DJI Osmo Action vs GoPro Hero 7 Black – #FilmBloggersLife
Do you sometimes wonder what on earth is going on with the world? Life is like a whirlpool and you find yourself drawn to the centre and then sucked in, along with everyone else standing too close to the edge.
In my quest to find the best smartphone (or mobile) filmmaking kit out there, I now spend half of each day gazing at YouTube reviews. Eventually, my eyes are pink ping pong balls. Blurry backgrounds combine with blurry foregrounds, without the need of a DoF adapter.
Then I’m watching a review of the new DJI Osmo Action GoPro-style action cam. And I come to the realisation I’m watching a grown man running along a street, holding a small box in his right hand while yelling at it.
I don’t know if I’m projecting, but I think I detect a look in his eyes which says, somewhere in the back of his mind is a distant voice, crying. Perhaps an ancestral memory, passed through the generations via his DNA and now lamenting, “It wasn’t supposed to be like this.”
Peter seems like a nice guy though, as he sets off on a run, with his 3.6 million subscribers following along. His hoodie hood is strategically up to offer some kind of anonymity, at least. I can’t quite hear what he says, but the subtitles say, “free jog down the street to see which cameras better”.
To my (blurry) eyes, the picture quality is about the same. The DJI Osmo Action seems more stable, while the GoPro 7 Black has a wider picture.
Peter greets someone in the street then says, “taste blood” and runs his tongue around the inside of his mouth. Is he ok? What the… just happened? Do action cams auto-edit out moments where YouTubers are assaulted in the streets?
I guess strange things happen in a world where we run along streets yelling at small gadgets in our hand. The run continues “pretty fast” until Peter has finally had enough and slouches against the wall. “What do you think?” he enquires, brightly. “You’re learning at the same time I am!”
That’s true. For me, the GoPro side of the video has a nicer colour to it. The DJI Osmo Action looks a bit too pink.
Peter runs into a cafe to test the low light capabilities of the 2 cameras. He orders something from the happy (but slightly freaked out) cafe owner, who does his best to stay cool. I can’t quite hear what Peter orders, but sounds like “can you make me a small climax of golden hour?”
YouTube’s auto caption says “Chemex” not climax. So I just Googled “Chemex” – its a brand of coffee maker, so I guess YouTube is right. Seems I’m learning at the same time as Peter is learning.
And the DJI Osmo Action has a brighter look than the GoPro. But do I detect more noise in the shadows of Peter’s face as he turns? (that’s a line I’m going to use in a romantic novel about a robot who falls in love with a guy called Peter)
In this low light situation, the GoPro footage looks softer while the Osmo Action has a harsh sharpened look. Peter then reveals the GoPro got wet on the way in – hence the blurryness.
Peter says the DJI Osmo Action “outperforms the GoPro by miles” in the low light test. But to my eyes the Osmo adds noise to get the lighter image. Whereas the GoPro just keeps things a bit dark. Certainly, when working with the footage in a colour correction situation you’d prefer less noise.
I realise the GoPro footage is darker, but I believe with a little nudge up on the exposure in post that would come out looking better than the Osmo.
Look at this shot. To me, the GoPro is producing a much nicer image, more pleasing to the (blurry) eye. More natural skin tones and warmer.
Certainly, there’s more detail in the image from the DJI Osmo, even when set to the same resolution. Maybe because that wider lens creates a little more distortion.
Back home, Peter tests the audio and there’s not much to choose between the inbuilt microphones of the 2 cameras.
DJI Osmo Action, like other DJI products, also comes with an app which allows you remote control over all the camera settings.
Peter goes through the extras you can add to your Osmo Action. And let’s us know we can “do whatever we want at the end of this video – it’s your life”. I just want to learn, Peter, as you learn.
Check Price of DJI Osmo Action on Amazon
Check Price of GoPro Hero 7 Black on Amazon
Find out what’s in our Official MoMo Kit List for mobile filmmakers.
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