Pros
- Better mounting system than GoPro
- Impressive 16m waterproof depth
- Excellent battery life
Cons
- Still overheats despite improvements
- Can’t match top-end GoPros for image quality
The DJI Osmo Action 3 is an excellent choice for underwater filming and a great action camera in its own right, bested only by the GoPro Hero 11 Black.
DJI has switched out the modular design it debuted on the Action 2 in favour of a more standard GoPro-esque action camera template. However, DJI hasn’t completely ditched the old design, keeping the magnetic clamp and using it to create a fantastic quick-release system for attaching the camera to first and third-party mounts.
This means you can unclip the camera from mounts instead of unscrewing it as you might with a GoPro, making it much faster to change. There’s even a second mag-lock mounting point on the side of the protective case for easy filming in portrait orientations for TikTok or Instagram Reels.
Even without the case, the Osmo Action 3 is capable of surviving drops of up to 1.5m and water as deep as 16m. This depth extends to 60m when used with the optional waterproof case. You can also replace the lens so if it does get damaged, there’s no need to replace the entire camera.
Both the 1.4-inch front and the 2.25-inch rear screens are touch-capable, which puts DJI one step ahead of GoPro when comparing the two front displays. Physical buttons are limited to one large shutter button and a power/quick select button for cycling through modes which we found lacked a bit of travel.
When it comes to video quality, the Osmo Action 3 is capable of capturing 4K video at 120fps, meaning there’s no 5.3K option like the one found on the GoPro Hero 11 Black. However, the FOV is wider at 155-degrees.
We found footage to be sharp, detailed and well-exposed during the day, though the quality did fall off in trickier lighting conditions, with images and videos suffering in low-light environments.
Image stabilisation is extremely impressive, but both the stabilisation and horizon levelling features do come with a crop. Likewise, 360-degree horizon levelling is also only supported when recording at 2.7K or lower, which is a pretty dramatic difference next to the GoPro Hero 11 Black’s 5.3K 360-degree horizon levelling support.
Despite these caveats, the DJI Osmo Action 3 remains a rugged and very affordable action camera.
Reviewer: Sam Kieldsen
Full Review: DJI Osmo Action 3
