Two new high-end action cameras have arrived recently. The GoPro Hero 10 and the DJI Action 2. I was really excited to test them out and bought them as soon as possible. After a month of testing, here’s my honest and comprehensive review of both devices and a comparison with the original DJI Osmo Action. Which is the best action camera for Vlogging at the end of 2021 and start of 2022?
I go through the usual tests: video quality, stabilization, horizon levelling, audio quality with internal mics, Vlogging tests, low light tests, battery life, overheating issues, ruggedness, wireless connections, menus, usability and apps. I also explain the implications of sensor sizes, video resolutions and megapixels.
GOPRO HERO 10 BLACK
https://amzn.to/3lAucmb
DJI ACTION 2
Dual screen combo: https://amzn.to/3q33eXo
Power combo: https://amzn.to/3k1EElJ
DJI ACTION 1 https://amzn.to/3nYcyKv
TRANSCRIPT
Two brand new high-end devices have come to market recently, the GoPro Hero 10 and the DJI Action 2. I’ve bought them both, and after almost a month of testing, it’s time for an honest review. I’m going to be covering a lot of topics.
The best camera is the one you have with you!
As you may already know, I’m a big fan of action cams. I’ve said before that I think action cameras are the best choice for day-to-day filming and for making vlogs. They’re small, rugged, waterproof, and the newer ones even come with a front-facing screen, a trend that began with the DJI Action 1. In the last few years, the quality brands like GoPro, DJI, and Insta 360 have significantly improved the audio from the internal mics, so now they are a lightweight all-in-one package. The fact that they fit in your pocket means you are much more likely to carry them around with you. As we all know, the best camera is the one you have with you.
Last year, I said a lot of negative things about the GoPro Hero 9, a truly terrible camera and nowhere near as good as my original DJI Action. But, technology moves on. New devices replace the old. Earlier this year I bought myself a GoPro Hero 10 and four weeks ago, DJI launched the Action 2. Today, I’m comparing them both. And deciding whether they’re a worthy successor to my DJI Action 1.
Tale of the Tape
As usual, we start with a “Tale of the Tape.” It won’t cover everything. I’m just going to pick out some highlights and important differences. Right now, the Action 1 is available very cheaply. It came out a couple of years ago and I bought mine for £200 (prices may change) last year. It’s been my favorite camera ever since. My GoPro Hero 10 came out two months ago. It set me back £330 (prices may change), and the new DJI Action 2 costs a whopping £455 (prices may change). Considering the massive price differences, the Action 2 comes with a weight of expectation. When you price a camera so much higher than its rivals, it better be something special.
Weight
None of these cameras are heavy. I consider anything less than 200 grams to be lightweight. The new Hero 10 is clearly the biggest in every possible way. The new Action 2 is obviously the smallest and thanks to the modular design, the camera unit on its own is just 56 grams. If you want the smallest and lightest high-end action camera, then on paper, the Action 2 seems ideal.
Max Resolution
It also has very impressive 4K capabilities going all the way up to 120 frames per second, and it can record at a bit rate of 130 megabits per second. You may ask, isn’t the GoPro 10 better because it has 5.3K video? I have discussed this before. Please don’t be fooled by video resolutions and megapixels. 5.3K isn’t as impressive or important as it sounds, and I will explain that in more detail later on.
Sensor Size
Sensor size is more important than megapixels when it comes to image quality, and the Action 2 clearly has the largest sensor. How big a difference that makes, we’ll find out soon.
Battery
The Action 2 camera unit has the smallest battery but, once you attach to the screen mod, it has the biggest combined battery size in total. We will be rigorously testing battery life later in this video.
Memory
Next, we come to what I consider the most controversial aspect of the DJI Action 2, the internal memory. Both the Action 1 and the Hero 10 use traditional microSD cards. Once the card is full, you just replace it with another one. But, it’s more complicated for the Action 2. It’s a modular device that comes in two parts. The camera unit of the DJI device has just 22 GB of usable memory. You can stick a microSD card in the second module, but, as we’ll find out later, that isn’t as helpful as it sounds.
Common Features
And finally, here are a few common features worth knowing about. All three cameras are waterproof down to 10 meters, but the screen module of the Action 2 is not waterproof at all. All three cameras have an HDR mode. All of them have built-in stabilization, and all of them can connect to your smartphone via an app.
It’s time to get on with the testing. As usual, I’ll be judging these cameras based on the four main criteria, video quality, audio quality, battery life, and usability. Those are always the most important factors when judging a camera.
Video Quality
For the video quality tests, I set all three cameras to 4K at 30 frames per second in linear or dewarp mode with stabilization on because that’s how I like to vlog. Everything else was in full auto, and I was only going to use the built-in mics.
Vlogging Test
Time for a quick vlogging test. It is currently November in England. It’s not the best time to be testing action cameras because it’s quite gray and cloudy, and these small sensor action cameras, they work best in bright, sunny conditions. This is really going to be testing their abilities. Right now, I’ve got all the cameras set at 4K 30. All of them have stabilization turned on as high as I can get it. (Watch the test from 6:06 to 6:49.)
Indoor Test
I’m now testing how the cameras perform indoors. It’s actually not bad. I think it looks alright, a little bit yellow, but then the light above me is quite yellow or maybe it looks different when looking at it on my screen. It all looks a little bit yellow. (Watch the test from 6:51 to 7:24.)
Low light Test
It is 3:00 in the morning. It’s November. For some reason, there’s still lots and lots of traffic, but then I do live in the city. Birds are chirping as well. I have no idea what that’s about, but this is the ideal time for a lowlight test. I’m trying not to speak too loudly, so I don’t disturb the neighbors. The cameras are all set to auto, 4K 30. Obviously, these are action cameras. This is not what they were designed for. They have tiny, tiny sensors, so you can’t expect miracles out of these little devices. This is not where they are going to work best. However, the Action 2 is supposed to have a bigger sensor than the other two, so in theory, it may well be able to perform better.
I’ve got all of them running at 4K 30, linear mode, with stabilization turned on, which may have a negative effect. But, this is how I would use my camera even at nighttime, so that’s why I’ve set it this way. I suspect that none of them is doing particularly well, but it’s worth knowing this is what it would be like if you were out and about in a city in the middle of the night. If you’re in a dark countryside though, forget about it. It has no chance, no chance of getting any image whatsoever unless it’s a moonlit night, and even then, yes, that’s not happening. (Watch the test from 7:26 to 9:28.)
The difference with these cameras and the truth
The headline difference between the GoPro and the DJI devices is that the Action 1 and the Action 2 go up to 4K resolution while the Hero 10 can record in 5.3K. However, this is not as big a deal as it sounds. Firstly, few people out in the real world are watching videos at 4K resolution. Most are watching YouTube videos on their smartphones in 720p or even less. I personally make my videos in 4K, but at home, I watch YouTube in HD resolution. I only make 4K videos because the YouTube algorithm gives priority to 4K videos. Otherwise, I’d be making them in HD. Unless it’s on a big screen, very few people will notice the difference between HD and 4K, so I don’t really need 5.3K, and for day-to-day use, neither do you. What’s much more important is sensor size.
Photos and videos are obviously all about light. The sensor inside the camera captures light and converts that into images. A single image of a photo and video is just multiple images in quick succession. The bigger the sensor, the more light it can capture and the better your image can be. Of course, there are other factors that affect image quality. The speed of your lens and the specifications of your sensor will matter as well. But, the size of your sensor and the size of the pixels on that sensor can tell you a lot about the image quality you will get.
Now, action cameras have teeny, tiny sensors. In bright conditions, pretty much every quality action camera can give you an amazing image. What’s more difficult to achieve is good video in poor lighting. I live in England, and we’re now in the middle of winter, so these cameras were severely tested these last few weeks. Any camera that can produce good video on a dull British winter’s day is truly special. Looking back at all my footage from the last few weeks, I think overall, the DJ Action 2 gave me the best looking video by far.
I really like the image quality I got from the Action 1 and from the GoPro 10, but it’s clear to me that the larger sensor on the Action 2 gave it a significant advantage. I think that advantage really showed in the lowlight test as well. Of these three cameras, the DJ Action 2 seemed to handle itself pretty well in the nighttime. The Action 1 was surprisingly good, but undeniably, that was a very noisy image. What surprised me was the GoPro 10. It was shockingly bad in the dark, the image turned to soup as soon as the lights were off. There is a very good reason for that, but the explanation is a bit mathematical.
Basically, we’re back to the issue of capturing light. Bigger sensors capture more light, smaller sensors capture less light, but it’s not as simple as that, because a sensor is not one thing. It’s made up of millions of pixels, and each pixel captures light separately. Now, the Action 1 has 12 megapixels spread across a sensor that’s 29 mm². The GoPro 10 has almost double the number of pixels, but the sensor size is exactly the same, which means each pixel of the GoPro is about half the size of each pixel on the Action 1.
All things being equal, the pixels on the GoPro 10 can collect half as much light as the pixels on the DJI Action 1, and that is a very simplified explanation of why GoPro does so badly in lowlight situations. In contrast, the DJI Action 2 has the same number of pixels as the DJI Action 1, but a much larger sensor, so each pixel is bigger and can capture more light, so you get a better image and it shows. For image quality, I think it’s very clear the DJI Action 2 is the winner. That larger sensor definitely makes a difference.
Horizon Levelling
It’s time to test the stabilization, and I hate this bit because it means I have to run. One of my favorite features of this new generation of action cameras is not just the stabilization, but horizon leveling. It’s really important for a clumsy person like me who never seems to get the horizon level right. These cameras, the new generation, are able to do it for you. The GoPro can do it all the way up to 5.3K. The DJ Action 2 can only do it up to 2.7K, and that’s embarrassing. That is truly a shame.
Right now, I’ve got these set to 4K 30, which is how I would normally use the camera in a day-to-day vlogging way when I’m filming the family or doing regular stuff. If I happen to be filming at 4K 30 as I normally do and I happened to twist the camera slightly too much, the horizon should stay level on the GoPro, but it won’t stay level on the other two because in 4K, the Action 2 cannot stabilize your horizon. But, if I switch the DJ Action 2 down to 2.7K, firstly, can I see any difference? Has the picture quality changed dramatically? That’s a question to ask.
Secondly, the GoPro Hero 10 could only level the horizon up to about a 45-degree tilt, but the DJI Action 2, in 2.7K, can level the horizon all the way to upside down. In that sense, the DJI Action 2 does win. Having three cameras is very heavy, so it’s hard enough trying to keep this steady, but I’ll twist it the other way. Has the DJI Action 2 redeemed itself compared to the other two? I’m really hoping that at some point soon, DJI will come out with a firmware update that allows the Action 2 to stabilize the horizon level at 4K. Maybe that’s just wishful thinking. Maybe there just isn’t enough processing capability within this tiny form to do that, but I’m still hopeful that it will happen. Until then, the GoPro 10 wins. (Watch the test from 14:09 to 17:16.)
Stabilization Test
Last year, I made a video comparing DJI’s original RockSteady stabilization with an actual gimbal and concluded that the gimbal was slightly better. Now, with HyperSmooth 4.0 and RockSteady 2.0, I think we’ve reached a point where these high-end action cameras have made gimbals obsolete. To my eyes, the DJI Action 2 has slightly better stabilization than the GoPro 10. You might disagree, but if you ask me why I prefer RockSteady 2.0 over HyperSmooth 4.0, honestly, I couldn’t tell you. It’s very subjective. I just preferred the way it looked on the DJI, but, they were both excellent and I’d be happy to use either. However, when it comes to horizon leveling, the GoPro is clearly the superior machine.
The new DJI camera only does horizon leveling up to 2.7K. It absolutely does not work if you switch the Action 2 into 4K mode. Now, obviously, the GoPro will only level the horizon up to a 45-degree tilt, but that’s fine by me because for me, horizon leveling is there to correct the small errors I make when trying to keep the camera steady. I do often get the horizon wrong, but it’s never going to be more than, say, 20 degrees or so. If you absolutely must have 360 degrees of horizon leveling on the GoPro, then you can buy yourself the Max Lens. It does cost about $100 or £90 (prices may change), and I honestly don’t see myself ever needing it.
Audio Quality
Over the last two or three years, the action camera companies have done a fantastic job of improving the quality of sound that you get from their devices without a microphone. I did a sound check on the three cameras including one with an additional vlogging module with four speakers attached and running at the same time on the DJI Action 2. However, I set the camera to mainly focus on the front, so essentially my voice. The question is, did it sound better? Was the quality significantly improved over the single microphone version that I have with just the camera module on its own? I don’t think so. When I tested this earlier, I couldn’t really detect a difference. (Watch the test from 19:13 to 20:56.)
Battery Life
I wanted my testing to be fair and objective, and I also wanted to emulate normal vlogging scenarios, realistic scenarios. So, here are the testing conditions. All three devices were fully charged. They were set to 4K 30 with stabilization on full and standard or linear mode for field of view. The rear screens were turned off. The front screen was switched on if it had one. The room temperature was kept at 19 degrees Celsius. That’s 66 degrees in Fahrenheit. Each camera was mounted on a mini tripod. I had a small fan running nearby in order to create some airflow, but, the fan was not pointed at the cameras, and basically, I just let them record until the battery ran out. I then repeated the test, but this time, I attached the vlogging module to the Action 2, and this is what happened.
We’ll go through it in order of age, starting with the oldest camera first. The DJI Action 1 has a 1300 mAh battery, which kept going for 1 hour and 36 minutes. That’s hugely impressive, and if you’ve got a couple of spare batteries in your bag, that’s usually enough for a whole day of filming.
Now, the GoPro 10 has a much larger battery. It’s 1720 mAh in size. However, we also know that the GoPro is a much more power-hungry device than the Action 1, and that showed because the GoPro switched itself off after 56 minutes. However, at that point, it still had 15% of battery left, so it seems it does automatically turn itself off when the battery drains to 15%. Frankly, this was a pretty poor performance. However, GoPro have recently announced a new, longer-lasting battery for the Hero 10. It’s going to be called the Enduro battery. It’s not out yet, and they seem to be deliberately vague about the specs. All they really say is that it will last longer, charge quicker, and perform better in cold conditions. It’s going to cost about $25 (prices may change), which sounds very reasonable because the normal battery only costs $20.
Moving on to the DJI Action 2, with just the camera unit running and the rear screen turned off, it kept going for almost 20 minutes, at which point, it switched itself off, not because it ran out of battery, but because it overheated. The camera was very hot to the touch. It still had about 45% of battery charge remaining, but, until it cooled down, it was pretty much useless. Things were very different when I attached the camera unit to the vlogging module. The two modules combined were capable of recording for 86 minutes. That’s 1 hour and 26 minutes, but, it couldn’t actually do that all in one go.
You see, in my previous video, I tested the battery life in 2.7K video mode, and with the screen module attached, the video was recorded directly onto the SD card inside the vlogging module. But, that didn’t happen when recording in 4K, so once the 22 GB of internal memory in the Action 2 is full, you have to tell the camera to transfer the files over to the SD card in the other module, which is a very painfully slow process. Alternatively, you can attach a USB cable and pull the footage directly onto your computer, which is a lot quicker. However, for this battery test, I didn’t have time to transfer the footage every time the memory was full, so I simply deleted all the files and restarted recording, and that’s how I got to 86 minutes.
Overheating
The DJI Action 1 is bulletproof. It has occasionally felt hot if I’ve kept it running for more than an hour, but it’s never shut down on me due to overheating. I am aware that some reviews have complained that the GoPro Hero 10 overheats. That has never happened to me in the last six weeks, but, you have to keep in mind that I always filmed in 4K. If I was pushing the camera to its limits and filming in 5.3K, then maybe it would overheat on me, but, in normal day to day use, it works just fine. What’s very disappointing is that the Action 2 definitely does overheat.
Some people have complained that it overheats and shuts down after less than five minutes, but, you have to keep in mind that they were running the camera at 4K, 120 frames per second. That’s not going to be how you normally use it. If you’re filming in 30 frames per second or less, you can expect a lot more than five minutes at a time. Now, in my last video, I was filming in 2.7K at 30 frames per second. The Action 2 overheated in less than 15 minutes. This time, I was recording in 4K, 30 and it lasted about five minutes longer. Which is strange.
Surely, it should overheat faster in 4K than a 2.7K. Well, there are two possible reasons for that result. Firstly, the room was kept at a lower temperature when I was recording in 4K. Secondly, when I was doing the 2.7K video recordings, I had horizon lock turned on, which uses a lot more processing power. In 4K mode, the Action 2 disables horizon leveling, and I think the unexpected result is due to a combination of those two reasons. Here’s a few quick observations about the DJI action 2. The camera recharges very quickly, but it cools down very slowly, and once the Action 2 has overheated, it refuses to detect the SD card. In fact, the camera will tell you that there isn’t even an SD card in the slot.
In conclusion, I do have to say the overheating problem on the Action 2 is incredibly disappointing, and it’s basically made this unusable as a travel vlogging camera. I regularly film for more than 20 minutes at a time. Sometimes I’ll film 30, 40, or 50 minutes, which makes this camera useless for my day-to-day needs. DJI did recently release a new firmware which I have been using. It makes zero difference to the overheating problem, but now, when you select a higher framerate, the camera will warn you that it will overheat very quickly. That’s not a solution. That’s just telling you there’s a problem and that DJI doesn’t know how to fix it.
Usability
I previously reviewed the GoPro Hero 9 and hated it simply because it was a massive pain to use. It was slow, it was glitchy, and it would regularly freeze on you, not to mention the audio problems. Most of those issues have been fixed for the GoPro Hero 10, but sometimes it just doesn’t work as well as it should. The touchscreen isn’t quite as responsive as it should be, and occasionally it will do something you didn’t tell it to do.
In contrast, the DJI Action 1 is bulletproof. It just functions perfectly all the time. You can trust it to do the job every single time. It’s the camera equivalent of a Toyota Corolla. Everything just works. Now, the good news is that the Action 2 has a very similar menu system. It’s very logical and intuitive. The bad news is that the touchscreen is not as good as it should be. It’s not as responsive as the screen of the Action 1. Also, it’s a lot harder to use because it’s so damned small. Obviously, that’s due to the modular design that DJI has adopted.
The camera comes in two pieces, the camera module and then the battery/screen module. On its own, the camera unit is very limited. It has a tiny battery, no SD card slot, and a small internal memory of 22 GB. There is no USB input, which means this can’t connects to your computer. All you can do is record videos and take photos. This camera unit needs the second module for anything beyond the most basic activities. Additionally, there’s only one button, which is a power button that also lets you start and stop recordings.
There is another button on the screen module, but it’s exactly the same in terms of functionality as the one on the camera module. Now, the big advantage the Action 1 has in terms of usability are the three buttons, in particular, this QS button on the side. It’s a quick-switch, and pressing it lets you toggle through various presets, so I could use this one button to switch from video mode, to time-lapse mode, to HDR mode, to burst mode, and many others. That’s been incredibly useful to me ever since I bought this camera.
The GoPro 10 does have a similar function using the power button, but it only toggles through three modes: photo, video, and time-lapse. If you want to switch modes on the Action 1, you have to use the touchscreen and menus, which is of course, a worse experience than the GoPro and the Action 1 because these screens are so small. The Insta360 ONE R has exactly the same problem, a tiny screen, which is hard to use, and that’s why I’ve never been tempted to get one. I just really dislike the modular concept because there are always unacceptable compromises.
The Action 2 is no exception. For example, the camera module is waterproof, but not the screen module. If you want to use this camera in or near water, you need a waterproof case, which costs around £50 (prices may change), whereas with the Action 1 and the GoPro 10, the whole thing is waterproof, nothing extra needed. I don’t swim much, but I do live in a wet and rainy city, and I have real concerns that rain might get inside the SD card slot or the USB-C connector, and suddenly, half my camera becomes useless. That’s not a concern anyone should have about their action camera.
Action cameras are supposed to be tough. They’re supposed to be rugged. They’re supposed to cope with difficult conditions. That’s the raison d’etre of action cameras. The Action 1 definitely feels rugged. You hold it in your hand and you can feel the hard, rubberized texture. It’s the same with the GoPro 10. I have trust that these devices can cope with rain. They will survive a drop. They’ll keep going, even if you accidentally step on them. However, I definitely don’t feel that way about the Action 2. This beautiful metal and glass construction looks amazing, but it also looks like it would break the moment you drop it.
In fact, there are growing complaints about how fragile this camera is, and obviously, there are third-party companies already producing camera cases and camera cages to protect the Action 2. That’s not unusual by any means. There are plenty of cages for GoPros, and I’ve had a camera cage for my DJI Action 1 since the day I got it. But, the main function of those cages is to give you extra mounting options. My Action 1 cage lets me attach a microphone and a tripod. That’s why I have it.
However, for my GoPro 10, I’m happy to use the internal mics, and the tripod mount is already built into the body. So for me, this device doesn’t need a cage. If it falls out of my hand, the worst that will happen is it gets a little bit scratched. It’s possible the lens cover might break. That’s a cheap and easy replacement. It’s also possible the screen at the front or back might crack, which is why I will do the sensible thing and put some tempered glass over them just in case, but otherwise, I’m not worried about dropping this camera.
You can’t say the same for the DJI Action 2. It’s fragile. It needs extra protection. If you buy one, then definitely get a camera cage for it. However, this brings us back to the overheating problem. If you stick a cage or a silicon case on this camera, that’s likely to make the overheating problem even worse than before. Now, you might think to yourself, maybe I don’t need a cage. Maybe all I need is to just be careful. Well, that’s a good theory, but I strongly believe this camera, the Action 2, will definitely fall to the ground at some point because I don’t have faith in this magnet fad.
The Action 2 comes with two mounts. One of them connects the camera to GoPro style accessories. The other one has a standard quarter-inch thread, so that you can connect the Action 2 to a tripod, and that’s great. My concern is with how the camera connects to these mounts. It’s magnetic. I can tell these are strong magnets, and the clasps on the side are an extra level of security. But let me ask you something, which do you trust more, the magnet or the screw? The weak point in the magnetic one is not where the screw thread is. It’s where the magnet is. We’ve already established this is the kind of device that will crack very easily when dropped.
Moving on, in terms of connectivity, all three of these cameras are pretty good. Obviously, the Action 1 and Hero 10 can connect to your computer via a USB cable. The Action 2 can do the same, but only through the second module. Both GoPro and DJI also let you connect wirelessly to your smartphone via an app. These apps are nice and functional. I never really use them to control my camera because the touchscreens are usually quicker if you need to adjust things. But, if you ever need to update the firmware or download your video and photo to your phone, then the apps are useful.
I’ve used the GoPro and DJI apps for quite a long time, and I will say that in my experience, the GoPro app is a little more reliable and the DJI app is a lot more functional. But, there’s really not a lot in it, and usually I keep the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on my cameras turned off because that always drains the battery much quicker.
Conclusion
Putting it bluntly, I don’t recommend you buy the DJI Action 2. The main problem with the camera is the overheating. The first people to review the DJI Action 2 on YouTube totally failed to mention that this camera overheats like crazy. Are you surprised? Those people were sent a free camera three months ago. They definitely had time to notice this issue, but they never mentioned it because if they criticized the camera, then DJI would never send them free stuff ever again. I paid for these two DJI cameras with my own money. I don’t owe DJI anything, which is why I can be honest.
I’ve put my DJI Action 1 through some tough times, including extremes of temperature. It’s got a reputation for being bulletproof. That reputation is very well deserved. Whereas, with the Action 2, overheating is a huge problem. Firstly, it seems to heat up quite a lot while charging. It won’t get so hot that you can’t pick it up, but it’s worrying that it does that. Secondly, if you’re using the camera module on its own, then you can expect to get 20 minutes of 4K video before it will overheat. Then, it’s going to be useless for the next 10 minutes.
This is a camera that barely gets through half of its battery before shutting down. That’s just unacceptable. If you have the second module attached, then it does perform better. But personally, I don’t like the way the second module turns this into a vertical orientation camera. There is a reason a majority of action cams use horizontal orientation. It’s a more stable option when mounted. This vertical design is both ugly to look at and awkward to use. I do want to say that I really wanted to like this camera. I really did. I waited more than a year for this camera, but it has so many flaws in addition to the overheating.
The kind of flaws that I can’t ignore. Like the fact that it’s got such a limited memory in the camera module. 22 GB nowadays is just pathetic. The third big problem I have with the vlogging module is that it’s not waterproof, and this camera does have some ergonomic problems too. It’s all down to this stupid modular setup. When you put the camera on a monopod or selfie stick, it’s inherently less stable than the horizontal configuration of the Action 1 and the GoPro 10. Also, it’s a minor issue, but I hate that the vlogging module is fatter than the camera module because it’s kind of ugly and awkward to handle when the two parts are attached.
All of those problems, and we haven’t even discussed how ludicrously expensive this is. For context, let’s take a look at GoPro Hero 10’s Black Friday deal. At £380, you get the camera, two batteries, a battery charger, and an SD card. Now, the DJI Action 1 doesn’t come with much, but it’s regularly discounted to £200 (prices may change). The DJI Action 2 costs around £455 (prices may change). That’s for this dual-screen version with the vlogging module, and I honestly see no point in getting the cheaper version without the second screen. The final issue I have with the Action 2 is that the horizon leveling feature does not work in 4K.
My original DJI Action doesn’t have horizon leveling, but it also has none of those other problems that this camera brings, so why would I want an Action 2? The truth is, I don’t want the Action 2. I will definitely send it back. What about the GoPro 10? I am aware that there are plenty of complaints about the GoPro 10 overheating, but in my testing, I never had that issue. Maybe that’s because it’s wintertime in England. If I was living near the equator, then I would probably have a very different experience. But based on my usage, the GoPro Hero 10 doesn’t seem to have any overheating problems.
Even so, I am thinking of sending back the GoPro 10 because it’s not nice to use. The Action 1 has spoiled me. The menu system of the 10 is glitchy, and it occasionally does things you don’t expect like randomly switching to different framerates and resolutions. Worst of all, the video files from the GoPro 10 are problematic for my ancient editing software.
After all that testing, we’ve reached the conclusion that the original DJI Action 1 is still the best action cam for everyday use, and that’s really disappointing. It’s been more than two years, and no one has made a worthy rival to the original DJI Action. But, putting a positive spin on things, it means that all things considered, the best action camera on the market is still this cheap and portable device. You could pick it up for around £200 or $250 (prices may change) and use it to make a very cheap vlogging rig. Check out the video of me doing just that.
If you want an action camera for vlogging, then in my opinion, the DJI Action 1 is the best option. It’s cheap, rugged, and reliable. Also, this front-facing screen is incredibly useful, which is why everyone copied it. Now, I’m going to contradict myself. I was dead set on sending back the GoPro 10. Then, I re-watched and listened to the footage and I’ve decided to keep the GoPro Hero 10. The audio is definitely an improvement on the DJI Action 1, and I also think it exposes my face better than the DJI Action 1, so the GoPro Hero 10 is right now the best action camera on the market for vlogging. For the sake of improved audio and video, I’m willing to tolerate the occasional glitch. If you can afford the GoPro 10, get the GoPro 10. If you can’t afford it, then get the DJI Action 1. That’s valuable consumer advice from me as always. That’s all for today. I’ll be back with another video very soon.
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