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My experience with the Action 5 Pro didn’t start off all that well (more on that in a bit), but once I had it initialized and ready, the tiny camera really impressed me.
Before I get into my take on this camera, let’s talk specs.
The specs
- 47GB of built-in storage
- Dual OLED high-brightness touchscreen displays
- Next-gen 1/1.3″ sensor with up to 13.5 stops of dynamic range and an aperture of f/2.8
- 4nm high-performance chip
- Professional-grade air pressure and water pressure gauges
- Wi-Fi 6.0 and USB 3.0 high-speed transfer
- 4-hour battery life
- SuperNight mode with AI to reduce noise
- 10-bit D-Log M footage with color recovery
- Price – $349 at major retailers
My experience
When I first received the camera, I had to register and initialize it using the DJI Mimo app. That’s where the first issue began: the app isn’t available on the Google Play Store. Instead, you have to download it from DJI’s website. The download was painfully slow, and it took several tries to get it downloaded to my Pixel 9 Pro. Once I finally had it installed, I opened it, logged into my DJI account, and went through the steps to initialize the camera.
The app recognized the camera but refused to connect to it, no matter what I tried or how many times I attempted it. I reached out to DJI support, and for whatever reason, they couldn’t help me (which is odd because DJI support usually works great).
The rear touchscreen is one of the best I’ve seen on an action camera.
Jack Wallen/ZDNET
When I set off on my mountain bike, I went with the default settings, which was a mistake, given that it was configured for 30fps at 1080p. I should have changed that to 60fps at 4K to get the best possible quality. I also left it on normal mode (assuming the default would be set to sport). This took me by surprise, given how action cameras are typically used. One would think the camera would be automatically configured for the best possible results for action out of the box.
Lesson learned.
Even though the resulting footage wasn’t the best possible quality, the one thing it revealed was the quality of the camera’s internal stabilization. I ride a fully rigid, carbon fiber single speed, which equates to a very bumpy ride. When I ride that bike, I have to stay very loose in the knees, hips, elbows, and shoulders; otherwise, I’d bounce right off. On top of that, the trail system near my house isn’t exactly smooth.
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Despite all that, the footage came out remarkably smooth. You would never have known I wasn’t riding a full-suspension bike with plenty of cushions. Sure, I wish I had taken the time to customize the video parameters before I spent nearly an hour flying through the trails, but the end results were still impressive.
Back when I was using GoPro cameras, I paid nearly the same price as the DJI Osmo 5 Pro camera and didn’t get nearly the results.
There are also some really cool add-ons for the camera, such as ND filters and plenty of ways to attach the camera to various vehicles and surfaces. I did have a little trouble with the mount I used, but that was because the handlebar I attached it to is carbon fiber, and I wasn’t about to crank it down hard enough to keep it locked in place. Eventually, I found the right amount of tension to keep it in place, and all was good.
ZDNET’s buying advice
If action cameras are your thing, skip the competition and go directly to the DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro