Why the DJI Action 4 is still worth it

Earlier this year I picked up the DJI Action 4. The January sales were on and I decided to get one. I've had the now ancient Sony fdr x3000 as my main action 'sized' camera since 2019. Despite being so old these cameras are still great and I'm not getting rid of mine one.

I did like the idea of getting something more modern. The DJI action 4 seemed like the optimal choice given the fact I don't care too much about the latest and greatest features, I just want a solid action camera that can produce good quality 1080p footage, has rugged build quality for adventuring, and doesn't overheat too badly.

My priorities:

• Good image quality 1080p 30fps & 60fps
• Doesn't overheat after 2mins of filming
• Rugged build quality
• Ease of use

On the Sony FDR x3000 I'd mainly shoot in 30fps or 60fps 1080p. This, I believe, produces very good video quality while keeping the file sizes manageable. I know people obsess over 4k, 6k, and beyond. While I can see its use case as a recording resolution on higher end productions, for my use case, 1080p is fine. As a presentation resolution I've seen 1080p projected on a cinema screen look good. So I figure it's good enough for me.

If you can afford a large internal hard drive space then feel free to ignore my views and record in 4k.

I see many complaints about overheating action cameras on reddit forums. I first used a family members Action 4 late last year. This gave me a good amount of time with this camera and I was impressed how little heat was generated during long filming sessions.

The copy I bought isn't quite as good with the heat which suggests quality control isn't perfectly uniform? I can't say why this is. However, my copy of the Action 4 is still perfectly fine. It gets a little warm sometimes but if I hadn't used the other one I would have just thought it was in the normal range of these things. I wouldn't say it overheats, it just isn't quite as good as the earlier one I used. On the other hand maybe a sample size of two copies isn't enough but it was something I couldn't help but notice.

While buying something more modern was a drawcard for me, ruggedness was the main reason for me to get another small video camera. My Sony x3000 still takes great footage, has fantastic audio, but it's lens is a proper(more traditional) lens, which protrudes a little from the camera, and as such is somewhat vulnerable to damage. I was looking for something super rugged and the Action 4 does this for me.

The Action 4 has the classic cube action camera shape, the lens is not easily damaged, and it is dust and waterproof. This gives me the ability to take the DJI to places full of dust, places that have heavy rain storms, high humidity etc. Could I take the Sony x3000 to most of these places, yes. But I would have to be careful with it which doesn't make for a relaxing time.

Going swimming with it is the only thing I would be careful about. I've heard mixed reports about people swimming with a DJI action camera, some no issue, others it has damaged their camera to the point of no repair. It may have been earlier versions of the camera, I'm not sure. I saw a friend take their Action 5 wakeboarding with no problems. So these are all anecdotal reports.

This is no reflection on my copy of the camera. I haven't taken it swimming nor is there any indication that it would fail. It can sometimes be easy to slide the doors on the camera open on accident, maybe this is what is happening to those affected with water issues? I bring this up to remind people to make sure the battery and port doors are properly closed before you go swimming with your action camera.

Ease of use is pretty important to me. I want it to be a set and forget deal. This is the first DJI product I've used and I found the menu system easy enough to go through and setup this camera with my desired settings. After this is done the camera turns on and is ready to go. Other cameras do this too but it's still an important thing to note.

I purchased a few accessories for this camera, some which I think are good quality. Getting the adventure combo of these cameras is probably more cost effective than what I did, buying the accessories later. I bought the stand alone camera then later bought an extra battery, backpack strap mount, handlebar mount, and SmallRig tripod adapter.

The only one I think was a bad buy is the backpack strap mount. So far I've found it keeps the camera at a permanent Dutch tilt, at least on all the backpacks I own. If I'm doing something wrong then let me know in the comments.

The extra battery is needed, they run down reasonably quickly. Hence, it might have been a good idea to buy the adventure combo. The handlebar mount is of good quality and should be a versatile attachment for the camera. I already had a small, lightweight, handheld tripod so the smallrig tripod adapter allowed me to mount an action camera on it. A great buy.

So, is the DJI Action 4 still a great deal in 2026? For me, it definitely is. It is a very rugged action camera that is safe to use in adverse conditions, is small, and produces excellent quality footage in 1080p, 2.7k, and 4k if you want to spring for the hard drive storage. For myself, I'm very happy with the 1080p footage this camera produces.

Pros and cons of the DJI Action 4