My quest for the longest lasting battery in an action camera has brought me to the DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro and I tested 11 batteries to see how long they would last. Why do I care about long battery life? I race sailboats and when I’m sailing I can’t always stop and change a battery in the middle of a race and sometimes I don’t even have a pocket to keep one in let alone keep it dry.
In looking at the cameras on the market the DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro had the best specs for how long it would last using the settings I would want to use while sailing. I wanted to see how long I could expect the two different batteries that are offered by DJI and several different batteries by 3rd party manufactures.
DJI offers the DJI Osmo Action Extreme battery with 1770 mAh that they sold with the Action 3 and 4 and it’s compatible with the Action 5 Pro. And when they came out with the Action 5 Pro, they also came out with an Extreme Plus battery with 1950 mAh. The batteries look identical aside from the very tiny mAh number on the back and the much more obvious 1950 mAh label on the top.
How long does the DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro Battery Last?
Across all of the manufactures, the camera filmed on average for 129.4 minutes. But the DJI batteries far out performed the after market batteries by almost 30 minutes in the case of the Extreme Plus.
Average Duration
DJI Extreme Plus
150.4 min
DJI Extreme
138.8 min
Aftermarket Batteries
122.4 min
Which Battery Lasted Longest?
If battery life is of the utmost importance – you’ll want to go with the DJI Extreme Plus Batteries. If you want to save some money, don’t need as long of a duration or can switch batteries easily then the aftermarket batteries will work fine.
Here’s the average runtime for each of the brands:
And here you can see the individual performance of each of the batteries. Note the range between the minimum and maximum test along with the average. The DJI Batteries (Extreme & Extreme Plus) minimum performance was at or above the max of most of the 3rd party batteries.
Using the settings I’d most likely be using for sailing – 4k 30 fps with RockSteady and Horizon Steady on and in the wide view – I set the camera up in my living room to look at my backyard until it ran out of battery. I did this at least 11 times for each battery to get the data. All of the batteries were charged using the same 3-battery charger and the DJI firmware was 10.00.11.62 or 1.00.12.12.
If you are interested in the battery life of other cameras, check out the tests I did for the Insta360 X4 or Insta360 Ace Pro.
Disclaimers: I purchased the camera and some of the batteries myself. Other batteries were received through the Amazon Vine Voices Program. As an affiliate in Amazon’s program I may receive a commission for product links.
I’d never sailed this far before. The Annapolis to Newport Race—475 nautical miles from the Chesapeake Bay to Newport, Rhode Island—was the challenge I’d been looking for this summer. Aboard the J/42 DIANTHUS, we were racing in a fleet of 14 boats in the PHRF class, part of a larger group of 71 total entries. We expected the race to take about four days.
Friday – Off to a Light Start
DIANTHUS at Annapolis City Dock
Our start was one of four that day just outside Annapolis Harbor. Winds were light, 5–7 knots out of the SSE. We executed a clean dip start on the third gun, timing the line perfectly and heading upwind while blocking several port tackers trying to squeeze in at the pin.
Looking down the line at the start of PHRF
We short-tacked around Thomas Point Light and chose to hug the western side of the Bay while many competitors went east. As storms built over the Eastern Shore, we found ourselves with better pressure and less rain. By afternoon, we had 8–12 knots and made solid progress. But by evening, the wind faded again.
Dianthus rounding Thomas Point Light
Saturday – Rain, Current, and a Spinnaker Sunset
When I came up for my midnight watch early Saturday morning, the boat had barely moved in the still air under a full moon.
Sunrise brought a fresh breeze as we neared the Potomac. We dodged a fast-moving RoRo ship and short-tacked near Cape Charles to stay out of the adverse current.
Rain returned just 15 miles from the Bay entrance—and with it, a total shutoff in wind. As the storms passed, the breeze filled from behind. Soon we were back under spinnaker in 20 knots of wind with a sunset on one side and a rainbow on the other.
We switched to an asymmetrical kite heading toward Chesapeake Light, then changed to the #1 genoa as the wind died again. We drifted toward the light while listening to VHF chatter from a dredging barge surprised to find a “sailboat party” in his spoil area.
Sunday – Into the Atlantic
By early morning we’d rounded Chesapeake Light and were close-hauled in 6–8 knots, tracking north up the coast. By midday, seas had become confused and choppy. As the wind built into the evening, we changed to a smaller genoa and eventually reefed the main. The maneuvers were tricky in the dark, and a couple of us got seasick in the rougher conditions.
Monday – A Leak, A Lull, and some Light Relief
Morning revealed a bit more water in the bilge than expected—eventually traced to a leaking anchor locker. We bailed, let the bilge pump catch up, and got back to full sail… just in time for the wind to shut off again.
For hours, we bobbed in less than 4 knots of wind. With 130nm to go, our hopes of finishing Tuesday morning faded. Now we were aiming for early Wednesday.
Tuesday – Chasing Breeze and Making Decisions
By noon, a few hours of glorious beam reaching had us pointing straight at Newport at 6 knots—but the breeze didn’t last. Afternoon brought rain and hard choices: how to round Block Island. As night fell, we flew the symmetrical spinnaker heading east.
Wednesday – Rounding Block Island and Finish
Just after midnight, we were east of Block Island under spinnaker in winds near 20 knots and boat speeds pushing double digits. Then – bam – a 50° wind shift hidden in fog and darkness slammed us.
We broached.
The boom dragged in the water, the boat laid over, and we slid sideways toward Block Island just 3.5 miles away. A nearby channel marker was the only visible reference.
After a tense few minutes, we regained control and set up for a spinnaker drop—requiring full crew on deck and a headsail hoist before we could safely douse the kite. We reefed and continued, now beating away from danger.
And then… the wind died again.
With a strong opposing current threatening to push us back into open ocean, we made the hard call to go the long way around Block Island. Boats we’d passed earlier were catching up fast.
By sunrise we’d rounded Block and entered Block Island Sound. We hoisted the spinnaker one last time for the final four hours. At last, we crossed the finish line off Castle Hill just before noon.
Docking in Newport, surrounded by anchored boats and fellow racers, we toasted the end of a long, unforgettable journey. Sure, we would’ve liked less drifting and more breeze—but we made it, boat and crew intact.
Huge thanks to Dave and Carol for preparing DIANTHUS and leading the crew. It was a blast to sail with them, along with Wendy, John, and Mike. For my first offshore race, I couldn’t have asked for a more thrilling, humbling, and rewarding experience.
You come back to your boat after some time away—and find the dolly tire is flat. You could pump it up, and that might work for a while but chances are it’ll eventually go flat again. Most likely, the inner tube has failed. Here’s how to replace it:
What You’ll Need
Tire irons (motorcycle-style preferred): Example on Amazon You can substitute with large flathead screwdrivers or the handle of a wrench, but be careful – these can damage the tube or rim.
Replacement inner tube (4.80/4.00-8 size) with an angled valve stem: Here’s a good option
I recommend using proper motorcycle tire irons—they’re smooth, light, and long enough to give you leverage without damaging the rim or tube.
Tools and materials needed to change a tube
Step-by-Step Instructions
1. Deflate the Tire (if it still has air): Squeeze out as much air as possible. A completely deflated tube is much easier to remove. If you can’t get to the valve stem to deflate it, you may need to cut it after removing one side of the tire.
2. Remove the Tire from the Rim: Use your tire irons to work one side of the tire off the wheel. This will take some force, but don’t overdo it—Dynamic Dolly rims are plastic and can bend or crack under too much pressure. Watch the video to see how it’s done.
3. Remove the Old Tube: Once one side of the tire is free, pull the tube out. Cut it if necessary to make removal easier.
4. Insert the New Tube: Place the new tube inside the tire, aligning the valve stem with the hole in the wheel. Tip: Hold the valve stem in place through the hole while you work the rest of the tube into position. Note: there may be two holes in the wheel for the valve stem – only one lines up with the angled stem.
5. Re-seat the Tire: Carefully work the tire edge back over the rim using your tire irons. Be gentle—don’t pinch the new tube, especially if you’re using improvised tools.
6. Inflate the Tire: Pump the tire to 10–14 psi, depending on your needs. Make sure the tire is seated evenly all the way around.
7. Install the Valve Cap: Always use plastic valve caps in a marine environment. Avoid metal caps—they corrode and can seize onto the stem over time.
8. Reinstall the Wheel on the Dolly.
Disclaimer: As an affiliate in Amazon’s program I may receive a commission for product links.
I joined Battle Rhythm for their first race of the 2025 season—a gusty, northwesterly day that tested our teamwork and shook off some winter rust. We hadn’t sailed together since last fall, and the breeze reminded us of it. On the line with us were Nanuq, Orion, and Corryvreckan. We had a solid crew of nine: Todd, Jennifer, Holly, Lauren, Tina, April, Jon, Chris R., and Dennis.
We got a decent start at the pin, staying low and ahead of the fleet. When Nanuq threatened to roll us, we bailed early and tacked out toward the layline near Stingray Point. Most of the fleet went up the Piankatank, but our gamble to the north paid off. As we approached the weather mark tucked near Jackson Creek, we were less than a minute behind Nanuq, with Orion trailing another minute or two back.
We set the kite and started the long run toward Gwynn’s Island. That’s when things got interesting. During the gybe, strong breeze and rusty coordination wrapped the spinnaker around the forestay—briefly, but enough to throw us off. We got it flying again and pressed on, only to tangle it again as we tried a weather take down at the leeward mark. We then missed the mark, had to re-round, and lost some time.
On the final downwind leg, a northward wind shift made for an awkward angle. A delayed gybe and another wrap left us low on the course, forcing us to luff hard and nearly broach just trying to fetch the finish.
With breeze still pushing into the low 20s and with no injuries or broken gear, we decided we’d had our fill of fun and headed in before race two. It wasn’t flawless, but it felt good to be back on the water shaking out the cobwebs.
Fishing Bay Yacht Club opened the season with a beautiful race day for a 12.5 nm course. After a flag raising and skippers meeting, the fleet headed out on the water. The crew from our sailboat was the race committee today and I was on the mark boat to set the start/finish line. I also had a front row seat to the start and finish and got to fly my drone around the boats when the wind subsided enough while most boats were finishing.
The three fleets started in sequence, sailing out into the bay near the Rappahannock’s mouth, then turning south before heading back to the finish line in the Piankatank River.
Though I wasn’t racing, it was rewarding to help run a smooth event and capture the action from a unique perspective.
The trip that began before it began – with snow forecasted in the days before I was set to leave, I packed the boat a week early so I wouldn’t have to be out in the cold loading everything up. When the weekend arrived, I was able to brush the snow off the boat – a first for me – and get on the road to Florida.
Driving Saturday was relatively uneventful with no significant traffic. I made it 10 hours to Daytona got a hotel just outside of the speedway. I went for a run towards the grandstands and saw some of the bike week setup. This place will be packed with motorcyclists a week from now.
Sunday
Since I was only a couple hours from the sailing center, I decided to do a tour of the speedway and I got there for the first tour of the day. The drove us around to see the track and facilities. We got to walk on the track at the start finish line, see how banked the corners are and walk into the grandstand.
I finished the drive and arrived at the sailing center just after 2pm. I drove 870 miles in about 13 hours of drive time.
Very few ILCA sailors were there, just a couple others who skipped the Friday-Sunday event that was just wrapping up in West Palm. Rob E helped me unload. I rigged, tested some camera setups and headed out. On the water I med up with Paul C who was sailing an ILCA-6 while I was in an ILCA-7 and we spent an hour going upwind and down on our own made up course with .5 mile legs.
Back ashore I derigged the boat and few of the sailors from West Palm started arriving and unloading. As the sun set I put the drone up to get some pictures of the sailing center.
Monday would be spent working remote from the hotel on what would mostly be a rainy day.
Tuesday
By Tuesday morning 86 boats had assembled for the first day of racing. Following a skippers meeting we launched and headed out to the course in some pretty good wind out of the north at 15-18 knots.
First race I had a slightly late start at the boat and went out to the right in clear air. I stayed to the right rather than crossing most of the fleet and getting to the left as the wind went that direction and found myself at the top of the bottom 1/3 of the fleet at the top mark. I picked up a few spots around the course to finish 25.
We started the next race and I was again at the boat and went right. There was a huge lefty and I got clobbered up the first beat. Halfway down the run something wasn’t right, boats ahead weren’t rounding and then the marks were picked up. They had abandoned the race on account of the wind shift and never started the ILCA-6 fleet. Was a shame to spend all of that energy on a windy day on half a race, but at least we’d have a better chance at a better result.
For race 2 we stared under the Y flag. I did a good job winning the boat and again stayed right and carried it as far as I could. Then I made my way back left with just a few other boats with me and punched out, and James Jacob just a little more left of me. As we got to the top mark we were the first two there and traded tacks. He got to the windward mark first, but had to round wide and I got the inside as we went to the offset mark where I rounded first. James and another boat went a little more down the right side of the course as I stuck to the left and I managed to hold my own rounding the gate in 4th as some of the faster boats started to catch up. Unfortunately, from there I’d make a few mistakes on the beat and lost about 10 boats – settling for 14th. Still a respectable finish and certainly the highlight of the weekend to lead a race at least for moment.
By the 3rd race of the day I was pretty tired. The wind was still blowing and we had to wait a while for the radials to finish. When they did try to start us, they blew it off just before the start to reset the line. Once reset, a race was started and I started at the boat again and went right finding myself in good company with James and Mark B. Luckily the wind went right and we were in the top group. I didn’t have the strength to hike on the very long leg and was just out of the top 10 at the first mark. I mostly held my position and dropped only a couple positions for a 15th place finish.
Wednesday
Wednesday was a lighter day and we sailed out and postponed for an hour. Once some wind in the 8-9 knot range did come in, they got us started and I had a terrible start right between Don H and Patrick W who rolled right by me and left me in bad air. I just worked on finding clear air and picking shifts and did well to climb back into the middle of the fleet. By the second leg I was up to almost 10th, but lost a couple boats downwind and finished 16th. Great result given the start.
In race 5 I had a terrific start on the middle left of the line and carried that to the left – only it was too far and I missed some opportunities to get back right when the pressure and shifts were there. Made a couple mistakes to slow myself down coming out of the leeward gate, never got it going to pass anyone and finished 32.
By the final race of the day the wind had eased to 6-7 knots of wind. I was pretty late starting at the boat and just watched everyone sail by. Never felt like I could get in pressure and get the boat going and settled for a 26
Thursday
On Thursday the forecast was for no wind. We arrived to no wind, saw no wind, had no reason to believe wind was coming and after postponing onshore for about an hour, racing was called for the day. I did a run in the park near the sailing center and headed back to the hotel for some work before joining a group of D11 sailors for dinner.
Friday
With no racing yesterday, the start time was moved up to 0930 and 4 races were planned. At that time in the morning, the light on the course is fantastic. The wind was 10-11 as we headed out, but quickly fell to 7-8 as racing started. There was current sweeping us over the line and it was reset a time before we got a clean start under black flag. I didn’t time the start well and was in the back of the pack all the way around the course and finished that way.
After waiting for the radials to finish their race – they weren’t started until we were almost finished – I was determined to get a better start. I was right on the line near the middle right on time with a good lane and a few boats around. Unfortunately, the mainsheet slipped out of my hand – I saved myself from flipping to windward, but parked the boat for a second. I still had somewhat of a lane and was just about to tack to port into a hole when the boat just to leeward and ahead of me started yelling for me to tack. I wanted to hold my lane for a just little longer before tacking, but (conversations after racing would confirm) he seemed to think he was entitled to tack since he thought I wouldn’t want him leeward/ahead even though I had right of way and he wasn’t really affecting my wind. And so he tacked forcing me to duck him in order to not T-bone him and the hole I had hoped to tack into was gone. I immediately protested, he didn’t turn and he ended up dropping out just before the protest was to be heard. I would sail the rest of the race in the middle of the fleet finishing 29th.
For the 3rd race of the day – I again got shot out the back. Only solace was starting to figure out where the lane of wind was and the patterns to the shifts. I picked up a few boats as I went and finished 26th.
The final race of the regatta would start the worst and finish one of my best. I was late to the boat and due to traffic took hitting the committee boat (stand off buoy) over tussling with other boats. After I did my turn and started the race behind almost everyone, I had a great view of the wind from the boats ahead. I set to work in the lane of wind I discovered in the prior race and picked off 10-12 boats in that first upwind leg. I’d do it again in the second beat and got up to 16th by the finish. Imagine where I could have ended up with a better start.
I ended up 25th overall and the second Apprentice Master. It was a nice trip to experience some warm weather, see a new venue and spend a week of sailing with some ‘old’ friends.
The James River was up over 16’ and forecasted to go higher tomorrow. I got out at lunch and put the drone up to survey a bit of it near Pony Pasture park.
This year I finally got a 360 camera – the Insta360 X4. With the image quality increase of the latest camera from Insta360 it’s not as much of a compromise to include its ~2k footage alongside 4k footage from other cameras. Especially on a sailboat – the action can be in any direction and the horizon is always tipping, so a 360 camera enables me to reframe the shot where the action is and to always have a level horizon. One of the caveats with the 360 camera filming in 8k is the battery life. When I’m on a sailboat I can’t always stop sailing in the middle of a race to change the battery or sometimes I don’t even have a dry place to keep a battery with me, so getting the most out of a battery is really important to me.
According to the specs online – Insta360 rates the battery life at 75 minutes when filming with the highest quality settings that I would most like to use for sailing (8k 30fps). While some of the online reviews sort of confirmed this, there were no comparisons between the insta360 batteries and some of the aftermarket batteries that were coming on the market. So I set up some tests for 17 different batteries from 9 different retailers for 187 tests over 227 hours to answer those questions and I wanted to share my findings.
How Long Does the Insta360 X4 Battery Last?
After running the test on 2 Insta360 batteries and 15 aftermarket batteries the results were pretty clear. The insta360 batteries averaged 78 minutes while the aftermarket batteries averaged around 72 minutes. The insta360 batteries hit the 75 minute mark in 100% of the tests. The aftermarket batteries only hit the 75 minute mark in 2% of the tests.
Which Battery Lasted the Longest?
If battery life is of the utmost importance – you’ll want to go with the Insta360 batteries. If you want to save some money, don’t need as long of a duration or can switch batteries easily and don’t mind dismissing a nag screen then the aftermarket batteries will work fine.
Here’s the average runtime for each of the brands:
And here you can see the individual performance of each of the batteries. Note the range between the minimum and maximum test along with the average. The Insta360 batteries minimum performance was at or above the max of most of the other 3rd party batteries.
Using the settings I’d most likely be using for sailing – 8k 30fps. I set the camera up in my living room and while it’s not recommended to run the camera at that resolution indoors, I used a small fan to mimic the airflow the camera would get outdoors and keep it from overheating. I used the same two 2-battery chargers to charge all of the batteries.
One other note about aftermarket batteries – Insta360 has introduced a nag screen about a battery anomaly the first time the camera is started after inserting an aftermarket battery. I’ve always been able to dismiss this and use the camera normally with the aftermarket battery.
To see my videos created with the Insta360 Ace Pro – check out No Quarter Sailing on YouTube.
Disclaimers: I purchased the camera and some of the batteries myself. Other batteries were received through the Amazon Vine Voices Program. As an affiliate in Amazon’s program I may receive a commission for product links.
Got back to Greenville to see ECU take on Appalachian State. It was a close game, but ECU just couldn’t muster enough offense to keep App State behind. Still won the tailgate and had a lot of fun catching up with everyone.
A foot injury kept me sidelined from racing in the 2024 Stingray Point Regatta, but we did get out for a while on Sunday to capture some pictures of the racing on the east course.
A1 Fleet Sailing downwind in the first race on Sunday.
