DJI’s Modular Action 2 Is a Clever Action Cam With One Flaw

Action cameras have continued to develop in reputation for the straightforward motive that their compact measurement makes them straightforward to mount, perch, and conceal nearly anyplace. But how do you shrink motion cameras even additional with out sacrificing key performance? DJI’s resolution is a brand new magnetic modular design that assembles like motion cam constructing blocks, and whereas it’s a intelligent method, it additionally comes with its personal challenges.

With everybody streaming themselves doing all the pieces on social media, with the ability to see what a digital camera pointed at your self is recording has turn out to be an essential characteristic. Front-facing cameras make that straightforward on a smartphone, however for motion cameras the answer has been so as to add a number of shows, just like the DJI Osmo Action launched a number of years again, and the GoPro Hero9 did final yr with small LCDs located subsequent to the lens. The drawback with additional screens is that they add bulk to a digital camera that’s purported to be small, and one more battery-draining characteristic. But what if you happen to might add a front-facing display solely if you wanted it? That’s the query the brand new DJI Action 2 asks and makes an attempt to reply with a radically completely different design than its predecessor.

A Truly Tiny Action Camera

The Action 2 is reminiscent of the previous GoPro Session however feels even smaller in hand. It’s about as minimally tiny as an motion digital camera can get. Measuring simply 1.5 inches on either side and about half as deep, it nonetheless manages to really feel prefer it’s constructed Tonka-tough with a sturdy metallic housing that’s satisfyingly heavy given the digital camera’s measurement.

The Action 2 incorporates a 12-MP 1/1.7-inch CMOS sensor paired with a wide-angle lens, giving it a really huge 155-degree subject of view at a hard and fast aperture of f/2.8. There’s additionally a shade temperature sensor on the entrance permitting the digital camera to deal with white steadiness changes by itself based mostly on the ambient lighting, however customers can even set the colour temperature manually, or go for the Action 2’s D-Cinelike recording mode so shade grading changes may be made in post-production later.

Given the restrictions of rechargeable batteries, it’s arduous to think about motion cameras getting a lot smaller than this proper now.

Beautiful Screen, Difficult Interface

On prime of the Action 2 digital camera module is a big button that’s used for biking energy, beginning or stopping recording, and as a shutter for capturing nonetheless photographs. Internally there’s a chargeable battery good for about 70 minutes of recording and 32GB of storage. On the again you’ll discover a high-res 1.76-inch OLED touchscreen that’s protected with a Gorilla Glass protecting.

Even in brilliant daylight the display at all times stays extremely seen, and thru a less-than-intuitive menu system you possibly can configure each setting for the digital camera, together with decision, body charges, shutter pace, shade temperature, stabilization, and file administration. You may even play again captured clips—though with out audio. Having entry to all of that performance on-camera is definitely handy, however discovering your method across the menu system takes some practice, as does understanding which method you’re purported to flick the display to cycle by numerous settings and choices. Further complicating issues is that you could’t save your settings as a profile or a preset for fast entry later.

Configuring the digital camera is far simpler by the DJI Mimo app with the DJI Action 2 paired to a smartphone over wifi. The app supplies entry to all the identical settings however on a a lot bigger touchscreen, and also you get a live-stream preview of what the digital camera is seeing and capturing.

Magnets Make Everything Better

On its personal, the DJI Action 2 digital camera module is a reasonably primary motion digital camera that appears to be lacking a number of options that are actually thought-about important on these gadgets. But flip the digital camera over and also you’ll discover the explanation why.

Instead of a tripod mount or cable connection, the DJI Action 2 digital camera module has a collection of metallic contacts on the underside that pair with pins on different add-on modules which stack and safe themselves to the digital camera module utilizing very robust magnets and a pair of spring-loaded arms.

Between the arms and the magnets I don’t assume there’s any likelihood the modules will ever unintentionally detach, wanting dropping the stack onto a rock from a whole lot of ft within the air. The connection may be very safe, however extra importantly, it provides some important performance to the digital camera module which, oddly sufficient, has no option to cost by itself. DJI presently sells the Action 2 in two bundles, one which comes with a Power Module that provides an extra 110 minutes of battery life, a USB-C port for charging and file copies, and a microSD card slot, and a pricier bundle that features the Front Touchscreen Module which provides a front-facing touchscreen, additional microphones, 90 minutes of extra battery life, and a USB-C port and microSD slot.

The magnetic connection system works with different non-powered equipment too, like tripod mounts and adapters for GoPro’s odd however very talked-about connection system.

DJI has even engineered the Action 2 to simply accept lens add-ons that are magnetically hooked up in entrance of its personal, with a Macro Lens being the primary one accessible for these eager to seize footage at a more in-depth focal distance.

There’s an incredible quantity of alternative to increase this modular system even additional, which is what makes the Action 2 sort of thrilling. Multiple modules may even be stacked to create a tower of added performance, and future modules might embrace all the pieces from bigger screens to raised microphones with XLR connectivity, and even alternate choices for live-streaming like a 5G modem.

I simply want that the digital camera module wasn’t so depending on the Front Touchscreen and Power modules for primary performance. A higher method would have been for DJI to make the digital camera module just a bit bigger to accommodate its personal USB-C port and a microSD card slot in order that it might stand alone as a strong all-in-one motion cam, with the additional magnetic modules upgrading its capabilities even additional. As it’s, you’ll at all times have to recollect to have a minimum of a type of additional modules available with you more often than not you’re utilizing it.

A Solid Shooter

Unconventional designs apart, DJI is already identified for the superb compact cameras it builds into its stabilized gimbal gadgets and drones, and its motion cameras are not any completely different.

On a sunny morning the DJI Action 2 captured lovely footage of a morning drive with glorious shade saturation, publicity, and shade temperature changes all dealt with mechanically. As with most motion cameras it leans towards capturing a wider field-of-view than the cameras on a smartphone will, and whilst you can choose to slim that down barely within the settings, you’ll nonetheless finish with a little bit of a fisheye impact. Hopefully that’s one thing DJI can handle with extra lens add-ons afterward.

Performance at evening is additionally strong assuming you’ve bought extra mild than simply the moon illuminating your actions. With a comparatively small 1/1.7-inch sensor, the digital camera might be boosting its ISO at the hours of darkness and noise goes to inevitably creep into your footage. The Action 2 isn’t some revolutionary evening shooter, nevertheless it additionally doesn’t declare to be.

DJI’s software program stabilization can also be nonetheless very spectacular. The Action 2 doesn’t produce footage as impossibly clean as the corporate’s handheld gimbal gadgets do, which pair mechanical and software program stabilization to cancel out practically all bumps and jiggles. On the Action 2 there are two choices, RockSteady and HorizonSteady, with the latter possibility providing the smoothest outcomes, nevertheless it’s solely accessible when taking pictures at 2K or 1080P resolutions so the digital camera has sufficient additional framing room. If you’re taking pictures in 4K, you’ll both must depend on the RockSteady mode, or performing footage stabilization afterward in submit manufacturing and body accordingly.

Software stabilization can solely achieve this a lot to repair your footage, nonetheless. DJI features a magnetic lanyard accent with each Action 2 bundles that permits the tiny digital camera to be securely hooked up to an article of clothes like a shirt or jacket. Not even the aggressive HorizonSteady stabilization mode was capable of take away all of the shake and jitter of a 6-year-old working at full pace, but I used to be legitimately nonetheless shocked on the earlier than and after outcomes.

A New Direction For Action Cameras?

I’m all for corporations experimenting and attempting to innovate, particularly when providing a product in a subject already dominated by the competitors. GoPro has turn out to be the time period most individuals use for motion cameras, however with the Action 2, DJI is clearly hoping it may well take the tried-and-true components in a special course and within the course of make tiny motion cameras extra succesful and versatile. Has it hit the nail on the top? I’m not completely satisfied.

The Action 2 digital camera module might actually profit from its personal USB-C port and microSD slot as its performance is restricted with out attaching the accessible magnetic modules—at which level you’re negating its measurement advantages. I do assume having a brand new platform that permits the performance of the Action 2 to be simply expanded and upgraded—not simply by software program updates—is an thrilling concept, however DJI must do all the pieces it may well to help the platform and provide extra modules and lens choices sooner fairly than later.

The modular method is one thing we’ve seen with devices earlier than, just like the LG G5 expandable smartphone. But when LG determined to not launch any extra enlargement modules past what was accessible at launch, it successfully killed the G5’s potential, and the telephone itself. If DJI can do the other, and clearly display why its modular method is best by releasing a bigger assortment of genuinely helpful modules and equipment, the Action 2 would possibly give customers a very good motive to decide on it over the GoPro.