DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro Can Capture Your Most Intense Moments in Almost Any Light

Action cameras like GoPro still don’t match the basic quality you can get from a full-frame camera setup, even shooting in 4K. DJIwith its Osmo Action 5 Pro, it makes big, big claims finally cracked the code of a rugged action camera that takes professional photos from the handlebars of your bike or deep beneath the waves.

DJI sent the newly announced Osmo Action 5 Pro to the Gizmodo office, though we’ve had very little time to get our hands on it. The camera is set to match GoPro’s $400 Hero 13 Black and other companies like Insta360 and its Go 3S and the removable lens capsule of that device. While those competing cameras promise more flexibility and customization, the Chinese drone manufacturer betting a horse on clean picture quality. The Osmo Action 5 should be able to capture 4K photos, 60 FPS in low light conditions and 1080p motion video up to 960 FPS.

Dark spots have always been the case with smaller action camera sensors, but the Osmo Action 5’s 1/1.3” sensor has a maximum dynamic range of 13.5 stops, rivaling professional setups. Osmo captures 4K at max 120 FPS (Hero 13 can hit that and max 5.3K at 60 FPS), but promises better low-light reflection without explosive shadows or haloing thanks to better sensors and processing on the device. A mode called SuperNight uses AI noise reduction to improve low-light video.

The action camera looks very similar to last year’s $300 Osmo 4, with the same magnetic mounting system. However, this version should now be able to reach a depth of 20 meters underwater, compared to 10 meters on the Hero 13. The new camera supports HLG HDR and 10-bit recording, similar to the latest GoPro, although it reaches -155 degrees of FOV compared to the Hero 13’s 177-degree UltraWide.

The Osmo Action 5 is backed by a 1950mAh battery with claims that it can run continuously for around four hours at 4K and 30 FPS, twice as long as the Action 4. DJI says it has upgraded its cameras with a new onboard chip to save better battery; it should be able to do 3.6 hours of shooting even under the sun. All well and good, but most importantly, for people running out of battery, the Action 5 now supports 30W fast charging that can get you two hours of shooting after 15 minutes of being plugged in.

As much as the battery and shooting power sound promising, some features feel out of place. The camera has an OLED touch screen with 800 standard brightness, making it easy to check your shots during the day. On the other hand, the rear screen seems bright, but I don’t have much use for the high-quality OLED when I’m looking at a blank 2.5-inch display. Nevertheless, it is one of the few action cameras with 64 GB of built-in memory (its users can handle 47 GB). Unfortunately, the camera does not support full SD card space, requiring you to use microSD.

Last month, GoPro launched the Hero 13 Black camera and a bunch of new accessories. The biggest improvements were the magnetic mounting system and four different sets of attachable lenses, including several ND filters, an ultrawide lens, and a large lens. In our hands-on with the device, we were impressed with the upgraded hardware, although there were a few obvious improvements to the camera sensor and software.

Photography is where DJI plans to beat GoPro the most. The company directly compared its new action camera with the Hero 13 Black, especially the low-light image quality and larger battery. However, what may separate the two the most is the underlying flexibility. GoPro is expensive, but there are many ways to mount it, and now there are many lenses to choose from. The $450 Osmo Action 5 Pro Combo Pack includes a handy battery case that charges up to three batteries at once, but the most you’ll get for the new lenses is a set of three ND filters.

Ultimately, it’s the video quality that will set the action cam king. Osmo Action 5 is available from Wednesday. We’ll be putting it to the test in the coming weeks to compare it head-to-head with the Insta360 and the latest GoPro.