DJI Osmo Action 6

DJI tends to fluctuate wildly when it comes to iterative upgrades of existing ideas and frameworks, and what ultimately become more meaningful and transformative successors that leave their predecessors in the dust.

The Osmo Action 6, their new action camera, might at first glance appear to be the former, which is, also at first glance, a bit of a shame, as the DJI Nano in particular highlights how different kinds of creative tasks require different kinds of equipment.

But scratch the surface and you'll realise that the Osmo Action 6 is actually far more ground-breaking than first thought, and once again DJI reminds us how wild they can be as both a hardware and software manufacturer when they really go for it.

The shape itself remains the same, and although the camera is slightly heavier, it retains the same form, functionality and actual frame - which is still quite impressive considering the results such a camera can produce.

The big new change is the move to a square lens - which doesn't matter much if you're shooting and using 16:9. It's technically slightly smaller, 1/1.1", but the difference here is that it's easier to edit in other aspect ratios, such as transitioning between vertical and horizontal aspect ratios. In addition, the camera now has a variable aperture, f/2.0 to f/4.0, which means the lens can adjust itself according to how much natural light there is. This significantly improves performance in low light conditions, and it's easy to see the transformative results in the evening, where image noise and artefacts are kept at bay much more effectively.

The results you get in good lighting conditions are more marginal, but better depth of field is present no matter what. Combine that with solid and reliable technologies like RockSteady 3.0 and HorizonSteady, and you have an incredibly effective action camera that's become far more versatile since the last time.

It's also because of these more substantial upgrades that it's a little boring to see the 1950mAh battery stay the same, as well as the IP68 certification and 50GB internal storage (again expandable with microSD). It's not that there's anything decidedly lacking here, and the better footage helps take the sting out of the disappointment, but DJI should keep working on form, that's for sure.

But it remains a great way to shoot on the whole. The two OLED panels make it easy to frame, support for 10-bit D-Log M-profiled sequences on the works great for the enthusiasts who care about such things, but at the same time you can also just press the button and pretty much always be happy with your result.

The Osmo Action 6 is more ground-breaking than I thought it would be, and while I feel like DJI could work on a new idea next time - maybe a built-in mounting suction cup, ditch the small OLED screen in favour of a rotating base - or something else entirely - this is super impressive all the way through, and it's very, very hard to see a new, fresh customer buy an Osmo Action 6 and not find what they're looking for.