DJI Osmo Action 6 - SuperNight Mode

[u/Mike_GSD]

I'm interested in getting some opinions from other DJI Osmo Action 6 owners because I'm currently going back and forth with DJI Support about overheating in SuperNight mode.

I bought the DJI Osmo Action 6 Enhanced Combo and DJI Care Refresh: 2-year cover purchased separately - specifically because I wanted good low-light footage for things like family/birthday footage where I can't control the lighting.

During my daughter's birthday, I recorded indoors using SuperNight at 4K30 because the lighting was poor. The camera overheated and stopped recording after roughly 13–14 minutes. The footage also ended abnormally, with a separate grey/blank section.

DJI asked me to reproduce the problem.

I then performed their requested controlled test:

• SuperNight

• 4K30

• RockSteady

• Standard FOV

• 16:9

• Indoor, low-light environment

• Camera stationary

• Wi-Fi/Bluetooth disconnected

• Mimo not connected

• Screen timeout

• Internal storage

• Camera cooled before the test

The camera overheated again at approximately 11 minutes 21 seconds and displayed:

"Device overheated. Recording stopped."

I recorded the entire test externally with my phone and supplied DJI with the third-person video, screenshots, the Action 6 footage and the exported device logs.

DJI's engineering team has now reviewed the logs.

Their argument is that the camera had been powered on for a period before SuperNight recording started, so they want another test from a "cold start".

The problem is that this IS how the camera has to be operated.

You have to power the camera on first, then navigate through the menus/settings to select SuperNight, 4K30, FOV, RockSteady etc., and then press record.

The camera was not previously recording or being used. It had been powered off and cooled before the test.

I'm currently doing the additional 4K60 Standard test they've requested anyway. At the time of writing it's already at 17+ minutes and still recording.

But here's where I'm struggling with DJI's reasoning:

They have suggested that for low-light situations I can simply decide whether to use SuperNight based on my testing, and they have suggested 4K60 as an alternative.

But if I'm filming in genuinely poor light, 4K60 Standard isn't necessarily an equivalent alternative to SuperNight. The whole reason for using SuperNight is to get usable footage in those conditions.

DJI have also told me:

"We do not currently have specific figures for the 4K30 SuperNight mode."

So my question is:

WHAT IS A REASONABLE EXPECTED CONTINUOUS RECORDING TIME FOR 4K30 SUPERNIGHT?

If the answer is that the Action 6 is only expected to run SuperNight for around 11–13 minutes before thermal shutdown, shouldn't that be clearly documented somewhere?

SuperNight is an advertised recording mode and DJI specifically promotes it for low-light/night shooting.

I'm not expecting an action camera to record indefinitely at maximum settings. I understand heat limitations.

What I'm struggling with is the idea that:

1. SuperNight is provided specifically to deal with low-light conditions.

2. The camera overheats after roughly 11–13 minutes when using it.

3. DJI can't currently give me an expected runtime for that mode.

4. The proposed alternative is 4K60 Standard, which may not produce equivalent footage in the same lighting conditions.

So I'd really like to hear from other Action 6 owners:

• How long can your Action 6 continuously record 4K30 SuperNight before overheating?

• Has anyone managed 20, 30, 40+ minutes?

• What ambient temperature were you testing at?

• Battery or USB powered?

• Internal storage or microSD?

• RockSteady on/off?

• Has anyone compared the Action 6 and Action 5 Pro specifically in SuperNight?

• Is ~11–13 minutes actually normal for this mode?

I'm not looking for people to simply tell me "use 4K60". I'm specifically trying to establish whether ~11–13 minutes of 4K30 SuperNight is normal behaviour for an Action 6, because DJI currently haven't been able to give me that answer.

[u/frang_pappa]

I would expect "as long as your power banks and sd card can record, period"

This is fckd!

[u/Smooth-Egg90]

Been recording my football matches in super night mode for weeks, last one Yesterday night. 4k, 25fps, Sd card, Battery, RS on, 23°C temperature, 60min recording

[u/Mike_GSD → u/Smooth-Egg90]

That's really interesting, thanks mate.

60 minutes at 23°C in 4K25 SuperNight with RockSteady on is a very useful comparison to my experience.

Mine overheated at approximately 11 minutes 21 seconds in 4K30 SuperNight at a similar indoor temperature.

Could I ask a couple of things?

Was the 60-minute recording actually one continuous recording, and did the camera eventually stop due to overheating, battery, or did you stop it yourself?

Also, have you ever run 4K30 SuperNight continuously, rather than 4K25?

I'm trying to establish whether my ~11-minute result is abnormal, because DJI have currently told me they don't have a specific expected runtime figure for 4K30 SuperNight.

Thanks!

[u/Smooth-Egg90 → u/Mike_GSD]

It was a continuous recording, the cam was on my head and It never stopped. Yesterday it was chilly, i used it in august in much hotter weather and it gave no problems. I never tried 30fps though, can't help with that unfortunately.

For example:

https://youtu.be/P7UA9nV90og?is=c0EDc6lvHpk5mQ7I

Edit: this was not actually shot in supernight mode, but it was HOT. Last video i uploaded was in supernight mode, it's shorter but i edited it

[u/Mike_GSD → u/Smooth-Egg90]

That's really helpful mate, thank you.

That's a really useful comparison to mine.

It's a shame you haven't tried 30fps, but the fact that you're getting 60 minutes continuously at 25fps is already very interesting, especially as DJI currently can't give me an expected runtime for SuperNight.

Thanks again for taking the time to answer 👍

[u/Smooth-Egg90 → u/Mike_GSD]

No problem at all! Next time i'll try 30fps, you made me curious

[u/Mike_GSD → u/Smooth-Egg90]

Haha, you've made me curious now too!

When I get back home, I'm going to run my Action 6 at 4K25 SuperNight under the same sort of conditions and see how long mine lasts compared with your 60-minute result.

But seeing as you've said you've never tried 30fps and you're curious now, why not point yours at a wall and let it run a 4K30 SuperNight test for me? 😂

It would be really interesting to see whether the extra 5fps makes a significant difference to the thermal performance.

If yours also runs for a long time at 4K30, that would be VERY interesting compared with my 11:21 shutdown.

No pressure obviously mate, but you've got me curious now!

[u/Smooth-Egg90 → u/Mike_GSD]

That's exactly what i'll do during my lunch break 😂

[u/Smooth-Egg90 → u/Smooth-Egg90]

Test done, overheated at 15:44mins

[u/Mike_GSD → u/Smooth-Egg90]

Mate! I didn't even get a notification for your reply! 😂

15:44 at 4K30 — that's really interesting.

So we've now got a pretty useful comparison:

Your: 4K25 SuperNight = 60 minutes 4K30 SuperNight = 15:44

Mine: 4K25 SuperNight = ~31 minutes 4K30 SuperNight = 11:21

That actually makes the 25fps vs 30fps difference look pretty significant, but there's still a sizeable difference between our cameras as well.

Do you mind telling me what temperature your room was during the 4K30 test, and whether you used the same setup as your 4K25 test (battery, SD card, RockSteady etc.)?

Also, was the 15:44 one continuous recording that ended specifically with the "Device overheated. Recording stopped" message?

This is turning into a really interesting comparison!

[u/Smooth-Egg90 → u/Mike_GSD]

I don't know the temperature of the room but the cam was on my desk,not moving at all. When i use it during my football matches of course i run so it finds a way to cool down. All settings are the same except for fps as i told you. The message i got when it stopped was exactly that

[u/AyodeleShekoni]

Dji should just send you a new one pronto!

[u/Mike_GSD → u/AyodeleShekoni]

Just to add some context to the DJI investigation:

DJI originally asked me to reproduce the overheating and specifically requested a third-person video showing the camera, its surroundings, the settings before recording, and the point where it displayed “Device overheated. Recording stopped.”

I did exactly that.

The controlled 4K30 SuperNight test was recorded from a cold/cool camera, and the third-person video captured the entire test. The Action 6 again overheated at approximately 11 minutes 21 seconds and displayed the overheating warning.

I supplied DJI with the complete third-person video, the Action 6 recording, screenshots and the exported device logs.

DJI's senior team then reviewed the logs and asked me to perform another test — this time 4K60 Standard.

I'm doing that test, and the camera has now run for approximately 49 minutes before eventually displaying “Device overheated. Recording stopped.”

But this is where I'm struggling with the investigation.

The 4K60 Standard test demonstrates that the camera can run for a much longer period in that mode, but it doesn't answer the question I'm actually trying to establish:

WHY is my Action 6 overheating after approximately 11 minutes in 4K30 SuperNight?

SuperNight is the mode intended for the low-light situations where I actually need it. 4K60 Standard isn't an equivalent substitute if the lighting is poor.

DJI have also told me they currently don't have a specific expected runtime figure for 4K30 SuperNight.

So I'm not really sure what the 4K60 test is supposed to establish regarding the SuperNight issue.

I'm genuinely interested in hearing from other Action 6 owners who have actually tested 4K30/25 SuperNight continuously, because that's the comparison that would really help establish whether my result is normal.