DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro leak suggests it’s almost ready to battle the GoPro Hero 13 Black
Let this year’s action cam battle commence…
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It’s now officially action camera season – just a day after a hugeGoPro Hero 13 Blackleak revealed most of its specs, a newDJIOsmo Action 5 Pro leak has spilled the beans on its most likely rival.
The new packaging images shared by@JasperEllenson X (formerly Twitter) below appear to confirm the earlier rumors we saw in July that DJI’s GoPro rival will, like theDJI Osmo Action 4, stick with a 1/1.3-inch CMOS sensor with an f/2.8 aperture and 155-degree field of view – although this time the sensor is apparently “all-new”.
Otherwise, it’s not yet clear why DJI has given this model a ‘Pro’ moniker. One promising spec on the packaging is the four hours “extended battery life” – ourDJI Osmo Action 4 reviewdescribed its predecessor’s stamina as “middling”, so that would be a good quality-of-life upgrade.
Another bonus could be the “professional audio recording” with a DJI Mic connection, although it isn’t clear how that differs from the Action 4. You could already plug the receiver for the originalDJI Micinto the camera’s USB-C port, so it isn’t yet clear if this is an upgrade or a refinement of that feature.
(Part 2. The #DJIACTION5PRO box) The camera brings ‘all-new’ 1/1.3 CMOS sensor. Precision tracking. 4 hours battery life. DJI MIC 2 connection and Horizonsteady. The package is a #adventurecombo. Cheers! pic.twitter.com/YEt4sEg7dfAugust 30, 2024
One area that does appear to have been polished is autofocus. The leaked box says you can track subjects with “enhanced precision”. We don’t yet know if DJI has improved another of our gripes about the Action 4 – its minimum focus distance being a fairly lengthy 0.4m – but that would be good news for action scenes at least.
There’s no word on pricing or a release date for the DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro yet, but given there upgrades appear to be minor we’d expect it to land in the region of $399 / £379 / AU$629 (like the Action 4). Does that new ‘Pro’ branding suggest DJI is planning to release a cheaper non-Pro model? Possibly, and given the leaks we may find out for sure very soon – once theDJI Neolaunchon September 5is out of the way.
Have we hit peak action cam?
The most striking thing about this DJI Action 5 Pro leak and the recent one we saw for the GoPro Hero 13 Black is that both cameras appear to be conservative upgrades – although that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
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Many DJI and GoPro fans had hoped for a 1-inch sensor, but the fact that both of their 2024 flagships appear to be sticking with smaller sensors suggests that wasn’t practical – perhaps due to the impact on software features and the extra processing it would involve.
TheInsta360 One R 1-inch editionremains an option if you want that sensor for lower light, while we also rate the8K-capableInsta360 Ace Proas one of thebest action camerasyou can buy (even though it costs a hefty $449 / £429 / AU$729). But the Action 5 Pro and Hero 13 Black should still prove to be reliable options at a slightly lower price.
These days, the real innovators in the action cam space are arguably thebest 360 cameraslike theInsta360 X4. We’re looking forward to hearing more about the long-awaitedGoPro Max 2– hopefully during the Hero 13 Black launch – and perhaps even DJI might be tempted into the space, if it isn’t distracted by itsrumored mirrorless camera.
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Mark is TechRadar’s Senior news editor. Having worked in tech journalism for a ludicrous 17 years, Mark is now attempting to break the world record for the number of camera bags hoarded by one person. He was previously Cameras Editor at both TechRadar and Trusted Reviews, Acting editor on Stuff.tv, as well as Features editor and Reviews editor on Stuff magazine. As a freelancer, he’s contributed to titles including The Sunday Times, FourFourTwo and Arena. And in a former life, he also won The Daily Telegraph’s Young Sportswriter of the Year. But that was before he discovered the strange joys of getting up at 4am for a photo shoot in London’s Square Mile.
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