DJI Osmo Action 3: Far more battery life, fast charging and a spiffy new mount

DJI has accomplished one other 180 on its Osmo motion cam lineup. The unique Osmo Motion had a traditional GoPro look, however then with the Motion 2 (no Osmo), DJI went to an oddball modular design. It had some fascinating concepts – it was good and small, and you could possibly add storage, a front-facing display and extra with the add-on models. Nevertheless it suffered from overheating, proved to be considerably fragile and was overly complicated.

Now with the Osmo Action 3, DJI has introduced again the action-cam type issue. It additionally made quite a few small enhancements from the mount to the shows to the battery – however stored the earlier mannequin’s 1/1.7-inch, 12-megapixel sensor and most 4K 120p video decision.

The rival Hero 10 is in a category by itself with its HyperSmooth 4.0 stabilization, 5.3K 60p decision and 240fps 2.7K body charge – and GoPro has teased a new model (“taking it to 11”) arriving in precisely an hour – fairly the fascinating coincidence. To see the way it stacks up, I examined it on a automobile, bike and on foot, whereas getting a face-first take a look at the improved sturdiness.

Physique and dealing with

With out the battery module, the Motion 2 has a reasonably weak 60 minutes of battery life. DJI has addressed that with the brand new “Excessive Battery” on the Osmo Motion 3 that lasts as much as 160 minutes. It’s additionally the primary motion digicam with fast-charging (by way of the Multifunction Battery Case) that permits for an 80 p.c cost in simply 18 minutes, or a full cost in 50 minutes.

It has a slick new magnetic quick-release mount that allows you to join the digicam on to a GoPro-style mount with or with out the case. It additionally permits for straightforward vertical mounting, making the Motion 3 higher for social media.

That allows you to detach the digicam from a motorcycle, automobile or different mount with out the necessity to take away it from the case. DJI notes that the mounting system “eliminates free connections and withstands affect similar to a rider falling off their bike,” however recommends not doing that.

So naturally, I executed an ideal face plant on my mountain bike, and may affirm that the digicam got here away unscathed, not like my face (sure, there’s video). The digicam clearly made some contact with the bottom however stayed hooked up to the mount and suffered no seen injury – so kudos to DJI for that.

You additionally get a entrance (1.4-inch, 360×360) and rear (2.25-inch, 640×360) display which can be each touch-enabled, making for simpler vlogging or self-shooting. Gorilla Glass on the shows aids within the promised affect resistance. The menu system works in the identical manner because the Motion 2, primarily by swiping. You swipe as much as change main settings like decision and body charge, right down to entry the principle menu, left to vary the capturing mode and proper to play again footage. The menus work in the identical manner on each the entrance and rear shows.

It’s not terribly intuitive, however in all probability the most suitable choice for a display that small. You too can join the digicam to DJI’s Mimo app, which is simpler to make use of and extra like what you’ll discover on its Fly and Go drone apps. That allows you to management video and picture captures remotely, whereas altering all the important thing digicam settings.The app can be used to replace the digicam’s firmware.

As earlier than, the Osmo Motion 3 can work as a webcam, promising higher-quality video and audio than your typical built-in digicam for convention calls and livestreams. This works effectively, with minimal setup and a simple connection by way of USB-C, although video may be very vast. It additionally permits you to livestream by way of WiFi at as much as 1080/30p.

Video and stabilization

The Motion 3 makes use of the most recent model of DJI’s stabilization, Rocksteady 3.0, to eradicate digicam shake in all instructions as much as the utmost 4K/120fps. It is practically on par with GoPro’s HyperSmooth 4. I examined it on a automobile over tough gravel roads, using a motorcycle on trails and roads with the digicam mounted on my helmet, and on foot with the included selfie stick. It smoothed out the video completely in all these conditions, solely letting me down as soon as (once I crashed), for some unknown motive.

It additionally makes use of DJI’s Horizon options that first arrived on the Osmo Motion to maintain the picture stage. HorizonSteady does a mixture of shake discount and horizon leveling, even via heavy bumps and excessive 360 diploma rotations. This might be helpful for… I’m unsure? Maybe skydiving, scuba diving or the like. Observe that it solely works at as much as 2.7K decision and crops the picture, little question as a result of it requires the encircling pixels to compensate for rotation.

HorizonBalancing corrects the lean horizontally inside ±45° and permits for regular recording at 4K/60fps. DJI calls it “an excellent center floor between RockSteady and HorizonSteady, the place a easy 4K image in dynamic motion is precedence, similar to an impediment course run.” That characteristic stored my footage each easy and regular, even via steep banks on a motorcycle via streets.

The Motion 3’s digicam presents a 155-degree subject of view (equal to a 12.5mm full-frame lens), significantly wider than the GoPro Hero 10’s 19mm equal in linear mode or about 16mm in fisheye mode. It additionally presents a normal dewarped (linear) view, together with vast and ultra-wide FOVs, with the latter significantly distorted. The zoom operate is digital-only and appears fairly poor – you’d be higher off zooming in utilizing your video modifying app.

As talked about, DJI is taking part in up the vertical facet ratio, with not only a vertical mount and person interface, however vertical capturing functionality. The characteristic permit for 9:16 vertical capturing so you may publish social media content material in any respect the accessible resolutions without having for cropping. 

Video high quality is superb, at the least on par with the Hero 10 on the equal decision (the Motion 3 has a 130Mbps max knowledge charge, whereas Hero 10 tops out at 100Mbps). As talked about, it could possibly do 120fps at 4K, or 240fps at 1080p. On prime of the video modes, you may shoot 12-megapixel pictures.

The Hero 10, in the meantime, helps 5.3K at as much as 60fps, 4K at 120 fps and a pair of.7K at 240fps. It’s good to have the 240fps choice at the next decision, however the DJI Osmo Motion 3 is arguably a contact sharper on the full 4K 120p decision. 

The Hero 10 is healthier in low gentle, although. Regardless of the bigger pixels, the Motion 3’s video can get fairly noisy, even in daylight in shaded forest, as an illustration. Against this (sorry), the Hero 10 delivers clearer footage in related conditions.

With the brand new mannequin, DJI has added the D-Cinelike coloration mode from its drones to spice up dynamic vary and make modifying simpler with contrasty footage. It additionally added a brand new coloration temperature sensor that mechanically adjusts white steadiness and publicity in a single shot if you happen to’re transferring from shadows to vivid daylight or diving into water, as an illustration. That often gave me comparatively easy transitions from shaded to sunlit areas, although once more, the Hero 10 does a greater job on this regard.