DJI Action 2 Review
Verdict
The DJI Action 2's video performance may exist respectable rather than groundbreaking, but its pioneering magnetic mounting and mod system non only works brilliantly – information technology also serves to set up information technology apart from all its rivals in the action cam market. This is a photographic camera that performs well (particularly where epitome stabilisation is concerned) but its true value lies in its tiny, lightweight trunk and the ease with which information technology can exist mounted to various things – fifty-fifty the front of your shirt – and quickly adapted to suit different tasks.
Pros
- Compact size
- Clever magnetic modular pattern
- Actress wide field of view
- Constructive horizon levelling EIS
Cons
- Prone to overheating
- Poor performance in low lite
- Addition modules not waterproof
Availability
- Great britain RRP: £349
- USA RRP: $399
Key Features
- Design Magnetic and modular
- Storage 32GB of built-in storage for recording and microSD
- Battery life lxx minutes (1080/30p recording)
Introduction
DJI is the market leader in photographic camera drones by a country mile, but it's still playing a distant second fiddle to GoPro when information technology comes to action cams. The Activeness 2 feels similar a bold endeavor not only to catch up with GoPro's Hero line, but to offer something a petty different.
While the first DJI Action sought to emulate the Hero, its replacement wants to stand up out on its ain claim. It does that chiefly through its innovative modular design, whereby the main camera unit tin can be paired up with various mounts or modules to enhance functionality or add features.
A bold design is 1 thing, merely can the Activity two outmatch its groovy rival when information technology comes to performance and prototype quality?
Design
- Modular add-ons add together versatility
- Camera can exist worn
- OLED touchscreeen
The Action 2's principal unit of measurement is tiny, measuring in at 39 x 39 ten 22.3mm, and weighing a modest 56g. That makes information technology a lot smaller and lighter than any Hero-course GoPro, so much then that DJI claims it's a wearable likewise as an action cam.
To that end, there'southward a magnetic pendant in the box: slip it around your cervix and the Action 2 can be firmly stuck to your shirtfront. It makes for an effective and pretty discreet first-person trunk camera.
The camera is currently available in two dissimilar packages: the Power Combo comes with the main unit, the Ability Module (which increases battery life to 180 minutes and adds a MicroSD card slot), the lanyard and a short USB-C cable for charging. The Dual Screen Philharmonic offers the same selection just adds a magnetic brawl-articulation adapter (that'll fix the camera to tripods or anything with a GoPro-style mount) and replaces the Ability Module with a Front end Touchscreen Module (which incorporates an OLED touchscreen, MicroSD slot, iv extra mics and a bombardment heave that gives the combined package up to 160 minutes of recording time).
The main unit is crafted from slick-looking, premium-feeling metallic and offers water resistance to a depth of 10m. Used without the Power and/or Front Touchscreen Modules, its battery lasts for around lxx minutes when recording 1080p video and it has 32GB of internal storage.
DJI says the primary unit of measurement is driblet-proof and grit-proof equally well as waterproof. It has a Gorilla Glass lens encompass to resist scratches and dings. Information technology should be noted, yet, that neither of the modules offer the same water protection – so if you're going for a dip brand sure you remove them first (or invest in DJI's swoop example, which has infinite for one of the modules alongside the main unit and extends the waterproof depth to 60m).
Modular activity cams are null new, simply I haven't seen anything quite every bit slick as the Action 2. There'southward a satisfying clunk as one module firmly clicks onto another and (cheers to a clip that backs up the magnetic pull) a real sense of solidity in the connections.
You don't have to fuss around with screws, clamps and the like quite as much as with a GoPro so everything feels a bit faster and simpler. The ability to remove the Activity 2 from a vlogging handle and clip it to your wheel in the space of iv or five seconds is a real boon.
Given that you may be using the magnetic mount to fix the camera unit to all mode of fast-moving contraptions (paddle board, car, skateboard or, in our case, bike), that'south reassuring – although I wasn't quite so sure of everything staying put when I stacked both the photographic camera and the Forepart Touchscreen Module on a bike mount and rode briskly over a cobbled street. Information technology did stay on, to exist fair, only it felt and sounded a tad precarious.
App and UI
- Only a single physical button
- The DJI app is the best style to control settings
- The app isn't perfect: the Wi-Fi link disconnects after but a infinitesimal or so of inactivity
The Action 2 has a single physical button on meridian, performing both power and recording duties. When the unit is powered down, tapping the button turns it (quickly) on, while a long press turns information technology on and starts recording immediately using your last saved settings. When it's powered on, a short printing stops/starts recording or takes a photo, while a long printing powers information technology down. So far, and then simple.
If y'all want to get into the weeds with settings and other options, it's all through the tiny rear touchscreen, simply thankfully it's all very straightforward and the touch sensitivity seems to be tuned just right.
Occasionally you'll need to tap one of the dinky icons a second time when the first doesn't register, only in general through a combination of fingertip dabbing and swiping, anyone familiar with modern day user interfaces volition be able to quickly notice and alter the option they're looking for.
Information technology'southward even easier to control things using your smartphone and the DJI Mimo app, though. Open information technology up and plow the photographic camera on and the two devices should detect each other quickly, with the app giving yous a prompt to link them. This creates a Wi-Fi connection between telephone and Action 2, allowing the app to function every bit a viewfinder, editor and remote control for the photographic camera.
The app isn't perfect. The Wi-Fi link disconnects after only a minute or so of inactivity, which means you lot'll be frequently tapping the on-screen push button to re-establish information technology. I had lots of problem trying to transfer large video files from the camera to the phone for editing and playback. All too often the transfer would drop halfway through, appear to be completed but for the file to non have actually transferred at all. In some cases the app would crash completely.
You may have more than luck if you're working with a newer handset than my iPhone 8, perhaps – merely hopefully, Mimo will exist updated in the coming days or weeks to improve stability.
Functioning
- Some issues with the device overheating
- Y'all then have to await until the unit cools downwardly to record a follow-up prune
- Operation is otherwise quite impressive
Let'southward get to the principal point about the Activeness 2's performance right abroad: information technology has a trend to overheat and this limits its capabilities at higher resolutions.
Stick the camera in 4K or even 2.7K and hit tape and you lot'll become only a few minutes of footage before a warning sounds and everything shuts down to cool off. I managed clips of over 10 minutes before it happened, but complaints online suggest some users (perhaps those who live in warmer climes) are getting only 5 minutes, or even less.
This might exist understandable on a baking hot midsummer's 24-hour interval in Greece or southern Kingdom of spain, but in the UK in November it'southward surprising – and potentially annoying if you want to record longer clips. Not just is your recording unpredictably short, but you lot then have to wait until the unit of measurement cools downwardly to record a follow-up clip.
It's a shame (and hopefully will be mitigated or stock-still past future firmware updates) as the Action 2's functioning is otherwise quite impressive. Yous tin tape 12MP stills or video at a variety of resolutions and frame rates and, although it can't match the 23MP nevertheless and five.6K/60fps performance of the GoPro Hero 10 Black, 4K at 120fps is perfectly respectable.
Furthermore, the Action 2'due south 155ยบ field of view is wider than the Hero 10 Blackness's, pregnant you tin can fit more in the frame. You tin shoot videos in upwardly to 8x slo-mo or 30x hyperlapse, and livestream your footage via YouTube, Facebook or RTMP.
Using the Activeness 2's excellent RockSteady and HorizonSteady electronic image stabilisation (EIS) will result in a crop, which means a tighter field of view. When y'all encounter the improvement in stability and smoothness, though, you probably won't mind: HorizonSteady (which is debuting on this camera) in particular does a fantastic job of keeping everything level when yous're wobbling effectually.
Image quality itself is decent when the ambient lighting is proficient. There's a real pop to the videos' blue skies and skin tones look realistic. Y'all'll spot some flare when the sunday creeps into view, but nada major. When the fiery orb dips towards or beneath the horizon, however, the Activeness 2's footage starts to go flat and grainy, with too much particular lost to noise. Given the size of the camera that's not a huge surprise, but the absenteeism of even some kind of stacking "nighttime shot" mode for stills is a little odd.
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Should yous buy information technology?
Yous want a tiny modular action cam that's almost as good as a GoPro when it comes to image quality: The Action 2 is a not bad performer for its size, with particularly skilful EIS, and the wealth of modules and mounts gives users lots of scope for achieving interesting shots.
You lot want to record longer clips at resolutions in a higher place 1080p: The trend to overheat here means you'll terminate up with brusk clips only, plus an irritating await for the camera to absurd dorsum down to acceptable temperatures.
Terminal Thoughts
The Action 2 doesn't experience like an action cam in GoPro'south shadow, or 1 fabricated in the GoPro mould – and for that DJI should be commended. The hardware is well constructed and solid, the mounting system is clever and easy to apply and the footage and photos are impressive.
That said, we still wouldn't expect established GoPro users to spring ship to DJI. Had the Action 2 offered something truly groundbreaking – like incredible low light functioning – it might take done the trick, but we don't think the magnet system is enough. And and so there's the overheating upshot and the limits information technology puts on college resolution recordings to consider.
How we test
We thoroughly test every action camera we review. We'll ever tell you what we notice and nosotros never, ever, have money to review a product.
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FAQs
How much congenital-in storage is at that place?
There's 32GB storage hither, with microSD back up
Is it waterproof?
The device itself is waterproof to 10m, however the modules are not
Full specs
‹
USB charging
Bluetooth
Wi-Fi
ASIN
Release Appointment
First Reviewed Engagement
Weight
Video Recording
Size (Dimensions)
Manufacturer
Us RRP
UK RRP
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Jargon buster
mAh
An abridgement for milliampere-hour and a manner to express the capacity of batteries, especially smaller ones in phones. In most cases the higher the mAh, the longer the bombardment volition concluding just this isn't always the case.
ATM
The unit of measurement for atmospheric pressure, used in the context of agreement how far a device can exist submerged into a torso of water. For reference, 1ATM is equal to roughly 10 metres.
GPS
An abbreviation of the Global Positioning System, which uses satellite advice to pinpoint your location. Some smartwatches are able to achieve this communication without the utilize of a smartphone.
Source: https://www.trustedreviews.com/reviews/dji-action-2
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