DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro vs GoPro Hero13 – Comparison for Underwater Video
[Music] Hello Ocean People! I'm Brent Durand.
Welcome back to the channel. Today we are going to compare the DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro
with the GoPro Hero 13 Black for underwater video. We know that DJI has a reputation
for creating excellent cameras and that at this point we know the Action 5 lives
up to that reputation. We also know that GoPro was the original action camera and set
quality and performance benchmarks for years. So the question is: Which camera is better for
underwater video? My approach to this review is to film a variety of underwater scenes in our
local kelp forest and to show you the footage so that you can make your own opinion, because
well, we know what the specs are. We've seen all those influencer videos. You found this video so
you deserve a little bit more about how these cameras really work underwater.
Before we start,
know that DJI did send me this Action 5 and I do get to keep it, but as you'll see when
we talk about settings and showing you the underwater video, I'm letting the cameras speak
for themselves in a heads up test to remove any sort of bias that way. So does that sound good for
you? Because it sounds good for me. So let's get going! Let's take a quick look at the
bodies of both of these cameras. On your right is the Osmo Action 5 Pro and on your left is the Hero
13 Black. You'll see that they are very similar in size. The screens are pretty similar once you look
at the screen themselves. You have the top shutter button and then you also have the quick switch /
power button on the side. Now the Osmo Action 5 Pro is waterproof to 20m without the dive case and
the Hero 13 Black is waterproof to 10m without the dive case. You can totally dive them like this,
particularly in fresh water, and you get benefits such as using the magnetic mount either on the
camera body itself or on the Osmo Action 5 Pro. You can put it in the case with the ability to use
magnetic mount in horizontal or vertical format which is pretty cool.
Actually, this side vertical
format. But I always recommend diving action cameras underwater with the dive housing. Not only
does the housing allow you to dive beyond the camera's depth rating, but it offers an extra layer
of protection from flooding due to an eyelash or a piece of lint you don't see compromising the seal.
The housing is also much cheaper to replace if the lens gets scratched while clipping it off to
your BCD or putting the camera in the rinse tank. And over time, sand, gunk, particulate can jam up the
mechanisms or even the microphone holes.
So if you plan on doing a lot of intensive scuba diving with
your action camera, pick up the dive housing. I've got links in the description below. One big upgrade
that DJI made with the Action 5 is the increased battery life that lasts up to 4 hours, which means
it will last a full dive day if you're shooting selectively. Let's talk about image quality next.
The Action 5 pro has a an updated 1/1.3" sensor compared to the GoPro's smaller 1/1.9" sensor. The larger sensor should deliver more dynamic range.
Both cameras shoot 8 or 10-bit. They shoot HDR. They have HLG high dynamic range. And they have Log flat color profiles
if that's your thing. But we're going to focus primarily on the more automatic settings. So let's
get these cameras in their dive housings and get in the water [Music]. On the left is Action 5 Pro and on the right
is the GoPro Hero 13 Black. So the Action 5 Pro has 13.5 stops of dynamic range,
which is the data from the white point to the black point, and I'm seeing nice quality in the
highlights and the shadows on the left. Here we are more back lit for another view where my face
is shaded. And note on the settings that the Osmo Action cameras film in HDR automatically, which
is why I've activated HDR video on the Hero 13. And also know I've done no editing at all on this
footage besides simply trimming and cropping the clips.
You can see the dive conditions weren't
great here. We had about 10 to 20ft visibility and varying density of this milky haziness, but
this creates very dark dive conditions pushing the lowlight performance of these cameras. Right now
we're keeping dynamic range in mind but we're also looking at color rendering and the need to look
at the color tone of the footage, because that's a huge consideration in picking your action camera
and it changes depending on the conditions.
Right now we have a choice between a lot of automatic
color correction like we see particularly here with the Action 5 in correcting this footage and
then we also have filters and video lights these days. So in these scenes we're generally seeing a
warmer tone coming from the GoPro Hero 13 Black. Here we have more whites to focus on, and sometimes
we'll see that the color tone will change depending on the scene. How many reds and whites
are in there, or even see that the color correction changes as we move the camera around in direction
to the sun.
Here the footage is a bit brighter with the GoPro on the right but I do see more
detail and maybe more sharpening in the left in that footage coming from the Osmo Action 5. That
said, the level of sharpening can be controlled in both of these action cameras in the settings,
something you might want to look at if you are setting up Custom Presets within the quick
switch menu for using the camera in the dive housing underwater, which I highly recommend.
So if
you don't know about Presets then check out some of my other action camera videos where I teach you
how to set those up. And of course sharpening can be controlled in post-processing because different
levels work better for different platforms and viewing devices. In this scene we can see on the
right that the GoPro is really struggling in this low light environment. The Action 5 on the left
is really bringing out a lot more of those blues, you know looking for the reds and correcting that
white balance. But the chunky high-noise grain on that right was pretty distracting. And here on
the right with the GoPro the highlights seem a bit washed out. It feel like we just see a bit
bit more detail in the left in the Osmo Action 5 Pro.
And here's another shot. And this sticks
out to me not just the color and looking at the dynamic range but the jitters. So there
have been a good amount of digital image stabilization jitters coming from the GoPro if
you go back and rewatch some of that footage you'll see that it's pretty apparent. Just
some background here is that a lot of cameras using digital Image Stabilization
struggle when there's movement, so if you're shooting over a hard coral reef you won't notice
anything, but if you get anywhere where there's moving algae, or moving kelp, or anything like
that, you'll see 1) a lot of jitters as the image stabilization repositions itself, and 2)
you'll see a lot of warble around the edges as the image stabilization tries to move the frame
around, because it crops in from the the full sensor data to create that stabilized image.
So
you see a lot of wonky stuff happening in some of this footage but it looks like the Osmo Action
5 is actually doing a really great job with that. This scene is fun. It just shows you the visibility
during these dives this day. We had a couple freedivers come say hello. And of course a friendly
harbor seal right here. You got to have the cute factor. And now let's take a look at a clip
filmed with dual 4300 video lights since many scuba divers want to use artificial lighting with
their action camera. Here we've got a difference in color in these real dark conditions at the end of
the the day. See that dark green in the background and then you see the scene lit and the underwater
color correction taking place here based on these scenes that do have a little bit of red and some
white in them.
So what do you think leave your opinions and feedback in the comments section below. I reply to all comments and other people watching this video also reply and contribute
their experience with these cameras. In terms of other stuff, I can tell you about the Action 5. The
dual OLED screens were really bright underwater. The rear screen doesn't have a lot of extra
information on it that you don't need in the dive housing, which is great. You can compose your scene.
And the front was really convenient and bright for shooting those selfie scenes. I even shot some
Log footage that I did not show here because I wanted to stay away from editing that footage, but
that was easy to see on the back of the camera even though it was a very flat dull color profile
like log is. There's also a built-in pressure gauge with the camera that is certified, which means it
works well and you can trust it. So if you're using the camera outside of the dive case then you
can see your pressure and your depth which can be convenient to add to your footage or incorporate
into your dive log so you know what you shot where. Another very cool feature.
Just remember you can't
dive below the camera's max operating depth. Beyond that there are a few different combos and ways
you can get all the accessories for the Osmo Action 5 Pro. The first is a standard combo which
comes with the camera and the Extreme battery. The second is a Diving Combo which then includes
the dive case and also the floating handle. And the floating handle has a lanyard on it and
it floats, so it's great for snorkeling and free diving, maybe scuba diving if you want the handle
instead of the dual tray system you saw me using earlier.
One note as well is that all of these
kits with the camera do come with the frame (and also getting too many things in my hand here), but
various mounts including the magnetic mount that works on the camera itself and even in vertical
position on that frame for the camera. And finally, I'll set this all down here, you have the Pro
Adventure Combo and that includes a selfie stick here. So that can also be useful underwater for
selfie scenes. Don't poke it at the marine life or anything. But fun there. Make sure you rinse
any hardware if it goes in the salt water. And it does actually include a little tab for a lanyard
for your wrist so you don't lose it or you can clip it off to your BCD. That's convenient. That
combo also includes something that I really love. This is a Multifunctional Battery Case 2.
Basically it holds holds two extra batteries, right, So your camera comes with one battery. This Pro
Adventure Combo comes with two additional ones and this case that charges all three batteries, but
then also will charge the batteries from the case itself.
You can charge this in the wall
or the case will charge the batteries. So this is super cool if you plan to be out and shooting all
day. And it's fun to play with. It's got these LEDs that tell you charge status. So three different
cool Combos and ways to get accessories for your camera. In terms of pricing, the Standard Combo for
the Action 5 Pro with the Extreme Battery is $349. For the GoPro Hero 13 Black it's $399 but you
also get the micro SD card. So that's it. I hope you enjoyed this video, hope you learned something.
If you have questions or comments again leave them below. SUBSCRIBE if you haven't done that
yet and I'll see you in the next video. [Music].
