Recommendation for a video camera for riding

[tanghonglai]

Hi all,

I am looking for a video camera for safety reason, so I don't need anything fancy. I just want something that I can mount on the bike's tank or windshield so I can turn on before a ride and turn if off when I get home. It would be great to have at least a couple of hours of recording.

Thanks for any inputs.

Tang

[fmx]

Originally Posted by tanghonglai

Hi all,

I am looking for a video camera for safety reason, so I don't need anything fancy. I just want something that I can mount on the bike's tank or windshield so I can turn on before a ride and turn if off when I get home. It would be great to have at least a couple of hours of recording.

Thanks for any inputs.

Tang

I ordered this last week (still waiting on it). Small and robust. Not the greatest quality and a little pricey though.
http://www.amazon.com/POV-MAC10-Wate.../dp/B003P9W9J8

[alex.s]

gopro

[lgk]

gopro

[Joshorilla]

Your three choices are

GoPro

Contour Roam

Drift HD

They are all pretty much the same with some advantages / disadvantages, I ordered them in popularity pretty much, let's just say you can't go wrong with either three.

I'm a Contour Roam guy, but I wouldn't say no to a GoPro if I had the extra cash, but I would probably pass up a Drift.

I wouldn't touch anything else with a barge pole, with the exception of the Sony one.

[alex.s]

drift HD shoots in 1080potato

[Panda]

+

Duct-tape.jpg

=

win


PS. Gopro

[CC Cowboy]

Originally Posted by tanghonglai

Hi all,

I am looking for a video camera for safety reason, so I don't need anything fancy. I just want something that I can mount on the bike's tank or windshield so I can turn on before a ride and turn if off when I get home. It would be great to have at least a couple of hours of recording.

Thanks for any inputs.

Tang

Why would having a video camera make riding safer?

[tfkrocks]

Originally Posted by CC Cowboy

Why would having a video camera make riding safer?

Video evidence in the case of an accident to save your own ass. Could help with not getting something pinned on you when it's not your fault.

[ai4px]

There are many cheap chinese video cams on ebay. Don't trust them to be hi-def even if they say hi def. I bought one and, sure it has a 720p picture... from a VGA quality sensor... so it records a crappy low def picture at 1280x720.

That said, the camera turns on and records when you crank up the bike. It's suction cupped under my windshield and sees remarkably well at night even though the tinted windscreen. It is not water proof, but it's behind the windshield. It was $38 and looks like a total P.O.S., so I'm quite sure no one would steal it even if they noticed it tucked above the dashboard. It makes video that will tell my wife what happened when they find me on the side of the road one day.

On the other hand, if you forget and accidentally leave your go pro on the bike to run into walmart for 5 minutes, I'm quite sure it won't be there when you come back. But there is no doubt, the go pro or contour will have incredible quality video. Depends on your purpose.

search ebay for "car dvr"

[xSean13]

My drift hd170 has great footage in 1080p, still isn't too bad at night either. The corrupted file errors are really annoying, but the newer cameras may have fixed that. I mount my drift on my helmet, and it fits on the side nicely and is "stealthy." I'd never get the gopro for helmet mounting because I don't wanna look like a gay teletubby.

[NewbieNinja]

I would say gopro, but I've own my silver for about 6months now and it likes to crap out on me whenever it wants to. I remember reading somewhere that they just released it, though it wasn't ready for release yet.

[Asspire]

got one of these for my dad, simple, cheap, somewhat easy to use.

http://dx.com/p/1080p-2-7-tft-lcd-5-...f-black-127708

you'll need to figure out power from the bike

[Live2ride]

I would suggest an 808 keychain cam #16 with the d lens. It's super small and can record for quite some time in 720p with a 120 wide angle.

[fmx]

Originally Posted by Live2ride

I would suggest an 808 keychain cam #16 with the d lens. It's super small and can record for quite some time in 720p with a 120 wide angle.

Dang it, where were you when I was shopping around lol...

[Live2ride]

Originally Posted by fmx

Dang it, where were you when I was shopping around lol...

[Live2ride]

the video below was recorded with an 808 keychain cam, not the 16 but the quality is similar to the 16. keep in mind that the video was scalled down to upload.

Link to original page on YouTube.


There's also a new #26 cam that shoots in 1080p, but it just recently came out and it's $100 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_VILr40j1w) looks like it outperforms the gopro in low light by a landslide though, very impressive.

[ai4px]

Originally Posted by Live2ride

the video below was recorded with an 808 keychain cam, not the 16 but the quality is similar to the 16.

Link to original page on YouTube.

How'd you mount it in the helmet? Got any pics of that?

[Live2ride]

Originally Posted by ai4px

How'd you mount it in the helmet? Got any pics of that?

i used a piece of tape and taped it to the top right padding in my helmet. velcro would work much better. I was only testing it in that video.

edit: heres a pic showing it's location.

[ai4px]

damn, that solves the whole water proof problem!! awesome.

Also, thanks for enlightening us to the 808 designations.... there are so many fakes on ebay.

[Live2ride]

Originally Posted by ai4px

damn, that solves the whole water proof problem!! awesome.

Also, thanks for enlightening us to the 808 designations.... there are so many fakes on ebay.

yup, they are small enough to fit inside the helmet. You're welcome; if anyone were to buy one right know I'd recommend the #16, that can be bought on ebay from someone in the U.S. for $55 or so. The new #26 with 1080p is on ebay right now for $100 and the test videos make it seem like a huge advancement over previous models such as the #16 and the #18 (which was used to make the video above) BUT it won't ship until may 10th and it can only be found from overseas.

[tanghonglai]

Thanks for the replies. Looks like the 808 key chain is all I need. :-)

[choneofakind]

Originally Posted by Live2ride

the video below was recorded with an 808 keychain cam

Yeah, I think I'll take my gen 1 GoPro HD (which I got used, in great condition, for cheap) over that any day, no offense Cody.

[Live2ride]

Originally Posted by choneofakind

Yeah, I think I'll take my gen 1 GoPro HD (which I got used, in great condition, for cheap) over that any day, no offense Cody.

I agree with you there, any gopro will outperform the 808 cams on the market right now (except the new #26 seems to outperform in low light). But for ease of use, a cheap price and for the size, the 808 cam is a great choice that doesn't break the bank. That video was shot in 720p then compressed down to a max of 360p due to the file size so lots of loss in quality there. here is a video someone else made in the 720p but the audio does suck and it seems like he used some form of crappy stabalization but you get the idea, that's why I added music in mine lol. the audio on my gopro 2 sucks just as much, but it's tremendously better with an external mic I use. Idk of any external mic options for the 808 cams.

Edit: i've also found tons of glitches with my gopro 2 and none with my 808. For instance, after a shock, my gopro tends to stop the video and the last bit of the recording is lost (anywhere from a few seconds missing, to a few minutes). If I were to be hit, that footage might be deleted if the camera were hit hard which would SUCK. I'd say my 808 is much more dependable than the gopro but the gopro still shames the 808 in image quality hands down.

[JosueDG]

Depending on your area, I would suggest looking at Craigslist. I was in the market for one this past weekend and saw countless GoPros selling in the low to mid $100 range. I ended up picking up a Contour 1080HD for $100 brand new in the box (seals in tack and everything).

[allanoue]

Link to original page on YouTube.

above is a real good comparison
I saw Live2ride post and got a 808 for $50

Three things I like about the 808 is I can configure it to record rotated 180* so I can mount it inside my helmet or in my car without needing to mess with the video later. Second I can configure it to split recordings from 5 or 20 or 40 or 70 minute long. Last, it will record while charging, however the battery is good for about an hour of recording.

Here are 2 parts of my car ride in this morning.

Link to original page on YouTube.

Link to original page on YouTube.

[NathanUc]

I use a Sony Action Cam. It's comparable to the GoPro3 but a bit cheaper (I got mine for $110usd). The mounting system is better, the low light video is REALLY good, and it's super light. It also has a vid stabilization mode that works really well for such a budget camera. Personally, I feel like for the money it's easily the best helmet mounted all purpose camera.

The only feature I'd grab a GoPro for over mine is that continuous recording mode. Something like it records 10 minutes and starts to record over itself. That would just make the files easier to manage IF you needed to pull some evidence from vid.

I can get about 2 hours 30 minutes on a single trip before the battery runs out. 32gb holds about 3hours of film in 1080p60fps so it all works out.

Note: I do have a GoPro2 that I sometimes mount to my chest, but vid quality/ease of use doesn't compare to the Sony.

[Live2ride]

Originally Posted by allanoue

above is a real good comparison
I saw Live2ride post and got a 808 for $50

Three things I like about the 808 is I can configure it to record rotated 180* so I can mount it inside my helmet or in my car without needing to mess with the video later. Second I can configure it to split recordings from 5 or 20 or 40 or 70 minute long. Last, it will record while charging, however the battery is good for about an hour of recording.

Here are 2 parts of my car ride in this morning.

I'm glad you like the camera! How do you have it mounted? I see a lot of distortion from the camera vibrating, especially in the second recording you made. And you can solder on a larger battery or connect it to a power source to increase recording times . I.e. you should be able to use one of those lighter socket USB chargers to power it longer in your car.

[allanoue]

Originally Posted by Live2ride

I'm glad you like the camera! How do you have it mounted? I see a lot of distortion from the camera vibrating, especially in the second recording you made. And you can solder on a larger battery or connect it to a power source to increase recording times . I.e. you should be able to use one of those lighter socket USB chargers to power it longer in your car.

I have a reevu helmet so I mounted it using the velcro that came with the 808 inside my helmet to the left of the rear view mirror.

I was able to run it from the lighter socket USB chargers on the motorcycle to my helmet. It unplugs easily so I have to be careful about where I have slack so I can look around without unplugging

[ai4px]

Just got my 808 #16 lens D camera in the mail. Fastened it in exactly the same place as Cody did in message #19 above. I set the data rate for 10mb/s, and went for a ride. Surprisingly enough, I got it aimed right the first time. I did stand in front of a mirror for a minute and see that the lens looked perpendicular to the way I was looking.

I'm very pleased with the video quality. It was starting to get dark and the camera didn't see a bunny in my front lawn as I well as I thought it would have, but you can tell it was a rabbit. I noticed no skips in the video with the AVI firmware. I did not test the MOV firmware at all.

In the helmet, there is practically no vibration, but the top center to left 1/4 way down is covered by the center curve of my helmet behind the shield. I have a mirrored shield and you can see my eye brows and such in the reflection inside, but it's not that bad.... not for use on youtube though. Would be better w/o mirrored shield. As it got more twilight, the picture did get noisier, but not bad at all - and it was a shade darker behind the shield. The field of view is bang-on for my eye's field of view. the only issue I seem to have is that the D lens sticks out far enough that I can't mount the camera in the center right in front of my forehead.... that would give the ultimate illusion of riding with me. Compared to a go pro, it has about 3/4 the width view... only a slight spherical distortion. The gopro has a heck of a spherical distortion.... I'm not sure the gopro's extra field of view is worth the distortion.

I think I'll get a small flat plastic strip or the metal rear port cover for a PC's motherboard card and make a mount that is lower... more by my cheek than above my eyebrow.

For those who care, the top of the opening of the helmet is level when on your head, the chin bar tilts about 30° down. So when you mount a camera make it parallel to the top of the face opening and you are all set.

It came from novotm on ebay and is not a fake. It works exactly as advertised.

[Live2ride]

that's great, ai4px! I too noticed that with mine the camera can't sit in the center above my forehead because the shield hits it. Fortunately it's still useful for safety reasons and I'll try to find a better mounting position but room inside the helmet is very limited. Please be very careful by considering creating a mount with plastic or metal because that could easily puncture your face in a crash .

[five10]

Originally Posted by NathanUc

I use a Sony Action Cam. It's comparable to the GoPro3 but a bit cheaper (I got mine for $110usd). The mounting system is better, the low light video is REALLY good, and it's super light. It also has a vid stabilization mode that works really well for such a budget camera. Personally, I feel like for the money it's easily the best helmet mounted all purpose camera.

The only feature I'd grab a GoPro for over mine is that continuous recording mode. Something like it records 10 minutes and starts to record over itself. That would just make the files easier to manage IF you needed to pull some evidence from vid.

I can get about 2 hours 30 minutes on a single trip before the battery runs out. 32gb holds about 3hours of film in 1080p60fps so it all works out.

Note: I do have a GoPro2 that I sometimes mount to my chest, but vid quality/ease of use doesn't compare to the Sony.

Thinking about getting the Action Cam. Just for kicks.

Where did you get this/how did you get the discount?

How are you mounting this?

Aside from the continuous recording, what else would you like improved?

[yeabuddy]

I have the sony action cam.
Here is a sample footage on the freeway.
A recent update allows it to record 1080P at 60FPS.

Link to original page on YouTube.

[ai4px]

Originally Posted by yeabuddy

I have the sony action cam.
Here is a sample footage on the freeway.
A recent update allows it to record 1080P at 60FPS.

Link to original page on YouTube.

Man, that camera is rock steady. I can't seem to get away from vibration on mine... a cheap polaroid HD cam or my neighbor's go pro.

[fmx]

Originally Posted by ai4px

Man, that camera is rock steady. I can't seem to get away from vibration on mine... a cheap polaroid HD cam or my neighbor's go pro.

That's not a ninjette - that's a rocketship.

[yeabuddy]

Originally Posted by ai4px

Man, that camera is rock steady. I can't seem to get away from vibration on mine... a cheap polaroid HD cam or my neighbor's go pro.

Yea mines rattles/vibrates at around 5k rpm. One of the negatives of the sony. You can hear it at the beggining of the video.

[NathanUc]

Originally Posted by five10

Thinking about getting the Action Cam. Just for kicks.

Where did you get this/how did you get the discount?

How are you mounting this?

Aside from the continuous recording, what else would you like improved?

It was a deal of the day on the Sony Rewards page. Should note I have the non-Wifi model. I didn't feel that was a feature I'd use.

The waterproof case is annoying if you want to use an external mic. You'll have to do a bit of annoying drilling. There's a new skeleton case coming out late July so that should help. Improvements could be cheaper accessories, it should come with a wall charger, and no 3D ready cases are available.

I mount mine to the side of my helmet using 3M double lock velcro. I also used a bit of steel wire to make a simple tether that runs through my visor just in a situation when the velcro MIGHT fail.. it's strong enough to hold my entire helmet by the camera though.

Here's a sample vid from mine. It is in 170 degree field of view (meaning stabilization was disabled. It only works in 120 degrees):

Link to original page on YouTube.

[NathanUc]

Originally Posted by ai4px

Man, that camera is rock steady. I can't seem to get away from vibration on mine... a cheap polaroid HD cam or my neighbor's go pro.

Originally Posted by yeabuddy

Yea mines rattles/vibrates at around 5k rpm. One of the negatives of the sony. You can hear it at the beggining of the video.

Here's a free and simple solution that kills two birds with one stone:



This fixes vibrations and eliminates moisture in the case.