Dear DJI,
I bought the OA4 2 days ago. I notice the display is rather dark in daylight even at 100% brightness. It is much darker then OA3 display. I sold my OA3, so I have no comparison photo to show. but I remember the OA3 was much brighter than what I get with OA4. Also, when I first visited the shop 3 days ago, I compared the OA3 and OA4 in shop, and it was very clear the display of OA4 was much darker than that of OA3. I would like to know if it is normal or if I got a bad copy of OA4. The store diid not keep a copy on display, so they may have sold me the copy I tried the day earlier (that had low brightness compared to OA3). I would like an answer before I decide to contact the local DJI office. Thanks.

If anyone else has OA3 and OA4, please share if the 2 displays are identical or different. Thanks. One YTuber said they have same brightness, and I saw in another one the 2 cameras having same brightness, which support my suspicion that my OA4 has a display problem.

Their specs says it's the same display both ppi and brightness-wise.

OA3
https://www.dji.com/hu/osmo-action-3/specs

OA4
https://www.dji.com/hu/osmo-action-4/specs

osmonauta Posted at 8-6 16:42
Their specs says it's the same display both ppi and brightness-wise.

OA3

Yes, I had seen that. This is why I am asking DJI. I would expect the same brightness.
BTW, I also find the exposition of my OA4 to be quite low (clip below as example; full auto 4K60), wondering if it is the exposition rather than the display that makes the screen looks rather dark.
I find the exposition to be quite low, making nice skies but dark subjects...

What are your exposure settings for video?  Are you on Auto or Pro exposure mode?  If Auto, what is your exposure compensation set at?  Is it at 0 or something else.  If Pro, probably would suggest switching back to auto if you aren't familiar with the exposure triangle concepts.

Also, as far as the display, did you go into the settings and see what the display brightness setting is set at?

KlooGee Posted at 8-6 17:28
What are your exposure settings for video?  Are you on Auto or Pro exposure mode?  If Auto, what is your exposure compensation set at?  Is it at 0 or something else.  If Pro, probably would suggest switching back to auto if you aren't familiar with the exposure triangle concepts.

Also, as far as the display, did you go into the settings and see what the display brightness setting is set at?

Thanks for your interest.
"Full auto" was written in my post. No adjustment (0ev)
Display brightness 100%.
I took the clip at ~ 12:15, at noon, so should be much brighter.
OA4 tries to avoid burning whites, and succeeds, but the darker regions turns really dark...
I saw a couple of reviews comparing OA3 and 4, showing the OA3 is brighter in general.
One also showed the quite dark region caused by broad highlights (around 14:30 in this one; video deals with that and also the different fovs; in French):

Hi Yaman-Python
Thanks for sharing.
Action4 optimizes the auto exposure strategy for the scenery that hightlight takes the majority. Just like the clouds scene in your video.
In this scenery, Action4 tends to keep hightlights part while the dark area can be easily brightened if you want to do a post-process.

For different scenery, Action4 applies different ae strategy actually. So for some scene, same brightness. For other scene, it may be different.

While it’s great that the Action 4 retains highlights, it might be useful to implement a spot exposure on the screen for those that might not want to be so involved with post work so that we can choose what to expose for? Especially for backlit shots. If it is possible via firmware.

DJI-ytao Posted at 8-6 23:15
Hi Yaman-Python
Thanks for sharing.
Action4 optimizes the auto exposure strategy for the scenery that hightlight takes the majority. Just like the clouds scene in your video.

ytao, thank you for the explanation.
Actually, I visited the shop again and confirmed my unit has no problem.
I also confirmed that OA3 display appears muh brighter than that of OA4. See video below. The shop is well and uniformly lit, so the difference is not huge, but definitely there. OA3 is so bright, no reflections can be seen on the display. My experience with OA3 was that the display was super bright in any situation. Here with OA4, in daylight outside the display is just enough for framing, cannot see details. And because of that low brightness, the reflection on the screen becomes significant and makes me have to look closer to normal incidence to see some details.
Now, this difference is probably due to the different expositions. Less for OA4.

So you say exposition depends on scene and we should post-process... I understand that. But I am not into post-processing (Could do it, but not a pro, do not want to be a pro, no time for that). So OA4 is for pro, with that excellent dynamic range, gyrodata etc... I am just in point and shoot, with occasional tweaking.
Maybe some room for more universal exposition in a future firmware?

  

Yaman-Python Posted at 8-7 00:21
ytao, thank you for the explanation.
Actually, I visited the shop again and confirmed my unit has no problem.
I also confirmed that OA3 display appears muh brighter than that of OA4. See video below. The shop is well and uniformly lit, so the difference is not huge, but definitely there. OA3 is so bright, no reflections can be seen on the display. My experience with OA3 was that the display was super bright in any situation. Here with OA4, in daylight outside the display is just enough for framing, cannot see details. And because of that low brightness, the reflection on the screen becomes significant and makes me have to look closer to normal incidence to see some details.

It does indeed look low in brightness. Not just exposure being lower. I’m guessing that battery life is helped by this but it’s not great for bright situations.

Actually, I find similar with Pocket 2 and end up more often than not leaving it in auto because I can’t see it to judge anything while out.

Oh wow, that screen is DARK indeed! Return it if you still can and get your OA3 back.

Dear DJI,
Could you comment on the display brightness?

If the display is the same as that of OA3, I would expect the same brightness. Why are the unit I have and the shop have here have such low brightness? Are they all like that? I saw a youtube video where OA3 and OA4 had seemingly the same reasonably high brightness (below; 10:00~). Was the brightness modified in a subsequent firmware?
I think the high limit may have been lowered to increase battery life and/or to enhance overheating characteristics. But since we can ourselves choose the  brightness %, we could act according to our needs.
And in any case, can the max brightness be restored back to a greater value?

I just compared directly and the display is about the same brightness, but the exposure is quite different, making it ‘appear’ darker. Because the 4 isn’t blowing out the highlights it seems darker, but I don’t think it actually is. (If that makes sense)

Iancraig10 Posted at 8-7 08:24
I just compared directly and the display is about the same brightness, but the exposure is quite different, making it ‘appear’ darker. Because the 4 isn’t blowing out the highlights it seems darker, but I don’t think it actually is. (If that makes sense)

Thanks for the input. It helps.
For me the difference is so huge, I is hard to believe they are exactly identical. But could be, due to the heavily overcast days when I tested my cam.

What I find really strange is that the 2 are really exactly identical in the Japan YT video I show in the post above, even it is outside in quite bright situation. I doubt I would get that with my unit, but maybe in plain sunshine, possibly...
So still do not know for sure. Probably a mix of a bit less bright display and lower exposure compared to OA3.

I hope DJI could explain the situation.

Yaman-Python Posted at 8-7 16:41
Thanks for the input. It helps.
For me the difference is so huge, I is hard to believe they are exactly identical. But could be, due to the heavily overcast days when I tested my cam.

The OA4 screen brightness at 100% should never be this dim.  Something must surely be amiss.  Maybe contact Support to see what they have to say - or consider doing a purchase return.  The screen is barely even visible in your video.

Yaman-Python Posted at 8-7 16:41
Thanks for the input. It helps.
For me the difference is so huge, I is hard to believe they are exactly identical. But could be, due to the heavily overcast days when I tested my cam.

I think yours looks a lot darker. I can’t tell if it’s the shot with the sky knocking the exposure right down.  The 4 seems to really work at not over exposing highlights which makes it look darker.

Try a more even looking scene to compare. I looked at mine indoors at a kitchen worktop, and they were similar although highlights on the 4 went right down when the sun shone onto something. It reacts very quickly.

Iancraig10 Posted at 8-7 23:26
I think yours looks a lot darker. I can’t tell if it’s the shot with the sky knocking the exposure right down.  The 4 seems to really work at not over exposing highlights which makes it look darker.

Try a more even looking scene to compare. I looked at mine indoors at a kitchen worktop, and they were similar although plights on the 4 went right down when the sun shone onto something. It reacts very quickly.

Indoors, the display is bright. Absolutely no problem. Actually, at the shop I compared my unit with the one showcased there and the displays were exactly the same, and somewhat less bright than the showcased OA3 (as seen in my video). So at this point, I do not think my unit has a problem. If so, the other one at the shop would also have it and it would be a batch problem.
Today we finally had some blue skies and it makes quite a difference. The video tests were very nice, because the blue does not saturate the camera as much as the whites. And the display brightness was acceptable in such conditions, though definitely less bright than what I had with OA3. But it looks acceptable.
I remember the OA3 was so bright, I could use ~40% brightness outside in sunlight and 10% indoors and it was very good.
I saw a few YT reviews showing somewhat less bright displays in OA4 compared to OA3 for the same scene indoors, in agreement with my observation in the shop. Now is it solely due to less exposure, it is not known yet.
As you mentioned in another post, OA4 heats up quite quickly and dji may have lowered the brightness limit to help with that and battery. Would be nice to finally have a comment from DJI to settle this display thing.

Here is a screenshot of an expected OA4 display
So there may be simply unit variances

That’s an exposure difference 10 bit.

10-Bit Posted at 8-8 11:38
Here is a screenshot of an expected OA4 display
So there may be simply unit variances

It’s pretty clear by that photo that one is correctly exposed one is not. Guess which one , “hint” its not the 3

What a ridiculous comparison to post.

Iancraig10 Posted at 8-8 11:51
That’s an exposure difference 10 bit.

If you watched the video - the screen on the OA4 looked perfect
That screenshot was an example showing it can be bright
And not super dark

It was from the video you had posted in your thread
"Screen looks a little bit brighter on the OA4 though"

Yes, it is weird the other way around. I think the 4 screen is actually pretty much the same, just exposes differently so that the average brightness of the 4 looks lower than the 3 normally.

The new sensor looks to be the main reason
Highlights are better retained - so exposure is adjusted accordingly

My preference is def OA4 over OA3 by a large margin

Just so odd that the screen brightness from Yaman is so dark in daylight
It should be the same or similar to the OA3 in those conditions

Still attribute that to unit variances

Perhaps Yaman needs to have it checked. It doesn’t seem that large a difference in mine, but then again, after my miserable experience with the 3, I might have hit lucky!

Two examples of OA4 vs OA3 display (a bit darker for OA4 due to less exposed; in line with my observation in the shop). For same condition of scene and camera settings.
1: From 13:06~, and other places in video (and also visible in the thumbnail). video is about differences in fov and exposure.

2: ~11;29, and other places in video. video is about differences in exposure and various settings.

I am going to test more my unit display, but indoor it looks same as those in these 2 videos.

Hi Yaman-Python, thank you for bringing out this issue. Would you please provide us the original footage of both the Osmo Action 3 and osmo Action 4 if any? We will forward them to our engineer for further confirmation, thanks. Looking forward to your reply.

DJI Thor Posted at 8-8 22:25
Hi Yaman-Python, thank you for bringing out this issue. Would you please provide us the original footage of both the Osmo Action 3 and osmo Action 4 if any? We will forward them to our engineer for further confirmation, thanks. Looking forward to your reply.

Hi Thor, thank you for looking into this.
I do not have comparison footage with OA3, just some OA4 footage. If they can be useful, I can make some of them available, though I do not think the problem is in the footage themselves but in the display or the power supply (see last comment below).
Below is a video showing how the display behaves outdoors and indoors. Clearly too dark to be normal.
Please let me know your opinion. In fact I have already initiated a replacement service with DJI Japan, stating the display darkness. If you wish to know the cas nb to help them with the case I can give it to you. I am planning to send the unit tomorrow, so please respond before if you wish some more info.

Another strange thing happened, today and also yesterday in the same conditions: After transferring files to PC (via USB), I switched off OA4 and disconnected the OA4. Let it on shelf for more than 30 min. Then when I took it in my hands it was hot like it had been operating for some time... And before transferring files it was not hot.... Definitely something strange with this unit. As I write, more than an hour after it was turned off, the unit is still hot and keeping the heat... For safety I will remove the battery (like I did yesterday). One thing stops the heating: turn it on and then off. This display problem may be an artefact of a bigger power problem.

Yaman-Python Posted at 8-8 23:17
Hi Thor, thank you for looking into this.
I do not have comparison footage with OA3, just some OA4 footage. If they can be useful, I can make some of them available, though I do not think the problem is in the footage themselves but in the display or the power supply (see last comment below).
Below is a video showing how the display behaves outdoors and indoors. Clearly too dark to be normal.

Hi Yaman-Python, thank you for your reply. We forwarded the video to our engineer for check. Meanwhile, please no worries, we could find your case number and left a note there to let the corresponding team to know more background. Thanks.

For the battery issue, please know that Osmo Action 4 can shoot 4K/120fps videos at a bit rate of up to 130 Mbps, and the actual video file generated in one minute can be as large as 900 MB. With its compact and portable design, Osmo Action 4 inevitably dissipates heat when processing such a large amount of data in a short period of time, which is an irresistible physical law. The camera was designed with special attention to the heat dissipation issue. To ensure the normal performance of the camera, the internal heat is designed to be conducted to the lens cover, front and rear screens, and body itself through heat sinks and silicone grease. Additionally, we have made the strict tests to ensure that the camera temperature is within a reasonable range during long-term recording.

DJI Thor Posted at 8-9 00:29
Hi Yaman-Python, thank you for your reply. We forwarded the video to our engineer for check. Meanwhile, please no worries, we could find your case number and left a note there to let the corresponding team to know more background. Thanks.

For the battery issue, please know that Osmo Action 4 can shoot 4K/120fps videos at a bit rate of up to 130 Mbps, and the actual video file generated in one minute can be as large as 900 MB. With its compact and portable design, Osmo Action 4 inevitably dissipates heat when processing such a large amount of data in a short period of time, which is an irresistible physical law. The camera was designed with special attention to the heat dissipation issue. To ensure the normal performance of the camera, the internal heat is designed to be conducted to the lens cover, front and rear screens, and body itself through heat sinks and silicone grease. Additionally, we have made the strict tests to ensure that the camera temperature is within a reasonable range during long-term recording.

Thank you for the quick reply and efficient notification to DJI Japan.

Yaman-Python Posted at 8-9 00:49
Thank you for the quick reply and efficient notification to DJI Japan.

No problems. It's our pleasure to help. If you have any further questions, please feel free to talk.

Good to see DJI is addressing this for you

Just let people know I got a replacement.
I had initiated a support ticket a few days ago. Then I sent my unit on Thursday am, DJI got it on Friday am, and sent me a new unit on Friday pm. I got it on Saturday am.  A mix of Japanese efficiency and DJI excellent response time and handling.
Thank you very much DJI for the excellent support!

Is it brighter?

Iancraig10 Posted at 8-12 07:55
Is it brighter?

Hi Iancraig10. I see you enjoy very much your OA4. Hoping your heart upgrade will be at least as successful as the improvement from OA3 to OA4 you seem to have!
Yes, looks somewhat brighter. Have not tested it much though. It is still somewhat darker than what I remember having with OA3, but I attribute that to the exposure difference. For example increasing the eV to +0.7 gives quite brighter scenes and the display also becomes much brighter.
The OA4 gives very nice footage. Definitely better than OA3.

Yaman-Python Posted at 8-12 15:31
Hi Iancraig10. I see you enjoy very much your OA4. Hoping your heart upgrade will be at least as successful as the improvement from OA3 to OA4 you seem to have!
Yes, looks somewhat brighter. Have not tested it much though. It is still somewhat darker than what I remember having with OA3, but I attribute that to the exposure difference. For example increasing the eV to +0.7 gives quite brighter scenes and the display also becomes much brighter.
The OA4 gives very nice footage. Definitely better than OA3.

Thank Yaman. The heart op has really changed my energy levels. Before the op, I was frightened to leave the house for too long. Now, I’m walking all over the place.

I’m glad you have a brighter looking screen. I took mine out again yesterday and tbh, wasn’t particularly aware of a dim screen. I do notice the different way that it exposes the picture though. I’m finding that just walking around with it in ‘auto’ is providing an excellent picture that doesn’t particularly need adjusting in post. With my 3, I was tweaking virtually every shot.

The display is different but I aren't sure it is overall darker.
Side by side with auto exposure 0.0 the Action 4 looks slightly lighter than Action 3 with an evenly lit indoor scene.
But go outside and the sky looks similar to on Action 3 but land/buildings etc do look darker.
I don't know why.

I think it might be to do with the way that it works out exposure. The 4 seems to really try to avoid burned out areas!