing in 16:9 or 9:16.
- Capture Urban Nightscapes – Osmo Action 5 Pro features a new 1/1.3″ sensor for stunning low-light. Great for nighttime biking adventures in dark environments.
- Enhanced Subject Tracking – 4nm Chip for fast, reliable framing. Keep fast-moving subjects centered. [7] The 4nm chip ensures smooth and fast framing in 16:9 or 9:16.
