Action cameras have gotten a lot better over the years. The GoPro from over 10 generations ago is massively different from the current gen. Despite that, they’ve continued to struggle when filming in most low-light situations, which many attribute to just how underpowered their small sensors are. The DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro looks to change that.
Designed to “elevate action camera image quality,” the device is equipped with the outfit’s next-gen imaging sensor, which boasts a bigger size and, more importantly, a wider dynamic range. No, it doesn’t quite “rival pro cameras” like DJI claims in their product page, but it’s definitely a step up for action cams just based on the overall improvement you’re likely to get.
The DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro houses the outfit’s new 1/1.3-inch sensor, which boasts a 2.4 μm pixel size and up to 13 stops of dynamic range. Yes, that pixel size will still be dwarfed by mirrorless cameras, but it’s definitely on par on with what you can get on many point-and-shoots, which is impressive, considering the action cam’s smaller size. The 13.5 stops of dynamic range, though, is more of a big ideal, since that means very noticeable improvements during low-light capture, allowing you to take footage in dim environments without the haziness or blown out shadows that are pretty common in the category. Aside from the new dynamic range, it also gets a SuperNight mode that employs AI noise reduction to further enhance your low-light videos, so you get improvements on multiple fronts.
The action cam can shoot videos in 4K at 120 fps, so you get high resolution with very high framerates, although the low-light captures are only available at 60 fps, which is still really good. Just as impressive, it can take slow motion video at 1080p and 960 fps, which is just downright nuts. Does it really shoot 960 fps? Well, not quite. In reality, it shoots at 240 fps, after which an AI algorithm fills in gaps between frames to quadruple the resulting framerate.
The DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro gets a 1,950mAh battery that, the outfit claims, can shoot in 1080p at 24 fps for four straight hours with electronic stabilization turned on and Wi-Fi turned off. Yes, that means you’ll probably get way less when shooting at the more likely preferred 4K resolutions at higher framerates, so you’re going to need to carry backups if you want to capture a good load of footage without having to recharge multiple times over. In case you’re stuck doing that, though, the action cam now supports 30W fast charging, which can fill up the battery to around two hours of additional shooting time in just 15 minutes.
It gets two OLED screens, one in front and one in the back, each one boasting a peak brightness of 1,000 nits, as well as 64GB of built-in storage, which you can expand later using memory cards. Other features enhanced subject tracking with fast reliable framing, integrated support for DJI Mic wireless lapel mics, waterproofing up to 66 feet, fast transfer speeds via Wi-Fi 6 and USB 3.0, three stereo mics, and wireless livestreaming, among others.
The DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro is available now.
