Bought a few months ago to replace the GoPro Hero 10, as it promises:
1) longer battery life,
2) better heat resistance, and
3) better video quality in low light.
One is true, the other two are not:
1) Battery life: It is true and then some. I believe it can easily last 1.5 hours of use in 4K@25, compared to the 1 hour that the GoPro Hero 10 gives me.
2) Heat resistance: With the setting at 4K@25fps, let's see (last test was done on 6/23/23):
DJI Osmo Action 3: 16 minutes and some seconds (battery remaining 86%).
GoPro Hero 10 with Enduro battery: 30 minutes and some seconds (battery remaining 57%).
DJI Osmo Action 2 (without the Power Module, with the protective case provided by DJI): I stopped it at 30 minutes because the battery had dropped to 23% and the internal memory was almost full.
Insta360 One RS 1" with Boosted Battery Base: 1 hour, the core was very hot and I stopped it because the others had beaten it (battery remaining 56%).
In short, the GoPro Hero 10 and the DJI Osmo Action 2, which are accused of overheating, can withstand almost twice the time without overheating. Disappointing and -1 star.
(If you put it inside the car (on the windshield), it will overheat even faster - the fastest was within 9 minutes, in February with cold air blowing on the windshield at maximum).
Note that in the 1080@25 setting, it can easily last 1 hour, and in the 1080@50 setting, it lasts about half an hour with forty minutes.
Also, I tried it without the battery, directly connected to a power bank and power supply (as I do with the GPH10 and it can record for hours) and the results were even worse...
3) Video quality in low light: It has the Max ISO set to 3200 by default, if I remember correctly (compared to the Max ISO 1600 of the GoPro), and the videos come out brighter but with a lot of noise.
If we lower the Max ISO to 1600, then the videos are darker than the GoPro Hero 10's.
Positive points:
- In terms of construction, it is sturdy and slightly smaller than the GPH 9, 10, 11.
- The mobile app supports live preview, something that GoPro has removed in its latest models.
- It has the widest field of view I have seen so far in an action camera.
- Videos in normal lighting conditions come out very clear with natural colors, and its stabilization is very good (on par with GPH10+).
- The Hyperlapse feature is very impressive. Check it out here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RsrskqctKvg
And here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtWeJqX9b4s
Other negatives:
According to an official representative of DJI, the quick-release magnetic clip it uses instead of the traditional screw system of GoPro is NOT suitable for use on a moving vehicle (car, motorcycle, etc.). In other words, if you want to mount it on an external part of your car or on your helmet, DJI not only does not guarantee that the magnetic clip will withstand the resistance of the air, but also advises against it... (Disappointing and -1 star)
I bought a SmallRig that has a 1/4" 20 socket to use it safely outside the car on a screw mount, but it weighs too much and with the cost of such a purchase, there is no difference from getting a GPH10 or GPH11 and doing my work with or without a battery without the worry of overheating.
In general, disappointing choice and the issue with overheating has to do with EU legislation regarding when the software automatically shuts down a camera in operation because it has become excessively hot, which for explosion protection reasons is significantly lower compared to those intended for America, etc.
How much lower? The GoPro and Osmo Action 2 shut down when they are overheated and the Insta360 One RS when you fry an egg on its core, while the Osmo Action 3 when it is simply warm.
So American YouTubers praise it because their software has higher tolerance limits for internal temperature, while Europeans either don't use it as much or are ashamed to admit it.
Finally, if you really want to buy it, the Adventure Combo is worth it because it offers a lot of extra features that you will definitely need.