DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro v GoPro Hero 13 Black – the head vs heart of action cameras!

Just a couple of weeks after the new GoPro Hero 13 Black, DJI hit back with the new Osmo Action 5 Pro.

Last year the DJI Action 4 comfortably won the best action camera crown in my view (before DJI even thought of adding 'Pro' to the end of the name), partly because GoPro actually took features away from the previous year, and partly because DJI really stepped things up in terms of image performance.

This year both have made significant changes – but neither has changed the size of the image sensor. What, now, separates the cameras if you're asking which to get?

Round 1: New Features

The GoPro Hero 13 is all about the lenses. The big new feature that GoPro has brought to the table this time is a system for not only fitting lens filters and adapters – including a wide angle and a promised anamorphic one – but detecting them automatically so you don't need to resort to menus. This means you can have the creativity of a pro, but keeps everything simple and fun to use when you've got, well, action on the mind!

The other feature that's arrived on the Hero 13 that wasn't on the 12 is GPS, which means you can create overlays to your videos depicting speedometers as the camera can record its movement. This was in a lot of previous GoPros, but the company decided to take it out.

GoPro has also, finally, looked at the good work DJI and Inata360 have done with their magnetic mounts and added on of their own. These don't replace the flap-out grips, so no worries there, but brilliantly magnets can guide a new mount into clips. It doesn't feel as firm as DJI's but it uses the magnets more cunningly, as it is reversible.

DJI, by contrast, has introduced a new sensor (albeit the same size) giving the camera 13.5 stops of dynamic range. It also has a much bigger battery capacity (up to 4 hours recording), and an AI-driven tracking feature which can be used so you can set the camera down and it can keep a vertical subject in frame as they move around. Other handy features include 'Highlight' (marking key moments for editing as they happen), built-in on-camera storage of 47GB and pre-record.

Round 2: Quality & Performance

Having played around with both for a little, the fit and finish on the DJI is probably a very narrow. I like that GoPro has dropped the blue flecking from the previous design (that looked like it would age badly), but the DJI device is pure simplicity and the quality of the bigger, brighter, crisper screens is easily apparent (the fact the DJI opts for a brighter default setting suggests more confidence in the battery too).

That said, the lens swap system on the GoPro is a lot easier to grasp and operate than the process – admittedly something you probably won't actually resort to – of replacing the lens cover on the DJI since the new jaunty rim (under the rubber shield in the photo) is actually harder to grip!

Video quality is mathematically better from GoPro – it offers 5.3K video – but in reality the 4K output from DJI's 2.4 micron pixels offers a much better dynamic range which means the camera can cope in conditions beyond daylight; even better this time thanks to the new SuperNight mode. If you do timelapses in low light, shoot videos from your bike while cycling at night, or take videos caving, GoPro has, frankly, been eclipsed.

In terms of menu usability, GoPro has a system which works and has stuck with it, boosting battery life over the older models with a new (non-compatible) battery. DJI have opted for a new processor which you can feel in snappy menu performance and further improves battery life to over 3 hours (up to 4 DJI say in perfect conditions!)

Final Round: Verdict

Ultimately, as I said, this is very much about the head v the heart. To my mind, DJI has stayed ahead of the game when it comes to the camera tech, but GoPro has given us a new reason to crave an action camera we might not have thought of.

The Osmo Action 5 Pro is measurably better than the Action 4 it supersedes, and that was better than the GoPro 12. Measureably the keyword there because it does it in all the same increments, and looks very similar, even if it has 'Pro' written on it.

The GoPro Hero 13 doesn't bother to improve the imaging system, so you'd think it hands DJI a massive win here, but instead I think it splits things. Rather than fight on internal imaging, the GoPro opens up a battle on a new front DJI doesn't appear to have thought of.

For most people, the idea of an anamorphic adapter or an even wider lens probably isn't that useful if we're honest. You do sacrifice some convenience, and it even introduces an extra risk area that needs cleaning DJI-owners won't need to worry about. It also seems to add cost, even before subscriptions are mentioned (and GoPro do love to sell subscriptions).

But there's no getting away from it, as a photo fan, my heart is trained to feel swappable lenses are better. I've done it on my drones (like the DJI Inspire 3) and I can sort of do it on my phone (though all the lenses have a camera each). Personally I'd lean to the Action 5 for the kind of shots I take (and because bad lighting is just part of my world), but if I had more cinematic ambitions I can absolutely see the lure of the GoPro this time – not something I could say last generation!

If you still can't separate them, check our full GoPro Hero 13 Black review and the DJI Action 5 Pro review with sample videos.