As the hours pass since the launch the number of reviews complaining about overheating constantly and areas such as the UK and the EU the camera stops recording at around 3 minutes when set on 4K 120 due to the “operate at higher temprature” feature disabled in this region.

I’ve also seen some complaining about the rock steady creating erratic movements when used in fast rotating shots such as fpv.

All in all this has scared me from even opening the product when it arrives and may just return it, for this price I was not expecting such big flaws.

I love the form factor and weight for something that seems quite robust with decent enough video quality but if it needs to be cooled down constantly as well as some of the other issues then I’m not sure it would be a keeper,

Can these issues even be solved?
Any one got their hands on one yet in UK/EU?
What are your thoughts?

Have you seen this guys video,  he's UK -

DAFlys Posted at 10-29 05:24
Have you seen this guys video,  he's UK - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZW_l33T1io

Now that is a clickable thumbnail for sure.

Montfrooij Posted at 10-29 06:55
Now that is a clickable thumbnail for sure.

I can totally agree with that.  

DAFlys Posted at 10-29 05:24
Have you seen this guys video,  he's UK - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZW_l33T1io

The fix is simple, but.... Not very practical in many solutions.

DAFlys Posted at 10-29 06:56
I can totally agree with that.

But he is (unfortunately) no exception.
As is this video in being WAAAAAY too long for what it wants to tell.

Montfrooij Posted at 10-29 06:58
The fix is simple, but.... Not very practical in many solutions.

In the eu the over heat protection is forced in and we can’t change it.

Montfrooij Posted at 10-29 07:01
But he is (unfortunately) no exception.
As is this video in being WAAAAAY too long for what it wants to tell.

It was a bit longer than needed.

DAFlys Posted at 10-29 07:09
In the eu the over heat protection is forced in and we can’t change it.

I was referring to the SD card.

DAFlys Posted at 10-29 07:09
It was a bit longer than needed.

He could have said it in 1 minute I guess.
So that is 1/7th

Montfrooij Posted at 10-29 07:12
I was referring to the SD card.

That’s not simple if you popping it on your helmet or drone.

Montfrooij Posted at 10-29 07:12
He could have said it in 1 minute I guess.
So that is 1/7th

Some of the other footage quality was good to see though.

DAFlys Posted at 10-29 05:24
Have you seen this guys video,  he's UK - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZW_l33T1io

Thanks for posting, this makes more sense, also believe under water or on the ski slope recording will be longer as outdoor unit can cool down .

BTW he’s from South of Ireland, we gained independence in 1916 ;+)

hallmark007 Posted at 10-29 07:44
Thanks for posting, this makes more sense, also believe under water or on the ski slope recording will be longer as outdoor unit can cool down .

BTW he’s from South of Ireland, we gained independence in 1916 ;+)

Its interesting the EU rules lock us out of that option.

DAFlys Posted at 10-29 07:47
Its interesting the EU rules lock us out of that option.

I’m guessing its CE regulation or just a mistake in the FW… Nut’s…

hallmark007 Posted at 10-29 07:59
I’m guessing its CE regulation or just a mistake in the FW… Nut’s…

I suspect its to protect us from potentially burning ourselves.

DAFlys Posted at 10-29 07:12
That’s not simple if you popping it on your helmet or drone.

No indeed. (not practical).
But it feels a bit like a design flaw in the race to the bottom.

DAFlys Posted at 10-29 07:14
Some of the other footage quality was good to see though.

It was for sure.

Montfrooij Posted at 10-29 09:24
No indeed. (not practical).
But it feels a bit like a design flaw in the race to the bottom.

Perhaps there just going for a different niche. It it’s fixable in firmware.   But the review I saw didn’t like how to download the footage off the standalone camera much.

Montfrooij Posted at 10-29 09:24
It was for sure.

The sound was pretty good too.

Thanks DAFlys,
Yea the SD, attach screen option is not a possible solution for me, I need it to be as small and light as possible. Let's see what DJI has to say about this. I would assume this is more of a hardware issue.

DAFlys Posted at 10-29 09:36
The sound was pretty good too.

It was. Considering the build.

FrootWhoopz Posted at 10-29 09:57
Thanks DAFlys,
Yea the SD, attach screen option is not a possible solution for me, I need it to be as small and light as possible. Let's see what DJI has to say about this. I would assume this is more of a hardware issue.

Fingers crossed for a firmware update.

Montfrooij Posted at 10-29 11:27
It was. Considering the build.

The build or the wind?

FrootWhoopz Posted at 10-29 15:23
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85yg0M4GYZU

Thanks for sharing.  Very interesting video.  

firmwares are alway as released after new products to add what they want in

If this is some kind of regulation in the EU, it's hard to think that other camera's sold there is able to change that setting and DJI seems to be the only one following the regulation.

FrootWhoopz Posted at 10-30 05:36
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaqfXr6xlLs

If those are the temperatures measured from outside, god knows how hot it is inside. I don't think we have to wait long before we start seeing "swollen" Action 2s...

CemAygun Posted at 10-30 20:17
If those are the temperatures measured from outside, god knows how hot it is inside. I don't think we have to wait long before we start seeing "swollen" Action 2s...

I think your right, scary temps.

JodyB Posted at 10-30 06:40
If this is some kind of regulation in the EU, it's hard to think that other camera's sold there is able to change that setting and DJI seems to be the only one following the regulation.

This issue is inherent in very small cameras with high data rates and lots of processing happening.  The laws of physics apply.  DJI would have tested this aspect and they don't want a load of Care Refresh claims, nor litigation from combusted houses or customers.  It gets hot, especially indoors.  Bear that in mind and act accordingly.  I mean, so does the flame of a candle...

So far I've not had the slightest problem in real-world outdoor use.  If I did an hour long one-take  'city walk' video, maybe I'd have an issue.  But right now my enthusiasm for an hour's walk is kind of limited...  

fansfe82067d Posted at 10-31 01:58
This issue is inherent in very small cameras with high data rates and lots of processing happening.  The laws of physics apply.  DJI would have tested this aspect and they don't want a load of Care Refresh claims, nor litigation from combusted houses or customers.  It gets hot, especially indoors.  Bear that in mind and act accordingly.  I mean, so does the flame of a candle...

So far I've not had the slightest problem in real-world outdoor use.  If I did an hour long one-take  'city walk' video, maybe I'd have an issue.  But right now my enthusiasm for an hour's walk is kind of limited...

Yeah, I understand the logistics as to why DJI has the option turned off. Just saying compared to no one else turning that option of just doesn’t as up on that front. Here in the U.S. someone would sue because they got burnt. Some woman sued McDonald’s over getting burnt by coffee. Thus why they had to put “caution, hot coffee” on all their cups.

FrootWhoopz Posted at 10-30 05:36
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaqfXr6xlLs

Good video, with a lot of useful information. From watching other videos and reviews I'm thinking you might have a faulty  unit. I don't recall anyone else mentioning the charging issue or the file transfer time. The internal 1s non replaceable battery could be an issue. My experience with them in my whoops has not been good, but it's a $5 replacement so not a big deal, on the Action 2 it will be a big deal. Think you'd definitely need DJI Care on it.

Going off topic slightly - personally I think the term "geofencing" while strictly correct is a bit misleading as DJI aren't stopping you from using the Action2 due to your location - similar to how they might stop drone use near an airport.  This is more to do with the requirement to implement certain laws which are relevant in a particular location.

I got the last one at my local Best Buy last night and the form factor is really nice, however in my cool basement 68 degrees it has been overheating even at 1080p 30.
for comparison my Osmo Action (orginal) one can record indefinitely at 1080p 30 with a external power bank in the exact same location with it mounted in the cage it comes with.
My use case is for Kayak fishing where you are not moving all the time and sometimes it can be pretty calm with no wind and with outside temps in the 90s during the summer.
There are a lot of uses where it could be sitting static with no breeze or fan blowing on it, i.e. timelapse, web cam etc.

it's almost like they used a CPU that gets hotter than hell and maybe didn't put thermal compound on it who knows.   They really need to address the heat issues.

snorkel Posted at 11-4 06:58
I got the last one at my local Best Buy last night and the form factor is really nice, however in my cool basement 68 degrees it has been overheating even at 1080p 30.
for comparison my Osmo Action (orginal) one can record indefinitely at 1080p 30 with a external power bank in the exact same location with it mounted in the cage it comes with.
My use case is for Kayak fishing where you are not moving all the time and sometimes it can be pretty calm with no wind and with outside temps in the 90s during the summer.

Please remember the Action 2 is a brand new product, I'm sure there will be lots of future firmware releases which will address this and other issues that have already been highlighted.

fansfe82067d Posted at 10-31 01:58
This issue is inherent in very small cameras with high data rates and lots of processing happening.  The laws of physics apply.  DJI would have tested this aspect and they don't want a load of Care Refresh claims, nor litigation from combusted houses or customers.  It gets hot, especially indoors.  Bear that in mind and act accordingly.  I mean, so does the flame of a candle...

So far I've not had the slightest problem in real-world outdoor use.  If I did an hour long one-take  'city walk' video, maybe I'd have an issue.  But right now my enthusiasm for an hour's walk is kind of limited...

No surprise taking into account that DJI write low-res files in parallel that take 30% of space and I am sure about the same share of computing power.

Im in the UK and haven't had any problems using the Action 2 outdoors - just like I would use my GoPro.

As long as you have some airflow, or use it outdoors, you should be fine....

The SmallRig metal cages have thermal pads with external heatsinks - the company states the camera runs up to 40% cooler because of it: