Action Cams

DJI Action 2 photos leaked; comparison with GoPro Hero 10

DJI Action 2 photos leaked
DJI Action 2 photos leaked by Konrad Iturbe

DJI Action 2 photos and specs were leaked on Medium by a blogger.  How does it compare with GoPro Hero 10?

Konrad Iturbe, a blogger on Medium, posted photos and specs of the upcoming DJI Action 2, which is scheduled for release on October 27.   The photos are the most convincing ones so far and appear to confirm the information first leaked by Jasper Ellens.   How does it compare with the Hero 10?  Here are its advantages, disadvantages and what we still don’t know.

DJI Action 2 - what's in the box
DJI Action 2 – what’s in the box. DJI Action 2 photos leaked by Konrad Iturbe

Advantages

  • The Action 2 is only 56 grams, which is about 1/3 the weight of the Hero 10.  This is a very important advantage for FPV pilots.
  • The Action 2 has a removable and hot-swappable external battery and touchscreen.  With the external battery, it can record up to 160 minutes.  For those occasions when you don’t need the extra capacity, you can use the Action 2 by itself for  70 minutes recording time.  The Hero 10 has been having an issue with overheating, and stops recording after about 20 minutes.
  • Larger 1/1.7 inch sensor.  The Action 2’s sensor is about 1.5x larger than that of the Hero 10’s 1/2.3 inch sensor, which means it will likely have better bit depth, better signal-to-noise ratio, and low light sensitivity.
  • Magnetic pendant.  The Action 2 takes a cue from the Insta360 Go 2 and has a magnetic pendant that you can use to attach the Action 2 to your shirt quickly.
  • The front touchscreen module will let you change settings whereas GoPro’s front screen is not a touchscreen.
  • Macro lens accessory.  This can take photos of small objects such as flowers or insects.
  • External microphone: both the front touchscreen and power module have an external microphone input.  On Hero 10, you’ll need the $79 Media Mod to get an external microphone jack

Disadvantages

  • The Hero 10 can record 5K at up to 60fps.  The Action 2 maxes out at 4K.
  • Price: Hero 10 is $399 with free 1 year of GoPro product replacement.  Action 2 is $519 if you want a front touchscreen or $399 if you want just the extra power module.
  • At 240fps, the Hero 10 can shoot at 2.7k whereas Action 2 can only shoot 1080p.
  • Extra batteries cost more: Hero 10 batteries cost $19.99 and they each last around 2 hrs 11 mins.  With Action 2, the power module costs $75, and it says the “total” shooting time is 3 hours. If the total includes the main camera’s 30 minute battery life, then it adds about 2.5 hours, which makes the battery significantly more expensive.
  • Modules are not waterproof.  The front touchscreen and power modules are not waterproof.
  • Hero 10 has the Max Lens Mod (2.7k video with horizon leveling).

Similarities

  • Both Action 2 and Hero 10 can shoot 4k 120fps.
  • Both can shoot 4:3 video at up to 4K 60fps.
  • Both are waterproof up to 10 meters (33 feet).

What we still don’t know

  • Stabilization performance.  The Hero 10 has the best stabilization I’ve seen for a non-360 action camera.  It is also compatible with Reelsteady Go.  We don’t know if the Action 2’s stabilization will be as good.  However, according to Konrad’s leaked specs, the Action 2’s stabilization is in realtime.  If that’s the case, then it probably won’t be as smooth as Reelsteady Go which analyzes video segments several seconds at a time to find the smoothest stabilization.
  • Other modules?  One thing that I’m wondering about is whether the Action 2 will have other modules.  For example, they could add a 360 camera module, similar to the Insta360 One R.
DJI Action 2 photo leaked by Konrad Iturbe
DJI Action 2 photo leaked by Konrad Iturbe

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Mic Ty

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