DJI - Osmo Action 3

Check out DJI Action cameras. I have the Action 3 which is pretty affordable and very comparable to the GoPros but with better battery life and heat management. Quality is great especially if you turn on the stabilization feature. The latest is the Action 5 now but a bit more expensive.

I strap osmo 3’s to race cars what do you mean it can’t chase toddlers around?

Whichever is compatible with the app you use, if any (TrackAddict, etc) for the sake of convenience. Really though, anything in a decent resolution will work. I use a DJI Osmo Action 3 and I’ve been happy with the results so far.

My DJI osmo action 3 connects to my android phone and shows a live view. I thought it was standard on pretty much every action camera tbh. I had some old generic one years ago that did, as well as a few old gopros.

Go pro is probably not the first choice anymore. DJI Osmo action 4 and 5 are better imo. Insta 360 also have the ace series which are not 360 cameras despite the name. 360 cameras like the insta 360 X3 and X4 can shoot normal video too. All the do is record 2 feeds and mege then, front back back cameras with super wide angle lenses. I have an Osmo action 3 and 4 and an insta 360 X3. If you aren't interested in 360 video, the action 4 or 5 is a great choice. Much more rugged than the insta 360 and more shooting options in regard to frame rate and resolution. Another thing to consider is audio. If you want speaking in the videos, you'll need external mics. The Osmo action 4 and 5 can connect a DJI mic2 via Bluetooth. The insta 360 don't natively support external mics, but I've heard of a hack connecting the mic as a Bluetooth earphone in the menu and it working, but I haven't tried it.

Refurbished dji action 4 or 3 is the way to go

I have the Action 3 (which is now a steal) and the battery time is really amazing. When doing timelapses of 1 image every 30 seconds it can last about 15 hours!

Really too bad. I have read about overheating issues with them. I have an Action 3 which has been so damn amazing. Sounds like they may have botched the 5.

I buy a lot of camera for media collection for my dive shop. The ones that we choose currently are the DJI 5, Insta360 X3, and the DJI 3. GoPro doesn't get a look in as it's just not good enough anymore. We got given the 12 to test, and it's not been used since the test was complete...

Dji Osmo Action. 4k, 60 fps. Can do slo-mo, hyperlapse, still pics, etc. Mine has been stepped on, played with by my sheep, dropped, rained on, dunked in water, beat on by ducks and geese, you name it. Still works great. I used to have GoPros, but DJI just has better image quality AND GoPros shut off in hot weather all the time. They just overheat in anything above 80 f. 5 minutes of video and boop, power off, overheating. Has yet to happen to my Osmo Action 5. Happened to every single GoPro I owned. (4 different gens) The DJI Osmo 3 is a great camera for filming stuff too, but it won't stand up to animals or accidents very well due to the exposed gimbal.

For underwater it depends a lot on: - Depth - Camera settings - Salt/lakewater GoPros tend to do fine until 10m on Mediterranean water, but require a physical filter after 10m to compensate for the blue/green, this means less light so you need at least 400 or 800 min ISO, white balance needs to be locked (I typically use 4500k). the DJI cams, I have the action 3, have an additional color sensor to do white balance adjustment and while it's not perfect it yields very good results even at 20m. So no need for a red filter, which also means more light.

Osmo 5 is a gimbal. If you are talking about Action 5, reviews are great. I bought model 2 and 3. I still use 2 for certain needs, but gave away 3. I own a lot of DJI gear, and Action 5 looks like a great contender for GoPro. Don’t be fooled by online reviews. It really depends on your personal needs. Shooting in low light without adding light seems weird to me, but sure Action 5 does a bit better. It still can’t beat to add light. GoPro MediaMod is perfect to mount a light. I’m not sure about image quality. Yes sensor is bigger, but it’s still tiny. Algorithms do all the work.

Yup, I love their magnet mount. Long before GoPro implemented. I can easily record landscape or portrait mode, no software required without losing any video quality. Plus I ride dirt bikes out in the desert, which means more heat to the camera and it has yet to overheat.

DJI Action 3, I have no reason to upgrade at the moment. Maybe until the 6 if it the 1” sensor makes it to the camera.

After using GoPro up until the 10 I switched to the DJI action camera 3 and will never use GoPro again. It records instantly, better stabilization & colors and that’s just on the 3; I can’t wait to upgrade to the 4 or 5.

Plus the DJI app is really nice. I usually color grade in Final Cut Pro but for the diving I do I find that I don’t even really need FCP since the colors are so nice

It's because they have been releasing the exact same thing for years now and they keep increasing the price for no reason at all. It also has issues they never adress with the newer ones and the GoPro's abilities has been surprassed by DJI. Even the Osmo Action 3 is better than most GoPro cameras and the Osmo Action 4 surpassed all of them with every feature (they don't overheat as easily, they can record at night when it's completely dark, ect.)

An action camera is great, however DJI makes the best action camera for your budget. I got a great deal on the Osmo Action 3. 

That is true, the drone they replaced awesome service. But with the action 3 i feel scammed such a low quality action cam.

I've have GoPro 8 and 11. 11 is terrible POS, which constantly overheats and discharges itself if left off for couple days. I've had OA3, which was piss poor and didn't have a proper focus distance set. How do you like Ace Pro 2 so far, after all those months?

The osmo action 3 can do it. It's not the best picture quality but it's good enough. I use mine as a dash cam But obviously there are better out there.

I would avoid GoPro Hero 10 or beyond. Those are the only Hero cameras I have experience with and they're a huge PITA especially for motorcycling. It either doesn't turn on, doesn't record, or records with no audio ALL THE TIME. If you happen to notice it's not turning on, then you get to pull over, take your helmet off, unmount the camera, and fiddle with it until you figure out what's not working. Usually requiring you to remove and reinsert the battery. It's the most frustrating thing ever on a bike and I'd argue dangerous since you're preoccupied with the camera instead of your ride. I tried working with a Hero 10 and 11 for over 2 years before I swore them off forever. I recently switched to Insta360 and couldn't be happier. The Insta has literally not one time malfunctioned or not recorded when I pressed the button. I also have an old DJI Osmo Action that never had reliability issues. I would say any Osmo Action gen or the previous gen Insta360 (R One or something like that I cant' remember the name) would do the job well. If part of its job is dashcam you might also consider a 360 camera. You'll have way butter luck catching incidents with it than a regular action cam. I also have a GoPro 360 MAX camera. Unlike the Hero cameras, it's been great. It's still glitchy at times but nowhere near the regularity of the Hero cameras. It's kind long in the tooth now too so you may be able to find them on a good deal somewhere.

We use GoPros at work for in car spiels, and we have found the latest ones annoyingly buggy. Sometimes (not often) shutting down randomly and sometimes not saving a video and throwing up an error. It also tends to overheat when mounted on the windshield since we live in a hot country (happens often). Image quality is great, to be fair, but we shifted to osmo actions because of the more reliable software, more reliable heat dissipation and longer battery life. Transfer by files is also easier on the DJI with a better iPhone app. Overall, go pro has really good video quality, but the few times it failed, they were mission critical shots, and we just can’t afford to have that gap in our workflow.

As of Feb 22, 2025, Insta360 Ace Pro, Ace Pro 2, GoPro 12 and DJI Osmo Action are the three best action cams for motorcycle riding. If you do low light riding (night or overcast weather), go with Ace Pros. It has much better dynamic range and much higher image quality in low light. You'll find many comparison reviews in YouTube, I'd advise checking out a few of them for yourself. I own an Ace Pro and I never looked back.

DJI action and it’s not even close. Far better than GoPro. I tested it on my recent diving trip.

The only negatives that I have about the DJI so far, is that the video files don't seem to interact well with Premiere Pro (not sure about other video editors). There are work arounds, but GoPro footage works way more smoothly with Premiere Pro. The materials of the camera feel "cheaper" than GoPros. Not sure if that's just in my head, but I reckon a GoPro Hero would handle more action than a DJI Osmo Action. The raw footage you get from the DJI, however, is far better than that of a GoPro, especially underwater (and you suck at colour grading) and in darker environments. I've been using the DJI without a protective housing. I opted for the 2 year insurance option because of it, and I can get a replacement camera or lens relatively cheap if anything happens while diving. Unsure how smoothly the process for replacement is, as of yet, but I'd assume it's good.

I recently purchased the DJI Osmo. Primary use for me is scuba diving and it has a much larger sensor than GoPro, which makes a big difference in terms of color underwater.

If you're looking for something affordable buy used. Action cams are designed to be durable so the risk of a used one breaking are fairly minimal. Most people use GoPro cameras but I for one would take the DJI Osmo action over it.