21 Reasons to Choose the DJI Osmo Action 4 and 7 Reasons To Choose Hero 11 Black

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In this video, we are comparing some of the features of the DJI Osmo Action 4 and the GoPro Hero 11 Black to see which camera may be the best choice for you if you are in the market for a new action camera. Both are good cameras but in some areas, one may excel. this video is meant to help you choose what features and performance capabilities are your priority. In my opinion, there are 21 reasons why to choose the DJI Osmo Action4 and 7 reasons why you may want to select the GoPro Hero 11 Black
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[@DarkStoneCastle]

One thing that does appeal a lot to me about the DJI is that it doesn't warp the video as much as the Gopro when shooting in super wide modes.

[@lynforddonivan6549]

Yes got two of the 4 right away. Was loyal gopro fan for years they went to the dogs customer service is horrible . The action 4 are fantastic also love the improvement over the 3 . DJi builts a fantastic product with outstanding customer service.

[@AirPhotography]

Thanks for sharing

[@kidmd64]

The major reason I bought the Action 4 was for reliability. I was tired of my GoPros locking up.

[@cloudpandarism2627]

exactly! thanks to give me peace i wasnt alone with gopros freezing and crashing on me a million times to the point i had to remove the bloody battery to get it working again. is fun when you fly paramotor and have to fiddle with such a shitty cam mid air. i went to my DJI store and got a good deal for giving them my almost new action 3 and swap that with the A4 by just paying a tiny bit money. i dont think the A4 can even remotely reach the great video quality of a gopro 11 but there are more important things like battery runtime and reliability. for the stuff i do the videos are good enough.

[@setmeals]

That is the biggest con of gopro that's why i sold my hero 8.. plus you can't charge the gopro while using the mic adapter at the same time.

[@babybird1138]

EXACTLY. I’m sick and tired of the GoPros being the same for years now and crappy battery life and dying on me all the time laggy screen and of version of GoPro Quik being discontinued and lack of innovation in GoPro. Only down side for action 4 is that it doesn’t record 5.4K video. Common DJI just give us a slightly bigger sensor for 5.4K 60fps. I’m sad to leave GoPro after using them for over a decade

[@PierPeterVinylSound]

@@babybird1138 Why the damned hell do you need the 5,4 fuking K.

[@hedonisticrunner6741]

Agree with you 100%. I love go pro footage but I can never rely on it to work.

[@secretrailway]

Some great points raised in this video. Some food for thought.

[@gordon3988]

Two big pluses for GP for me: the light trail etc options and the now 1/4 screw mount (only on the 12). Both are good; and everyone seems to have a preference depending on their usage. I do agree OA4 the best value. Great walk through!

[@stevensonrf]

Another excellent review Sean. Because of your last one, I actually went ahead and ordered the Osmo action 4😇👍

[@AirPhotography]

Hope you enjoy it!

[@necipfazilaskar]

These are synthetic test. majority reviews in KZbin people try things on the desk, not real life. They are not reliable I don’t trust this synthetic testes. Let me tell you some facts. I have GoPro 7 black. It’s 4K 60 and it’s more than enough for me. I usually record at 1080 because 4K is very memorable, consuming resolution. I am a bicyclist. I have four dogs. I use very much sometimes I go camping, swimming, etc. go pro seven black is more than enough for me. So what ever you will choose you choose not to watch this synthetics videos test yourself in real world. I don’t think that’s this man’s hour to do sports because they are action cameras.

[@timothycollins2989]

👍👍 As alway, great info for us that are considering a camera purchase. Thanks Shawn and have a great week.

[@AirPhotography]

Thank you very much and you as well

[@RonaldBrown59]

Great video Shawn, there are some compelling reasons to purchase the Action 4. But I’m going to wait and see what GoPro has to offer in the Hero 12. What I really would to see over these Action cameras is the Pocket 3. Thanks for sharing.

[@DaveMody]

Great Vid. Best comparison I've seen of the physical design / features. Few Questions: 1. Why would stabilization require good light? Stabilization is a function of the gyros and accelerometers, the algorithm, and the amount of cropping. Sensor size is going to capture more photons per pixel, and thus less amplification is required which will introduce less noise. Better stabilization is enabled in the gopro because they made the sensor more square which enables the software to rotate the frame of the video more before it runs into the edge of the sensor. The smaller FOV of the Action will help in providing more degree of rotation for the stabilization, but not necessarily better stabilization as the gyro's and algorithm affects the quality. Did you try running the footage through gyroflow? 2. How good is that magnetic mount if it was mounted on something like a surfboard with high velocity water spraying at it? 3. Didn't know about the colour sensor. Cool! 4. You're right about the custom modes. That is way better on the Action. 5, A 90% mount angle adapter would fix the problem with the gopro. 6. I haven't used the action, but based on the Osmo Pocket I have, I would agree about the menu settings being a little better on the Action. 7. Gyroflow works with the goPro too.? 8. What about the fact that the data rate on the GoPro can be set higher than the Action (180 Mbps with gopro labs). 9. Neither camera supports horizon levelling in 4k 120fps. That seems a little weird. Must be a limitation of the processor. 10. From what I can see, there's a big difference in the remotes, probably worthy of a video itself.

[@AirPhotography]

I’m not exactly sure how stabilization works but basically it requires an extremely fast shutter speed hence why even if you put and D. Filters, it can affect stabilization as well. That’s why low light scenarios the footage falls apart as it tries to stabilize. The magnetic mounts are extremely strong. I have used them in water and I think the forces from water splashing even that high velocity should be OK. It is an extremely strong connection. And apparently Gyroflow does work with GoPro I was not aware of that so indeed, it does work.

[@kean4582]

Yup, higher shutter speed is better for electronic stabilization. With lower shutter speed, you’ll introduce motion blur or even just blurry frames for sudden movements, and no cropping/ repositioning will make that frame look good. And the better the sensor is in low light then the higher the shutter speed it can go without making the image dark/noisy.

[@UnkelBMW]

Awesome review bro, u miss it like when u say GoPro * Action 4 can record very long batt life, as what Resolution or Frame rate the manufacturer confirms.

[@snowbaord]

i always useg gopro, will insta 360 be good choice now?

[@GedandMichele]

Great comparison. Looks like GoPro have their work cut out! Competition great for the consumer

[@sazprodj]

Thanks for the detailed review. How does Go Pro Max compare with DJI? What suggestions do you have for events/wedding DJs.. Any ideas would help.

[@zackcripe7945]

Would like to see a video on difference between the cloud/ editing apps. Quik vs the DJI editimg app

[@AirPhotography]

Good idea!

[@piotrtwarowski5070]

Is there a editing app for DJI as Quik is GoPro?

[@electrifiedlatina6871]

I have the GoPro 10 and have never had any issues, it’s easy to use, footage turns out great, and love the accessories! One of them broke- my fault and customer service sent me new ones no questions asked. Super excited for version 12! Will probably blow DJI 4 away-we’ll see!

[@AirPhotography]

Thanks for sharing

[@AskIveSolar]

I wonder if it supports USB c to mic adapters and which ones will work / not work.

[@heliocorreia1814]

Does dji has something to take a photo from video like the gopro?

[@piotrtwarowski5070]

Thanks for the comparison! What about the audio recording? Which one is doing better in that compartment? Best regards from Poland and keep up the great work!

[@AirPhotography]

I did a video comparison couple days ago, and I included some audio comparisons in there. Personally I think they’re pretty well equal. I would really say one was better than the other when it comes to audio.

[@piotrtwarowski5070]

@@AirPhotography thanks for the quick answer :) one more question... im a GoPro user and Im wondering if its worth to switch. Is there a editing app for DJI (like Quik for GoPro)? Thanks

[@Kroess]

Regarding reason #20 pro DJI Osmo Action 4: You can use the free GyroFlow software to stabilize GoPro footage as well.

[@AirPhotography]

Very good point. 👍

[@VaughnCampbell]

I would love a video comparing the phone apps and computer apps between the two and insta 360 in the mix

[@AirPhotography]

That’s a good idea

[@RetroCarGuy530]

Great job on the video. One note, your video's audio track was at a very low volume. I would like to see a comparison of between the two cameras is how "in focus" items are at or slightly beyond (further away) each camera's minimum focus distance. I purchased a Hero 11 Black shortly after it was first released. It had a severe lack of focus of anything at or even few feet beyond the minimum focus distance (using the standard lens / not the macro lens). After two weeks of torturous interaction with GoPro support, GoPro replaced the Hero 11 Black. The replacement Hero 11 Black was only slightly better. The GoPro Hero 11 Black has a minimum focus distance of 12 inches while the Action 4 has a minimum focus distance of 15.6 inches. I use these type of cameras for filming my automotive repair videos and it's sad that the much older Hero 5 Session has better focus than their flagship Hero 11 Black.

[@Rick_Amorim]

I want to record motorcycle POV videos. Witch one should I choose?

[@vonheise]

Thanks for the comparison, however In my opinion, the DJI drones are the best choice available for all around hobby and probably professional use for the money, but I will skip the Air 3 due to having the Mini 3 Pro, and the Mavic 3. As for sport camera's I have the Hero 9 and accessories and adapters, so will keep that and avoid any more Chinese products since the Hero 12 seems to be right around the corner, and may have a 1" sensor so will wait and see...

[@michaelpoczynek]

Great info thanks. BTW: your audio is -17.8dB down according to youtube.

[@AirPhotography]

Yeah, I’ve had a few people mention that I don’t know what happened. I have to look into that.

[@michaelpoczynek]

@@AirPhotography It happens. Have a fun-filled day! My Action Cam 4 arrives today! I do not think GoPro is even worth comparing to anything as they freeze, crash, lock up, etc. Had a few and was always disappointed. DJI all the way!

[@YESTOTRAVEL]

Kindly tell about gps daya in dji action and one doubt can I directly trasfer dji action data in ssd

[@KennethGreenCMP]

Is it a fair comparison to compare last years model vs the new model? Also, is 4 degrees of field of view really an issue, noise reduction - just lower your ISO, an extra meter of waterproof and filming for 4K60 for 27 mins - thats a long time for an action camera. A lot of these seem picky.

[@AirPhotography]

It’s a comparison for those who need to buy a camera now and it’s not really that it’s last year model it’s its current model. There is no newer gopro available yet. Of course, we will do a comparison win the hero 12 comes out this fall.

[@typxxilps]

it needs 1 reason to get the dji Osmo 4 TCO if you look for the prices for replacements: 19€ for dji and 107€ for Hero 11 per Unit and the basic fees are also a lot cheap with 36€ for 2year versus 75€ for hero in 2 years. The whole DJI package is 180€ cheaper if you take the 2 year subscription version , roughly 460€ for dji and 640€ for GoPro without any replacement unit It will be 90€ more for each replacement unit needed in the 2 years, but the basic is 180€ cheaper, than 270€ cheaper in case of 1 replacement. 180€ more for a go pro is 33% more and not worth the few features the go pro might have more.

[@xXadambXx]

in dji you but subscribsion on ONE product, gopro you can few cams on one account and i don't find limits, where in dji for 35 euro you can do it 3 times !

[@mice_cowski]

Two questions about the Action 4: 1. On the Action 3, if a large enough SD card is used, the remaining recording time is shown in GB and eventually is shown in remaining minutes and seconds. Is this the same on the Action 4? 2. On the Action 3, I noticed that, if the device is off, when the record button is pressed, it starts recording in the last Video setting and doesn't respect the preset chosen. For example, if I turned the camera off and it was in a 4k60 preset, when I press record, it starts recording in the last used Video setting which might be 4k30. Is that the case with the Action 4?

[@xXadambXx]

6:49 it is avaible on gopro, but on gopro labs you can do A LOT of interesting things ! good to mention it !

[@AirPhotography]

Good call!

[@thewho9112]

Seems the Osmo is also pretty rugged, bit of damage and working fine!

[@andyeagle4768]

Great comparison.

[@allenmyers8568]

The reason that GoPro doesn't offer live preview when filming is the result of a lawsuit claiming that GoPro has infringed on a copyright. Unfortunately, that suit has yet to be settled to years after I bought my Hero 10. I'm inclined to upgrade to the Action 4 this year but will hold off until I see what features the Hero 12 has.

[@AirPhotography]

That’s interesting. I have heard that before but I wonder how other cameras can offer it then. Unless they’re using a different technology or have licensing.

[@allenmyers2870]

@@AirPhotography Maybe DJI just hasn’t been sued. But you can Google search the one against GoPro.

[@xXadambXx]

if you find article about it please give link ! for me this no live preview is anoing a bit.

[@Tim-Temple]

Kinda similar to Android phones call recording feature. Google nolonger allows call recording on Android phones, probably due to lawsuits too, but iPhone can. And 3rd party Android apps are no help.

[@michaelgiordano]

Reason to not get either (yet): New GoPro 12 drops next month. If you aren't in a hurry, it would be wise to wait.

[@thiagoracca]

does the dji gps remote can light up the screen of the dji 4?

[@meinekleineweltreise]

Will you review the Hover x1 as well? I’m really looking forward to it. It’s a neat little thing! 😅

[@AirPhotography]

I actually already did a review and uploaded it, but then they asked me to take it down temporarily, because the Kickstarter is now over and they’ve moved to retail. They’re launching a website I think tomorrow or you can just order and have it shipped. So I will re-upload my review, then once their website is live.

[@meinekleineweltreise]

@@AirPhotography Ok, sound wierd! I’ve already seen so many videos about it, but I really wanna hear your thoughts on it. It’s not the best drone ever, but I think it’s perfect for me as a motorcycle traveller. Just to shoot some footage or pictures of me and the surrounding I’m in. I hate to fiddle around with preparing a drone. Guess I have to wait for your review. 😉

[@KellDogg1965]

Personally, I like the colorization of GoPro better and I know that the color can be tweaked but that’s just one more thing I need to do when I edit and to tell you the truth, I’m not that good at it! 😂 Besides, I don’t need to record long videos so the over heating issue doesn’t concern me. As for battery life, I think we all have more than a few batteries right? I’m sticking with GoPro

[@AirPhotography]

Thanks for sharing!

[@mdturnerinoz]

I know you like GoPro, but I am done with them. Tired of buying new gear every few years. I will still use my Session5 as it's size is so usable.

[@dannynesbitt7056]

Gopro 12 is coming soon. What do you recommend for someone without any action camera?

[@AirPhotography]

If you’re in, no hurry, I would definitely wait and see what they have to offer. You should see something around mid September.

[@Tim-Temple]

Rumor the hero 12 list price, $999... might as well buy an iPhone 14/15 and avoid the hassles of splitting hairs on clarity, night filming and stabilization. 😂

[@AnthonyJMack]

Just so everyone knows, you can use gyroflow with gopros as well.

[@AirPhotography]

Indeed, thanks for pointing that out

[@Michael_Lak]

Better night modes, better slowmo, better export and better stabilisation gives the win to gopro for me. I've seen comparisons in stabilisation and gopro is far better.

[@VaughnCampbell]

Also you missed the feature where you have to take the battery out of the go pro and put it back in to get it to unfreeze all the time.

[@AirPhotography]

Good call lol. I have performed that maneuver, many times

[@mattcarlson12]

What RODE mic uses USB-C? Aren't they all 3.5mm?

[@AirPhotography]

They have a cable that you can plug into USBC with the groceries you have to purchase it separately, but with the new wireless me come standard in the package so you can connect it to USB-C ports or even lightning on Apple

[@TravelPostcards]

And no reason to wait for a new GoPro?

[@AirPhotography]

That is a good point as well. But this comparison is about what’s available right now. But of course, that could all change in September.

[@jmeib]

After my blurry Action 3 experience I'm only going to buy from Gopro in the future. Nothing will persuade me otherwise. 😅

[@AirPhotography]

I can understand that. I had blurry problems as well, which is why I never use the action 3 very much. But the action 4 has made me a believer again lol

[@jmeib]

@@AirPhotography I just don't want to get screwed again, GoPro is more trustworthy to me 🥲

[@thegixlad27]

The launch/early models unfortunately had focus problems which is unacceptable from DJI. Companies make mistakes of course, the Action 4 doesn't have those issues thankfully.

[@TaylorPassofaro]

One correction, Gyro flow does support GoPro footage, you dont have to pay for it.

[@alexhofvander]

The Dji shows up as a drive when connected directly to my IPad with usb-c to usb-c. Like that.

[@johanjacobsson6133]

Insta360 One RS is pretty good too.

[@babybird1138]

All that I want from DJI is 5.4K video and built in gps and are the only things I don’t like about the action 4 and would go with GoPro just because of the high resolution however it’s too late for GoPro I’m getting DJI instead,

[@papsny]

Got the action 4. Even at 11+ tries later, GoPro couldn't get it right.

[@DarkStoneCastle]

I have a GoPro 7, 8 and 10. I rarely use them, though as I find the iPhone footage looks considerably better. On rare occasions I do find a good use for the go pros, so I keep them in my arsenal.

[@Mike0193Azul]

Very helpful comparison 💚 Would love to see other action cams compared. I’m using the insta360 one rs with 4k boost lens and 1 inch lens. I am able to export both jpeg+raw photos which is neat

[@DrivingEC]

Hello sir, I have a question: I make driving videos and im thinking of buying a camera, but not sure between DJI Osmo or the GoPro? Which would you recommend? Greetings

[@AirPhotography]

They both would serve that purpose well. My preference personally OA4

[@elyseadou611]

Un drone mavic s'il vous plaît 😢

[@sawgyi]

This time I can't hear properly

[@AirPhotography]

You’re the second person that has stated that I’m not sure when I did differently. But thanks for pointing it out. I’ll check into it.

[@sawgyi]

@@AirPhotography Anyway I just need to increase volume and I enjoy most of your video and always watch

[@FollowTheJohn]

I cannot belive there is no way to turn off the front display on the Action 4. SMFH.

[@AirPhotography]

You can turn it off in the settings. You just send it to single screen mode. If you touch it, it will fire up and disable the back screen and vice versa.

[@Parrothed5150]

My Action 3 is brand new. Not really sure why I’d need to upgrade. Probably won’t. Seems like a $ grab.

[@FRodrigues2589]

The bigger sensor alone is a good reason to upgrade. 😊

[@JowaMoto]

Better low light imaging 🍻

[@cloudpandarism2627]

i had the same decision to make. and to day i got answer from my DJI store giving me a good deal on trading my brand new A3 for a new A4 by just adding a tiny bit money. after testing the A4 for 2 days putting videos side by side on my big widescreen and pixel peep the living bejesus out of the footage i decide to get the A4. i was very disappointed first when the A4 came out because DJI missed so many things again by just adding a different sensor. i dont care about the price if video quality would be finally on par with gopro. put a bigger CPU in and bump up resolution to 6k60 and 4k240. that would be great. anyway i still thought it was the right decision to swap because video quality is in fact better. i was missing the dynamic range in dark areas since my action 2 and the A3 didnt do that any better. but at least here we can see a good jump up in dynamic range. thatand the overall slightly better quality in lower lights was enough to take the deal. if your A3 is still looking same as new i say get rid of it asap, put a bit money in and get the A4. i didnt regret the trip to the shopping mall and picking it up today at all.

[@FRodrigues2589]

@fuzzywuzzy0549 technically that’s not true. The larger the sensor the more light and better dynamic range and low light capability.

[@Parrothed5150]

@@cloudpandarism2627 how did you get in touch with DJI to give a good deal?

[@TomUlcak]

GoPro = heat shut-down. So much for time lapse or warp which for me are very important. So DJI wins out. It's why I purchased the Action 4 and remain feeling really burned by GoPro. No more GoPros for me. DJI is very smart moving remote hardware out of the camera itself and into a wrist device. Probably, helps with overheating.

[@keithy4129]

And keeps cost down for people who don’t want it. Keeping the heat down is huge in these modern action cams.

[@AdamBoltGoldCoast]

There are quite a number of features available in Labs firmware for GoPro which also add many extra features that the Action 4 can’t do.

[@wargor]

Silly to have this comparison. Not really apples to apples. Should have waited for the GoPro 12 and then do a comparison. Everyone that is in the market for a new camera will wait for the new gopro. Only then can you compare.

[@neilwildy4192]

Now is the right time to compare arguably as they are now exactly the same price. When the GP12 is released, it'll be $450+ I suspect, so not fair to compare then.

[@AirPhotography]

I disagree that it’s silly. There are people who need to buy an action camera right now. They cannot wait until September. So a video like this will help them decide which is the better choice for them.

[@setmeals]

It's only silly for a gopro fanatic like you 😂

[@wargor]

@@neilwildy4192 Maybe the same price but different features. Look, if you want this then buy it.

[@wargor]

@@AirPhotography Who "needs" this right now. What's a month? Who can't wait? It's ok to disagree. I'll stick to my original comment.

[@NorCal-refrigeration]

Next month why the GoPro 12 is the best action camera 🎥 😂🤘😂🤘😂🤘😂🤘

[@AirPhotography]

That could very possibly be. If the leaks are true, it’s going to be very impressive

[@hurtighansen1]

Well, some will tell you that.

[@cloudpandarism2627]

@@hurtighansen1 years and years of owning gopros from 1 all the way up to 9 i say: NEVER AGAIN! too many times the bloody thing was freezing and ruin my videos. i learned from my mistakes to buy gopro over and over again. picked up my A4 today by trading the almost new A3 in. even gopro comes out with 12k240fps and full size sensor. i will still refuse it. too many holidays ruined by gopro. i dont jump on leaks and hype trains so fast anymore.

[@electrifiedlatina6871]

LOL exactly!

[@NorCal-refrigeration]

@@cloudpandarism2627 my GoPro 11 has worked perfectly knock on wood

[@diala-waref]

Go pro 10 or 11 very bad 👎

[@cloudpandarism2627]

they are terrible. sold mine. couldnt give it away! crashing constantly

[@mice_cowski]

I'm so glad you mentioned the file sizes as that's one of the pain points for the Action 3 and Action 2 as well.

[@armando.visuals]

RIP GoPro

[@donbrashsux]

I don’t want another GoPro

[@hurtighansen1]

Well, few options to get a great cam. Maybe oa3 on sale soon. But 2end hand oa1 is not creep. Some lego Insta360 with options, if you like that.

[@VaughnCampbell]

I hope gopro goes bankrupt. I just hate that i have three of them and they all suck

[@maryetdave]

The thing we like about the GoPro is the media mod mic, I find it a better solution than having a box hanging by the USB port. But everything else seems like a winner. Lets see what the GoPro 12 brings to the table

[@hurtighansen1]

Have oa1+3 and love them. Will say, what i seen on YT there is 2 big changes there are big. But have no idéer if it is useful. 1. gain -20 Way better then oa3 -12 but how is the sound ? oa3 had big issues with trs lav mic, wind blowout and clicking in wind and shouting, so on. Will -20 be to low. 2. they have a setting there adjust for low light auto ? true. Game changer for me, if. Sound= action cam, is downhill, wind, bicking, motor vlogging, so on. So simple is better, and a lav mic, put to the game, will is do good on oa4 so far no1 tested it to the max. Only studio test. so far. Job for you, if you need content. use boya k4 no input gain control, only lav mic + -20 gain in cam.