Hi folks! Some have asked how I have access to the camera early. Thus, I'll explain in-depth press embargoes in-depth here, sponsorships/etc... Press embargos allow companies (e.g. GoPro/DJI/Apple/Samsung/etc...) to send out units early to reviewers, as long as they don't disclose the product until a certain date/time. However, within that there are two camps: Normal press/media entities that have strict rules on ensuring content is unsponsored (which is what I do), and the second camp is paid coverage. This second camp is what you think of as sponsored content (they get paid usually, ranging from $1,000 for a small channel, to many tens of thousands for a larger channel). These videos have specific things that must be in the coverage, specific approval processes, and usually won't say anything meaningfully bad about the product. You'll see lots of that type of content for certain brands, less so for other brands. There's also another camp of people that just get free products as 'partners' or 'ambassadors', that functionally act the same way. Virtually every single piece of tech news today is sent under embargo to media outlets. Even the most useless announcements are sent that way. In fact, it's well beyond tech. Policy announcements, goverment announcements, etc are generally sent under embargo. It started in the 1920's with medical/scientific journals. The idea is to allow news outlets to put together thoughtful pieces on 'news', rather than copy/paste marketing junk. Embargo does not mean sponsored, it simply means agreeing to a specific date/time to release the content. In any case, for the press side (me), one could argue that access to a product early means you get a 'benefit'. And thus would be tempted to pay favor to that by giving better coverage. And some entities certainly do. But ultimately I think I've gotten to nearly half a million subscribers by demonstrating that's not how I work. Every company that sends me products early for review (Apple, DJI, GoPro, Garmin, Google, Samsung, and on and on), understands this. They know if I like a product, I'll say that. And if I don't, I'll say that too. Are they sometimes upset at what I say? Sure. Could they withhold next time? Sure. But history has shown them that doesn't really work for me. I just go out and buy it, and do a review then. Thus, it's in their interest to at least engage with me ahead of time and maybe fix issues before it gets to production (and, they do...very often). Note that in my case, *I do not keep these products*. They get picked up by DHL/UPS/etc after the review, and then I go out and re-purchase most of them at normal retail outlets. I spend many tens of thousands of dollars a year re-purchasing products to keep on-hand for future updates/etc. Obviously, there's much more detail I could get in to. But, if you appreciate content like this that's not sponsored, consider subscribing - or becoming a Member (hit the 'Join' button up above, sorta like Patreon). Or simply share the review (arguably the most useful thing). I appreciate it!

Just to be 100% fair here, the DJI cam has special low light mode which is only available until certain FPS, i think 4K/30, that makes a difference ! Also i think its important to know which ISO limit was set. Correction, you dont need the remote for G-Force data :) there are two things you can have without the remote which is tilt angle and G-Force, for all other stuff like GPS you need the remote though.

After owning 8 or 9 GoPros up to the 11, the game changer that DJI brought (when I bought the Action 3) was the elimination of overheating and glitching. You can have the BEST specd action camera on the planet, but if it just shuts down OR glitches and you lose the shot, it doesn’t matter. GoPro has become complacent and really isn’t bringing anything new but it’s typical issues. There’s an honest review for you.

Seriously one of the best Tech reviewer on KZfaq!!! Always clear and straight to the point with real world examples!!! Keep it up and Thanks!!!

I just bought an Action 4. I have no 'previous' with any other action cam brand so I did do a good bit of research beforehand. The main things that sold it to me were the recording length on a single battery charge, which appears to be around 100 minutes 'in real life' and the magnetic quick release mechanism. I've been out a few times recently with a friend who uses a Go Pro Hero 11 to blog his mountain walks and I'd seriously considered buying one myself. The footage he gets is pretty good and I'm not aware of him having lost any video due to glitches but while we're out it seems like he was always having to stop to switch batteries (at least once per hour). He did also complain a few times about not being able to use the Hero 11's touchscreen with wet hands, which happens a lot in Scotland... I got the Action 4 in preference to the Action 3, just because it was the newer model (and should receive firmware updates for longer, if this is a thing). YMMV...

Enjoyed your review, but I think you overlooked a couple of meaningful features with the Action 4. Battery life is significantly better than the GoPro and charge times can be twice as fast as well. Touchscreen capability on both the front and rear displays of the Action 4 allow for setting changes on both screens. The ability to setup custom shooting modes and easily toggle through them with the Quick Switch button ROCKS! The Action 4 magnetic mounting system enables quick changes among a multitude of mounting options. With many other features being similar between both cameras, the features mentioned above factored significantly in my purchasing decision of the Action 4.

Great review Ray! Love to see this type of honesty on KZfaq at the moment

Your evaluations are always spot on. Thank you for all your hard work. Just saved me some money.

Great review as always. Thank you for your hard work!

I am a novice and bought the GoPro 10 about a month back. The very first time I took the camera out on an 80 degree day to run around and capture soccer footage with my kids, it overheated in 15 minutes. I googled what overheating was because I didn’t know that was even an issue. After I learned more I boxed it up and sent it back. I took the plunge and bought the action 4 today because I don’t want to deal with overheating issues while capturing memories. Hopefully I made the right move. Regardless, your video was informative and I appreciate the work put in to deliver the video. Thanks!

Sold my gopro 11 because of the constant overheating issues. I mainly use it attached to my helmet while riding a motorcycle so the air flow is not in question yet gopro still manages to freeze from time to time. Plus the battery doesn’t last that long. I actually appreciate the honest review, it is clear gopro is ahead in terms of stabilization but I’m ready to make the switch.

Thanks so much for this balanced review. I got swept away with another KZfaq review that swooned over the Action 4 (Dutch based), and had placed an order for one. I then saw your review and quickly realized that I should wait for the GoPro 12 first. But more importantly I will not buy anything until I have seen your review first! Keep up the great work!

So happy to see this video after checking out some DJI footage recently. Appreciate your hard work, bud!

Nobody can touch your tech reviews! Everything I needed to know thanks.

I hate when almost 99% of youtube review videos are sponsored. I don't watch sponsored tech videos at all. There is no point. They act like salesman. Not a proper tech reviewers. That's why I watch your reviews. They are honest. I appreciate that.

Excellent review as always. Before I buy anything has to do with action and drone, that channel is my first stop.

always thanks to great reviews!

Excellent no BS review that insightful and educational. I just ordered the DJI the other day. I’ll give it a try for a week. Keep you updated.

Thanks man. Really appreciate the honest review. It really helps!

I just ordered an Action 4 and if it doesn't come with any of GoPro's bugs, freezes or immediate overheating, it's worth the purchase to me. Also, the DJI huge win with their mounting system.

As soon as I saw the new DJI Osmo Action 4 promotional video. I took out my Osmo action 3 to put it for sale. After watching your honest review , I've decided to keep it. Thank You . (Subscribed)

You are getting more and more professional. I like it!

finally someone with an honest review exist in youtube realm.. you've got new subsribers, thanks Ray

Man I watch your review every time just because of your honesty. Thanks!!

Thanks for the great review. Really well put and balanced. I am currently still using the original Osmo action, which I still love, but think I’ll now upgrade. I’m not a GoPro hater by any means and either will be a big step up for me, but having had a bad experience with them I just can’t trust spending any more of my money with them. Keep up the great work.

I tested my OA4 in 33C heat (about 92F), stationary on my balcony, outdoors with no wind with 4k25p. It ran for 210min before my extended battery died. Never over heated. So I never saw any over heating. I also tested anothe OA4 in same conditions but time lapse 4k 1s, it ran for 11 hours before I stopped as it was dark. Never over heated.

Appreciate this video and your honest review!

For sure the best review videos of these types on YT. Just exactly what is required. No hype. Just comparison. Can’t praise it enough

Brilliant review as always!

Thank you for this video. Its easy to get lost in the hype! Excited to see what the new GoPro 12 has to offer

Your final thoughts are fire,, and that's why i follow your channel, Thank you for the review,,

The colors on the GoPro are amazing. It's incredible how they get so much out of that much out of that tiny sensor (and tiny camera) :) Great video!

the only man i trust on the internet when it comes to honest reviews ;) been waiting for this :)

I own the Action, Action 2 and 3 so naturally I was ready to get the action 4. Now after your honest review, I’m going to wait and put my money into a newer drone (I have a Mavic 2 Pro). Your conclusions seemed spot on. Thank you for the honest review. Cheers!

This is a review and not a marketing Video well done! Hard to find honest reviewers nowadays thanks for sticking up for the little guys! Keep it up!

Thanks. How does Action 4 do with remote audio and mic support any improvement there? Is Hero 11 still as buggy with freezes, can it now hold a remote connection to a phone reliably?

I've ordered the Action 4 as I like the look of the easy magnetic fastening & the fact I'll be able to connect my DJI Mic's without having to buy a media mod & I'm also fed up with my GoPro shutting down & having to take the battery in & out. Time will tell if I've made the right move? Thanks for the video Ray 👍

By far the best review, all the other reviews are clearly not offering an unbiased opinion on the Action 4. Also using the cameras in Real World scenarios really show what they can all offer. Always watch your reviews before deciding on which to buy, guess my Hero 11 Black is safe for a while longer!

Seriously look fwd to your reviews on new products. Ya dig into the nitty gritty, you don’t tip-toe around the problems, and always help me make purchasing decisions. SUCH a relief in todays click-baity/relevancy-lacking world of YT. Keep up the stellar work m8!

I think your over selling the GoPro at the end; to my eye it’s only better at stabilisation, and that’s only if there’s lot’s of vibration. The image from the DJI look a little better, wider and accurate colours, plus hiding the selfie stick is very cool. Those shots look great.

Thanks for this informative video, beyond the hype and with many real-life examples about the (non-)qualities of these action cameras.

Thanks for the stellar reviews as always. I'm a big GoPro fan - and this video reinforces why - but I'm loving the wide Dewarp mode on the Action 4. GoPro needs to get on that stat.

Excellent review as always.

Ray has done it again.... first detailed review 👌. I liked the exposure and colour of gopro better. Audio is better in dji I guess

You are the KING of real world reviews! Thanks man, keep it up! Greetings from Greece!

Nice as usual factual and informative. I Like!

Finally an honest review! Thank you!

Awesome review ! And happy to see Dji is listening to the critics about sharpness and Nr algorithm control. Also the dlog m seems very interesting to me. Now i want to see some raw dlog footage at -2 -2 to compare to my GP11!

Thank you for this video. Two factors that I think will tip the scales in DJI's favor is reliability and battery life. Completely agree with your analysis of picture quality and image stabilization - clear wins for GoPro, yet my GoPro 10 didn't last a year and the battery life was poor. My Insta360 camera has been bulletproof so far. I'm intrigued by by the DJI product but may wait until the next iteration, hoping for the improvements you have mentioned. Your site is still my go-to review channel. I truly appreciate your candid and thorough reviews.

Love this .. best review out there .. all other reviews on this camera are holding back probably because they are sponsored…. This is exactly what I was looking for - the full in-depth no holds bar review Will wait till action 5 comes out ..

The one true unbiased sports tech journalist out there!!!

Very good comparison, thank you !

Thanks for the video, great comparison.

This isn't really an apples to apples comparison here; the GoPro footage @2:07 distorts your face whereas the DJI doesn't have that fisheye effect despite being wide. Also, the GoPro is auto-everyrhing on those settings and the DJI is in pro mode which I suspect is where you would adjust your exposure and white balance.

I love your description. As a smaller channel I wondered how it worked. I am in the free product stage of the game. My experience is when the larger channel says "let me know what your think in the comments below" can sometimes mean I cant say how I really feel but you can. Nice Review! I am impressed that GoPro 11 won some events and it is a year old.

wow, great review, thank you for your opinion on this.

A very great review. Well done 👍 👏. Awesome.

Great review thanks

Thank u for this review sir! you got a new subscriber!👌🤘

I'm going to wait until the hero12 is out next month, then make my mind. Thanks for the excellent honest review.

The best honest review on the OA4

Did you try connect a external mic straight to the Action 4? I'm asking because I film motovlog videos and I hate the GoPro Mic Adapter and the media mod and I was thinking of buying the Action 4 but the sound with a external mic is very important to me and I couldn't find this info yet...

💚 Appreciate your review! None of the other reviews sold me, since everything they review seems to be must buy gadgets that they never actually use. The Action 4 is really just what the Action 3 should have been. At a price increase it makes no sense. If it had a 1 inch sensor, larger aperture, and 422 10 bit instead of 420 I’d be more intrigued. Along with the 8:7 aspect ration Go Pro 11 has

Hi Sir. Wondering if there is anything like Hindsight on the DJI?

Excellent review. Just subscribed for more 😊

Wow a real non biased review! Love it

Thanks for doing the honest review of it, I think the remote that has GPS is a better way to go since GPS radio does use a lot of power instead of having the main unit process it, also it keeps the price down without the subscription of GoPro. But then again im still content with OA3 and wont gonna upgrade that soon until DJI ironed out some major issues that OA4 will have in up coming week or months, once most are fixed ill upgrade. But that low light refresh is a bit tempting since I do low light shot sometimes

Straight the point, fantastic!

i just bought the oa4, tnx to all the reviews of the youtubers 😅

Does the action 4 support charging while record external audio at the same time? Such as using something like the GoPro audio adapter

Thanks, well worth hearing a frank and open expert opinion than the "second camp" PR spin!

EXCELLENT REVIEW 💪❤

He's the best reviewer.. no doubt on that . Love your videos ♥️

Interesting look at the camera! Nice job. Does the UVC webcam mode now support stabilization? They added UVC support through firmware to the previous model but never added an option to enable stabilization. While it's primarily meant to be used as a stationary camera in that mode, it could be very useful in an IRL streaming backpack setup if it had stabilization while outputting video through USB. Sadly GoPro has never tried to add UVC output support, though it is possible to output HDMI with the media mod and stabilization on the Hero 9 that I have does work doing that.

And there goes my dream of buying the action 4 😂😂😂😂Lucky I saw your video now waiting for the GoPro Hero 12 ❤❤

Thanks for video!

Thanks for the review. Be interesting to see what the gopro 12 has to iffer next month. Almost sold on the dji, i do love tge quick release syatem.

A breath of fresh air compared to all the paid so called honest reviews. This gentleman tells it like it is.

2 things: the UW color mode already exist in my original Action… it would also be interesting to know if their version of the invisible stick works underwater as well :)

Great review! And honest one too☝️ Exactly as you said- Bigger sensor. OMG 😏 really. /1.3 vs 1.7”. It is an improvement, but does that mean when the 5 comes, we are gonna get an APSC sensor like in Mirrorless cameras, who knows. They are not made for night time shooting, so we’ll stick w the day time “action”. And for that the DJI 3 does an incredible job! Thank you for the awesome review!

I just ordered a DJI Action 4 for myself, an upgrade from OA 1! I bought another DJI cos it never fails me! Just need to power it up and ready to shoot! Cheers!

Very helpful 👍👍

Great review! I was already decided to buy Dji Action 4 instead of Hero 12, but after seeing your stabilisation test I decided for Hero 12 as it would have much better stabilisation. This deal breaker as I ride motorcycle where stabilisation really matters!

Thanks for your great review, you’ve convinced me to buy the Action 3. The GoPro is too buggy for me.

Great review Ray. Thanks. Are there any notable differences in the accompanying App that would help the DJI’s case? For their mini 3 and X3 the App is the killer feature as it just helps make your clips more useable more easily. Appreicate the requirements of a straight out action cam isn’t the same but was curious

Your videos are rad. :)

Great video.❤do you know if the osmo 2 remote is compatible with the osmo 4.?

great review, but DJI Action 4 fits more my needs, I still think DJI performans better than gp11 in the most of scenes you shown, thank you

thanks for uploading the raw footage too

I really loved this review and agree with you as well. But I'm still going for the action 4. I still have my first and only action cam, which is the action 1 and I have the wireless DJI mic which plugs in so easily. I mostly capture videos while I'm on my motorcycle and sometimes inside the car as well. Other than that I make timelapses with action cameras. My reasoning is simple, I don't jump brands unless it doesn't work for me. And the action 4 seems good enough for what I do now. I did get a discount deal from where I get my camera related gear usually, so I got the adventure combo for the price of Hero 11 alone. If you're reading this I would like to know one more thing, is it better to leave the micro sd card inside permanently in an action cam? I got two corrupted cards when I was in the habit of taking out the card. After I stopped that, the current card has been working well for long. I used SanDisk cards, original ones same models. Thanks again for the great review.

Watched about 5 video’s. And now it was about time to see how good (bad) this camera really is. Thanks Ray!

Thank you for keeping it honest

Have you done any photography comparisons between the cameras? on paper the gp11 is 27mp and the Action4 is only 10mp. I use my action cameras for both video and photography so any thoughts would be appreciated - thanks

It might me a niche use case, but in skydiving I’ve noticed quite some problems with GoPro. Action cameras are used in tandem jumps to deliver footage of freefall to customers. The amount of errors a GoPro has compared to DJI is why I choose to use the Action 3 at the moment. It’s reliable which means that the customer gets the footage of a once in a lifetime experience everytime.

Where are you finding this remote for the action 4? And does it work with the action 3?

Thanks for your review. Actually I personally think that the action 4 seems to have more detail and is overall a bit sharper. Whereas the Gopro 11 seems to be more mushy. What you might want to do is to compare footage with lots of details and then zoom in 200% and 400%, for then one hopefully clearly sees the difference in resolution.

As someone who would use this camera for potential dangerous situations while cycling and who got pissed off by GoPro's infinite bugs and crashes, how does it perform regarding these? a) time from pressing the button to video start b) firmware stability c) possibility to store highlight timestamps with the press of a button as GoPro can do

Thank you for such a comprehensive review. It compelled me to CANCEL my pre-order of the Osmo Action 4...I'm going to wait and see what the GoPro Hero 12 performs like, (Even though I have virtually sworn off GoPro after over a decade of using their product.)

Excellent honest review when you said...it's put out by accountants.

I think the one rs leica 1 inch is still good , so no plans to change. Good video