Osmo Action: DJI's first action camera

DJI continues to keep the brand. This time, the company was not afraid to release the device in a niche, which has long been occupied by several major industry leaders. We are talking about action cameras - indispensable devices for recording videos with the most dynamic scenarios and extreme character. Combining the experience of creating video equipment and the latest technology, DJI has expanded its product line with another device designed for shooting in almost any environment. Osmo Action is a shockproof and waterproof pocket camera with a wide-angle lens and two color displays. Let's take a closer look at the new device.

Appearance

In this regard, DJI decided not to reinvent the wheel - Osmo Action looks like 90% of all action cameras. There are some design and technical improvements, but the original design of the device can not be called.

Osmo Action is made of durable plastic of light gray and dark gray color, there is a special anti-slip coating. All elements of the case are adjacent to each other very tightly, in the hands of the action camera feels completely monolithic. The weight of the device is very comfortable - 124 grams.

On the front side there is a screen for self-portraits, a lens with a screw-on protective lens, a grill for removing heat from the processor and an LED indicator.

On the upper side there is a microphone hole, a second LED indicator, a button to start recording or releasing the shutter, a power button, which is also responsible for turning on / off the screen.

On the left side, we see the Quick Menu key (QuickSet) and a dongle, under which are hidden a microSD card slot up to 256 GB and a USB-C port. On the right is the speaker and the second microphone jack. The battery compartment was carried to the lower edge, it opens with two latches. The back side is almost completely occupied by the touch screen.

Design features

Osmo Action has several key features that DJI focuses on users. Firstly, it is an impact-resistant and waterproof case that can withstand drops from a height of up to 1.5 meters and can be used at a depth of up to 11 meters without additional protective covers. So right after the purchase, you can start shooting your extreme adventures without thinking about additional accessories.

Secondly, two color displays. The main screen is touch-sensitive, has a diagonal of 2.25 inches and a high level of brightness: 750 nits. This is enough to work with the camera on a clear day. The image will be juicy and clear. And the anti-reflective coating of the display will allow you to shoot even in direct sunlight. The front screen is not touch, but has exactly the same characteristics, only it is almost half the size - 1.4 inches. Its activation occurs by a long press on the QuickSet button. The same button switches the modes if you are wearing gloves or using the front display.

Like competing models, the main screen of Osmo Action is not in the center of the rear panel, but slightly shifted to the left. Thus, during shooting, there is an emphasis for the thumb and there is no need to worry that you will touch the display.

An interesting innovation is the protective lens on the lens, which is easy to replace by simply unscrewing it counterclockwise. In other similar chambers, this requires some effort and all the time I had to worry, so as not to break the glass and frame. DJI greatly simplified the life of many.

Camera

Osmo Action has a lens with a viewing angle of 145 degrees, a three-layer aspherical lens for shooting with low distortion, a protective glass with a two-layer oleophobic and anti-reflective coating. A 12 megapixel camera with a 1 / 2.3-inch CMOS sensor and f / 2.8 aperture captures high-quality 4K videos at speeds up to 60 frames / s and a bit rate of 100 Mbps.

By the way, this is the first DJI device that does not use mechanical image stabilization. Osmo Action uses electronic stabilization technology called RockSteady. The principle of operation is as follows: the camera analyzes the received images, cuts off their edges and combines many frames into one sharp one. And all this in real time. The maximum quality of the video at which stabilization can be activated is 4K at a speed of 60 frames / s.

The user has two options for shooting: in wide-angle lens mode and with the active function of distortion correction (Dewarp). The second option allows you to eliminate the effect of the "fish eye", while practically without sacrificing the viewing angle.

In the settings there are both automatic camera settings and manual ones. The shutter speed range is from 1/8000 to 120 seconds for a photo and up to 1/60 second for a 4K video (or up to 1/25 second for 1080P). The ISO range is also quite wide - from 100 to 3200. There is also RAW-format photography, D-Cinelike color video recording, and white balance adjustment from 2000K to 10000K.

Hardware features

Osmo Action turns on in literally a second and you immediately get to work. Moreover, in the settings it is easy to select the desired mode, which will be activated after the device is turned on.

The camera has a removable 1300 mAh LiPo battery. It is enough for shooting 93 minutes of 4K-video at a speed of 30 frames / s with electronic stabilization on or for 135 minutes in 1080p at a speed of 30 frames / s. Full charge time is 88 minutes.

There are a couple of communication modules for connecting to a smartphone and transmitting footage: the connection is via Wi-Fi (802.11a / b / g / n / ac) and Bluetooth version 4.2. Synchronization is via DJI Mimo. The application turns the smartphone into a second viewfinder, in addition, it provides the ability to select the necessary camera settings, apply video templates, download files from the camera, edit them, and so on. But to fully work with Osmo Action, you do not need to install the program.

Software functions

We move around the camera menu using swipes, as implemented in Osmo Pocket. The system is simple and intuitive - just a few minutes to work with Osmo Action, as you immediately understand where it has various settings hidden. For example, to go to a point with shooting modes, you need to tap on the icon in the lower left corner. To configure the parameters of the selected mode, swipe up. Additional settings, activation of the function for eliminating distortion of a wide-angle lens (Dewarp) and the mode of manual adjustment of shutter speed and ISO - do swipe to the left. Swipe down - go to the Control Center (the main settings of Osmo Action).

The camera can also be controlled by voice commands. Unfortunately, so far only in English or Chinese. Five commands are now available: start recording, end recording, take a photo, switch screens, turn off.

There are many shooting modes, so with Osmo Action you will definitely not get bored. For starters, there's an awesome SlowMotion that slows down videos four times or even eight times!

Like almost all DJI devices, Osmo Action has TimeLapse shooting. Just choose the quality between 4K, 2.7K or 1080P, set the interval (from one frame in 0.5 seconds to one frame in 30 seconds) and the duration of the final clip.



There are shooting modes in HDR, and a large number of recording quality settings. Without stabilization, shooting 4K video with an aspect ratio of 3: 4 and a frame rate of 30, 25 and 24 fps is available. With active EIS - 4K video with a standard aspect ratio and frame rate from 60 fps to 24 fps. Other movie resolutions: 2.7K, 1080P and 720P. And the last two support frame rates up to 240 fps! There is also serial shooting, which allows you to do three, five and seven frames per second.

The selected settings can be saved in a separate profile in order to select them in a couple of clicks in the future. In total, five user profiles are stored in memory.

We do a swipe to the right and a simple file manager opens. Here we select your favorite videos and photos or delete them. There are filters for displaying files by type - slowmo-video, timelapse, AEB, just video or photo.

The Control Center or Osmo Action main menu hides various camera settings. It is easy to adjust the brightness of the touch screen or lock it, configure user profiles, choose between widescreen display of the image on the secondary screen and full screen, perform spot metering, activate automatic rotation of the screen depending on the position of the camera, enable voice commands. In addition, there is a menu with advanced settings. In it, we add or remove items from the quick menu, activate noise reduction, adjust the speaker volume, Wi-Fi settings, menu language, etc.

Accessories

Together with Osmo Action, the manufacturer put a couple of additional accessories in a box. This is a kit with a frame mount that includes a universal mount for optional accessories and a self-adhesive mount for accessories that can be attached and disconnected with one hand, as well as an adhesive platform for mounting Osmo Action on flat or curved surfaces.

In addition, DJI announced a whole line of additional accessories for its action camera. It includes a waterproof case for diving Osmo Action to a depth of 60 meters, a 3.5 mm adapter for connecting an external microphone, a monopod with a 1.4-inch screw mount, a monopod float, various filters for the lens and a charging hub charging up to three batteries.

Osmo Action - the first pancake is NOT lumpy

There is nothing to hide here: Osmo Action is a new and not yet explored direction for DJI. But the company coped with its task 100%. If, from the point of view of design, it was not possible to make a breakthrough (although this was not the task), then in functional terms we were shown the highest level of performance to which many competitors still have to grow and grow. These are gorgeous and comfortable displays, an excellent camera, rich shooting and device settings, proprietary modes, as well as stunning quality from DJI. In general, if you are a fan of extreme sports and often take off your adventures, then Osmo Action will give you genuine pleasure.