Whats the best video camera for recording a cruise?

[F6Mark]

I'm thinking about buying a video camera.
I've never tried mounting a video cam on my bike, but I've seen a lot of nice videos of bikes cruising down the road.
The darkside video with the cam mounted under the bike was nice.
Can anyone provide some tips on what works and what doesn't as far as specific cameras, mounting arrangements or biker movie-making in general?
Types of video cams or specific manufacturers/models would be appreciated as well as mounting.
Thanks a lot!

[biguglyman]

Just get a cheap Flip Cam.  HD for under $100.

[DenverDave]

www.gopro.com.

I have one of these on my Christmas wish list.  $250-300 with a variety of mounts.

Water proof, small, with high quality HD video. Lots of mounting options. Just released a new higher video quality version.

Sample videos on web site.

I have no direct experience with this camera, but have done some research and found these camera to be the best option for the money.

Dave

[Cliff]

I have one of these: 1080p HD kodak play sport,, waterproof without needing to be put in a case...and use a ram mount (camera has standard threaded mount on botton edge)

http://store.kodak.com/store/ekconsus/en_US/pd/PLAYSPORT_Video_Camera__Zx3/productID.169976100


shop around can find new at aroubd $125 with free shipping.

[jer0177]

www.gopro.com.

I have one of these on my Christmas wish list.  $250-300 with a variety of mounts.

Water proof, small, with high quality HD video. Lots of mounting options. Just released a new higher video quality version.

Sample videos on web site.

I have no direct experience with this camera, but have done some research and found these camera to be the best option for the money.

Dave

I've got a GoPro HD Hero that I picked up over the summer.

It mounts in any number of ways with GoPro mounts, and there are people that make 'aftermarket' mounts too. 

The video quality is great, it can take a variety of resolutions and even do "snap a photo every X seconds" to do time-lapse type stuff.  The cases are high-quality, and the unit is expandable - you can get a battery "backpack" that extends the use - I ran mine all day (with a lunchtime recharge) while on vacation on the BRP in August.  Have a 16GB SD Card, could have recorded all day on a 32GB.

[F6Mark]

Thanks for the info guys!  I may need to check GoPro and take a look at Ram mounts again.
I wasn't sure if one camera recorded better than others and/or dealt with the vibration better.
I will be looking around- although what with the white Halloween on the way I need a generator not a camera!

[scoot]

Just get a cheap Flip Cam.  HD for under $100.

#1 
Here is my set up.

[Colin]

Put MD80 into eBay as a search term. These little cameras work very well, they are only the size of your thumb so can be mounted anywhere on your bike or yourself and they turn out great quality for the price. I paid $6 for mine including shipping.

You can see some of the videos I have made with mine at http://www.youtube.com/user/dargo708

[alph]

funny thing you mentioned this post.  just yesturday NITRO and i went out riding and i mounted my video camera (an older JVC camera) on the hadle bar, made a mount at work that actually worked!  the video is bouncy, and dirty from all the dust getting kicked up. 

once i get it edited and downloaded i'll post it.

al.

[F6Mark]

Thanks for the info guys!  Alph, I did check out your video of riding with Nitro, looks exactly like what I want to do, and Colin, I just checked out one of your videos that looks great too- where is that winding road- Sella>  I'll have to google that and the MD80.

[RonW]

Note: the latest point-of-view cameras have a gyroscope feature. This gives a different vantage point (first video below is with the gyro cam, second recorded on a regular camera). The gyro cam keeps the plane of the landscape relatively horizontal and only shows the bike or the front section of the bike leaned over as opposed to having everything in the pic tilted at an angle as would be seen from the riders viewpoint. Which is better all depends on personal preference and I suppose the type of riding being recorded.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCOt78MB5vM&feature=player_embedded#!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmWwCRsmj6Q#ws

[highcountry]

My son got a GoPro Hero HD that I have been playing with on the Valk.  I have tried three different mounting arrangements and found the best so far to use the extension arm of the vacuum cup mount and use large hose clamps to fix to my fork.  I tried a RAM mount behind the windshield but too many annoying reflections off the windshield.

Here's a sample from a trip a couple of weekends ago:

http://youtu.be/gctyY6Kn6us

http://youtu.be/hQVnGEYjdp0

[Colin]

Thanks for the info guys!   and Colin, I just checked out one of your videos that looks great too- where is that winding road- Sella>  I'll have to google that and the MD80.

It is in Spain, so might be a bit far to come to bring your Valk but the roads round here are great for riding.

The MD80 is cheap and cheerful but it does the job as you can see.

[mario]

My son got a GoPro Hero HD that I have been playing with on the Valk.  I have tried three different mounting arrangements and found the best so far to use the extension arm of the vacuum cup mount and use large hose clamps to fix to my fork.  I tried a RAM mount behind the windshield but too many annoying reflections off the windshield.

Here's a sample from a trip a couple of weekends ago:

http://youtu.be/gctyY6Kn6us

http://youtu.be/hQVnGEYjdp0

nice vid, highcountry.  would you post a pic of your mounting setup, if you get a chance?  thanks.

[highcountry]

My son got a GoPro Hero HD that I have been playing with on the Valk.  I have tried three different mounting arrangements and found the best so far to use the extension arm of the vacuum cup mount and use large hose clamps to fix to my fork.  I tried a RAM mount behind the windshield but too many annoying reflections off the windshield.

Here's a sample from a trip a couple of weekends ago:

http://youtu.be/gctyY6Kn6us

http://youtu.be/hQVnGEYjdp0

nice vid, highcountry.  would you post a pic of your mounting setup, if you get a chance?  thanks.

Here you go.  The camera just attaches to this piece which is the stem from the cup assembly.

[alph]

Thanks for the info guys!  Alph, I did check out your video of riding with Nitro, looks exactly like what I want to do,

well, here you go!  went out and took pictures of my set up.  i watched the video on our TV, the youtube download doesn't do it justice!  it's a LOT better if not downloaded, don't know why.  as i said earlier, i made the mount out of scrap aluminium from work.  it was quite easy since i have access to a bridgeport mill! 

[..]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCOt78MB5vM&feature=player_embedded#!

On board with gyro is EXCELLENT. Thanks.

[..]

Note: the latest point-of-view cameras have a gyroscope feature. This gives a different vantage point (first video below is with the gyro cam, second recorded on a regular camera). The gyro cam keeps the plane of the landscape relatively horizontal and only shows the bike or the front section of the bike leaned over as opposed to having everything in the pic tilted at an angle as would be seen from the riders viewpoint. Which is better all depends on personal preference and I suppose the type of riding being recorded.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCOt78MB5vM&feature=player_embedded#!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmWwCRsmj6Q#ws

Videos have been removed. Darn it.

[RonW]

Videos have been removed. Darn it.

I just noticed that. Here's another video demonstrating the gyro thing. *Warning: perhaps you'd prefer to mute the soundtrack.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMCvuxeBi0c#ws
In the video above, the gyro cam is mounted on the fuel tank or at least it's not attached to the rider like on the helmet. If you mount a regular cam (non-gyro) in the same position, you'll notice that the windshield of the bike (screenshots below) remains almost stationary on the same pixel positions of the screen during the entire playback. A & B are for reference. That's irregardless whether the bike is leaned over or straight up. You could rest your mouse arrow on the bike's windshield and the arrow will remain glued to the same spot on the windshield throughout the video. By contrast, in the bottom 2 screenshots with gyro cam, the bike's dashboard and windshield swings back and forth like a pendulum within the frame of the screen while the foreground and horizon remain relatively level. That's mainly what I meant about gyro cams being a matter of personal preference.

[Cruzen]

While the camera is one aspect to consider, more importantly is the mounting of the camera.  The GoPro camera's are small and light weight and do not out much of a load on any mount.  I use a conventional JVC digital Camcorder ( mine was pre HD ) and keeping it from vibrating is a problem because somewhere in the mount there is a small relatively thin component that does it's best to transmit vibrations.  I selected a conventional digital camcorder so I could use it for many other purposes besides recording our trips.

Sedona Dry Creek Road.avi

One word of caution, if you decide to go with the conventional digital Camcorder like I have done, I strongly urge you to keep away from one with an internal hard drive.  I recommend getting one with a removal media card.  Mine uses a SD card.  When I was doing my research several years ago I found that the failure rate of the Camcorders with a built in hard drive was very high and usually happened a few months after the camera came off warranty.

[Tim H]

It seems like a lot of you like to record your rides.  I'll get around to it someday as a toy to play with, but for those that might be interested in trying something new here's a product from Kogeto.  Watch the video around 27:00 for the review.  I'm sure some can get creative to come up with a way to mount this and record 360* of your ride.

Weekly Daily Giz Wiz 1343: When The Lights Go Out

[ComradBlack]

www.gopro.com.

I have one of these on my Christmas wish list.  $250-300 with a variety of mounts.

Water proof, small, with high quality HD video. Lots of mounting options. Just released a new higher video quality version.

Sample videos on web site.

I have no direct experience with this camera, but have done some research and found these camera to be the best option for the money.

Dave

I got one for my birthday last summer
Your gonna love the picture quality and the wide assortment of mounting hardware.



sunset ride

[t-man403]

Put MD80 into eBay as a search term. These little cameras work very well, they are only the size of your thumb so can be mounted anywhere on your bike or yourself and they turn out great quality for the price. I paid $6 for mine including shipping.

You can see some of the videos I have made with mine at http://www.youtube.com/user/dargo708

I have one of these as well. Speed of the video card is real important! A Class 10 card is what I bought and it stops the jitters in the vid. You may have one already but I checked your vids and mine I believe are smoother. Can't prove it as I don't have anything uploaded.
Having said this, I would like to have the lcd screen to know that I'm actually recording and what I'm aimed at. Missed recording a real good ride last summer. I did get a great shot of the tree tops however! 

[dragon_slayer_129]

I have one of these: 1080p HD kodak play sport,, waterproof without needing to be put in a case...and use a ram mount (camera has standard threaded mount on botton edge)

http://store.kodak.com/store/ekconsus/en_US/pd/PLAYSPORT_Video_Camera__Zx3/productID.169976100


shop around can find new at aroubd $125 with free shipping.

I have one of the kodak playsports and have shot lots of video from not only the car (homemade dash mount) from the boat out on the lake (no need to worry about getting it wet) and from the bike.  I shot video last labor day from our weekend trip to deal's gap....video turned out pretty well for being out in the rain.

Here's a video I shot on the valk saturday afternoon.  Before anyone says anything I need to move the RAM mount out from behind the windshield to get rid of the funky glare.
http://youtu.be/JhJdS-B-a68

You can find the older version of the playsport (like mine) at wally world or amazon now for roughly 100 bucks.  It shoots video in HD as well as 3 other settings and doubles as a 5MP digital camera.  Don't plan on using the digital camera part of the kodak in low light as it doesn't have a flash but still takes good pics outside.

Dragon Slayer 129

[Colin]

I have one of these as well. Speed of the video card is real important! A Class 10 card is what I bought and it stops the jitters in the vid. You may have one already but I checked your vids and mine I believe are smoother. Can't prove it as I don't have anything uploaded.
Having said this, I would like to have the lcd screen to know that I'm actually recording and what I'm aimed at. Missed recording a real good ride last summer. I did get a great shot of the tree tops however! 

The video is much smoother as it comes out of the camera it is the editing to get it small enough to get on to YouTube that has introduced the jitter. And probably my skill with the free software that I use to downsize the video

[t-man403]

I have one of these as well. Speed of the video card is real important! A Class 10 card is what I bought and it stops the jitters in the vid. You may have one already but I checked your vids and mine I believe are smoother. Can't prove it as I don't have anything uploaded.
Having said this, I would like to have the lcd screen to know that I'm actually recording and what I'm aimed at. Missed recording a real good ride last summer. I did get a great shot of the tree tops however! 

The video is much smoother as it comes out of the camera it is the editing to get it small enough to get on to YouTube that has introduced the jitter. And probably my skill with the free software that I use to downsize the video

Free!! I like free.
What program are you using. I need to learn this stuff. It's the reason I have nothing uploaded. 

[dragon_slayer_129]

Well I just scored me a cheap video camera for $22.50 mainly to mount on the bike.  If it get's damaged by a rock or some other flying debris I'm not out much and it shoots in 720p HD.....plenty good enough for a youtube camera.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/250947808506?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649#ht_5150wt_1396

Oh well if it doesn't work out to well I guess it's back to the kodak playsport and the RAM mount.

Dragon Slayer 129

[Tim H]

Well I just scored me a cheap video camera for $22.50 mainly to mount on the bike.  If it get's damaged by a rock or some other flying debris I'm not out much and it shoots in 720p HD.....plenty good enough for a youtube camera.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/250947808506?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649#ht_5150wt_1396

Oh well if it doesn't work out to well I guess it's back to the kodak playsport and the RAM mount.

Dragon Slayer 129

Great price on that camera.  Let us know how you mount it and take some video for us to see.  I could justify doing it on the cheap just to play around with something.

[Colin]

Free!! I like free.
What program are you using. I need to learn this stuff. It's the reason I have nothing uploaded. 

I use Format Factory to downsize the video. It does lots of different format conversions of video and audio, it works really well.

[blackvalk]

Cameras are reviewed in the December 2011 "Motorcycle Consumer News".

It rates many different cameras, it may be interesting to you.

Bill

[Tim H]

Anyone tired PivotHead?  These look great.  I just watched a review on The Giz Wiz.

http://pivothead.com/

A bit pricey, but so far this does everything Google Glass can do.  Good looking video.  I'd love to see some other feedback from behind the handlebars.

[oZ]

Okay that's it I quit Youtube. Just for fun I've tested their streaming at work using my employer's pipe which is wicked fast, tried it on DSL at a friend's house, finally found a buddy with FIOS and of course at my house where I have Cable.

Youtube streams for crap! I do video production as part of my job and for my employer we upload a lot of videos to Youtube. But after complaints from viewers we've opened a Vimeo account, and if you notice most videos on VRCCTV that I put up stream off of Vimeo.

Now there are times I can watch Youtube at 1080p with no problems but more often than not Youtube burps. Vimeo never fails, Photobucket good too, much better than Youtube.

Okay, maybe Youtube is just crap in the East San Gabriel Valley here in CA.

What's your experience? It would be helpful to know.

BTW I couldn't get thru any videos in this post except one, bummed me out as I was interested.

[Tim H]

You can download the video from the Giz Wiz page.  That's the video podcast that I have on subscription.  It's a great show that talks about gadgets each week with Dick DeBartolo (Mad Magazine) and Leo Leporte (This Week in Tech).

[hubcapsc]

I've mounted my goPro on the engine guards, and behind me pointing backwards, and
usually now I mount it on my air-wing. I mounted it on the mirror once:



It is hard to mount it on the mirror and get it to be sitting level... the little articulater
frobs can be combined for any combination of up or down or side to side, but lack
the ability to twist...

-Mike

[jer0177]

I've mounted my goPro on the engine guards, and behind me pointing backwards, and
usually now I mount it on my air-wing. I mounted it on the mirror once:



It is hard to mount it on the mirror and get it to be sitting level... the little articulater
frobs can be combined for any combination of up or down or side to side, but lack
the ability to twist...

-Mike

That rotational ability would make that mounting system the cat's a$$.  Don't know why they don't have something to do that.

On a side note, my GoPro quit working - 7 days after the warranty expired.  I had it mounted on the bike, and the red light was solid on the front.  I turned it off, and it won't turn back on anymore.  I opened a ticket with their web-based support system, and after a couple emails back and forth with some troubleshooting steps, they're going to replace or repair it under warranty.  The support guys were very friendly too - both email and on the phone when I called to ask about the leniency with the warranty period.

[donaldcc]

   I have used several mounting options for the HD2.  The Suction mount works well and is stable.  i have used it on windshield facing forward and the hard bags facing to the rear.  Now I have been using the slightly curved adhesive mount on the front of shield and it seems the best.