DJI Action 2 Review
DJI has released its new camera the Action 2, an action camera capable of 4K resolution with 120fps, great battery time, and a lot of new better specs! DJI is one of the biggest producers in the action camera market with some of the most successful models, especially on sites such as Amazon.
The new DJI has decided to change the traditional sports cam shape and make the new Action 2 a small cubic shape. which means all of your accessories will fit great, you won’t have problems with most other accessories since it has built-in bottom connectors.
The new DJI Action 2 comes with a brand new feature which is the double modules that stick together with a strong magnet. The camera uses the same magnet system to connect to the different accessories.
But before we talk about its features, what comes in the box of the DJI Action 2? Inside the box, we can find the DJI Action 2 camera, a front touchscreen module, a magnetic lanyard, a magnetic ball-joint adapter mount, a magnetic adapter mount, a power cable, and a manual.
In this blog post, your gonna find out everything you need to know about this new action camera from DJI, its new features, and some comparisons from the last model, the DJI Action Osmo. Has it improved? Is the video quality better, what are the specs, better audio?
Pros
≫ 4K Resolution up to 120fps
≫ Multiple modules
≫ RockSteady 2.0+
≫ Waterproof up to 10m
≫ Good image quality
≫ Pictures up to 23MP
Cons
≫ Some modules can’t go underwater
≫ Not great in low-light
Design
As mentioned above the new DJI Action 2 comes with a new cube shape very different than the DJI Osmo, the magnetic cube design is a very unique design which could be an advantage and a disadvantage depending on your preference for the shape of action cameras.
The design overall looks good, with a minimalistic grey color, the plastics feel high quality and it has a black color. The DJI Action 2 comes with many modules which can be used for different things, for example, the front touch screen module lets you have a more typical action camera design with the lens on one module and a front screen on the other.
Like most new sports cams the DJI Action 2 can go underwater without the waterproof housing, it can go underwater up to 10m (33feet). A con about the DJI Action 2 is that some modules are not waterproof; if you plan on using them, your DJI becomes no longer waterproof.
On the front, we can see the lens and the microphone. On the upper side, there is the shutter button similar to most cameras, on the left side, there is the microSD compartment slot, the battery compartment, and the USB-C-Port connector, on the right side, there is the mode button to turn off and on the cam or change settings, most of them can be changed with the touchscreen.
The dimensions of it are 39 × 39 × 22.3 mm (1.54 x 1.54 x 0.87 inch) and its weight is 56g (2 ounce).
Technical Specifications
As for specs, the Action 2 uses the CMOS de 1/1.7″ sensor that allows it to record at 4K 120, and 12MP photos using a 155° wide-angle lens with an opening of f/2.8. It uses RockSteady 2.0 Video Stabilization which supports up to 4K, but it doesn’t work when recording at 100fps or more.
The DJI Action 2 uses a LiPo 1S battery with a capacity of 580 mAh which uses 3.85 Voltage. The operating temperature for the battery is 0 to 40° C (32 to 104° F). The battery can last about 70 minutes.
With the screen module, we can find the IPS 1.4″ color LCD screen with Live Preview, the screen is a pretty good size which allows you to see everything well, the screen is pretty responsive and easy to playback your videos or change settings.
The audio of Action 2 is captured with 4-microphone Matrix Stereo, which records audio with realistic detail for a more authentic experience. A cool feature of the audio is the zoom feature, when you zoom the video, the audio replicates it, for a more dynamic and focused sound. The Action 2 also records sound from multiple angles so you can easily select the focus direction.
The Action 2 also comes with a Wi-Fi connection, the app connects with the DJI smartphone app to control the camera through your phone or enjoy hands-free control of your camera via simple voice commands.
The DJI Action 2 comes with an internal 32GB SD card which you can’t remove, but if you plan on using a bigger SD card you need to use another module, either the power unit or front screen unit.
Micro SD card must be U3 or higher with 8-256GB capacity. If “SD card error” appears, format your SD card as FAT32 on your computer.
≫ Video resolution: 4K (3840 x 2160p)
≫ Image quality: 12MP
≫ Battery: 580 mAh
≫ Frame rate: 30FPS/ 60FPS/ 120FPS/ 240FPS
≫ RockSteady 2.0+ HorizonSteady stabilization
≫ SD Card up to 256GB
≫ Codec h.264 / HEVC
≫ Can shoot in .RAW format
≫ Underwater up to 10m
≫ Records in .mp4
≫ WiFi connection
≫ FOV: 155º wide angle
≫ Sensor: CMOS de 1/1.7
Battery
The DJI Action 2 uses a Lithium 580mAh 3.85V battery, which is quite good for its size, the Action 2’s battery is not as good as GoPro’s batteries, being able to record for about 70 minutes. In the case of capturing 4K video, battery life will drop a bit.
The batteries can work with temperatures from 0º to 40°C (32º to 104°F). The front touch screen module when plugged in, the Action 2’s battery life increases to a maximum of 160 minutes of recording time.
The battery is situated on the bottom of the DJI, where there is a cover that gives access to the battery. The DJI Action 2 comes with 1 battery, I recommend getting a second one so you can change them quickly and keep recording whenever the first one runs out.
- Camera Module: integrated battery with a capacity of 580mAh which can record and capture photos, with a maximum of 70 minutes of operation.
- Display Module: adds a total of 1300 mAh of battery capacity to the camera, reaching up to 160 minutes of autonomy with DJI Action 2 camera
- Battery Module: add more capacity (1300 mAh) and get the autonomy of the Action 2 to reach about 180 minutes
Stabilization
Like the last DJI sports cam, the Action 2 has improved its stabilization to the new RockSteady 2.0. Compared to the Hero 9 the new RockSteady 2.0 stabilization does a great job in stabilizing the footage and is very similar to GoPro’s HyperSmooth 3.0, GoPro and DJI have mastered stabilization these last years and RockSteady 2.0 is one of the best stabilization of any sports cam.
The Electronic image stabilization will not work when recording at 100fps or more. And the HorizonSteady is only available when the video resolution is 1080p (16: 9) or 2.7K (16: 9). DJI’s latest built-in stabilization algorithm detects and corrects camera shake and rotation in real-time.
HyperSmooth stabilization really is a game-changer, at least for action cameras and gimbal users, it works great and can smooth the shot massively and get rid of the need for gimbals. The one negative side of the stabilization is the small cropping you get while recording, but it’s worth it.
Photography
As for the photography, DJI has improved its quality just a bit from the Osmo Action but still looks very similar, the quality of pictures on the Action 2 are pretty good, with natural colors and good resolution. the DJI Action 2 can take pictures up to 12MP (4000 x 3000), thanks to the higher resolution we get a lot more detail in the pictures.
The DJI Action 2 comes with multiple settings you can easily change. The setting menu lets you change multiple settings such as the possibility to change the ISO, shutter speed, and the exposure time for those who like using manual settings to take pictures, but the auto mode works great as well. The Action 2 also comes with digital 4X Zoom for pictures and videos.
For more action shots the Action 2 has the ability to take Burst pictures capable of shooting: 30/10, 30/6, 30/3, 25/1, 10/3, 10/1, 5/1, 3/1 Intervals.
For those who want to get Night pictures, DJI has the ability to shoot at Night with the Night mode, which lets you change the settings to: 2s, 5s, 10s, 15s, 20s, 30s.
Video
DJI Action 2 is capable to record up to 4K resolution and 120 frames per second, but you have the option to change the resolution and framerate. The videos captured with this action camera are stored in MP4 (H.264 / HEVC), the Action 2 records up to 130 Mb/s.
The DJI Action 2 has similar video quality to the DJI Action Osmo, it has improved a bit but not much has changed in the overall image quality, perfect for video editing especially, a new detail about this year’s DJI is the ability to change the bitrate to achieve higher quality in the settings, increasing the amount of video information the camera gets.
Audio:
The audio of the DJI Action 2 has improved with the new wireless microphone system, which offers pretty good sound quality and dual-channel recording at distances DJI claims up to 250m. The system consists of two microphone transmitters, a receiver, and an ultra-portable charging case.
The video resolutions of the DJI Action 2 are the following:
- 4K a 120fps/ 60fps/ 30fps/ 24fps
- 2.7K a 240fps/ 120fps/ 60fps/ 30fps/ 24fps
- 1080P HD a 240fps/ 120fps/ 60fps/30fps
- 720P HD a 240fps/ 120fps/60fps/30fps/ 24fps
Features
Like its predecessor, the Action 2 has multiple features to improve your videos and stand out. The DJI Action 2 does have a few new features and improved some from the last DJI camera.
Like most action cameras the DJI Action 2 has the option to take Time Lapses with Photos or Video. A time-lapse allows us to be able to represent a situation in a much shorter period of time than in real-time.
Thanks to the DJI Mimo app you can effortlessly capture, edit and share the highlights of any adventure. The application is packed with intuitive features and powerful editing tools, all available at your fingertips!
Presets + On-Screen Shortcuts, you can learn more about Presets and Lightroom presets by clicking here!
Should you buy it?
The DJI is the big competitor for GoPro, the new DJI Action 2 is one of the best sports cameras you can find, if we compare it with the Hero 10 the Action 2 has very similar video quality and stabilization, a big difference is its design.
With the new magnetic modules and its unique cube design, the Action 2 can have advantages and disadvantages. A big disadvantage is that when using the screen module the Action 2 is no longer waterproof.
In the short time that I have been able to test it, I have to say that the image quality has pleasantly surprised me, as well as the stabilizer, achieving very good results. The price seems somewhat high, although I understand that it has reached GoPro’s quality, the Action 2 is pretty expensive.
The DJI Action 2 is one of the best action camera you can get, if you are using a cheap action camera and want to upgrade I would say it’s worth upgrading or if you are looking to get one for the first time, before getting the Action 2 I recommend you check out GoPro’s latest model the Hero 10 (click here).
Review Breakdown
Video support up to 4K up to 120fps with Rocksteady stabilization and pictures up to 12MP. 580 mah battery which can last about 70 minutes. The Action 2 is waterproof and comes with useful modules.
