I’ve been a fan of action cameras for a very long time. Starting with the GoPro Hero 3+ Silver Edition, an action camera has been my sidekick for just about every excursion or adventure I’ve experienced for more than a decade. That being said, the most recent “regular” GoPro I purchased was the GoPro Hero 5 (excluding the 360-capable GoPro Max). New action camera hardware simply isn’t as exciting anymore — or so I thought before trying the new DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro.
At first glance, the Osmo Action 5 Pro looks like the Osmo Action 4, even down to the sensor size. A closer look reveals a few crucial upgrades, such as a refreshed camera sensor with four times the pixel density and new OLED touchscreen panels. As a longtime GoPro user, the Osmo Action 5 Pro felt refreshing to use. I’m not sure if it was the long battery life, built-in storage, or simple UI, but the result was clear: I had a blast capturing video and photos with the DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro on a trip to the Bahamas, and I’m ready to buy one of my own.
Staff pick
DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro
The DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro is one of the best action cameras you can buy today, with a wide 1/1.3-inch sensor and support for 4K 120FPS video recording. It’s durable, works with a bunch of accessories, and has critical features like Subject Tracking. The Osmo Action 5 Pro is even better for those invested in the DJI ecosystem, as it seamlessly works with the DJI Mic 2.
- Excellent design with two touchscreens and an intuitive UI
- Doesn’t need the app for much after initial registration
- Video quality and stabilization are fantastic
- Built-in microphone quality could be better
- Color accuracy isn’t outstanding straight out of the camera
- Detachable mounting hardware makes me uneasy
Price, availability, and specs
The DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro retails for $350 and is widely available following its release in September 2024. For that price, you get the Standard Combo, which includes the Osmo Action 5 Pro, one battery, a glass lens cover, a rubber lens protector, a protective frame, a quick-release adapter mount, a locking screw, and finally, an anti-slip pad. It’s available in one colorway, black with red accents, and can be purchased directly from DJI or third-party retailers like Best Buy and Amazon.
DJI loaned me an Adventure Combo, which costs $450 and includes everything listed above plus two extra batteries, a battery charging case, and a 1.5m extension pole. I’ll be focusing this review on the DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro’s Standard Combo and will provide brief thoughts on whether the adventure combo is worth an extra $100 at the end.
What’s good about the DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro?
4K action camera captures impressive video, all day long
There are two things that I worry about every single time I use an action camera not named the Osmo Action 5 Pro, and those are battery life and storage. I spend so much time carefully calculating when and how to use my action camera’s short battery life only to miss key moments. Luckily, the Osmo Action 5 Pro’s 1,950mAh capacity eliminated my battery life anxiety. That equates to roughly 240 minutes of action, and it’s more than enough for a long day of activities.
This level of all-day battery life puts DJI’s competitors to shame. On top of that, there’s 64GB of built-in storage. Considering we saw the best Android phones feature that kind of storage years ago, I’m shocked it took action camera manufacturers this long to take note. Now, you can shoot about an hour of 4K video on the Osmo Action 5 Pro without a microSD card inside. The days of forgetting a microSD at home and losing out on a day’s worth of footage are finally behind us.
Those quality-of-life additions to the DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro can be more life-changing than the sensor upgrade within. This year’s camera has the same 1/1.3-inch sensor size as the last-gen Osmo Action 4. However, it’s now a 40MP sensor with four times the pixel density, and that allows for taking photos at up to 7296 × 5472 resolution. That sensor is still larger than the one in the GoPro Hero 13 Black, too.
You’ll see the impact of the large and pixel-rich sensor immediately after shooting with the DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro. I took it to Atlantis Bahamas, a 141-acre water park and resort, and recorded action clips that literally take me back to a specific moment. Videos are stable, detailed, bright, and colorful — perhaps too colorful if you don’t like that oversaturated, HDR-esque look. But it’s hard not to like the results, such as the clip above from a trip down The Challenger slide.
I don’t really think action cameras are the best for still images, and the DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro isn’t an exception. Still, this camera — and waterproof action cams like it — can go to places our favorite smartphone cameras can’t. For example, four of these landscape shots were taken at the top of a waterslide tower, and I wouldn’t dare try to take my phone up there.
The two screens make it possible to easily use the Osmo Action 5 Pro as a selfie or vlogging camera, as I did in the video and microphone sample above. You could do this on the Action 4, but the newer Action 5 Pro features OLED panels that are brighter and better.
Read our review
The DJI Osmo Action 4 comes with a bigger sensor and bigger possibilities
A 1/1.3-inch sensor and 10-bit color raise the bar for action cameras
What’s bad about the DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro?
Microphones and mounting system could be better
The DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro has three microphones, and as you likely heard in the above test, they sound pretty good during casual use. It’s when you throw extreme wind or water at the Osmo Action 5 Pro that microphone quality goes downhill, fast. Water seems to stay in or around the mics, meaning that one splash could ruin audio for an entire video. Wind is troublesome, too, as you’ll hear in the image stabilization test below.
I took the DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro on a quick run down a marina to test the stabilization, which was excellent. No better or worse than GoPro’s or Insta360’s stabilization, but excellent nonetheless. An unintended consequence of this test was recording just how sensitive the Osmo Action 5 Pro’s mics can be in windy or wet environments. You can easily pair this camera with the DJI Mic 2 for better quality, and you should if you want reliable audio.
DJI also uses a quick-release mount for accessories, and it makes me uneasy. The mount uses magnets and clips, but I can’t help wishing the Osmo Action 5 Pro had mounting openings built into the camera housing — much like the GoPro. Additionally, it’s worth noting that this camera tops out at 4K recording, and there are 8K cameras out there for those who want the highest quality. The Insta360 Ace Pro 2 is one such example that we rated highly.
Read our review
The Insta360 Ace Pro 2 is still the low-light champ of action cameras
Plus 8K too
Should you buy the DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro?
The DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro is a great option for people who value quality-of-life features, such as a long-lasting battery and built-in storage. It’s also a great offering that could convince longtime GoPro users, like myself, to make the switch. At $350, you get a larger and better sensor than the GoPro Hero 13 Black for $50 less. The Adventure Combo includes two extra batteries and a charging case that powers them up all at once, plus a mounting pole. At $100 more, I think it’s worth it.
Most importantly, it’s clear that DJI has its eyes on building a creative ecosystem. I own a DJI Osmo Pocket 3 and Mic 2, and that only makes it easier to grab the company’s action camera, too.
Staff pick
DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro
The DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro is one of the best action cameras you can buy today, with a wide 1/1.3-inch sensor and support for 4K 120FPS video recording. It’s durable, works with a bunch of accessories, and has critical features like Subject Tracking. The Osmo Action 5 Pro is even better for those invested in the DJI ecosystem, as it seamlessly works with the DJI Mic 2.
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