DJI Osmo Action 6 Announced with Variable Aperture and Square Sensor
DJI has announced the Osmo Action 6, a new action camera that makes a shift away from the usual formula. It’s the first of its kind to feature a variable aperture and a square sensor – a combination that offers more creative flexibility and better handling of tricky lighting. It’s a welcome update for anyone who wants to shoot high-quality action video in a range of environments without faffing around with lots of kit.
The variable aperture ranges from f/2.0 to f/4.0. In Auto mode, the camera adjusts the aperture for you depending on the scene, but you can also choose manually if you prefer more control. It’s designed to cope better with low light, but it’s just as useful when you’re shooting in bright conditions or want to manage depth of field with the optional Macro lens (more later). There’s also a Starburst mode that adds a creative star-shaped effect to points of light in a scene.
One of the biggest changes is the use of a 1/1.1-inch square CMOS sensor with 2.4 μm fused pixels. That’s about twice the size of the pixels in the GoPro Hero 13 Black, which should help the Osmo Action 6 produce cleaner images with better detail and dynamic range. There’s also support for 10-bit D-Log M colour, which DJI claims gives up to 13.5 stops of dynamic range, which should help preserve highlight and shadow detail in high-contrast scenes and allow more flexibility in editing.
Another useful addition is the new 4K Custom mode. This lets you record using the full square sensor and crop your video later, depending on where it’s going. It makes life easier if you’re switching between vertical and horizontal formats.
The camera also supports 4K/120fps slow motion recording and can generate 32x Super Slow Motion playback at 1080p, so there’s a lot of creative potential when you’re filming fast action.
If you want to shoot close-ups, there’s a Macro Lens accessory that reduces the minimum focus distance from 35cm to 11cm. It’s great for filming food, flowers or even pets indoors. There’s also a FOV Boost Lens that extends the field of view from 155° to 182°, ideal for immersive wide-angle footage like downhill biking or travel vlogs.
On the stabilisation front, the Osmo Action 6 uses DJI’s RockSteady 3.0 and HorizonSteady tech to keep footage smooth and level. There’s a 2x lossless zoom, a Natural Wide FOV setting to avoid distortion, and a few creative tools like film tone presets and intelligent subject tracking. Portrait mode is also included – it prioritises your face and adjusts exposure to keep skin tones looking realistic.
The camera is waterproof to 20m straight out of the box and 60m with a waterproof case. It works in cold conditions down to -20°C and can run for up to four hours. Fast charging gets you to 80% in just 22 minutes, and there’s 50GB of internal storage for backup if you forget your memory card.
The audio has had an upgrade too. You can connect up to two DJI Mic transmitters for wireless recording, which is great if you're filming an interview or want to mix in ambient sound. The built-in three-mic array also has wind noise reduction to help clean up the audio in outdoor scenes.
Whether you’re diving, hiking or just filming life as it happens, the Osmo Action 6 has been designed with flexibility in mind – and that includes women who want to travel light and still get great-looking footage.
DJI Osmo Action 6 Price and Availability
The DJI Osmo Action 6 is available in two kits as follows:
Standard Combo – £329: Includes one battery, quick-release mount, adhesive base, locking screw, USB-C cable and anti-slip pad.
Adventure Combo – £415: Includes everything in the Standard Combo, plus two extra batteries, another mount and locking screw, a battery case and a 1.5m extension rod.
Accessories such as the Macro Lens, FOV Boost Lens, waterproof case and various mounts are available separately.
