1. Bitrate Limitation
- Bitrate Reduction: The Osmo Action 5 Pro has a reduced maximum bitrate of 100 Mbps, compared to 130 Mbps on the previous model (Osmo Action 4). This is a significant step backward, especially for users who prioritize video quality. The lower bitrate results in less data being recorded per second, which can affect how much fine detail is preserved in the footage.
- Impact on Image Quality: With the lower bitrate, compression artifacts can appear in areas with lots of detail or fast motion (e.g., skies, water, and fast-moving subjects). These artifacts can manifest as blocky or pixelated sections in the video, which degrades overall quality.
- Severe Limitation in 4K 30fps: While the camera advertises a 100 Mbps cap, in 4K 30fps mode, the actual bitrate doesn’t even reach that limit. It’s capped at around 57-58 Mbps, which is quite low for high-resolution video. This results in further visible compression issues.
Why it Matters: For content creators and professional users, having a higher bitrate ensures the footage retains more detail, especially in dynamic or complex scenes. Lower bitrates lead to more aggressive compression, reducing image clarity.