DJI’s newest model of its motion digicam, the Osmo Action 4, appears to be like like its predecessor, however underneath the pores and skin there are many upgrades that make it a worthy GoPro competitor. The Action 4 options a new, bigger sensor, higher low-light efficiency, and extra help for skilled settings like Log video seize.
Sticking with the magnetic mount system of the earlier mannequin, whereas bettering the sensor, means the Action 4 one-ups the GoPro on a few fronts, together with simply how straightforward it’s to maneuver this action camera from mount to mount.
What’s New
DJI’s Osmo Action 4 arrived simply earlier than the brand new GoPro Hero 12. I’ll have a full evaluation of that digicam prepared quickly, however within the meantime I’ll notice the place I believe the Hero 12 comes out forward and the place I believe the Action 4 is a more sensible choice.
The announcement for the Action 4 touts the brand new 1/1.3-inch sensor, which the corporate claims affords higher low-light picture seize. While the bigger sensor does imply extra light-gathering functionality (and it’s bigger than each the earlier Action 3 and the brand new GoPro Hero 12), I discovered the outcomes to be a combined bag.
Shooting footage of a dawn aspect by aspect, I discovered that the GoPro got here up with a higher publicity. I used to be capable of match the look with the DJI, however I needed to resort to handbook settings, which you’re by no means going to do in most eventualities the place an motion digicam is sensible—e.g., climbing, biking, and climbing. That mentioned, in precise darkness, taking pictures across the campfire, I a lot most well-liked the outcomes of the Osmo Action 4. Not solely did it reveal extra element within the shadows, however the colour rendering—at all times tough once you combine firelight and electrical mild—was a lot better than what I acquired from the Hero 12.
Suffice it to say that in some eventualities, the Osmo Action 4 wins, and in others, the GoPro Hero 12 takes the cake. Don’t learn an excessive amount of into low-light efficiency although. While DJI’s sensor is an enchancment, no sensor this small actually does effectively at night time. Most of the time, in daylight, I discovered the efficiency of the 2 cameras very related.
I normally attempt to shoot Log video and do my colour grading in software program. The Action 4 can shoot in 10-bit D-Log M which provides you increased dynamic vary footage, which then permits extra colour correction flexibility when modifying. This trumps the Hero 11, which doesn’t help true Log recording. To complicate your shopping for resolution, the Hero 12 does help Log recording.
Photograph: DJI
While the design of the Osmo Action 4 is basically unchanged from that of the Action 3, there’s one tiny, however vital, distinction: The lens-protector thread measurement has modified, so the lens protectors are usually not interchangeable, and any filters that depend on that thread may be incompatible with the brand new mannequin. On the plus aspect, the rubber ring that was at all times falling off the Action 3 is now completely affixed on the Action 4.
