DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro – HOW IS THIS A PRO CAMERA?

From now on, September will officially be called the month of action cameras because we have another one. This is the Osmo Action 5 Pro by DJI, and it’s just been announced. I’ve been using it for the past couple of weeks, and I seriously like it. I’ll let you know why in just a minute, but first, let me show you what this bad boy can do. Enjoy!

If you have enjoyed the intro, do me a huge favor and drop a like and subscribe for more videos like this one. But now let’s focus on the Osmo Action 5 Pro, and most importantly, let’s focus on the external side of things first so we can see everything new that’s coming on this camera compared to the previous iteration, which was the Osmo Action 4.

External Design Changes

At a first glance, looking at these cameras, they look very similar, and you probably wouldn’t notice anything major externally between the two. However, there are a few small things that indicate that this is a newer version compared to the Osmo Action 4. Looking from the top, you will see that we have a new design for the microphones. The grill is a little bit different, and also the record button is slightly bigger as well to make it easier to press. The battery door is also very similar to the one from before, but now we have a red seal to protect the camera from water.

The SD card slot is also in a different position, and now we can see that we actually have the milliamp hours of the battery written on the battery itself. I can confirm that this camera also works with the previous batteries from the Osmo Action 4. I assume it will be the same for the Osmo Action 3, so if you have many batteries from before, you will be able to use them on this camera. However, keep in mind the new battery has a bigger capacity and will give you longer battery life.

From the bottom, you will see the same latching mechanism which relies on magnets, which this camera is known for, but now we have the DJI logo as well so you know what camera you’re using at all times. From the other side, you will see that the power button is significantly larger as well, similarly to the recording button, and this button is also used to change modes quickly. The USB-C port keeps the same exact location and is exactly the same as well.

On the front, of course, you will see a little red ring that indicates that this is the newest version of the camera and, of course, the nameplate which says Action 5 Pro. It’s a little bit cramped, but you get the point. You will see that this is the newest camera.

Display Improvements

But at least for me, the biggest difference between those two cameras is in the displays, and as soon as you switch them on, you will see what I’m talking about. The back screen is OLED now compared to LED on the Osmo Action 4, and you will see how much more space it uses. It has a lot narrower bezels and a lot more real estate, and it’s so much more enjoyable to take a look at what you’re actually filming.

And of course, on the front, we also have an OLED screen on the Osmo Action 5 Pro versus an LED screen on the Osmo Action 4. It’s a fully usable screen that you can use to change your settings, navigate through different menus and different modes, and it’s really, really easy to use.

Besides that, the Osmo Action 5 Pro comes with an always-on display which you can configure in the menus to give you an indication of how much time you’ve been recording and what recording mode you’re in. Or if you want to, you can just use it in the basic mode to just give you the indication of how much time you’ve been recording. And if you don’t want that, you can just set it to an LED light that just indicates that you are recording currently without anything else on the display. Very handy to have.

Performance Enhancements

One thing that completely blew me away at first when I first started using this camera is how fast it boots up. That’s due to the new chip that this camera uses. As soon as you press the power button, it’s already on. It’s 0.2 seconds to power on the camera. You can start recording straight away, which puts this camera at a completely different level, so you never miss the shot that you want to take. And that is just ridiculous. It’s only the first time in the day when you power on this camera it will take a little bit longer, but after that, every single time when you power this off or on, it will take 0.2 seconds, which is completely amazing, and I’m super happy to see that on an action camera.

Now this new chip is also responsible for the 50% more battery life compared to the Osmo Action 4, which again is quite insane in my opinion.

I think this right here is a good example of the difference in the dynamic range between the Osmo Action 4 and the Osmo Action 5 Pro. You will see here in the shadows how much darker it is on the image from the Osmo Action 4 as opposed to how much brighter and well-lit the image looks from the Osmo Action 5 Pro.

Now turning the camera around, and you will see, especially here when the sun is right behind me, the difference that it makes to have this dynamic range. On my face more specifically, my face is so much darker on the Osmo Action 4 as opposed to the Osmo Action 5 Pro, which still retains a lot of information, a lot of data to keep my face well-lit, even when I move the cameras around. And all of the settings that I’m using are automatic, so the white balance, the shutter speed, the ISO, everything is set to be automatic, so the camera decides what to use.

Pro-Level Features

So you might be wondering why this camera is called the Action 5 Pro. What makes this camera Pro? Well, there are a few features that definitely make this camera stand out and put it into a pro category action camera.

First, we have a new generation 1 over 1.3-inch sensor with a 155° field of view and up to 13.5 stops of dynamic range, comparable to the native super dynamic range of professional cameras. This means that not only does the camera perform great during harsh light scenarios during the day, but also the low light performance has been significantly improved compared to previous iterations of this camera.

So here is the super low light mode in action. It uses a maximum ISO of 51,200. It’s quite bright, and from what I can see on the screen, it definitely uses some type of noise reduction because the image looks very, very clean and nice. So you can see here where we have a little bit more light, it looks absolutely beautiful, but I don’t see any noise. So I’m sure there is some type of noise reduction being automatically added to the footage, but you let me know if you like what you’re seeing.

Another pro-level feature, in my opinion, is the built-in pressure gauge, which integrates with air and water pressure and automatically detects when you are diving underwater, for example, giving you some depth, duration, and altitude data, ensuring safety during activities. You can also set the camera to record automatically when you submerge the camera underwater, so it can start recording when you dive and it can stop recording automatically when you emerge out of the water, which is really cool.

Another feature which I need to talk about when it comes to the Osmo Action 5 Pro is called the subject tracking, and this is a whole new feature when it comes to action cameras, but it’s definitely not a new feature when it comes to DJI’s products. And what this essentially does is it keeps you centered in the middle of the shot wherever you go. So the camera actually tracks you, and the way that works is that the camera crops in a little bit. So the maximum resolution that you’ll be able to use in this mode is 2.7K because the camera needs those extra pixels so it can really move around.

So the camera crops in a little bit, it creates a little box around you and keeps following you in that box, kind of faking this movement that is created when somebody else is filming you. So it’s a nice feature to have to create a little bit more fluidity in your shots and to kind of fake that dynamic when somebody else is filming you, which for some people could be very, very beneficial to have.

It’s a whole new mode that you need to enter when you want to take advantage of that, so it’s not interfering with the rest of the usual shooting that you do with this camera. So keep that in mind, and let me demonstrate how it works.

So now I can see myself on the front screen of the camera. There is a green rectangular shape that is following me around as I move, and I’m not sure how much distance I can actually cover while this is functioning, while this is working, but I think it’s still working. I think it’s cropping in, zooming in so it follows me wherever I go. Now obviously, I still need to be in the area that the camera covers so I can be centered and I can be cropped in so the camera follows me and tracks me into the image, but I think this thing works pretty well. It’s not going to be something that you use on a daily basis, but for some scenarios, I think it will be very useful to make some talking head shots a little bit more fluid and more interesting.

DJI has also made it super easy to connect a microphone. This is the DJI Mic 2 to the Osmo Action 5 Pro. All you need to do is to turn on your microphone and it will be automatically detected by the camera. You will see a little popup on the camera saying that the microphone has been now connected and how much battery you have left, and now you can start using it straight away.

Combining all of that with the fact that this camera has 47 GB of built-in storage so you don’t have to worry about SD cards if you forget them, you will still have plenty of storage to use, a 4K 120 frames per second output and 4:3 aspect ratio, and you understand why this camera is now called the Action 5 Pro.

Verdict

So what is my verdict after using the Osmo Action 5 Pro for the past couple of weeks? Well, I can say that it’s definitely the most versatile and the most enjoyable action camera I’ve used up until this point. The ease of use that this camera gives me is something on a completely different level. Again, just pressing the power button and it powers on and it’s ready to go. This thing by itself, forgetting everything else, is just what makes me enjoy this camera so much. It’s unreal.

Besides that, of course, I’ve been using it a lot to fly on a drone, to use it for FPV shots, and what I can say about that is that I’m really enjoying the quality that the Osmo Action 5 Pro is giving me. The flexibility that I have while color grading D-Log M footage is spectacular, and you can really turn some boring shots into creative masterpieces while color grading them. I’m just having way too much fun color grading my drone footage with this camera and the rest of the footage as well.

But in terms of FPV, I can only say good things. Gyroflow has been really nice lately. In the past, I’ve had some issues with it not being able to stabilize perfectly my footage, but with the Osmo Action 5 Pro, I haven’t had any issues with that. It’s been rock solid. I haven’t really used the built-in stabilization for FPV as that’s just my way of doing things. I prefer to keep it turned off, and while you do that, you can also take advantage of the 4K 4:3 100 or 120 frames per second footage with the Action 5 Pro if you want to take advantage of that. You can do that. It’s a good idea to take advantage of that if you’re filming some action sports that you really want to emphasize on the action to slow it down and showcase that in your footage. And you can only do that in 4:3, which is what you need anyway if you’re using Gyroflow with stabilization off.

The ND Filters that I’ve been using on this camera are the ones from the Osmo Action 4. I can confirm they work pretty well. There’s a little rubber around the lens here that you need to remove if you want to put the filters on so they fit snug and tight, but other than that, it’s perfectly fine to use those filters. They don’t fall out or anything else.

In terms of video quality, I am super happy with it. Now of course, the YouTube compression will probably ruin a little bit of the quality that you’re seeing, so make sure you watch the video in 4K at the highest quality possible to even have a slight idea what the actual quality of the camera is. But when I’m editing the footage, I’m just really drooling over how good this thing looks. I’m really happy with how the footage looks from the Osmo Action 5 Pro, and I’ve been saying it lately that even the Osmo Action 4 looked better than the GoPro Hero 12 Black, for example.

So I’m very curious to see how this will stack up against the new GoPro Hero 13. I have ordered one and I’m waiting for it to arrive, so stay tuned and subscribe to the channel, of course, if you want to see an in-depth comparison between the Osmo Action 5 Pro and the GoPro Hero 13 Black when it arrives.

But that’s pretty much it for the Osmo Action 5 Pro. I’ll link it down below if you want to check it out for yourself from DJI’s web store or from Amazon, and if you happen to use one of my links to shop for your camera, I will get a small commission, so I want to thank you in advance if you happen to do that. It’s free, it doesn’t cost you anything, and it really helps me out to continue making these videos for you.

With that being said, guys, thank you so much for watching this video. I hope you enjoyed it. Let me know if you did by clicking on the like button and subscribe for many more videos like this one. This is Mic Drone Supremacy. Take care, and I’ll catch you in the next one. Ciao!​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​