DJI’s newest model of its motion digital camera, the Osmo Action 4, seems to be like its predecessor, however beneath the pores and skin there are many upgrades that make it a worthy GoPro competitor. The Motion 4 includes a new, bigger sensor, higher low-light efficiency, and extra assist for skilled settings like Log video seize.
Sticking with the magnetic mount system of the earlier mannequin, whereas enhancing the sensor, means the Motion 4 one-ups the GoPro on just a few fronts, together with simply how simple it’s to maneuver this action camera from mount to mount.
What’s New
DJI’s Osmo Motion 4 arrived simply earlier than the brand new GoPro Hero 12. I’ll have a full evaluation of that digital camera prepared quickly, however within the meantime I’ll notice the place I feel the Hero 12 comes out forward and the place I feel the Motion 4 is a better option.
The announcement for the Motion 4 touts the brand new 1/1.3-inch sensor, which the corporate claims provides higher low-light picture seize. Whereas the bigger sensor does imply extra light-gathering functionality (and it’s bigger than each the earlier Motion 3 and the brand new GoPro Hero 12), I discovered the outcomes to be a blended bag.
Capturing footage of a dawn aspect by aspect, I discovered that the GoPro got here up with a greater publicity. I used to be capable of match the look with the DJI, however I needed to resort to guide settings, which you’re by no means going to do in most situations the place an motion digital camera is smart—e.g., mountaineering, biking, and climbing. That stated, in precise darkness, taking pictures across the campfire, I a lot most popular the outcomes of the Osmo Motion 4. Not solely did it reveal extra element within the shadows, however the shade rendering—all the time tough while you combine firelight and electrical gentle—was a lot better than what I received from the Hero 12.
Suffice it to say that in some situations, the Osmo Motion 4 wins, and in others, the GoPro Hero 12 takes the cake. Don’t learn an excessive amount of into low-light efficiency although. Whereas DJI’s sensor is an enchancment, no sensor this small actually does nicely at evening. More often than not, in daylight, I discovered the efficiency of the 2 cameras very related.
I often attempt to shoot Log video and do my shade grading in software program. The Motion 4 can shoot in 10-bit D-Log M which provides you greater dynamic vary footage, which then permits extra shade correction flexibility when modifying. This trumps the Hero 11, which doesn’t assist true Log recording. To complicate your shopping for choice, the Hero 12 does assist Log recording.
{Photograph}: DJI
Whereas the design of the Osmo Motion 4 is actually unchanged from that of the Motion 3, there’s one tiny, however necessary, distinction: The lens-protector thread measurement has modified, so the lens protectors will not be interchangeable, and any filters that depend on that thread may additionally be incompatible with the brand new mannequin. On the plus aspect, the rubber ring that was all the time falling off the Motion 3 is now completely affixed on the Motion 4.
