DJI Action 3 is back and better than ever in a renewed form-factor with even better specs! Check out the highlights:
- 1/1.7″ CMOS Sensor, Wide 155° FOV
- Front & Back Color Touchscreen Displays
- Up to DCI 4K60, UHD 4K120, 1080p240
- Fast Charge Technology, Voice Control
- RockSteady 3.0 Image Stabilization
- Wide 155° Field of View
- HorizonBalance & HorizonSteady Leveling
- Camera is Waterproof to 52′
- Durable Gorilla Glass Lens Cover
- Built-In Mic for Stereo Audio Recording
Take a look at DJI’s launch video released this morning:
DJI’s timing of the $349 Action 3 camera is intentional to collide with the simultaneous release of the new $499 GoPro HERO11 Action Camera available in two versions: the traditional GoPro body and a ‘mini’ version that is very similar to the former DJI Action 2 body.
Action 2 was a novel design and we did find interesting in very specific situations, but the absence of an SD slot in the main camera body, short battery life and overheating made using it problematic.
Now that DJI has gone back to the traditional “GoPro” form-factor we’ll be very keen to give DJI a second chance. DJI is a premiere company. The Apple of drones. And it doesn’t usually price below their competitors so it’s interesting to see that the new Action 3 is $150 less than the GoPro HERO11 Black. It all comes down to the features.
Youtube will be flooded with fan-boy review videos from all the usual suspects: iJustine, raving about the Action 3 in exchange for enhanced affiliate commissions. So it’s important to take these launch day review videos with a grain of salt. The best (meaning most honest) reviews usually come out a few weeks after launch. Having said that, if there’s one comparison video we could recommend that compares the new Action 3 and the GoPro HERO11 it’s this one below from Potato Jet. He’s been providing extremely in-depth reviews for years, and he goes to great lengths to do serious evaluation of what comes out of the camera. In his Youtube comparison he actually gets input from his squad of other Youtubers, and once you see it you’ll understand that both cameras have a lot going for them:
With the dual launch of the Action 3 and GoPro HERO11 Black the $150 difference in price all comes down to the differences in specifications between to two…and whether they matter.
GoPro HERO11 has a few better specs than the Action 3 to justify the higher price, but don’t count Action 3 out…DJI has built in some advanced specs that are better than the HERO11.
The bottom line for us is that videography beyond 2.7K really doesn’t get appreciated (or viewed at that resolution) on platforms like Youtube. The savings you get with the Action 3 leave lots of room in the budget for accessories.
You can’t go wrong with either camera. For most, it will come down to budget. The best part of today’s dual product release is that we are back to have two strong competitors ramping up the competition to bring us the best action cameras possible.
DJI Action 3 is available at DJI Store B&H Photo Adorama
