DON'T buy a DJI Action 2 | THREE big issues after long term use

[@martincossette3025]

I got one in June while they had a sale at 50% off and I am totally happy with it. Your points are all valid but I feel it depends on your use. For me, I only shoot small clips for family memories. I don't ever use my GoPro anymore. Too bulky. On vacation, I was able to clip on my shirt and do my thing and I barely noticed I had a camera. Most people don't really see it too. I felt less self-conscious filming in public places. No need to keep the phone in hands. Something I haven't felt in years. When I wanted to shoot something, I just said 'start recording' or pressed the button and it recorded a 30 seconds clip. Clip it on the ebike and got some cool footage. I don't really think about the resale value for now but I feel it is something you kind of expect when you buy a brand which is in the shadow of a dominating brand. My only gripe so far is the phone app which wasnt't working for my phone for about 3 weeks (Pixel 6) after an update. DJI was really slow to aknowledge the issue. So far so good with the heating issue. I don't film long enough to experience it yet.

[@SteveHowkins]

Totally get that. I think in reality all videos on any product are from a personal use perspective. Action 2 does seem ideal for your use case though

[@giftysworld9988]

Thanks for clearing this out. I wanted to buy action 2 but got hesitant from the negative reviews of overheating. I never film any clip over 5 minutes, especially with a sports camera. So I'd def buy one. The video quality and the size are so appealing to me.

[@SteveHowkins]

@@giftysworld9988 if you can get one for a good price go for it!

[@marcinsowa1977]

I do agree mate, all depends what you are using it for. I bought it cheap and totally happy with it.

[@FILIP_TRAN]

agree but i noticed some issues during my personal use : 1. i cant charge the upper camera without the lower - the 2nd. camera - they need to be attached to each other to charge it 2. if the upper camera run out of inside memory i have to delete it all or transport it to the phone/laptop - which take times - you cant do it while traveling like me riding on the bike ( there is a place to insert the memory card but you can only insert to the 2nd camera not the upper ,so its pointless because i need to record with upper camera clipped to my shirt - and YOU CAN NOT clip both of camera to the shirt only the upper) i loved at the beginingdji action dual screen combo , but with these to issues i lost the excitement

[@TimOyieMagsFamAdventure]

Im using my Action 2 for a year now, but still loving it. I just know the purpose why I need an ACTION CAM, not a full feature camera

[@iantheinventor8151]

Also found if using a memory card & decide because of the weather to remove the battery unit the camera has to be told to use internal storage, seems pretty obvious that if the unit with the memory card is removed it should revert to using internal storage automatically but it doesn’t. Also when battery is connected & unit if filming the battery is charging the main unit which will make it overheat faster, why can’t it be told to wait till camera unit is low before charging 🤔

[@SteveHowkins]

Both great points. Yes the second one resonated with me. I did feel the temp increase when filming and the battery charging.

[@deniss.6205]

curious to see how this one holds up against the newly released insta go 3...

[@godsakes]

Can't help but think DJI should have gone for a larger cube form factor like the go pro hero - with maybe a vertical flip screen twist

[@dhrubagagai]

Hi, bought one prior to viewing your video. Facing the same issues, less video running time, less battery and the major one "the heating issue".... Using it as dash cam...

[@MGriffin2501]

Just took advantage of after Christmas pricing and bought one. Mainly out of curiosity. I own a DJI drone and Osmo Action 1 and love them both. Want to know how this camera will stack up. Really enjoyed the video!

[@acejase]

DJi ACTION 2 battery is only last less than 10mins it sucks thinking to upgrade to GOPRO hero 11

[@larryryan6003]

I bought an Action 2 with the upgraded 128 gb of memory. It is awesome for making bicycling videos, but I have never used the magnetic pendant. It fits the bill for my purposes. I considered buying an Action 3 now that the price is quite low, but if you look at the specs, it is just an Action 2 in a different format. True, the batteries are cheaper, but not worth buying for me.

[@craigblewett6859]

The reality is, if you look, you'll find negative reviews on pretty much anything. Not all cameras are going to suit all needs. Action cameras (as the name mentions) are intended for sports or the likes of and are advertised as such, yes they have many more uses and are extremely versatile but its still only an action cam. The battery life and internal storage space is sacrificed for the small form factor of the camera. They are not built for long form recording. Gopro have had similar issues with their new releases as well as the camera locking up and losing footage. unfortunately all action cam brands come with their own bugs and issues. Once again, the bottom line is, you need to buy the right camera for the job and for what suits your needs.

[@angtrantancuong3390]

I think it's fine if you know how to use it for the right purpose, at an affordable price? with a very compact fiml camcorder, it's great, I still choose it

[@SteveHowkins]

It was a great price for Black Friday (2022) not sure if it’s gone back up. Certain purposes yes it get the job done well but as an overall package, for me it fails.

[@thepeakybiker]

hi mate sounds like your local to me ive used my action 2 for years now and love it great little camera for b roll for motovlogging great channel by the way

[@TheMagicMinute]

I got the screen version for 249 at NFM on close out. I have owned the Osmo 1 for 1.5 years. For my use case it’s perfect. I use it for POV shots as a magician. I recognize there are some shortcomings especially no replacement lanyard option. I usually shoot in 1080 so I’m not so worried about overheating.

[@uptempoheadbkjn7552]

Well depends on what purpose you gonna use it I use it almost only for FPV So doesn‘t matter, that you only can record for “short” amount of time, because you coming down anyways after 5 minutes of flying and stop the video Then it takes you 1-2 min to export the files to your sd card, so no issue for me I only had that overheating issue one time, when it was 30 degrees celcius outside( I held the cam in my hands) But same thing, on your FPV quad it gets cooled down from the wind all the time And in my opinion it’s one of the best action cam for FPV out there, because of the weight I bought it twice after I lost one And I‘m not a DJI fanboy

[@SteveHowkins]

Absolutely valid points for FPV but not the angle I was coming from.

[@uptempoheadbkjn7552]

@@SteveHowkins Ouh yeah dude I know, I respect your opinion on the camera Just wanted to show camera from the perspective of an FPV pilot

[@TJFORBES]

I just purchased one two weeks ago and I love it at the $200 US price I paid. It’s just something for the utility belt for quick B Roll. It’s also great for filming in places you don’t really want to have your camera out gathering lots of attention. I travel to many foreign countries and this is great for vids under 10 mins. This is for a niche client and was definitely overpriced; but for someone like me that has pretty much every action cam it’s just another toy! 😅 I even have a Feiyu Pocket 2S and I love that for it’s niche uses. I understand your frustration tough and hope people who buy these know it’s not a 1 for all type of camera; it’s more a 2nd or 3rd option cam for the field.

[@SteveHowkins]

Yes exactly. Fits your needs and paid a great price. A niche action camera is a first haha.

[@enduro-parts-aus]

Was interested in this due to its size but too many negatives

[@katzyyyy]

I believe the camera is meant to be convenient and it does that job right. The camera it's almost a dice and the quality it offers it's good enough for someone who just wanna pop some shots now and then. I'm running with it and even tho every 1-2 hours I have to turn it off and turn it back on after 5-10 minutes, I believe it's fine as I have my phone as back-up. I got a head wrap with it on a black cap and it blends great and it never fell off, and again, I'm running with it, I went through snow, dirt, rain etc and it never fell off, those magnets they offer, are good. He's right about the necklace, it's a cool looking thing but if you care about your equipment, you wouldn't use it unless you are chilling on a bench and you just wanna pop it on which is still really cool. The camera has issues and in no shape or form it's a vlogging camera, I mean check the battery life and there's the answer.. but it can have great use cases in helping you have cinematic shots in those recordings combined with a phone. I don't understand why you'd want this cam over the previous ones for long period of times. There's a crazy amount of options and if you need to record/stream more than 2h, don't buy this cam. You can hook it up with an usb to your streaming computer and record it so, it lasted me up to 3.5 hours. Instead you can literally use your phone and have some of the AI enhance programs like nvidia Broadcast to make it look more profesional. I don't understand the investment side, it's like with anything new, few months later prices are going down significantly. If I require more than the 3.5h indoor or 2h outdoor, I'd still buy another DJI 2, just because how convenient they are.

[@PitsFlyingEye]

What you are Talkin about? Thats not a Batterie like with a gopro its a powerbank for 3 charges means like 3 gopro lipos and New count again. The replacement works 10 times better and way cheaper than with gopro

[@SteveHowkins]

What are you talking about? It’s not a powerbank at all. Can’t charge anything else can it?! Want to use an SD card or a microphone you need to use it.

[@markjob6354]

Hi Steve, so sorry to learn you've deserted the Action 2 camera. I purchased mine off of Amazon Canada a couple of weeks ago, and I purchased it specifically for 4K time-lapse work in the rainy West Coast BC, Canada Environment, and I couldn't be happier with my purchase. Thus far, I haven't had any issues of the camera overheating. The camera does get quite hot, but since I've applied the (Only ?) firmware update, my Action 2 has been working super well. 👍The image quality is slightly better than my original OSMO Pocket Gimbal camera (Which also doesn't happen to be waterproof like the Action 2), and I can quickly grab 24p sit down interviews and vlogs with perfect image and audio using an external Mic setup. I've gone rom a 35 LB camera on my shoulder destroying my lower back to a camera setup I can put in my pocket and obtain the same results.

[@SteveHowkins]

Sounds like a winner for you 👍 enjoy it!

[@markjob6354]

@@SteveHowkins Steve, do you think you may have just received a partially defective camera ? I think it is a possible scenario, because my camera (Since the firmware update) seems to have erased what I found to be a really buggy camera straight out of the box. Sometimes, when I pressed the on/off/Record button on the lower power module, the camera would turn on, but the screen would fail to illuminate ! I'd have to turn the camera off and on several times to get the screen to operate. After the firmware update the extra heating and screen illumination bug disappeared, and the new features added to the camera really improved it.

[@SteveHowkins]

@@markjob6354 I think in the end it didn’t suit my needs. Like most action cameras there is a specific use case really. For example they are pretty terribly to use indoors due to sensor size and the iso bumps up making for less than perfect image quality. Still useable though I have to admit

[@markjob6354]

@@SteveHowkins Understood. For my primary use as a waterproof time-lapse shooter, this camera is perfect. 👍 👍 As a quick sit down interview and vlog instrument the low light worse case scenario doesn't come in to play, as one usually uses three point supplementary lighting on the subjects, thus in manual exposure mode you are able to carefully control iso and exposure for best results. Small, extremely bright and effective lighting cubes are a real killer combination with these types of cameras.

[@SteveHowkins]

@@markjob6354 yes for that I can’t think of much better for the price! You could say a camera a little before it’s time

[@SimplyScotlandPhotography]

It's only dead because you sold it lol. So what did you end up buying?

[@SteveHowkins]

True in my case but i think from a DJI aspect also. In the future batteries will be hard to get hold of etc. although a lot will sell/upgrade before things die but I think you get my point. Im still on the fence between a hero 11 and insta360 X3.

[@alecgriffiths2474]

@@SteveHowkins hope you don't do anything technical involving aerospace. Please read the instructions before you decide to comment on whatever you buy

[@SteveHowkins]

@@alecgriffiths2474 at least you watched it to comment on my career. What instruction haven’t I read? Struggling to follow here.

[@sofajams662]

Fair comment on the pendant and the battery life, but I guess it depends what you’re intending to use it for. I’ve just picked up a new dual screen version for £220, with the intent to use the single cube to record family bike rides (it’s low form factor suits what we want perfectly). I intend to film in 2k60 (we’re not making a blockbuster!), so doubt I’ll suffer any overheating - should get about 40-50 mins, which when travelling with a 5yr old is about right. Limitations are relative to intended use I guess, buying the right equipment to start with makes more sense.

[@OGBURNA]

Yeah I had my action 2 … lucky I got it during Black Friday… I’m just gonna get a insta 360 or go pro

[@BeZRules]

Becouse of this type of negative videos i was able to get mine with screen combo for less than 200 usd shipped , very happy and enjoying the pov , the small size and the 4k 120

[@darraghk2214]

Where did you get that deal?

[@TSGAdventures]

I love my action two. Never have ran out of battery at all. Heck with my OG action I bought all kinds of extra batteries but never used them. Just carry a battery pack. Actually they just did a firmware update so you can use gyro data to smooth out the video even more than it is on the A2. Never had over heating issues at all the entire time I have used it. It is a great run and gun set up along with the DJI mic and their selfie stick. I will have a video up soon about it. Works perfect for what I need. I am thinking about buying a second one as a back up.

[@shaneintegra]

The DJI Action 2 with the dual touchscreen is $200 now

[@AzidCast]

where?!

[@sandeept_soul]

I got the 128 gb model power combo for 💲 205 today in India 😊

[@darrenhurrell]

Do you own a car? They are terrible investments.

[@cheetahmiau]

Lousy camera! 1 - It heats up within 4 minutes of operation to the point that it is uncomfortable to hold in your hands. 2 - After approximately 8 minutes of operation, it may shut down because "it reached too high a temperature". 3 - You necessarily need the DJI Mimo application to use the camera, but this application is not compatible with all devices, and they do not warn you in any way that you have to check it before buying. The normal practice is that I buy a video camera, for example Canon, I take it out of the box, and I can use it without anything additional. In the case of DJI Action 2, it does not work like this. You need the application, you need to activate it, you need to open an account in DJI. Too many steps to make it work without even getting an outstanding result compared to other options on the market. Bad product, bad service.

[@gregmcqueen4540]

Who in the world wants a harness around their body?

[@philyourboots]

Your talking absolute TOSH!