- [Michael] This video is sponsored by Lolli.
I've been using GoPro cameras
for the better part of a decade to help make YouTube videos
and I love them,
but they've always had one frustrating shortcoming
and it took this camera to correct that.
It's the DJI Osmo Action
and it might just be the new best action camera.
(upbeat music)
You probably know DJI from its drones
or maybe its smartphone gimbals,
all of which are very popular.
These folks aren't some fly-by-night operation
doing a cheap GoPro knockoff.
They've demonstrated lots of optical alacrity
over the past few years.
In particular, DJI really shines
at stabilizing its cameras.
So before we even get to the hardware itself here,
I wanna show you some of the footage
I've shot with it over the past two weeks.
(upbeat music)
It's fortunate that DJI is good at stability
'cause that's something it needed to nail on its first try.
Why?
Well because the competition,
the GoPro Hero 7 I've been using
for a couple car reviews now
is just a box full of black magic that makes any shot
look like it came out of a steadicam.
And how does the Osmo Action do?
Well, it brings it.
Take a gander at this footage of the Osmo bouncing around
on a particularly potholey Uber ride
and then, check out what the camera was able to do with it.
Course, it doesn't take out the shakes entirely,
but it makes the footage usable
instead of the earthquake mess you'd expect from this.
For a more common example,
join some familiar fellow YouTuber faces
and me for a bike ride across the Google campus
during Google I/O.
The wide angle lens means I didn't really have to worry
about where I pointed the camera.
The stabilization took care of the occasional speed bump
and the noise cancellation worked very well
considering how much wind it was dealing with.
Listen to how clearly Michael Josh comes through here
even though he's like 15 feet behind me.
- [Woman] I would love to be in your video.
- Hey buddy, always welcome
to be in my video.
(upbeat music)
Then laugh with Heimaey and me
as we pretend to kick Danny Wenget
out of the Android statues garden.
I'm sorry, you're gonna have to go.
(laughing)
- Please get out of here. - Well but am Asian I got--
(laughing)
- You'll notice, as we take a spin through one of
Google's learning kitchens here that the audio
is almost clipped too much
and that's because I kept the wind-noise reduction toggle
on in the software.
You can turn it off to get the full scope
of the surrounding sound.
(people chattering)
I wanna point out something you've probably noticed,
the noise is a little high with some of those indoor shots
particularly these stills
and the color is a little washed out in some of these
outdoor shots on a bright day.
The scene sometimes looks slightly overexposed
like it's overcast.
While this doesn't really solve for that indoor grain,
but most of the time, I wasn't shooting with HDR enabled
'cause frankly, I didn't remember the option was there.
See, you kinda get used to using this touch screen
and forget that there's a whole physical button devoted to
changing modes from 4K to 4K HDR to slow motion,
which I'll show you with the help of
some parkour people in a second.
While we're out here though,
let's talk about the camera itself.
The casing is dust-proof,
shock-proof, for drops up to five feet,
temperature tested down to 14 degrees fahrenheit
and it's also water-proof down to 36 feet.
All pretty common, for an action camera,
so here's what's not.
A front mounted view finder.
Folks I've spent many an hour staring into
the blinking red light of a GoPro
and while it tells you it's filming,
it doesn't show you what the camera is seeing.
So this, this is a major game changer
and once you've used it, you won't wanna go back.
DJI has also done a better job than I expected
on the software.
You swipe in from the edges of the touch screen
to change modes and settings,
or review videos you've already shot.
For physical controls,
you've got that quick switch I mentioned before,
pro-tip, hold it down to flip between rear
and front screens.
And the record button, which will wake the camera up
and start recording in a couple seconds,
even if the camera is shut down
and between the status lights
and all the sound affects,
(rhythmic electronic beeping)
you'll never be confused about
whether the camera is recording or not.
(rhythmic electronic beeping)
The company held its briefing for this camera
at a parkour studio in Brooklyn
where a bunch of dudes way fitter than I am
did Casino Royale stuff for hours.
The shooting in the maximum resolution,
1080 p at 8x speed, I was able to capture some
pretty intense launches and landings.
I'll mention here that the initial batch of cameras
we had at this meeting were running
an older firmware version.
So the color science has been tweaked since.
Still, I found the slowmo quite impressive.
(upbeat music)
There's a lot I haven't gotten to yet,
which is why I hesitate to call this a full review.
Speech commands, remote control over WiFi,
screw-on ND filters, the weirdo battery
with its integrated door.
Heck, I haven't even done the most basic test yet.
(mumbles)
Yeah, because I wanna pout this side-by-side
with the Hero 7 and put it in a vehicle mount
and drive it on the same bumpy road.
- With a Galaxy S10 in between.
- Oh yeah maybe, Or maybe a Pixel 3
if you wanna real about the matter.
So I'll wait to explore those in a future video,
maybe a three-way face off between
the GoPro Hero 7, Insta 360 and this one.
Let me know if that's something you'd watch.
But after 14 days using this thing out in the real world,
I think I know what I'd say to someone
considering one of these,
stick around for the sponsor spot
and I'll share that afterwards.
(upbeat music)
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Happy shopping, and thanks to Lolli
for sponsoring this video.
(upbeat music)
the DJI Osmo Action is available now for $349
at DJI's website
and it'll come to retailers starting May 22nd.
That's before any trade-in credits
and it's $50 cheeper than the current
MSRP of the GoPro Hero 7 black.
Now, while I haven't shot side-by-side with the Hero 7,
my friend David Cogan at the Unlocker has.
And to my eye, these cameras are
very comparable in terms of stabilization.
With some of the color accuracy points
actually falling in DJI's favor.
I'll link ya to his video,
which has a lot more fun footage
and based on that and my experience,
I'll say this,
I'd have paid $50 more for the Osmo Action thanks
to the useful front-facing view finder.
So the fact that it costs $50 less
and delivers footage that I'd be more than happy to use as
part of a car review or RapidNadion video,
at least outdoors,
well it all adds up to an action camera
I don't hesitate to recommend.
(upbeat music)
Folks, I wanna hear what you wanna hear
about action cameras, is it a segment you'd like to
see me cover more of?
And would you like to see that three-way comparison
I mentioned before?
Drop me a line in the comments,
subscribe so you don't miss it
and check out my friend's videos featuring
the Osmo Action, I'm linking as many
as I can find down below.
Your everyday disclosure, this video produced using
a DJI Action review device on loan from DJI.
No compensation nor copy approval accepted or granted.
DJI is seeing this video at the same time you are.
Until nest time, thanks for watching
and stay mobile, my friends.