Which one is actually best of Action 4 and Action 5 Pro?  Which have the best sharpness? Best focus? And stabilization? Which is best for night timelapse? Bitrate does it matter? Which takes the best image?

Why is the stabilization so bad on the OA5?   Was the mount loose only on the action 5 camera?

You’ve made me change my mind….. the Action 5 is coming out on my cruise with me!

The zero level of sharpness on the 4 seems to match better with -2 on the 5. So when the 5 has its minimum amount of sharpness on, it’s still pretty strong. On zero, the 5 looks too over sharpened to me. Night mode is even worse.

Close focus is better on the 5. Colour looks good on yours as well. Loved that water with the stones in the bottom. So clean!!!

I had forgotten about that mode thing for Sport and Daily. I’m guessing that’s a minimum shutter control. Can’t access that in D Log-M, so I haven’t used it yet.

Nice test.

I will say this it reminds me when GoPro changed their design of the camera casing,   the fibers. now for the  camera, the good thing is  here you have both, for those that are looking for the best, you made it easier for them to choose , that said enjoyed the shot and happy filming

fansf8608e94 Posted at 10-8 07:40
Why is the stabilization so bad on the OA5?   Was the mount loose only on the action 5 camera?

I was wondering about that, but I see that he switched between Sports mode and Daily mode, which I don’t think is stabilisation. I think it’s a shutter limiter.

The stabilisation is the same as the 4…. At least it was when I compared mine.

The mount thing might be to do with mixing and matching. If you have the Action 2, 3, 4 and 5, I ‘think’ there is a tiny size difference on the little clips. I have one clip that is loose and another that is tight as well, but I’m not sure which camera the loose one comes from. They send out a little rubber pad to stop that rattling, but my guess is that few people probably use them.

fansf8608e94 Posted at 10-8 07:40
Why is the stabilization so bad on the OA5?   Was the mount loose only on the action 5 camera?

The mount was the same on both so I can't explain it. I actually had to tripple check filenames to be sure it was OA5 and not OA4 footage.

Iancraig10 Posted at 10-8 07:49
You’ve made me change my mind….. the Action 5 is com8ng out on my cruise with me!

The zero level of sharpness on the 4 seems to match better with -2 on the 5. So when the 5 has its minimum amount of sharpness on, it’s still pretty strong. On zero, the 5 looks too over sharpened to me. Night mode is even worse.

You actually discovered the same as me when I was editing this, that OA5 with -2 texture is still as sharp or sharper than 0 sharpness on OA4. And the focus distance on OA5 is way better with close and distance focus.
This lake is actually a reserve drinking water for that village I passed to this place, so yes it is pretty clean water with no green algae (no polution).

I think the stabilization on OA5 looks terrible in comparison to OA4, but this was like an extreme shaking test.

Fishycomics Posted at 10-8 08:00
I will say this it reminds me when GoPro changed their design of the camera casing,   the fibers. now for the  camera, the good thing is  here you have both, for those that are looking for the best, you made it easier for them to choose , that said enjoyed the shot and happy filming

Thanks, and I actually enjoyed recording theese tests since you could hear it was so quiet there making me do proper tests without getting disturbed.

johansenfoto Posted at 10-8 08:23
You actually discovered the same as me when I was editing this, that OA5 with -2 texture is still as sharp or sharper than 0 sharpness on OA4. And the focus distance on OA5 is way better with close and distance focus.
This lake is actually a reserve drinking water for that village I passed to this place, so yes it is pretty clean water with no green algae (no polution).

It’s not quite as good at stabilisation is it? I just tried the same with mine and it looks just like what you’re getting. Maybe DJI need to look at that. Something is quite different.

johansenfoto Posted at 10-8 08:24
Thanks, and I actually enjoyed recording theese tests since you could hear it was so quiet there making me do proper tests without getting disturbed.

I will say this hope a new comer chooses right if they choose wrong they will not be disappointed at all

HB on OA5 is at this moment is horrible.

It takes 20 seconds to stabilise after you start recording, Its ok after that.

I already returned 1 OA5, maybe I will return the replacement as this is a deal breaker for me have good stabilisation from the get go.
I have spoken to Admin here and shared video with the problem.

I think DR is definitely better on the A5, photos also seem to have more detail, as far as rocksteady (stability) I found the test strange and couldn’t judge from that test. I think you needed to do them seperate or both fast walking running or driving ;+) . I was imagining you shaking left to right both together so one camera is going to receive mare shaking and this is how it looked to me. The video on the 5 looked like it had more detail but something didn’t look right the sky looked like it had more detail but I suspect the colour wasn’t right also lots of greens looked yellow , the 4 didn’t look as good but looked more real and I think it suffered a little with the DR the conditions were very harsh . The lights were very similar the 4 if I was pushed to pick one.

Something is wrong with the colours produced when the 5 is filming into the sun greens with the sun on them look very yellow, turn away from the sun and colours are fine. Some optimization needs to be done.

Iancraig10 Posted at 10-8 08:37
It’s not quite as good at stabilisation is it? I just tried the same with mine and it looks just like what you’re getting. Maybe DJI need to look at that. Something is quite different.

From this test I was actually "shocked" that OA4 had so much better stabilization than OA5. Really hope they will fix it soon. Also could not see that the difference between daily (vlog) and sport (action), or not much difference.

I see I need to do some new and better tests on this.

In the sun Posted at 10-8 10:10
HB on OA5 is at this moment is horrible.

It takes 20 seconds to stabilise after you start recording, Its ok after that.

From my test HB didn't see that bad, but didn't test about it not being active until later.

Hallmark007 Posted at 10-8 10:52
I think DR is definitely better on the A5, photos also seem to have more detail, as far as rocksteady (stability) I found the test strange and couldn’t judge from that test. I think you needed to do them seperate or both fast walking running or driving ;+) . I was imagining you shaking left to right both together so one camera is going to receive mare shaking and this is how it looked to me. The video on the 5 looked like it had more detail but something didn’t look right the sky looked like it had more detail but I suspect the colour wasn’t right also lots of greens looked yellow , the 4 didn’t look as good but looked more real and I think it suffered a little with the DR the conditions were very harsh . The lights were very similar the 4 if I was pushed to pick one.

Something is wrong with the colours produced when the 5 is filming into the sun greens with the sun on them look very yellow, turn away from the sun and colours are fine. Some optimization needs to be done.

I did shake both cameras back and forth like really shaking it like you will do with a drink at bar lol.

OA5 did for me have better both video and photo, but I also find it strange that OA4 did best at timelapse at night.

johansenfoto Posted at 10-8 11:07
From this test I was actually "shocked" that OA4 had so much better stabilization than OA5. Really hope they will fix it soon. Also could not see that the difference between daily (vlog) and sport (action), or not much difference.

I see I need to do some new and better tests on this.

I found the same with my 4 and 5 this afternoon after seeing your test. There is a point where the severity of the shaking sets the 5 off I think.  Just a bit less and it suddenly stops. My 4 does better with shaking as well so it’s not just yours. You'd think the 5 would be better because it seems to choose a very high shutter speed on auto; even raising the iso for an even faster shutter. So it should have been getting a relatively more sharp image to stabilise.

The lights were surprising as well. The 4 picked out more pinpricks from the stars than the 5. I didn’t expect that either.

It’ll be interesting to see what is tweaked with the new firmware. The sharpness seems a bit heavy on the 5 to me so it appears to have more detail at the same sharpness setting.

As for the colour….. well, my first impression was that the 5 was exposing brighter than the 4 in daylight but it might have been more to do with those greens and the better dynamic range of the 5.

johansenfoto Posted at 10-8 11:12
I did shake both cameras back and forth like really shaking it like you will do with a drink at bar lol.

OA5 did for me have better both video and photo, but I also find it strange that OA4 did best at timelapse at night.

What were the settings for night shooting ?
Is there more of a crop on the A4?

Iancraig10 Posted at 10-8 11:27
I found the same with my 4 and 5 this afternoon after seeing your test. There is a point where the severity of the shaking sets the 5 off I think.  Just a bit less and it suddenly stops. My 4 does better with shaking as well so it’s not just yours. You'd think the 5 would be better because it seems to choose a very high shutter speed on auto; even raising the iso for an even faster shutter. So it should have been getting a relatively more sharp image to stabilise.

The lights were surprising as well. The 4 picked out more pinpricks from the stars than the 5. I didn’t expect that either.

Interesting that you got the same result as me, because then we have established that there is actually quite a big difference in the stabilization. Think it might have something to do with OA5 having that quad pixel thing or whatever it was called?
But our shaking is also very extreme and it will probably not occur in normal video production. But I just wanted to test this to see if there was a difference, and it was.

Regarding the colors, I didn't study them too closely until I was about done with the edit today, and then I saw that there was quite a big difference sometimes in the highlights.

After this test, I found that -2 texture is enough sharpening so we don't need to set it any higher. But this was too static video, will probably have slightly different requirements for action. This was something I noticed with OA4 last year.

Hallmark007 Posted at 10-8 11:43
What were the settings for night shooting ?
Is there more of a crop on the A4?

It says in the video, ISO 3200 and 13s shutterspeed.
They are not cropped, both shot at vertical mount beside each other.

Ok thanks for the answer. But I meant is the A4 slightly more cropped Than the A5 , it looks as if its slightly more cropped as standard on your video, if it is and it looks like it is might explain the stabilization. The more crop the better the stabilization.

Hallmark007 Posted at 10-8 13:15
Ok thanks for the answer. But I meant is the A4 slightly more cropped Than the A5 , it looks as if its slightly more cropped as standard on your video, if it is and it looks like it is might explain the stabilization. The more crop the better the stabilization.

It could be more cropped, but it could also be that the sensor is little smaller, lens wider etc.
That is something we should be testing out.

Whatever the reason is, it’s not quite up to the Action 4 stability. It didn’t seem to show on bike videos but maybe the shaking on bikes is just under its threshold?

When I copied your test on mine yesterday, I got the same on close objects while slightly more distant things were just about moving. Better than my Sony and Canon cameras though but not great news for rough action sport.

Iancraig10 Posted at 10-8 23:48
Whatever the reason is, it’s not quite up to the Action 4 stability. It didn’t seem to show on bike videos but maybe the shaking on bikes is just under its threshold?

When I copied your test on mine yesterday, I got the same on close objects while slightly more distant things were just about moving. Better than my Sony and Canon cameras though but not great news for rough action sport.

I have also tested it while driving with my atv and the stabilization is more than good enough it seems like, but for extreme it perform worse than OA4.

johansenfoto Posted at 10-9 01:11
I have also tested it while driving with my atv and the stabilization is more than good enough it seems like, but for extreme it perform worse than OA4.

You’re right. This guy is a runner and he has problems with its stabilisation in comparison to the 4. Especially in low light. Trying it this morning in auto with lower light, it wasn't great for me. Action 4 was better with control of the jitters.

Also, Action 4 chooses a lower shutter speed and iso in auto mode than the 5. Back to the 4,  I think for the time being. It looks a bit more natural overall  I think. I'll wait until the 5 gets a decent update before using it properly.

johansenfoto Posted at 10-8 23:03
It could be more cropped, but it could also be that the sensor is little smaller, lens wider etc.
That is something we should be testing out.

I’m not disputing the what the video showed on stability, but it’s hardly relative, nobody will ever be filming shaking the camera like that unless they are filming in a washing machine serves no purpose and thats why I asked if the crop was less on the A5, I think cameras particularly big sensor digital cameras with no crop or very little crop if you shook them like that you’d get similar results. The test just showed shaking the camera like that rendered both cameras useless if you film like that. There are many tests for both cameras on YT filming in the real world showing little or no difference in stabilization, many using for the most extreme sports are using other methods of stabilizing like gyro flow particularly in FPV FLYING on A5 A4 GO PROS ETC, and even that aside the stabilizing is extremely good on all these cameras with little or no deviation. One who uses insta 360 or go pro will believe their stabilization is better but you just have difficulty seeing it, so there a balance of how much to crop to get the desired stabilization, when digital stabilization was introduced first cropping was massive it has got better over time and we now see less cropping an more real estate being recorded.
I wouldn’t worry about the stabilization to me it looks fine and comparison tests have shown nothing and using gyro for extreme sports is exceptional from tests I’ve seen.

My point was simply is the A4 more cropped than A5 and the answer is yes.

Hi there, thank you for sharing your genuine feedback. We truly appreciate your effort in this video and we'll make sure to pass it on to the right team for review. We're always striving to make things better and better, so please stay tuned to the latest news on our DJI official website at www.dji.com. 

Thank you so much for your understanding and support!

Iancraig10 Posted at 10-9 01:47
You’re right. This guy is a runner and he has problems with its stabilisation in comparison to the 4. Especially in low light. Trying it this morning in auto with lower light, it wasn't great for me. Action 4 was better with control of the jitters.

Also, Action 4 chooses a lower shutter speed and iso in auto mode than the 5. Back to the 4,  I think for the time being. It looks a bit more natural overall  I think. I'll wait until the 5 gets a decent update before using it properly.

I had to rewatch his video, and yes the stutter in stabilization in low light doesn't look good at all, and is close to what I managed to capture with my extreme shaking.
Was thinking maybe I should compare it to OA4 while doing action in low light also.
But I do really love this camera, just use it in daylight and not for action in bad light

johansenfoto Posted at 10-9 02:51
I had to rewatch his video, and yes the stutter in stabilization in low light doesn't look good at all, and is close to what I managed to capture with my extreme shaking.
Was thinking maybe I should compare it to OA4 while doing action in low light also.
But I do really love this camera, just use it in daylight and not for action in bad light

It’s a toss of the coin I think at the moment between the 4 and 5 for me.

Man you will get an answer to your dreams

johansenfoto Posted at 10-9 02:51
I had to rewatch his video, and yes the stutter in stabilization in low light doesn't look good at all, and is close to what I managed to capture with my extreme shaking.
Was thinking maybe I should compare it to OA4 while doing action in low light also.
But I do really love this camera, just use it in daylight and not for action in bad light

Look people posting videos of comparisons like the one above with not a single comparison in it cannot be taken serious. Videos taken at night time small sensors are exposed. If they want to post actual nighttime testing with similar testing IE like running in very low light with two or three cameras side by side thats a comparison. The stabilizing on the A5 is good I see nothing bad with it. I think if low light is more of a problem with this camera than others then thats the test to do but should be done in a real world test not crash test dummies.

MIdnight Shooting will have to be Controlled, do not expect to run in the dark and get fluid smooth Jitterfree shots, if you find a setting that works for you Post it up, share it, anyone???

I find it works quite well on the bike as long as I do not move fast and   I compared  what I like,  this will never end, its a never ending story


No light no video, light must be on the subject and around to  get the best shot but the flares is another topic

Fishycomics Posted at 10-9 03:13
MIdnight Shooting will have to be Controlled, do not expect to run in the dark and get fluid smooth Jitterfree shots, if you find a setting that works for you Post it up, share it, anyone???

I find it works quite well on the bike as long as I do not move fast and   I compared  what I like,  this will never end, its a never ending story

Low light will always be tricky whatever you use. What that runner was getting might just be the result of what the auto in camera decided to choose. It does choose different settings from the 4 in the same lighting.  But I’ve found that it seems to favour a high shutter so the stabilisation should work ok (ish) in slightly duller conditions. Maybe it was darker than we think in his video?

That same guy has done a 4/5 comparison in proper daylight and tbh, they’re both on a level. The 5 is probably slightly better. Not a lot between them.

Iancraig10 Posted at 10-9 04:09
Low light will always be tricky whatever you use. What that runner was getting might just be the result of what the auto in camera decided to choose. It does choose different settings from the 4 in the same lighting.  But I’ve found that it seems to favour a high shutter so the stabilisation should work ok (ish) in slightly duller conditions. Maybe it was darker than we think in his video?

When I pass a Major motion studio film set I ask myself why that balloon and light if cameras like the Action 5 Pro can do the Job

Fishycomics Posted at 10-9 04:37
When I pass a Major motion studio film set I ask myself why that balloon and light if cameras like the Action 5 Pro can do the Job

Ha …. Tie one of those to your back……

Iancraig10 Posted at 10-9 04:40
Ha …. Tie one of those to your back……

As one will need light in night or expect the shot you are after  to as is

If you want acceptable stabilization while in low light condition you will have to accept some noise from high iso, from what I have tested you can't let the shutter speed go below 1/100 before heavy jittering appear. In auto mode, the camera will let the shutter speed go below 1/100 even when it is not that dark.

peloncr Posted at 10-9 05:12
If you want acceptable stabilization while in low light condition you will have to accept some noise from high iso, from what I have tested you can't let the shutter speed go below 1/100 before heavy jittering appear. In auto mode, the camera will let the shutter speed go below 1/100 even when it is not that dark.

Yeah I fully agree

peloncr Posted at 10-9 05:12
If you want acceptable stabilization while in low light condition you will have to accept some noise from high iso, from what I have tested you can't let the shutter speed go below 1/100 before heavy jittering appear. In auto mode, the camera will let the shutter speed go below 1/100 even when it is not that dark.

Exactly. The one thing that some of us are finding though with the Action 5 is that it seems to want to choose a faster shutter in auto than the 4. So that running guy must have been in a very dark situation and had limited the iso 100-800 perhaps.

Someone did a test for stabilisation and came to the conclusion that 1/160th was the minimum needed and even then, there were small glitches in lights.

Even in bright sunlight, my Action 5 doesn’t want to go to an ISO of 100. Instead, it chooses somewhere around 380 and SPEEDS the shutter up. At least that was what it was doing yesterday when we actually got some sun! No doubt because it's an action cam and is geared to capture quick movement type stuff.

So I have no idea what he was doing to get that awful running footage. I suspect that he had some weird settings or it was just too dark. Nevertheless, it 'seems' a fraction more jittery than the 4. in real situations it might be negligible though. Mine was fine this afternoon in the shade!

The slightly closer focus is great for vlogging. Just that small difference from the 4 makes quite a difference.

peloncr Posted at 10-9 05:12
If you want acceptable stabilization while in low light condition you will have to accept some noise from high iso, from what I have tested you can't let the shutter speed go below 1/100 before heavy jittering appear. In auto mode, the camera will let the shutter speed go below 1/100 even when it is not that dark.

This is the video that should have been posted it shows clearly no difference between Stabilizing in both 4/5 or certainly no visable difference, and his lowlight video was done in auto max iso 800.

Hallmark007 Posted at 10-9 08:34
This is the video that should have been posted it shows clearly no difference between Stabilizing in both 4/5 or certainly no visable difference, and his lowlight video was done in auto max iso 800.

Yes, he has more of a grip in this one and they’re virtually identical. Slightly better dynamic range on the 5.

That other one with the low light just popped up in my feed and coincided with the shake test up top. It seemed more relevant to that shake test than a straight comparison in fair light. He's going to do another low light test I think. It'll be ski'ing at night next .......

I guess you can’t easily go wrong in good light, it’s the difficult lighting that trips people up. I think I'll have a go with mine to see what I get. Actually some of those shots look a bit under to me. Very dark.