Helmet cams?

[BradValk48237]

Hey All,

Going on a long trip next week and looking into getting a helmet cam or something like it.

I ave a mount on the handlebars for my iPhone, but it shakes to much and I always get reflections off the windshield among other issues as i have it so its easy to reach......

So the question is what kinds of cams are you guys using and is there a good option other than a fricken expensive GoPro?

Any suggestions welcome..

B

[Moonshot_1]

I have a camera from  "Drift" https://driftinnovation.com/
Older style compared to the current models. Been using it about 5-6 years now.
Current models go from $120ish to $300+.
Have mine mounted to helmet as opposed to a bike mount. Have my point of view dialed in as center frame. If I look at something, it is center frame of the shot.
Remote control. Look and click. Have the remote strapped to handle bars.
Don't use it for everyday. Just on epic M/C trips like Yellowstone and such.
SD card. Video and photo options.
I like it. Does the job and gives quality results.

[The emperor has no clothes]

I used this one quite a bit before my wife got me a GoPro. It worked surprisingly well for how cheap it was. One piece of advice about these "action cameras" . Don't go cheap on the micro SD cards. I bought some off brand ones and they didn't upload properly. Lost an entire trip filmed on Oss's ride in New York.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Vivitar-12-1MP-Full-HD-Waterproof-Action-Camcorder/49701697

[carolinarider09]

I have one of these (Contour HD).  Its waterproof, ect. 

http://contour.com

Mounted under the nose of the bike. 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/73qhrpl7s6dlzh9/DSCF0029.jpg?dl=0

Example videos

https://www.dropbox.com/s/3sf1ytso9etc6ty/Climbing%20Bear%20Tooth.mp4?dl=0

https://www.dropbox.com/s/st4k0gwx5y9ufng/Mile%20Long%20Tunnel.mp4?dl=0

Somewhere else I read this might be a reasonable selection but I have no experience with it

Polaroid XS100 Extreme Edition HD

I have used the Contour camera for about 10 years.  I did have one fall off once but I corrected that issue (safety line and epoxy for mount).

[Psychotic Bovine]

Hey All,

Going on a long trip next week and looking into getting a helmet cam or something like it.

I ave a mount on the handlebars for my iPhone, but it shakes to much and I always get reflections off the windshield among other issues as i have it so its easy to reach......

So the question is what kinds of cams are you guys using and is there a good option other than a fricken expensive GoPro?

Any suggestions welcome..

B

I don't really have experience with action cams, but I will say this.  Yes, GoPros are expensive, but there is a reason why they are used by Discovery Channel and the like:  they just flat out work.  I do think they are overpriced, but they take a beating.  I have seen video where they have fallen off off skydiver helmets thousands of feet up and were still recording when found.  Saw some footage of one that fell off of a sailboard and washed up on the beach (salt water) a couple months later and was returned, and still functioned (it recorded until the battery died, then worked again after charging), and even video of them sent down in crab pots.
On all of the drone crashes I have watched on youtube, the gopro is usually the one thing that survives.  Sure, they have their quirks and there have been some issues, but percentage-wise, they seem to be the best out there.
But, the price of the camera and the mounts and such are expensive, I will say that.
You can usually find used previous-generation ones for a reasonable price on ebay.

[Oss]

lost all of my stuff in Nevada and Utah due to bad battery in my go pro on my 2014 trip out west

I like the setup Hubcap uses on (I think) the bag crash bars or the front bars   He will tell us which is which I hope

Sorry you lost all that good stuff Rob

[hubcapsc]

I've had several gopros... right now I have a "gopro session 4", about $150.

It has an awesome form-factor for a motorcycle, it is just a little cube that
needs no case. But it has low resolution... riders in front of me in my
pictures look like they're in a different zip code. I could practically
see the color of this deer's eyes in real life:



There's a "gopro session 5", more money, maybe better, Ida
know, my next camera will probably be a Sony FDRX3000.

I mount my gopro on my left air wing on the 1500, and on my windshield
on the 1800. Sound on the 1500's videos are all Valkyrie Engine Sound 
and sound on the 1800 is just scratchy wind noise.

-Mike