If you want to keep a blog with videos, start a YouTube channel, or post your videos on other (social) media, you need to know what kind of equipment you need to bring along on your travels. Well, heads up: We are still learning as we go but we are happy to share our experiences with you.
This time I want to discuss the DJI Action with you. A pretty good competitor to the well-known GoPro. Very stable, 4K/60FPS, light, and small
Yes, there is a new version of the DJI Action, but we are poor travelers (help us by clicking affiliate links and ads). The first version works just as well. There are some differences, but in general, the devices are the same.
I did own a GoPro before I got the DJI Action camera and I must say that the DJI device works and feels much better. This is a personal opinion.
What can this small thing do? Well, record videos and take pics. Although I don’t recommend taking pictures with it, because they aren’t that great. Since there are plenty of websites that can tell you all about this device, I am just going to highlight the most important items for when you are traveling.
It records videos with a maximum resolution of 4K with 60 FPS and a minimum of 720p with 200 FPS. It also supports 2.7K and 1080p. You can change these settings very easily because of the small touch screen on the back of the device.
The dimensions of this action cam (65×42×35 mm) make it very easy to hide or stow away in small corners. It’s “just” 124 grams, which is light. You can control it by using the touch screen or via the app DJI Mimo.
It starts up really quickly and the battery lasts pretty long. It should last for 63 minutes. To be honest; I never tried it, but I am amazed at how long the battery lasts for a day. But better safe than sorry, so I always carry a power bank with me.
It has a built-in microphone. There is an SD slot on the side that can hold cards compatible with UHS-I MicroSD cards up to 256GB.
No matter how small this thing is, it has quite some features. I’m not going to name them all, but just the ones that are really cool or handy.
The stabilization that is build-in works very well. There is an option called “rocksteady”, which can be enabled at certain resolutions. This setting helps make the video look more stable.
Other features of this device are time-lapse, slow motion, HDR video, and loop recording. All features I never really use that often.
There is also an app you can install on your mobile phone. It’s called DJI Mimo, but you won’t find it in the app store or Google Play. Reason: DJI is Chinese. You can still get it though. Just go to the website of DJI and find the download. Or click here.
The DJI Action has built-in WiFi which is used to connect to the DJI Mimo app. Simply activate the WiFi on the action cam, start DJI Mimo, and connect the action cam. You can now control the camera from the app. This is ideal if the camera is out of reach. Within the app, you can also change the settings. This is, in my opinion, easier than via the touch screen on the camera itself.
One other really great feature is that you can (re)use the GoPro mounts. While the DJI Action was almost 400 Euros cheaper than the GoPro, you don’t have to buy new mounts. I reused most of them, especially a sucking cup, wrist strap, and some stickers that I can place on a helmet.
This blog is not a tutorial on how you use it or set it up. It’s more to make you aware you don’t always need a big, lumpy camera to make something nice. I haven’t been using it as much as I would like to, but I did manage to create some examples. One of them is a vlog we created while driving in the car from Nannup to Denmark, Australia. The sound is recorded by the action cam itself. The aerial video is made with the DJI Mavic Mini drone.
The videos below are taken with the DJI Action camera in 4K with 60FPS.
It’s not all perfection. One thing I really miss is a zoom function. Yes, you cannot zoom with the DJI Action camera. The lens is just too small for this.
Another thing is the holding. You can’t really hold it in your hand. You always need a mount to connect it to something. One of those mounts could be a selfie stick.
It needs some practice. Don’t think you can buy it and create awesome videos on the same day. The handling, position, and settings are something you need to get used to. If you own other DJI devices, some features may seem familiar to you.
It’s not water-resistant. As you can see in the images, most parts are open. They say you can go underwater a little bit, but I wouldn’t risk it at all. There are waterproof cases if you do want to try this. Most waterproof cases go to 45-meter depth.
Other than that… I didn’t really find anything that bothered me. It’s just a fun gadget that is super handy when you travel.
Neutral Density Filters (or ND Filters, or NDFs) are small lenses you can put on a recording device. This will control how much light a camera receives. They give just a little bit extra that you can’t fix with post-editing. There are ND Filters for the big cameras, but they are also available for the DJI Action camera.
These are really small lenses you can click on the camera. I highly recommend checking this out. It can help you out a lot!
You can get the lenses almost everywhere. Amazon has a good amount of lenses, with different prizes. Just make sure you select the right device (it also lists GoPro devices).
That concludes the DJI Action camera. Did you know DJI also manufactures drones? We bring along a DJI Mavic Mini, which is also a great addition to our technical luggage. Another great device is the DJI Osmo Pocket. A small, lightweight, 4K, handheld camera.
Yes, I am a fan of the DJI Action camera. What about you? Please share your thoughts. Maybe you use a different device or have other valid points on the DJI Action (positive or negative). Let us know!
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