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S'cuse my ignorance on the subject, my teenage (14) lad has asked for a Go Pro type action camera. He wants to use it to record some MTB stuff etc. and upload results to the various social media sites kids use.
Other than Go Pro, I see a DJI Osmo action 4 at £165 as being a good alternative but wonder if there is anything else cheaper that maintains the features required for the spec. He has broken an arm and wrist in the last 6 months so crashing is a possibility.
GoPro sell reconditioned cameras on ebay with a years warranty. I recently picked up a Hero11 for £160, and its like brand new.
I like my Osmo Action 4, more than the Hero 8 (I think) I had before that died on me.
Dunno about cheaper than that though, I suspect you'll be buying into major compromises.
How is the teenager with editing photos/videos on their phone/laptop?
Getting the action camera is the first part of the work flow & editing can be an absolutely thankless tiring task.
I have both a GoPro and a DJI and I would go for the DJI every single time. 360 Cameras are pretty cool too I've just been sent one and it's so much easier to use all round, quick and easy to edit and you can be more creative but standard format action cams give better quality overall.
When you consider your budget don't forget to look at mounting options as there's a lot of choice there too.
I got a DJI Action 4 for my trip to the Alps in the summer. I wore it on a chest mount and everyone who saw the footage were blown away with the quality and stability. Not my riding unfortunately, but you can't have everything. As an alternative to the latest GoPro's, I think the DJI 4 and 5 are very close competitors.
I can only compare my DJI Action 4 with my previous Gopro 8. Massive difference in quality, battery life and..... it has never frozen on me unlike my Gopro which regularly froze at an inconvenient time and needed the battery taking out/putting back in the unfreeze it.
Dji actions all the way.
Just got the Action 6 and you can genuinely do so many great things with it.
More than just an action cam. So well developed with open gate recording and many modes of shooting. 10bit log and variable aputure. Etc.
That said the picture quality isn't loads better than the 4 and 5 but the flexibility is unmatched.
The osmo pocket 3 is definitely the best for picture quality out of the small cams but doesn't have the robustness for biking footage as such.
Thanks to all for advice and info. The case has been presented to the court (my wife) and the case settled, DJI Osmo 4 to be obtained.
Just to chime in late and support your choice, I picked up a DJI Osmo Action 4 a couple of months ago and the image quality and useability has blown me away.
I spent a considerable amount of time researching the pros and cons between the Action 4 and 5 and couldn't justify the extra £100 for the newer one, as to my eyes (and many other reviewers) the 4 has the better 'point and shoot' picture quality. The 5's stock profile looks very cartoony / oversaturated, and apparently you need to film in a specific flat colour mode (D-Log M) and then colour grade in your editing software to get the most out of it.
I paid £250 for the pack with the three batteries and charging case which is a lot less than a GoPro.
Just to clarify, has he actually asked for a 'Go Pro type' camera, or a 'Go Pro' camera?
You know kids and all that
Dad, I want an iPhone for Christmas - ok son, this Google Pixel does the same job....etc
Yeah it's the function not the brand he's interested in.
and we did go from an Apple to a Pixel.
Another happy (recent) action 4 purchaser here, I’ve taken to VSDC (free) for editing, mostly because Davinci would not run on my potato of a PC.
