I went mountain biking with this $350 DJI camera and the video results blew me away

I have been using GoPro cameras for a very long time. From filming mountain bike rides to indoor videos, they have served me well. These cameras were far from perfect – the fisheye effect was a bit large and the built-in microphones were terrible. Once I got serious about filming (and gave up on the idea of ​​filming my trail shenanigans), I left the GoPros (and action cameras in general) behind.

When DJI reached out for a review Osmo Action 5 ProSuddenly I was excited by the idea of ​​getting back on my mountain bike and filming a few trail rides.

Also: Is GoPro still the best action camera? Well, it depends

My experience with the Action 5 Pro didn’t start off particularly well (more on that in a moment), but once I had it initialized and ready to go, the tiny camera really impressed me.

Before I get into my opinion about this camera, let’s talk about the specs.

The specifications

• 47GB of built-in storage
• Dual high brightness OLED touchscreen displays
• Next-generation 1/1.3-inch sensor with up to 13.5 stops of dynamic range and an aperture of f/2.8
• 4nm high performance chip
• Professional air pressure and water pressure measuring devices
• Wi-Fi 6.0 and USB 3.0 high-speed transmission
• 4 hours of battery life
• SuperNight mode with AI to reduce noise
• 10-bit D-Log-M footage with color restoration
• Price – $349 at major retailers

My experience

When I first received the camera, I had to register and initialize it using the DJI Mimo app. This is where the first problem started: the app is not available in the Google Play Store. Instead, you need to download it from the DJI website. The download was very slow and took several attempts to download to my Pixel 9 Pro. After finally installing it, I opened it, logged into my DJI account, and went through the steps to initialize the camera.

The app recognized the camera but refused to connect no matter what I tried or how many times I tried. I contacted DJI support and for some reason they couldn’t help me (which is strange because DJI support usually works great).

At some point my Pixel 9 Pro received an update and that helped. The DJI app was connected to the camera and I was able to initialize it.

I did a few quick tests with the camera. I wanted to put together a short film to see how well it would work for this process. I’m still working on that, but I quickly came to the conclusion that it was an action camera and people wouldn’t buy it for narrative films. Instead, I strapped the camera to my fully rigid single-speed mountain bike and prepared to hit the trails. You can view the test material here.

Also: Is GoPro’s cheaper $200 4K action camera worth it? Only if these features are important to you

The first thing I noticed about this camera was the built-in memory. First, I inserted a microSD card and quickly took a film of myself on the racing bike, but that didn’t work out so well because the write speed of the card couldn’t keep up with that of the camera. This is not a problem with the internal memory.

The second feature was the two OLED touchscreens that made it so easy to keep track of what you were filming from the front or back. The touchscreens automatically switch off after a set period of use to conserve battery power. To bring the screen back to life, all you have to do is touch it.

When I set off on my mountain bike I used the default settings, which was a mistake as they were configured at 30fps at 1080p. I should have changed this to 60fps at 4K to get the best possible quality. I also left it in normal mode (assuming the default was set to Sport). This surprised me considering how action cameras are typically used. You might think that the camera would immediately be automatically configured for the best possible results during actions.

Lesson learned.

Even though the resulting footage wasn’t of the best possible quality, what stood out most was the quality of the camera’s internal stabilization. I ride a fully rigid carbon fiber single speed bike, which equates to a very bumpy ride. When I ride a bike I have to stay very loose in my knees, hips, elbows and shoulders; otherwise I would jump ship immediately. Additionally, the trail system near my house isn’t exactly smooth.

Also: This thumb-sized camera is my new “must-have” for on the go

Despite all this, the recordings were remarkably smooth. You would never have guessed that I don’t ride a full suspension bike with lots of padding. Of course, I wish I had taken the time to adjust the video parameters before spending nearly an hour flying through the trails, but the end results were impressive nonetheless.

When I used GoPro cameras, I paid almost the same price as the DJI Osmo 5 Pro camera and didn’t get anywhere near the results.

There are also some really cool add-ons for the camera, such as ND filters and lots of ways to attach the camera to different vehicles and surfaces. I had a little trouble with the mount I used, but that was because the handlebars I attached it to were carbon fiber and I wasn’t willing to crank it down hard enough to hold it in place. Eventually I found the right tension to hold it in place and all was well.

ZDNET’s buying guide

If action cameras are your thing, skip the competition and go straight to the DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro. You’ll be hard pressed to find a better consumer camera suitable for all types of action (underwater, above water or in the sky). The internal memory and the two OLED touchscreens alone make this entry-level price worth it. Combine that with the quality of the videos produced and this is a winner in every way.

As the holidays approach, consider one of these cameras for your family members who live on the edge and like to film everything they do.