As an action sports content creator, I'm struggling to justify keeping my DJI Osmo Action.

The Osmo Action has a lot of great things going for it. The front screen is fantastic even with the lag, it's great to at least make sure things are framed up. The build quality is amazing. It's also has (until the hero 8 lands) the best stabilization.

That said, mine has spent most of its life on the shelf.

We've been waiting for months to get a mic adapter. DJI has finally started selling one, but it's a 3rd party one that has been getting very critical reviews. Plus, we have to go through a 3rd party for after sale support even though it's sold through DJI's store.

The Firmware updates have been painfully slow. I know DJI can pump out updates, so what's taking so long with the asmo action? There have been loud cries from the community for better control over the image and turning down the sharpening. I ended up throwing away a ton of footage from the action because it was just so oversharpened. Many have also asked for the ability to turn down the rocksteady to scale back the cropping. For POV it's just too tight compared to GoPro's wide setting, let alone superview.

It really feels like the Action is an afterthought to DJI. Just tossing something out there to enter another market but not really invested in it. It's been great for vloggers, but other action content creators I know have relegated it to a b-cam or just sold it due to lack of use.

What are your thoughts?

Overall I agree with your points, however overall I think the action is a great product.   Obviously it is compared to the GoPro7 and now 8 and in reviews one never consistently trumps the other , they both have their good and bad points.

I don’t understand why variable sharpening has not been introduced, but maybe the codecs are in hardware and it’s not a simple case of changing a variable in firmware.?

It’s been unfortunate if an external mic has been a priority, but I’ve never quite seen the importance for a waterproof action cam ?

Regarding updates, I’ve always felt there could have been quick win features updates from common requests but then any update is always a bonus.

I guess the question if this doesn’t work for you, what’s the alternative - would the GoPro address all the issues ?   

I just bought one for a recent holiday.  Previous experience with action cameras was a cheap sony waterproof pen type camera......which turns out wasn’t waterproof. Lol

So this is my first proper action cam which i chose over the GoPro hero 7 for the following reasons:

1) I have a spark and like the DJI brand
2) Front facing camera
3) Reportedly better digital stabilisation

I have to say that I’m really happy and impressed with this camera and it was a great asset to my holiday.    I was surprised at how easy it was to use.  I think the menu system is exceptional.   I got great video, stabilisation was great, front facing screen a real bonus.   

Audio was not a concern for me...most of the time I mute the audio in my videos anyway.

So for now, I’m really happy with the little unit.

I agree. I use it quite a lot on land but mostly in the water.
The sound quality in the water is so bad I get rid of it. Also, my settings seem to randomly change while in the surf. A wave hitting the screen change the settings? or fawlty camera?
never happens on land.
But my biggest problem is, while it is attached to my snorkelling mask while it is switched off, you press the record button and it records but you hit the record button again it stops
recording while remaining switched on. You then have to press and hold the power button to shut down or you will use up your battery. And as the power button is on opposite sides
you use different hands. And the start record/ stop record sounds are not distinct enough with the sounds around you at times.
While the Gopro`s quick capture is so easy. press to record (three beeps) press same button again to stop record and power off (five beeps) too easy.

As a water action camera, video image is great, but sound and easy of use problems is disappointing.
In the water I will go back to my Hero 6.  such a shame, for a camera with a lot of good features, to become a land based camera for me.

It's mixed emotions  from owning quit a few camera's     OA is a decent camera.   have to give it time to grow, if it lasts while it grows in the family then I can  say a lot more otehr than that it is just to soon to   recommend it to anyone in my books.

as a photographer / videographer for the past 11 years, what i learn is that not all tools are created to do all of the job. lens- camera- accesories has specific task were they all shine. dji osmo action definitely has its short comings, but it earned a spot on my bag- price point - and features i still believe it out shines gopro. if we look at the over all picture like people who likes gopro vs dji, also the people has complaints. were very blessed this days to have this type of toys. =D cheers

Thanks for the replies!

To address feedback. I've owned every gopro since the 4 and have had many, many gripes with gopro but it's still my goto camera for the control I get over the image. I was really hoping the osmo action was going to be the camera to replace my gopro collection, but it's not quite there. Once again, most of this can be solved with software. LIterally copy and pate the gopro image menu and you're done.

I totally appreciate there is a tool for each job, but the osmo is just lacking the control I get over a gopro. I bought it day one because I believed in DJI's ability to refine a product over time through software updates. That is where I've been sorely disappointed in the osmo, the lack of updates. Almost every gripe I have about the camera can be solved with software updates, but after five months I've not really seen anything that addresses what the community has been crying for since day one. Shoot, just give me control over sharpness and that will get me to use the camera more.

To sum up. It's a fantastic first show from DJI, and I bought it at release because I believed in the brand. However, the slow updates that don't really fix the issues that many called out in early reviews is unsettling and is forcing me to stay with gopro.

Out of interest how do you find your gopro7 image compared to the action ?  From the samples I see, action has more natural colours but the GoPro seems to capture more fine detail in pavements / foliage etc ...

MKosmo Posted at 10-11 09:03
Out of interest how do you find your gopro7 image compared to the action ?  From the samples I see, action has more natural colours but the GoPro seems to capture more fine detail in pavements / foliage etc ...

I run all my gopros with low sharpness, flat color, set WB to what's appropriate for the light (can vary with treecover so I do my best to eyeball it), and limit the iso to prevent noise.

When I start a new shot I hold cheap WB/exposure cards in front to have a reference in post. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01DPV5PUA/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I also have the X-Rite ColorChecker Passport Video, but I mostly use that with my mirrorless as those are dedicated shoot days. I've found that the Gopro is more reliable with noise and image clarity in post than the Osmo.

For a more detailed comparison, I'll refer to a man much smarter man than I; Philip Bloom: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wiR1Ejp_Ypk

Hi Trail Features, sorry for the late response. For the reviews of the audio adapters, we've forwarded to the third-party suppliers and keeps optimizing the experience. Regarding the feature of sharpening control, this has been forwarded to our engineers, hope they will consider it in the future.  We value customer's feedback and will keep learning to provide a better experience for our customers. Thanks for your support and understanding.

Clackers Posted at 10-10 15:26
I agree. I use it quite a lot on land but mostly in the water.
The sound quality in the water is so bad I get rid of it. Also, my settings seem to randomly change while in the surf. A wave hitting the screen change the settings? or fawlty camera?
never happens on land.

Hi Clackers, for the recording underwater, this has been considered by our engineers: you may turn off the unit and start to shoot by using Snapshot, then stop to record, the Osmo Action will automatically turn off the screen and enter into low power mode after 3 seconds, waiting for next recording. No need to worry about battery consumption.

"so what's taking so long with the osmo action?"

One word,,,,,,, Ambarella

It's nice, but far too fragile to be called an "action camera" I prefer the output to the Gopro but can't rely on it for anything remotely rough and tough.

fanseba42e89 Posted at 10-16 04:01
It's nice, but far too fragile to be called an "action camera" I prefer the output to the Gopro but can't rely on it for anything remotely rough and tough.

Surely the easy answer to this is to use a silicon sleeve or additional cage type case.

Clackers Posted at 10-10 15:26
I agree. I use it quite a lot on land but mostly in the water.
The sound quality in the water is so bad I get rid of it. Also, my settings seem to randomly change while in the surf. A wave hitting the screen change the settings? or fawlty camera?
never happens on land.

i know you don’t need to, but i still use a cheap waterproof case for the OA underewater.  I’m not sure if that’s the reason, but I don’t have any of these issues you are having with the mode changing.   Granted you can’t do certain things with the case on (ie playback and finetune modes), but I have custom modes in quickswitch for that.

As for sound, i had never expected to get decent sound underwater, so I would agree with you, but not somethiing i was relying on either.  Have you had other underwater cameras that provided better sound?

@Cookster670, Yeah I am thinking about a case for it. I dont need to change a lot once in the water plus others have been
saying theirs didnt hold up in the water.  As for sound, I have a GP6 and the sound in the water while not super, it is worlds better than OA.

I'm increasingly pleased with the image from the Osmo Action, icing on the cake recently I was using it as dashcam through some interesting old streets in a touristy town near us - reviewing later I thought it looked nice so uploaded a couple of one minute segments to Shutterstock - accepted within minutes and one has sold this morning.
That almost paid for the so-so cynova adapter

My videos don’t turn out like the one below, but shows what can be done , very impressive !

oh man... what a freaking disappointed. I just bought it once they announced the hyperlapse feature and the firmware in my camera even if it its the latest doesnt have this function... I think I will go back today and return the camera... so disappointing.

stratosHD Posted at 10-23 16:34
oh man... what a freaking disappointed. I just bought it once they announced the hyperlapse feature and the firmware in my camera even if it its the latest doesnt have this function... I think I will go back today and return the camera... so disappointing.

Didn’t you already post about this on another thread ?

stratosHD Posted at 10-23 16:34
oh man... what a freaking disappointed. I just bought it once they announced the hyperlapse feature and the firmware in my camera even if it its the latest doesnt have this function... I think I will go back today and return the camera... so disappointing.

It must need updating it wouldn't be likely to arrive with firmware only released a couple of weeks ago.

Yes I am dissappointed today  tomorrow I am not.   Open the camera  double check your Firmware, then   update.  After the Update locate the QS and  check the box that applies to Hyperlapse,  If you clearly said and shown this,  then your problem is with DJI support via chat.

My biggest disappointment with the Action is the lack of being able to support many "action" activities. With a Gopro I was always confident it could handle it whether jumping into water, jet skiing, attached to a mountain bike, side of a car, skiing  etc. I had a lens cover crack on my Action due to heat and wouldn't leap into water from a great height without sticking it in a marine case first.

90% of the time i'm happy with the output, it's just the lack of being robust that does it for me. I'm back to grabbing a Gopro if I need anything remotely "Action"

Maybe it's an "action" camera for armchair warriors.

MKosmo Posted at 10-23 07:30
My videos don’t turn out like the one below, but shows what can be done , very impressive !

https://youtu.be/RcSPbykhJt4

Great video, but I don't get such a high-quality video from my Osmo action. It always has noise in the video and HDR is a complete joke.. If all settings on Auto, the footage looks like it was captured with a cheap 4k Chinese camera.

Kaceyx Posted at 11-15 21:34
Great video, but I don't get such a high-quality video from my Osmo action. It always has noise in the video and HDR is a complete joke.. If all settings on Auto, the footage looks like it was captured with a cheap 4k Chinese camera.

Yeah I agree hdr mode is a waste of time, just use normal video mode.  Keep iso at 100 for less noise.

The video was also colour graded after shooting.  
They identified good interesting shots and had amazing light to work with.

It’s a skill to get videos like this and I guess that’s why I like it, shows what can be done and it’s a case of improving technique and understanding the limitations of the hardware.

MKosmo Posted at 10-23 07:30
My videos don’t turn out like the one below, but shows what can be done , very impressive !

https://youtu.be/RcSPbykhJt4

Wow - some people have talent.  But then again he is a professional.  Thanks for sharing.

Kaceyx Posted at 2019-11-15 21:34
Great video, but I don't get such a high-quality video from my Osmo action. It always has noise in the video and HDR is a complete joke.. If all settings on Auto, the footage looks like it was captured with a cheap 4k Chinese camera.

I agree.  I have to fuss with exposure it does not handle going in and out of light/shade and if you use HDR you have no RS. If you use auto the iso goes so high it is grainy and as you said more like a cheap Chinese camera.  If you can’t get decent action shots because you are constantly adjusting the camera what good is it?  If you are in a an environment with a single light level, e.g. bright sun the whole time it might be ok.

I see many people with smartphones.  but who again wants to put a smartphone in Action ...

Fishycomics Posted at 1-18 05:46
I see many people with smartphones.  but who again wants to put a smartphone in Action ...

I do. All the time. Best thing about it is I can still use my internet and the camera at the time time where when using the Osmo Action I lose internet on my phone.

Why did you buy the action if it did not meet your needs? Seems like your complaining about your lack of market research before you spent your money.

SO yea last nite. timewarp.  Could have  done w/o the lighting effect , Lol complain about it and gopr was teh same Lol so it's me  NOPE. maybe the location, Hmmm  Think not.

Clackers Posted at 2019-10-10 15:26
I agree. I use it quite a lot on land but mostly in the water.
The sound quality in the water is so bad I get rid of it. Also, my settings seem to randomly change while in the surf. A wave hitting the screen change the settings? or fawlty camera?
never happens on land.

I just bought one for myself, and I am experiencing some issues like yours. The camera settings are automatically switched. And once my custom shooting modes were completely empty. I don't know what happened.

I was also disappointed from the image quality, It has plenty of grains in the footage. I own DJI Mavic 2 Pro, and I am really satisfied with it. May be this is just designed for bright days only. I hope the new successor may have a better a footage.

Apart from that, a good tiny camera for me to shoot the BTS.

nhandoli Posted at 2-24 08:24
I just bought one for myself, and I am experiencing some issues like yours. The camera settings are automatically switched. And once my custom shooting modes were completely empty. I don't know what happened.

I was also disappointed from the image quality, It has plenty of grains in the footage. I own DJI Mavic 2 Pro, and I am really satisfied with it. May be this is just designed for bright days only. I hope the new successor may have a better a footage.

In water, have you tried the screen lock feature ? It’s the padlock on the settings screen.

For limiting grain have you tried limiting the max iso ?   It’s not great in low light but this may help.