The DJI Osmo Action, which debuted in May 2019 and rapidly became recognised as one of the best action cameras available, was DJI's entry into the action camera industry. If you loved that groundbreaking tough cam, there may be some good news for you: a spiritual successor is reportedly on the way.
The DJI Action 2, which debuted in November 2021, has arrived since the launch of the first Osmo Action. That camera shed the Osmo moniker and got a cuboid form that was modular, allowing you to customise your configuration.
But based on the Osmo Action 3's initial leaks, it appears like DJI is going back to a more conventional action cam design. What new features will DJI's action camera offer, and is it really a threat to the anticipated GoPro Hero 11 Black?
We loved the bright, vibrant 4K video, user-friendly interface, and excellent electronic stabilisation of the original Osmo Action (even though it did result in clipped images). In addition, GoPro later added this capability to the GoPro Hero 9 Black, making it the first major action camera to offer a front-facing screen for vloggers.
It's an excellent GoPro substitute in 2019 because of all of these factors. However, action camera technology has advanced significantly in recent years, so we're interested to see what the rumoured DJI Osmo Action 3 will bring. Here are the most recent rumours as well as our wish list of qualities we hope the action camera will have.
Date and cost of the DJI Action 3 release
The DJI Osmo Action 3 is anticipated to go on sale in "mid-September," according to the generally trustworthy @DealsDrone(opens in new tab).
Given that GoPro's flagship models normally launch around this time of year, if true, that would put the speculated GoPro Hero 11 Black's release date pretty close to that.
There haven't been any price leaks for the DJI Osmo Action to date. However, based on the cost of its predecessor, we can make some educated assumptions.
The RRP for the initial Osmo Action in 2019 was $379/£329/AU$499; however, that price was immediately lowered to to $329/£279 within a short period of time. Our prediction is that DJI will once more attempt to undercut its closest GoPro competitor, which, if GoPro sticks to its typical launch timetable, might shortly be the Hero 11 Black.
We believe the Osmo Action 3 will cost somewhere between $399 / £379 / AU$599.95 and the Hero 10 Black's initial price. The Hero 10 Black is now on sale for $399 / £379 / AU$599.95 with a GoPro Subscription. Unless it offers a significant improvement, like a 1-inch sensor...
Rumors regarding DJI Action 3 and what we want to see
Later in August, we first heard reports about a DJI Osmo Action 3 from reliable DJI leakers @DealsDrone (above) and @OsitaLV (below).
They predicted that the new action camera would resemble the DJI Osmo Action from its inception rather than the DJI Action 2's more recent modular architecture. Additionally, more recent leaks seem to support this.
On September 5, @DealsDrone posted what appears to be the first DJI Osmo Action 3 leak (below).
It depicts an action camera that, despite being a little fuzzy and sporting a new front emblem and darker colour scheme, closely resembles DJI's original Osmo Action. Apart from the fact that Osmo Action 3 will probably keep the same front-facing screen and lens as its 2019 predecessor, this image doesn't tell much.
More information regarding its specifications will probably emerge in the future, but in the meantime, we've put up a short list of improvements we want to see from the DJI Osmo Action 3 in 2022.
What we hope to see from DJI Osmo Action 3
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1. A sensor with greater resolution
Even by today's standards, 4K resolution is far from being a tiny fry. In actuality, the majority of YouTube videos are still viewed in 480p on mobile. Why do we need higher resolution, then? The Osmo Action 3 needs to be as versatile and detailed as its competitors in order to compete.
The Insta360 One RS's "Twin Edition" can shoot either 5.7K "flat" footage or 360-degree video, while the GoPro Hero 10 Black can only record in 5.3K at 60 frames per second. The DJI Action 3 would be on an equal footing with the competition if it could record at 5K or higher.
Given that this would match the DJI Air 2S drone, we'd even speculate that DJI would give its new action cam a 1-inch sensor with 5.4K video recording. But at the moment, that's just wishful thinking because it's based on hearsay or leaks.
a microSD card slot 2.
For some unexplained reason, DJI neglected to add an SD card slot to the recently released DJI Action 2's primary camera unit. Instead, it had 32GB of internal memory that could only be expanded by purchasing a separate battery module with an SD card port.
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Instead of the DJI Action 2's main unit lacking a microSD card port, the DJI Osmo Action (above) original did. (Future image credit)
On the Osmo Action 3, a built-in microSD card slot would be wonderful to see again. This appears to be very possible given that it is anticipated to have the same design as the original Osmo Action, which did include a microSD slot.
Not that we'd object to internal storage in the event that we misplaced, forgot, or ran out of space on our microSD card. The ideal configuration would include a card port and 32GB of internal storage.
3. An increased battery
DJI's action cameras haven't had great battery life. If you want to film at the highest 4K resolution, the Action 2 can record for up to an hour on medium-quality camera settings, or half that. And while using the original DJI Osmo Action on a day excursion, it was always a good idea to have a power bank or a spare battery.
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We're expecting for a bigger battery than the DJI Osmo Action's initial model (above). (Future image credit)
Even if it results in a somewhat heavier design, we'd love to see DJI include a larger battery in the Osmo Action 3. Although we enjoy the Action 2's modular design, the body of DJI's original action cam should have enough room for a daylong battery.
4. An integrated mount
The fact that a separate housing had to be added in order to mount the original Osmo Action to anything was one of its major shortcomings. This was also true of the GoPro Hero 7 Black at the time, but since then, GoPro cameras have had built-in mounting fingers. We hope the Osmo Action 3 will follow suit.
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The DJI Action 2 (aboveattachment )'s technique was an inventive combination of magnets and clamps. (Future image credit)
Whether DJI will keep using the magnetic mounting technique we saw on the DJI Action 2 is the major question. Given that it was such a big element of DJI's last action camera, it seems likely that this is strong enough to handle the larger Osmo Action 3.
This would be advantageous because it was surprisingly simple to clamp the Action 2 onto and off of its mounts. But we won't know if the Osmo Action 3 will actually go in this direction until the official launch.
