DJI Action 4 Review
I have owned the DJI Action 4 for nearly a year, and my primary purpose for this camera has been to record both POV footage for street photography and vlog-style shots while shooting street photography. Having owned three different GoPros in the past, I believe DJI has elevated the action camera category to another level. More recently, they released the Action 5 Pro, which I have yet to try. From what I've seen, I don't see many reasons to upgrade from the Action 4.
I would like to discuss a few of my favorite aspects of the Action 4, along with a couple of criticisms, though to be honest, the criticisms are quite limited. The first feature that stood out to me about this camera is the quick release system. This magnetic quick release system can be set up to mount between several different mounting options. We still have the traditional screw mount that we are used to from every generation of GoPro, which can be attached to any first-party or third-party GoPro-specific accessory. That mount has become the standard action camera mount. However, the DJI Action 4's quick access magnetic snapping feature makes it significantly more useful compared to older GoPros, where changing mounts always involved screwing and unscrewing each time.
I am also a big fan of the battery charging case. I purchased the camera on its own and added a couple of extra batteries with the battery charging case. The ability to carry around that small case, about the size of a thin power bank, which holds three different batteries, is amazing. I rarely go through more than one and a half batteries in a day. Typically, I change the battery once and then go about halfway through the second battery. I have yet to experience a day where I use all three batteries because I am not recording nonstop every single day. Having the reliability and backup of that is refreshing compared to past GoPros, which often had issues with battery life and drained quickly, especially in colder weather. The Action 4 seems to perform much better in that respect, and I anticipate it will continue to improve over time.
Another impressive feature of this camera is its ability to pair with the DJI Mic 2. It connects via Bluetooth and records audio into the Action 4 while simultaneously recording internally on the DJI Mic 2, providing 32-bit audio from the lav mic. This is one of the best features I have ever seen in a consumer-level microphone. The ability to do this enhances the recording experience with the Action 4, as we all know that better audio is often more important than better video. It is preferable to have lackluster video with great audio than the other way around. People are generally more tolerant of poor video than they are of bad audio, which can be quite bothersome.
Regarding the camera's functionality, having both front and back displays is beneficial, and the Action 4's front display is quite good. It offers a couple of manual controls, allowing us to change settings like stabilization, exposure, and to cycle through old videos and modes such as video, slow motion, photos, and panoramas. The main display provides the same information, just more spread out, allowing for full framing of the image. My absolute favorite software feature of this camera is shooting in 4K 25, as I typically shoot in 25p being in a PAL area, along with horizon balancing.
We have three or four different levels of stabilization: off, which provides no stabilization; Rock Steady, which offers a nice amount of stabilization while maintaining some handheld look; Rock Steady Plus, which smooths things out further but still allows the camera to tilt left and right; and horizon balancing, which crops in a decent amount on the image but not enough to be bothersome. This allows for shooting super wide-angle footage with horizon balancing turned on. I believe this feature has led many viewers to comment on my videos, asking how I achieved such steady POV shots, as it often looks like I am using a gimbal.
If you have used the DJI Pocket 3, which is a gimbal, you will recognize that horizon balancing is part of its three-axis gimbal value proposition. The Action 4's digital horizon balancing is impressive, performing well in both landscape and portrait modes. When it comes to video codecs, I am someone who is quite happy shooting in normal mode. We get 10-bit color on each of the picture profiles in pro mode, but I typically shoot in normal 10-bit most of the time. D Log M is good, but I find it challenging to get shadows right with auto exposure. When I have shot in D Log and then graded the footage, I struggled to achieve satisfactory results in the shadows.
While I find the auto HDR of D Log M to look a bit HDR-like and action cam-like, I still prefer it to D Log M most of the time, so I usually leave it in normal mode. The colors come out looking pretty good, and it does not bother me. In terms of whether I would upgrade to the Action 5 Pro for my specific use case, I don't think I would. I am quite happy with this camera for my needs. When I do some vlogging, I can comfortably hold the camera on its own. It has an adequate internal microphone, but if I am also using the DJI Mic 2 or have it mounted on me, that is a good way to capture audio with a smaller camera.
My two main mounts are a third-party backpack clip I purchased from Amazon, which I clip onto either a backpack strap or my jacket. This is useful for capturing POV footage without needing a full chest harness mount. It allows me to clip it onto my jacket and tuck it away in my pocket when not in use, eliminating the hassle of wearing something all the time. It is very convenient to carry with me and use only when needed. In summer, when I am not wearing jackets, I use a magnetic pendant necklace I also got from Amazon. It works similarly to the Insta 360 Go 2 necklace, featuring a magnetic puck that goes underneath my T-shirt, which I can adjust in length. The mount for the camera has the other side of the magnet, allowing it to snap onto the front of my T-shirt and stay in a good position. I have found this setup to be very useful.
Compared to what we used to get from GoPro, which often required a chest mount, had poor controls, and frequently died for no reason with bad battery life, I feel the Action 4 is a more complete package. For me, unless it breaks or there is a significant upgrade in a future version, I will likely keep this camera and not worry about upgrading to the Action 5. I will have to see what the Action 6 and Action 7 look like before considering replacing this one. Currently, the Action 4 is selling for much cheaper than the Action 5. If you are considering the Action 5, I recommend getting the Action 4 instead, as it will fulfill 95% of what the Action 5 can do, especially if you are not a true extreme sports enthusiast and are just shooting casual photography videos like I am.
