I'm sorry DJI. I want to love the DJI Action 3 but for now I will wait until you resolve this issue in the manufacturing process.
This video clearly shows the minimum focus distance is not calibrated properly and many suffer from this issue as I have seen in mostly all reviews.
I hope you will take notice and fix it in the next batch. For sure I will buy it then.

It is sharp when used in ultra wide it seems like

Plenty of comparison shots here - I don't think this reviewer commented on soft faces - perhaps indeed the lens quality varies.  The title is a bit click-bait - the review seems to conclude that bearing in mind value for money, the Action 3 isn't a bad buy.

There was nothing the matter with that video to my eyes. You are being far too picky

Bigplumbs Posted at 9-30 22:07
There was nothing the matter with that video to my eyes. You are being far too picky

You you are satisfied with it, then it's ok. I am not gonna try to convince you of something that is obvious. I personally, am not going to be satisfied with bad image quality when Osmo Action 1 and 2 does not display this problem. I want DJI to fix it because I truly believe this has the potential to be the best Action camera on all fronts.

fansfe82067d Posted at 9-30 16:35
Plenty of comparison shots here - I don't think this reviewer commented on soft faces - perhaps indeed the lens quality varies.  The title is a bit click-bait - the review seems to conclude that bearing in mind value for money, the Action 3 isn't a bad buy.

https://youtu.be/hm96UVR3UmI

It isn't a bad buy at all. I think it's amazing. Bu this is clearly something that needs to be fixed. Osmo Action 1 and 2 doesn't seem to have this problem.

andrei193 Posted at 10-1 00:55
It isn't a bad buy at all. I think it's amazing. Bu this is clearly something that needs to be fixed. Osmo Action 1 and 2 doesn't seem to have this problem.

OA1 is really soft compared to OA3

johansenfoto Posted at 10-1 01:09
OA1 is really soft compared to OA3

Then it furthers the evidence that OA3 has a batch o bad calibrated lenses. I had an OA1 that did not display this problem. Image was tack sharp. The face looked sharp. Even when processed and uploaded on youtube. Heck, even the 1080p looked sharper and less processed than GoPro Hero 10 at 4k. That was what I loved about it. I hope am I wrong, I hope it's a software thing that can be easily fixed. Nonetheless, I will wait for the next firmware update but it just looks more and more like a hardware problem. I remember the OA1 also had a slight redesign on the second or 3rd batch so DJI is known to fix these kind of things in in different batches.

Like all cameras including Go Pro and Action pocket etc they improve with FW updates, I own a A3 A2 and A1 and the A3 is an improvement on the first two and I don’t doubt it will get better. But some want it now others wait I don’t believe this has anything to do with bad batch. Bad batch is almost synonymous with all dji products but apart from a battery incident with inspire 2 and matrice you’ll find it hard to show any dji product that suffered from bad batch that’s usually the first myth passed out on dji new releases.

hallmark007 Posted at 10-1 03:45
Like all cameras including Go Pro and Action pocket etc they improve with FW updates, I own a A3 A2 and A1 and the A3 is an improvement on the first two and I don’t doubt it will get better. But some want it now others wait I don’t believe this has anything to do with bad batch. Bad batch is almost synonymous with all dji products but apart from a battery incident with inspire 2 and matrice you’ll find it hard to show any dji product that suffered from bad batch that’s usually the first myth passed out on dji new releases.

I agree with you that DJI has great software improvements. DJI OA1 is testament to that. But oh boy you're wrong about the bad batches being a myth. I experienced it with almost all products.

Osmo Pocket 1
- first one: autofocus that would not stop hunting.
- second one months apart: perfect out of the box - noticed different lens protector coating and also came in a different box.

Osmo Action 1:
- waited a few more months and lurked on forums and watched all I can find on youtube. I remember many complaints, some even with bad focused lens. Bought on discount. Observed a small redesign of the holes on the side - if I remember correctly I think it was for better heat dissipation. The little door were you accessed the charging port and SD card would rattle out of the box and affected audio. Bought a spare one (solved the problem).

DJI Mini 1:
- first one: Bad gimbal (it would initiate differently than what I have seen on youtube and made strange noises). Random disconnects. Sent it back.
- second one from different batch months apart: observed better build quality and all worked well out of the box.

DJI Mini 2:
- first one: defocused lens (very soft edges) - unacceptable quality when taking photos. Sent it back.
- second one, newer different batch: better lens in terms of softness but still noticeable in photos. Noticed, strangely, slightly worse build quality. Gimbal made strange noises when initiating the gimbal (also it initiated differently than the first). Sent it to warranty. The report said they changed the gimbal but told them to keep it and they gave me the money back.
- third one, months apart: This one was perfect in terms of sharpness. Better build quality. Came with one bad battery out of the box. Sent just the battery, received a good one. My favourite drone.

andrei193 Posted at 10-1 04:25
I agree with you that DJI has great software improvements. DJI OA1 is testament to that. But oh boy you're wrong about the bad batches being a myth. I experienced it with almost all products.

Osmo Pocket 1

These are not bad batches, bad batches are basically products that will be recalled. What you have is teething problems a well know phenomenon with almost all tech and camera manufacturers. Can you name one recall of any dji product because of bad batch as you call it .

All of those products became really good and effective products nothing to do with bad batches. I think if you read your own thread you’ll find that many if no most don’t get what you’re saying , simply because if they bought a product which was a bad batch product it would be returned without prejudice and this does not happen on mass as it would if there were bad batches. But yes some seem to have endless problems , you obviously had problems with every single dji product which is not normal in any way shape or form. Remember most of these dji products will be bought in the initial batches and if there was a bad batch problem then recalls would almost certainly be imminent, but this has never happened.
Read above it reads like you are the most unlucky guy to have purchased any dji products.

hallmark007 Posted at 10-1 04:46
These are not bad batches, bad batches are basically products that will be recalled. What you have is teething problems a well know phenomenon with almost all tech and camera manufacturers. Can you name one recall of any dji product because of bad batch as you call it .

All of those products became really good and effective products nothing to do with bad batches. I think if you read your own thread you’ll find that many if no most don’t get what you’re saying , simply because if they bought a product which was a bad batch product it would be returned without prejudice and this does not happen on mass as it would if there were bad batches. But yes some seem to have endless problems , you obviously had problems with every single dji product which is not normal in any way shape or form. Remember most of these dji products will be bought in the initial batches and if there was a bad batch problem then recalls would almost certainly be imminent, but this has never happened.

Common man. Are you gonna argue about technicalities with me. A bad batch is a bad batch, period. It's a line of products with obvious manufacturing defects that should be recalled. Will DJI do it? Of course not, it would spell disaster. They won't admit it in the first place. They prefer to replace the defective products right away and change the manufacturing line. We are basically beta testers. And since most people don't bother to send products back it's proof that the system is more worthy for them, economically-wise. The fact that, like you say, propagated as a myth it means there are enough people that had problems. I even understand it from an economical perspective, but in the long run they hurt user experience. Please read my post again. Call it teething problems if you want. This is the reality. Let's not forget Potato Jet who in two separate cases he called out some serious quality control issues. The last one being the DJI mini 2 propellers. This is how DJI does business. Probably is a factor in keeping the cost down. I got used to it. My post is for them to acknowledge the problem and fix it. I think it has the potential to be a great product, but people should call out this stuff.

andrei193 Posted at 10-1 07:16
Common man. Are you gonna argue about technicalities with me. A bad batch is a bad batch, period. It's a line of products with obvious manufacturing defects that should be recalled. Will DJI do it? Of course not, it would spell disaster. They won't admit it in the first place. They prefer to replace the defective products right away and change the manufacturing line. We are basically beta testers. And since most people don't bother to send products back it's proof that the system is more worthy for them, economically-wise. The fact that, like you say, propagated as a myth it means there are enough people that had problems. I even understand it from an economical perspective, but in the long run they hurt user experience. Please read my post again. Call it teething problems if you want. This is the reality. Let's not forget Potato Jet who in two separate cases he called out some serious quality control issues. The last one being the DJI mini 2 propellers. This is how DJI does business. Probably is a factor in keeping the cost down. I got used to it. My post is for them to acknowledge the problem and fix it. I think it has the potential to be a great product, but people should call out this stuff.

I think you should read your thread again, first you don’t own one and already you’re  having problems, I’m sure there is an isim for that. I do own one its working fine I know it will improve and the exact same thing can be said of the new go pro. I think if dji had batches of anything with manufacturing or hardware defects they would just recall them it would make no sense not to and thats why companies recall because not to can lead to years of bad publicity and considering dji own 80% of the drone market it shows the company is only going one way and its not down.

hallmark007 Posted at 10-1 09:04
I think you should read your thread again, first you don’t own one and already you’re  having problems, I’m sure there is an isim for that. I do own one its working fine I know it will improve and the exact same thing can be said of the new go pro. I think if dji had batches of anything with manufacturing or hardware defects they would just recall them it would make no sense not to and thats why companies recall because not to can lead to years of bad publicity and considering dji own 80% of the drone market it shows the company is only going one way and its not down.

Again. It seems you are offended by my thread and I don't understand why. Maybe YOU should read it again. I will own one for sure. I won't buy in the first months that's for sure. The chance of getting a bad one is pretty much guaranteed. I just explained on the above response why it would be a very bad idea for them to make a product recall. I never said DJI it's going down, don't know why you asumed so. I think they make great products when they finally perfect the manufacturing process. It's just tiring that they treat the first time buyers like beta testers. I admit, I wanted it now. That's all. I post here just to make sure that they see that there is a problem to be fixed.

P.S. That fact that you are waiting for it to improve proves my point and contradicts your statement that is working fine. If you are satisfied then it's all good. You can move on.

P.S. 2 when batteries from earlier drones would swell up and some of them caught fire, I didn't see any recall. The fact that they own 80% of the drone market permits them to have this behaviour of not recalling anything in the first place. Think about it.

Want more proof of bad calibrated lens. Look at this guys video at 7.09 and again at 7.21 (turn 4k on) - tack sharp background, defocused face.


P.S. at 7.28 man that is bad. I find it funny how reviewers dance around the problem.

andrei193 Posted at 10-1 09:22
Again. It seems you are offended by my thread and I don't understand why. Maybe YOU should read it again. I will own one for sure. I won't buy in the first months that's for sure. The chance of getting a bad one is pretty much guaranteed. I just explained on the above response why it would be a very bad idea for them to make a product recall. I never said DJI it's going down, don't know why you asumed so. I think they make great products when they finally perfect the manufacturing process. It's just tiring that they treat the first time buyers like beta testers. I admit, I wanted it now. That's all. I post here just to make sure that they see that there is a problem to be fixed.

P.S. That fact that you are waiting for it to improve proves my point and contradicts your statement that is working fine. If you are satisfied then it's all good. You can move on.

Im not waiting for it to improve, but it is part and parcel of buying dji products that they continue to improve them. But the same can be said of Fujifilm cannon etc. you are just looking for problems and refuse to accept all those who are happy with their purchase. The fact that you are sure you will get a bad one but will buy anyways makes no sense at all so pointless in further discussion here. But i am not having any of these problems you insist is common to this camera.

hallmark007 Posted at 10-1 12:10
Im not waiting for it to improve, but it is part and parcel of buying dji products that they continue to improve them. But the same can be said of Fujifilm cannon etc. you are just looking for problems and refuse to accept all those who are happy with their purchase. The fact that you are sure you will get a bad one but will buy anyways makes no sense at all so pointless in further discussion here. But i am not having any of these problems you insist is common to this camera.

Man stop cherry picking what you want from my thread. I said will buy after a few months. I am sure that I am gonna get a bad one if I buy one now. I wonder what you gonna misinterpret what I said now. Don't confuse firmware updates that fixes problems to firmware updates that adds new functionalities. Stop being a fanboy. I like the camera, I really do, I want DJI to succeed cause OA1 really was a wonder of an action cam and was very dear to me. Every sample I see is affected by this focus problem in some degree. Move on with your bitterness. By the way, I don't care what can be said by others, stop trying to soften a problem by putting attention to other ones problems.

hallmark007 Posted at 10-1 12:10
Im not waiting for it to improve, but it is part and parcel of buying dji products that they continue to improve them. But the same can be said of Fujifilm cannon etc. you are just looking for problems and refuse to accept all those who are happy with their purchase. The fact that you are sure you will get a bad one but will buy anyways makes no sense at all so pointless in further discussion here. But i am not having any of these problems you insist is common to this camera.

Also, please go and be happy with your purchase. I really am accepting of your happy experience with your camera. Really, go and be happy. I am glad you like it.

I agree it does look like there is a optical issue, although I hope it's not all of them since I ordered an osmo action and should get it this week hopefully.  This video seems to show a sharper more in focus action 3 so I'm hopeful...

Hi there. Thank you for reaching out and we're sorry for the trouble that this has caused. We may need to coordinate this issue with our designated team for attention. We will surely keep you posted once we have an update. Thank you for your understanding and support.

Like many camera products - manufacturers often do not get it right the first go.  Posting on this forum helps inform DJI Support of problems some users are having.  No one should have a problem with that.  The purpose is to make the product better for the user.

Here is what some are talking about.  I did not look into this until a certain someone - fanboi - said this was not so.  Now to be fair this is 4K vs 5.3K - so that may be part of the concern.  5.3K possibly may have that much more detail.  As well GoPro seems to have significantly better dynamic range as most all reviewers have reported.  It has often been concluded that the GoPro does in fact have better image quality detail.

Anyways here are screenshots to show the IQ variances.  It should quite apparent which one is which.

10-Bit Posted at 10-1 23:28
Like many camera products - manufacturers often do not get it right the first go.  Posting on this forum helps inform DJI Support of problems some users are having.  No one should have a problem with that.  The purpose is to make the product better for the user.

Here is what some are talking about.  I did not look into this until a certain someone - fanboi - said this was not so.  Now to be fair this is 4K vs 5.3K - so that may be part of the concern.  5.3K possibly may have that much more detail.  As well GoPro seems to have significantly better dynamic range as most all reviewers have reported.  It has often been concluded that the GoPro does in fact have better image quality detail.

Although on this one I can still detect defocus in this video, this is one of the better ones I saw. Although he tends to shoot further away from the face using a selfie stick, it might be that he is aware of the problem and tries to hide it. Look up at this video, it is atrocious:

DJI Paladin Posted at 10-1 21:46
Hi there. Thank you for reaching out and we're sorry for the trouble that this has caused. We may need to coordinate this issue with our designated team for attention. We will surely keep you posted once we have an update. Thank you for your understanding and support.

Hei, DJI Paladin! Thanks for responding.

andrei193 Posted at 10-1 23:50
Although on this one I can still detect defocus in this video, this is one of the better ones I saw. Although he tends to shoot further away from the face using a selfie stick, it might be that he is aware of the problem and tries to hide it. Look up at this video, it is atrocious:

It seems at 4Kp120 both the cameras are closer in IQ detail.  Whereas 5.3K simply destroys 4K.  Even so am still getting the OA3 because of its other attributes.  I liked the Action 2 for its small size - but battery draining too fast was the biggest problem.  Especially without the battery pack attached.  That really limited its usefulness in real world applications.  We pretty much had the front screen always attached except underwater.

No doubt DJI OA3 has some issues - but if they really value user input - they should update the product firmware/software - mounts - questions etc - and quickly respond with definitive corrective action.  Not responding promptly is not a good look for customer service and has the definite potential to lose market share.  When users feel ignored - the chances of losing business increases significantly.

has "Anyone" compared the OA1 , to  the revisioned OA3, not talking OA1, to A2 to pocket or gopro, insta, we are talking OA1 to OA3?  no guess then its right according DJI as staff here are just receptionists.

andrei193 Posted at 10-1 23:51
Hei, DJI Paladin! Thanks for responding.

You are very much welcome, Andrei. Please don't hesitate to reach us if you have other inquiries. Thank you for your valued support!

It would not be the first time they had this.

After seeing many videos showing out of focus issues with the Action 3, I've cancelled my order with Amazon which wasn't yet dispatched but due for delivery tomorrow. I will re-order once the issue has been corrected.

Fell Wanderer Posted at 10-3 01:02
After seeing many videos showing out of focus issues with the Action 3, I've cancelled my order with Amazon which wasn't yet dispatched but due for delivery tomorrow. I will re-order once the issue has been corrected.

Fell Wanderer, on this thread - Action 3 arrived faulty? - just stumbled across a video which pretty much confirms my thread:

----------

man  so no one is admitting to these issues,  

I can't believe the lenses aren't calibrated, but it sure looks bad at relatively short distances.
The first image is a photo taken in 16:9 and the printed sheet is an A4, so the camera is very close to the paper.
The second is a frame extracted from a 4K video, the difference is almost nil, both painful.
The third was taken with an old Samsung S9.
I mainly used this action camera to make FPV videos and it doesn't behave badly.
But if this is a real flaw I will do the RMA procedure.

MarcoR Posted at 10-4 01:51
I can't believe the lenses aren't calibrated, but it sure looks bad at relatively short distances.
The first image is a photo taken in 16:9 and the printed sheet is an A4, so the camera is very close to the paper.
The second is a frame extracted from a 4K video, the difference is almost nil, both painful.

Try and take a photo at the minimum focus distance to check - 0.3mm (30 cm) from the camera.

andrei193 Posted at 10-4 03:28
Try and take a photo at the minimum focus distance to check - 0.3mm (30 cm) from the camera.

I also tried 50 cm, same blur.

Can very wide angle lenses ever resolve the detail that a standard lens can, regardless of the sensor?  In the above (interesting) photos, the last sharp one is clearly taken with a lens which has a significantly smaller angle of view.

MarcoR Posted at 10-4 01:51
I can't believe the lenses aren't calibrated, but it sure looks bad at relatively short distances.
The first image is a photo taken in 16:9 and the printed sheet is an A4, so the camera is very close to the paper.
The second is a frame extracted from a 4K video, the difference is almost nil, both painful.

FYI this is real issue.  Prepare your RMA if the beta firmware does not correct the problem.  Apparently there is only a very slight improvement.  Review this thread here:

https://forum.dji.com/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=275123&extra=&page=2

10-Bit Posted at 10-4 11:10
FYI this is real issue.  Prepare your RMA if the beta firmware does not correct the problem.  Apparently there is only a very slight improvement.  Review this thread here:

https://forum.dji.com/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=275123&extra=&page=2

I have already activated the RMA procedure, today is the last day so I can't wait.
Bad thing for DJI, he has considerable experience on drones but with this product he really has a sin of naivety.
GoPro has decades of experience on these things, I think it is understandable that DJI still has to do the mess, but I would never have thought of such a blatant mistake.
What I wonder is how the various beta testers around the world before the official release of the product did not report this bad thing tremendously evident, I can not believe that the beta products worked well and those produced for distribution did not.
DJI Osmo Pocket 2, much older product works better in this thing, it should be the exact opposite.

MarcoR Posted at 10-4 21:43
I have already activated the RMA procedure, today is the last day so I can't wait.
Bad thing for DJI, he has considerable experience on drones but with this product he really has a sin of naivety.
GoPro has decades of experience on these things, I think it is understandable that DJI still has to do the mess, but I would never have thought of such a blatant mistake.

You cannot trust reviewers who are being sent the camera. At least the ones who post at launch date.

andrei193 Posted at 10-4 21:49
You cannot trust reviewers who are being sent the camera. At least the ones who post at launch date.

Surely I was naïve as a DJI, and I write it as a beta tester (of other things).
In the videos I made in FPV it did not behave badly, the image is always a little too soft compared to GoPro but still acceptable.
But from such a sensor I would have expected more.
Avata should install the same sensor and the videos seem much more detailed, probably due to a problem with the lenses in the case of my OA3.

This is a frame extracted from the comparison video I made between DJI FPV and Osmo Action 3.
As you can see, the focus of the lenses on distant subjects works quite well, even if the image is always too little detailed.
So for such a use the result is acceptable, but obviously those who buy this action cam do not necessarily do it only for this type of use.