DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro Review – Osmo goes Pro

DJI is back with a new action camera and this time it’s added Pro to the name. Action camera fanatic, Matty Graham, discovers if the performance and features of this new version will live up to its grand new title…

Most content creators out there know all about DJI’s action cameras. After all, this is the fifth iteration from the brands popular Osmo Action range that took the fight to GoPro, among other contenders in the sector, such as Insta360.

2023 saw DJI take a big step forward with the Osmo Action 4, swapping out a 1/1.7-inch sensor in favour of a larger 1/1.3-inch version, which resulted in a big bump to video quality, particularly in low light conditions.

At A Glance – DJI OSMO Action 5

• Sensor 1/1.3 inch sensor
• Waterproof depth: 20 metres (without case)
• Screens: Dual OLED High-Brightness touchscreens
• Stills Resolution: 40-megapixel
• Max video resolution: 4K
• Operating time: 240 minutes
• Internal storage: 47GB
• Built-in pressure gauge: Yes
• £329 standard combo

For full disclosure, I’m a big action camera fan, owning models from GoPro, Insta360 and every iteration from DJI has released – from the original, right up to this latest model. I use them predominantly for filming automotive content, bolting the action cameras onto the side of tracking cars because, let’s face it, using a five grand cinema camera at those speeds is just too damn dangerous.

But action cameras have grown to record extreme sports, and content creators now employ them in a multitude of applications from vlogging to B-cameras.

Well fast-forward and the Action 4’s successor has landed, in the shape of the Osmo Action 5 Pro – the first camera in the range to carry the ‘Pro’ moniker, suggesting that a more entry-level version of the action camera could arrive a little way down the road.

For now though, we’re focusing on the Pro, what’s new about it, what hasn’t changed and, most importantly, whether the video quality has seen a further leap forward.

Features – If it ain’t broke…

The Osmo Action series has proved popular for a simple reason; it works and it works damn well, giving content creators a small, lightweight camera that is supremely rugged and easy to use.

DJI aficionados will point out that the Action 2 deviated from this form factor and features a modular design, but we’ll park that for a moment as we explain that the body is pretty much exactly the same as the Action 4, bar a few changes.

Firstly, weather sealing has seen a bump and when you undo the battery compartment latch and feel the sealing area, it does feel just that little bit more serious. The proof of this statement is that the Action 5 can dive deeper underwater without the need of a waterproof case (20 metres compared to 18 on the Action 4) and this will appeal to scuba shooters who want to record their dives.

What’s more a new built-in pressure gauge will display both depth and altitude data, further exciting adrenaline junkies out there who want to record their adventures.

Operating time is also up to 240 minutes from 160 minutes on the older Action 4 and that’s a big jump that will make a serious difference out in the field.

But for the most part, the form factor is the same, with the buttons and latches in the same place.

Be aware though that, with an ever so slightly more pronounced Rec button on the top plate, some third-party cages (like my PGYTECH case) will not fit the new Action 5.

If you already own a DJI Osmo Action 3 or 4 and have invested in extra batteries, the good news is that they are compatible with the Action 5, although the new camera ships with batteries that boast extra capacity (1950mAh compared to 1770mAh) and the package includes DJI’s clever charge case so that up to three batteries can be charged at once.

The field of view is the same at 155-degrees and features the same f/2.8 maximum aperture, although the physical diameter of the lens area is slightly larger. This is bad news for anyone (like myself) who has invested in additional CPL or ND filter accessories.

Features continued – Same but different

Here’s the good news and the bad news; the Action 5 features a 1/1.3-inch sensor, which is the same size as the Action 4, and this will disappoint those who had their hearts set on a 1-inch sensor.

However the silver lining is that, despite being the same size, DJI says the sensor inside the Action 5 is an all-new version and that this unlocks the door to some new features that will offer more tolerance when colour grading footage.

Carried over from the Action 4 is 10-bit D-Log, but all-new for the Action 5 is the introduction of an HLG profile.

Video resolutions are the same with 4K capture at 60p or 120p in case you wish to use that footage for a slow motion sequence and, with the Action 5, 4K 120p can be shot in the 4:3 format.

DJI claims the new sensor returns a Dynamic Range of up to 13.5-stops and there’s also a night mode to film in low light conditions.

In truth, to truly discover a lot of the newer features, your best bet is to sit down and just work your way through, navigating through the settings and trying each mode out. Some come with compromises; for example, the new Subject Detection mode works only up to 2.7K, which is frustrating, but this is countered by how scarily well it identifies subjects in the frame and is a great option for those vlogging with the Action 5.

Present still are the Rocksteady and Rocksteady+ stabilisation modes, which work well, but still come second to the stabilisation offered by the gimbal-stabilised Osmo Pocket 3. When it comes to Vloggers, choosing between the two models will be a tricky task.

This dilemma is made even harder by the fact that the Action 5 now offers connectivity support to dual DJI mics, so you can use the brilliant DJI Mic 2 system to record interviews and this again will be a massive plus for Vloggers.

Also new with the Action 5 is 47GB of internal storage – super handy if you have forgotten a Micro SD card or you simply need emergency space to save your content.

Performance – Beefy stills, better video

While the Action 4 was a great camera for videographers, it left those shooting stills a little cold as the cam could only capture 12-megapixels stills (JPEGs/RAWs).

Well, the Action 5 moves things on massively as you can now capture 40-megapixels JPEGs or RAW. This translates to a jump in max pixel size from 4000 x 2256 pixels on the Action 4 to 7296 x 5472 pixels on the Action 5. That’s almost double the pixel size of the Action 4 and will mean you can crop in on frames to adjust the compensation without overly compromising image quality.

Better still, I found that when editing the RAW stills files in Lightroom, the frames had a lot of tolerance and flexibility to recover Highlights, boost shadows and generally push the pixels harder to suit your vision of the frame.

So here’s the big question; is the video footage better? And the answer is undoubtedly yes. I tested the Action 5 against the Action 4 in a range of different scenes with varying lighting conditions – from bright blue skies to low light dusk.

I have to say, viewing the footage side by side, the Action 5 seems noticeably brighter, crisper and simply more pleasing to the eye. My preference is to film with the HLG profile, but I’m not disappointed by the 10-bit D-Log footage either and all profiles are capable of returning pro-looking footage that can be edited and further graded on software such as Premiere Pro.

To push the look of the footage further, I would have liked to have seen some additional accessories that users of the new GoPro Hero 13 Black can take advantage of, such as the Macro and Anamorphic modular filters. You can view high-speed video here.

Verdict

As a long-time DJI user who owns every single version of the Osmo Action, I can honestly say the Action 5 is a decent leap forward that builds on a tried and tested system. The improvements may not be headline-grabbing but they will make a difference out in the field and to the overall quality of your footage.

The lack of 5.7K is a shame, but 4K is more than enough for most and does offer advantages in terms of storage space and balancing the burden when editing on your computer.

In reality though, the biggest rival for the Action 5 isn’t GoPro, but the brand’s own Osmo Pocket 3. For vlogging, I would still prefer to shoot with the physical gimbal offered by the Pocket, rather than the electronic stabilisation from the Action 5. That said, if there is ANY chance your filming in wet or dangerous conditions then the Action 5 is the no-brainer choice.

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