It’s now officially action camera season – just a day after a huge GoPro Hero 13 Black leak revealed most of its specs, a new DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro leak has spilled the beans on its most likely rival.
The new packaging images shared by @JasperEllens on X (formerly Twitter) below appear to confirm the earlier rumors we saw in July that DJI’s GoPro rival will, like the DJI Osmo Action 4, stick with a 1/1.3-inch CMOS sensor with an f/2.8 aperture and 155-degree field of view – although this time the sensor is apparently “all-new”.
Otherwise, it’s not yet clear why DJI has given this model a ‘Pro’ moniker. One promising spec on the packaging is the four hours “extended battery life” – our DJI Osmo Action 4 review described its predecessor’s stamina as “middling”, so that would be a good quality-of-life upgrade.
Another bonus could be the “professional audio recording” with a DJI Mic connection, although it isn’t clear how that differs from the Action 4. You could already plug the receiver for the original DJI Mic into the camera’s USB-C port, so it isn’t yet clear if this is an upgrade or a refinement of that feature.
(Part 2. The #DJIACTION5PRO box) The camera brings ‘all-new’ 1/1.3 CMOS sensor. Precision tracking. 4 hours battery life. DJI MIC 2 connection and Horizonsteady. The package is a #adventurecombo. Cheers! pic.twitter.com/YEt4sEg7dfAugust 30, 2024
One area that does appear to have been polished is autofocus. The leaked box says you can track subjects with “enhanced precision”. We don’t yet know if DJI has improved another of our gripes about the Action 4 – its minimum focus distance being a fairly lengthy 0.4m – but that would be good news for action scenes at least.
There’s no word on pricing or a release date for the DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro yet, but given there upgrades appear to be minor we’d expect it to land in the region of $399 / £379 / AU$629 (like the Action 4). Does that new ‘Pro’ branding suggest DJI is planning to release a cheaper non-Pro model? Possibly, and given the leaks we may find out for sure very soon – once the DJI Neo launch on September 5 is out of the way.
Have we hit peak action cam?
The most striking thing about this DJI Action 5 Pro leak and the recent one we saw for the GoPro Hero 13 Black is that both cameras appear to be conservative upgrades – although that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
Many DJI and GoPro fans had hoped for a 1-inch sensor, but the fact that both of their 2024 flagships appear to be sticking with smaller sensors suggests that wasn’t practical – perhaps due to the impact on software features and the extra processing it would involve.
The Insta360 One R 1-inch edition remains an option if you want that sensor for lower light, while we also rate the 8K-capable Insta360 Ace Pro as one of the best action cameras you can buy (even though it costs a hefty $449 / £429 / AU$729). But the Action 5 Pro and Hero 13 Black should still prove to be reliable options at a slightly lower price.
These days, the real innovators in the action cam space are arguably the best 360 cameras like the Insta360 X4. We’re looking forward to hearing more about the long-awaited GoPro Max 2 – hopefully during the Hero 13 Black launch – and perhaps even DJI might be tempted into the space, if it isn’t distracted by its rumored mirrorless camera.
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mark.wilson@futurenet.com (Mark Wilson)
