Today we’re checking out the latest from DJI, the Osmo Action 4 – and there are some impressive but familiar features here but also some things that I kind of thought would have been ironed out by the fourth generation of this camera. Let’s dive in and check it out.
DJI Osmo Action 4: Overview
Just looking at the spec sheet, there really aren’t many new and notable features with Action 4 over the previous generation. All of the main features like shooting at 4K120fps, front, and back touchscreens, and a quick-release mount and cage for easy vertical mounting are all features found on the Action 3.
That being, said there still are a lot of great features about this camera. 4k at 120fps makes slow-motion a breeze. The microphone worked great for knocking out wind noise when I was riding my motorcycle at 50 mph.
Just like earlier generations, the Action 4 has DJI’s HorizonSteady mode that keeps the camera level when it starts to tilt left and right – a great visual when riding a motorcycle. It’s also waterproof up to 18m.
Pricing (USD):
- Osmo Action 4 Standard Combo: $399
- Osmo Action 4 Adventure Combo: $499
- Osmo Action Mini extension Rod: $49
- Osmo Action GPS Bluetooth remote controller: $79
- Osmo Action 3.5mm Audio Adapter: $45
DJI Osmo Action 4: Video
Mounting
Mounting Action 4 is much the same as Action 3. A magnetic mounting system on the bottom of the camera puts it in landscape orientation. But the protective cage makes it easy to orient the camera vertically for sharing on social media platforms. It’s a very easy-to-use system that also makes removing the camera from a mount simple because of the magnetic clips rather than needing to unscrew a thumb screw every time.
I did find that to get a secure connection, I needed to wiggle the mount a bit to ensure that it had a tight fit – there is a correct orientation with the magnetic mount. Once it was all set, the mount felt rock solid but I did find myself adjusting it to make sure it was fully secure.
Action 4 can also be mounted to many GoPro-style accessories. On my motorcycle, I used a GoPro chest strap, for example.
Osmo Action 4: Image quality
Action 4 is using a slightly bigger 1/1.3 CMOS sensor than the previous generation with the same f/2.8 aperture that can shoot up to 155° when stabilization is turned off.
In my testing, the footage looked great when shooting during the day. In most clips, leaves in the trees kept plenty of detail, which is typically my go-to test for action cameras. Images can start to get crunchy with the fine details from leaves. And while there was some sharpness present, I enjoyed the look of the footage from Action 4.
The colors looked accurate as well. Once again during daytime shooting, the trees, water, and skin tones all looked great to my eye.
At night, it struggled with noise while I was riding around my town at on a motorcycle. I’ve seen worse from action cameras in the past, but the noise was still plenty noticeable.
Stabilization
One highlight is DJI’s RockSteady and HorizonSteady stabilization modes. The footage looked silky smooth when riding my motorcycle and when paddling in a kayak. Be sure to hit the video to see it in action.
InvisiStick
I also noted that in the press release, DJI called out the upgraded InvisiStick, which will use cloud-based computing to remove a selfie stick from applicable footage. It worked pretty well, although it’s not on par with the same effect from a 360 camera like the Insta360 X3.
Another note here is that the max resolution that can be exported with the InvisiStick effect is 1080p. That’s totally useable for social media posting, and that’s most likely its intended use, but those who want a higher resolution might be disappointed with those numbers.
GPS Remote Control
One interesting new accessory is the GPS Bluetooth remote controller. Beyond double-checking settings and starting and stopping the camera, this $80 wrist-wearable add-on logs GPS data that can then be added into a dashboard overlay from the DJI Mimo app.
It provides interesting metrics like speed, route, and direction and can be a fun way to recall an adventure captured on the camera. As far as I’m aware, those can only be added and exported from the DJI Mimo app.
Audio
Riding a motorcycle is always my go-to test to see how an action camera puts up with high wind speeds. All in all, I think Action 4 handled speeds up to about 50 mph very well. I do think it’s leaning heavily on software-based noise reduction, but I don’t mind that at all. The sound that was coming from the camera at speed is totally usable.
Osmo Action 4: Battery life
DJI claims up to 2.5 hours of battery life under perfect conditions at 1080p. While recording at 4k120fps, the camera shut off after about 70 minutes.
Can it take the heat?
DJI has taken some flak in the past for its action cameras overheating, and unfortunately, I did run into that issue with the Action 4, as well. I first encountered it when kayaking on a sunny day recording at 4k60fps though the ambient temperature was only 75°F. I then checked for an update and got the camera loaded with the latest firmware.
Going out on the water again after the update rendered no heating issues, but then just as a test, I set the camera up to record sitting on a tripod in the sun. Once again after about 15 minutes of recording at 4k60fps, a warning came up saying the camera had overheated and it could not continue recording.
Activities that involve movement and wind on the camera most likely won’t have heat issues. I never ran into anything while on my motorcycle. It is a consideration if you record with the camera sitting still in the sun in a hot environment, though.
Another nitpicky bit is that it took only three battery swaps for me to break a little tab that holds the battery door on the camera. I’m not sure exactly what I did to snap it off when trying to reinstall it, but it means that the door won’t stay attached under it’s own power. Luckily the protective cage holds it in place so the battery and SD card aren’t exposed.
9to5Toys’ Take
All in all, the DJI Action 4 is a solid action camera that ticks all of the right boxes when it comes to capturing adventures, but I can’t help but think that there should be more with this new generation. The GPS remote is a neat new accessory, but it isn’t necessary. The spec sheet is nearly identical to Action 3. And the overheating issue should definitely be taken care of by now.
It’s probably not worth an upgrade from Action 3, but if you’re sold on the DJI ecosystem with its action cameras, Action 4 is still a solid action camera in most situations.
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