ZDNET’s key takeaways
- The DJI Osmo Motion 5 Professional digicam is on the market now on Amazon for $349.
- This motion digicam has a number of the finest stabilization of any motion digicam in the marketplace.
- The default settings on the Motion 5 Professional aren’t precisely the very best for motion photographs, so you may must customise it earlier than you exit.
extra shopping for decisions
I’ve used GoPro cameras for a really very long time. From filming mountain bike rides to indoor movies, they served me nicely. These cameras had been removed from good — the fish-eye impact was a bit a lot and the built-in mics had been horrible. After I acquired critical about filming (and left behind the notion of filming my path shenanigans), I left the GoPros (and motion cameras generally) behind.
When DJI reached out about reviewing the Osmo Action 5 Pro, hastily, I acquired excited in regards to the thought of getting again on my mountain bike and filming some path rides.
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My expertise with the Motion 5 Professional did not begin off all that nicely (extra on that in a bit), however as soon as I had it initialized and prepared, the tiny digicam actually impressed me.
Earlier than I get into my tackle this digicam, let’s discuss specs.
The specs
- 47GB of built-in storage
- Twin OLED high-brightness touchscreen shows
- Subsequent-gen 1/1.3″ sensor with as much as 13.5 stops of dynamic vary and an aperture of f/2.8
- 4nm high-performance chip
- Skilled-grade air stress and water stress gauges
- Wi-Fi 6.0 and USB 3.0 high-speed switch
- 4-hour battery life
- SuperNight mode with AI to scale back noise
- 10-bit D-Log M footage with shade restoration
- Worth – $349 at main retailers
My expertise
After I first acquired the digicam, I needed to register and initialize it utilizing the DJI Mimo app. That is the place the primary situation started: the app is not accessible on the Google Play Retailer. As a substitute, it’s a must to obtain it from DJI’s web site. The obtain was painfully sluggish, and it took a number of tries to get it downloaded to my Pixel 9 Professional. As soon as I lastly had it put in, I opened it, logged into my DJI account, and went by way of the steps to initialize the digicam.
The app acknowledged the digicam however refused to connect with it, it doesn’t matter what I attempted or what number of occasions I tried it. I reached out to DJI assist, and for no matter purpose, they could not assist me (which is odd as a result of DJI assist often works nice).
Finally, my Pixel 9 Professional acquired an replace, and that did the trick. The DJI app related to the digicam, and I may initialize it.
I did just a few fast exams with the digicam. I wished to place collectively a brief movie to see how nicely it might work for that course of. I am nonetheless engaged on that, however I shortly determined this was an motion digicam, and other people would not buy it for narrative filmmaking. So as a substitute, I slapped the digicam on my absolutely inflexible single-speed mountain bike and ready to hit the paths. You may view the check footage here.
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The very first thing that hit me about this digicam was the built-in storage. Initially, I inserted a microSD card and made a rapid movie of me on my highway bike, however that did not go so nicely as a result of the cardboard’s write velocity could not sustain with the digicam. With the inner storage, that is not an issue.
The second characteristic was the twin OLED touchscreens, which made it really easy to maintain monitor of what you are filming from the entrance or the again. The touchscreens robotically shut off after a set interval of use to preserve battery. To carry the display again to life, all it’s a must to do is contact it.
The rear touchscreen is among the finest I’ve seen on an motion digicam.
Jack Wallen/ZDNET
After I set off on my mountain bike, I went with the default settings, which was a mistake, provided that it was configured for 30fps at 1080p. I ought to have modified that to 60fps at 4K to get the very best high quality. I additionally left it on regular mode (assuming the default can be set to sport). This took me abruptly, given how motion cameras are sometimes used. One would assume the digicam can be robotically configured for the very best outcomes for motion out of the field.
Lesson realized.
Though the ensuing footage wasn’t the very best high quality, the one factor it revealed was the standard of the digicam’s inside stabilization. I experience a totally inflexible, carbon fiber single velocity, which equates to a really bumpy experience. After I experience that bike, I’ve to remain very unfastened within the knees, hips, elbows, and shoulders; in any other case, I might bounce proper off. On prime of that, the path system close to my home is not precisely easy.
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Regardless of all that, the footage got here out remarkably easy. You’d by no means have identified I wasn’t driving a full-suspension bike with loads of cushions. Positive, I want I had taken the time to customise the video parameters earlier than I spent almost an hour flying by way of the paths, however the finish outcomes had been nonetheless spectacular.
Again once I was utilizing GoPro cameras, I paid almost the identical worth because the DJI Osmo 5 Professional digicam and did not get almost the outcomes.
There are additionally some actually cool add-ons for the digicam, resembling ND filters and loads of methods to connect the digicam to varied autos and surfaces. I did have slightly hassle with the mount I used, however that was as a result of the handlebar I connected it to is carbon fiber, and I wasn’t about to crank it down exhausting sufficient to maintain it locked in place. Finally, I discovered the correct quantity of stress to maintain it in place, and all was good.
ZDNET’s shopping for recommendation
If motion cameras are your factor, skip the competitors and go on to the DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro. You would be hard-pressed to discover a higher consumer-grade digicam suited for every type of motion (underwater, above water, or within the sky). The interior storage and twin OLED touchscreens alone make this well worth the worth of entry. Couple that with the standard of video it produces, and it is a winner on all fronts.
With the vacations approaching, contemplate one in all these cameras for your loved ones members who reside on the sting and prefer to movie every thing they do.
