The Best Action Camera On The Market Is Perfect For Travel Vlogging & Outdoor Adventures

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Today's travel vloggers, adventure seekers, urban explorers, and culture connoisseurs all share a common goal: documenting travel experiences as they happen. The best moments in travel are often unpredictable — so you always want to be prepared. The cameras on smartphones are amazing, but sometimes if you are exploring a cave on your incredible vacation in Thailand, you don't want to whip out your expensive phone. That's where the smaller and lighter DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro will become your best friend on the road. Per the title of photographer Chase Jarvis' book, "The Best Camera Is the One That's With You..." The updated features of the DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro turn it into a robust little companion that may quickly become the one tech device you will want to bring with you to Disneyland and everywhere else, and even when just capturing everyday memories back home.

While action cameras used to perform poorly when it came to image quality, they now blur the lines with more sophisticated — and expensive — equipment. But this action cam starts at only $349 for the standard package. So while the price may still be worth shedding a little tear, it wouldn't totally bankrupt you if you dropped it in a crevasse. Furthermore, we all know that packing light is an art. Besides not blowing up your budget, this camera won't break your back either, as it only weighs about five ounces. Despite its compactness, the device packs an amazing set of features, which earned it the top spot as the best action camera on the market by PC magazine.

A review by Shawn Air Photography for DroneXL mentions simplicity as the feature that makes the DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro the best camera for travel vlogging. For starters, the nifty device fits in the palm of your hand and, as we mentioned earlier, weighs about the same as a pack of cards. The forward-facing screen on the DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro is tactile just like the back, both now with crisper OLED technology, which allows you to see if you are in frame while vlogging, even when it's sunny. You can quickly change settings without having to jiggle the camera around. While on the subject of checking that you are in frame, the device has subject centering and tracking so that you always stay in focus.

The sensor is unchanged at 1-1.3 inches, but with more pixel density than before, giving sharper results. Another bit of great news for vloggers is the ability to connect two wireless mics, which enhances the ability to pick up sounds from both people if you are vlogging as a duo or filming an interview. In other words, forget having to hold the mic awkwardly in your hand while positioning yourself face-to-face with the other person.

In addition, the device supports streaming through the DJI Mimo app, so your content can flow directly to your social media followers in real time. It's like having a TV studio in your pocket. This is also the first action camera to include built-in memory that lets you save 47 GB of usable internal storage. This feature will save the day if you ever forget to put the memory card back in and can act as a backup if you ever get the dreaded "memory card full" alert.

Outdoor explorers who spend considerable time in the backcountry will particularly appreciate the battery life that has increased by 50% from the previous models, giving you four solid hours of continuous use in one charge. This is the longest of any competing action camera, according to a review by Scott Gilberson for Wired. Scott also praises the excellent stabilization, which he tested in several situations, including sailing and free diving. 

"This camera isn't afraid of the dark," according to a review by Andy Zahn for SlashGear. The DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro performance outpaces the competition in low light. Since it performs well regardless of cloud cover and at different times of the day, you don't have to worry as much about the weather or the clock when it comes to filming your adventures. Slow motion is another strong point of this device, making it suitable for capturing high-speed action. You can film in 120 frames per second (fps) in 4K and up to 240 fps in HD (1080p) mode. As Alex Baker explains on DIY Photography, this also means that, in post-production, you can turn the footage shot in HD into super-slow motion that looks as if you shot in 960 fps — that's 32 times slower than normal speed for those incredible buttery-smooth action clips. 

For high-altitude or deep-diving adventures, the device has a built-in pressure sensor that indicates altitude and depth and a setting allows you to automatically show the stats on the footage, saving you editing time. Finally, the DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro offers compatible accessories for any possible outdoor configuration you can think of. These include a charging handle, lens filters, a waterproof case that extends your diving range from 65 to almost 200 feet, helmet and harness attachments, a Bluetooth remote controller, and many others. As the saying goes, good things come in small packages. The DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro stands out as a perfect travel vlogging and adventure companion for its combination of image quality and versatile features — without breaking the bank.