Recommend me a helmet-type camera?

[yambabe]

Tis the OH's birthday next month and I am thinking of getting him a camera that he can record his rides with but the amount of choice and the price ranges are making my head spin!

The main criteria are:

needs to be rider-mounted(!) rather than bike-mounted as he has more than one bike. If he can use it in the car too that's a bonus.

sound quality not essential, giving him the potential to be a vlogger could create a monster.

not too expensive. Budget max of around £200 I think.

easy to use, he is a bit of a technophobe so something that's one-button operation would be good.

Ideally I don't want you to just google a list of cheap ones for me (I know how to do that ) - I would like to know what you have got, how long you've had it, how and when you use it, have you had any problems with it and possibly see some of your vids so I can have a look at the quality etc.

Off you go.........
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Sod falling in love, I wanna fall in chocolate.

[BigDan1190]

I have the Drift HD Ghost, with external mic so its decent audio quality. It cost me about £300 including the mic and a 64GB memory card, but you don't need to spend that much.

I've had mine 6+ months and its brilliant. Hard wearing, easy to use... top notch stuff. Mine is more expensive because its the latest model, waterproof (submersible) slightly quicker and it has WiFi. Your OH doesn't need all that I imagine.

If I were you, I'd look at the Drift HD 1080. Should be within your budget, and exactly what you are looking for.



EDIT: May I also just point out, the Drift cameras have an actual screen on the side of the camera, so you can see what you're doing - how to mount it, have you pressed the right button, is it recording the correct settings... The contour and the GoPro cameras don't have screens. You have to hook them up to a computer, or use an App on a smart phone.

[jonbee56]

Contour Roam 2
Just over 3 hours recording time & the same to charge it up. 32gb chip is accepted.

£135 from Amazon
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CBF125 > Hornet 600 (x2) > CBR600F -- slowly getting better
"If you can't turn it, then burn it"

[Aff]

I have a GoPro HD Hero 1, picked it up brand new of Amazon for £150 including the motorsports pack.

Good bit of kit, 1 button operation, but that by no means makes it easy to operate.
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Current Bikes:Honda 929RR Fireblade, Honda CD200 Benly (Project), Stomp Z2 140
Electric Bike Project

[Shinigami]

This any good to you? Somewhat cheaper, good reviews and comes with plenty of fixing options

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Polaroid-Extreme-Edition-Waterproof-Sports/dp/B00A81SXHI/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&qid=1373976140&sr=8-14&keywords=contour+roam

Watched a side by side comparison video on youtube and the polaroid does appear to be slightly better video quality than the roam2
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Current: Honda City Fly CLR125 2003 Honda CB600F Hornet 2008 Yamaha FZ6 S2 + 1991 Kawasaki GPZ500
"Once you realize what a joke everything is, being the Comedian is the only thing that makes sense.

[Irn-Bru]

I would limit your choice to Drift, GoPro and Contour, otherwise there are millions out there it seems.

Personally I've always went with Drift, seem to get a lot of kit for your money. GoPro's have the best image quality but look a bit silly on helmets. Not sure about Contours, I think they are limited if you wanted to add an external mic for better sound quality, might have changed with newer models though.

Either way, as soon as you buy one they realease a new model the next month.
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KTM 990 SMT & Suzuki DR-Z 400 SM

[The Tot]

Have a look at the videos section in show and tell, or go to my youtube channel if you want to see what a contour roam2 is like. £135 off amazon makes it very good value for money. Build quality is better than the gopro (i had one, which broke) and it's simple to use! No lcd, no viewfinder, just a very easy to use slide switch, laser level alignment and level switch. And yeah, ive only had mine 4 days and it's already taken several knocks and tumbles on the mountain bike!
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The Tot 2019 Z1000SX - 2007 R1
Never argue with autism

[Golgarth]

The GoPro is better quality, the Drift is the better helmet cam.

I have a GoPro Hero 3 Black Edition and it is NOT a helmet camera, too much wind resistance. (it is EPIC quality though)

[thx1138]

I recommend the Drift 720, this is a lesser camera than some of the others, however... I tend to have a lot of mishaps off roading, and have broken cameras in the past.

[madness1802]

Go pro hero 2 without a doubt
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Current: Suzuki Gladius 650cc ABS

[BigDan1190]

[goodlifefarm]

I think my Replay XD720 is great for the money - £117 delivered! Theres no point having full HD if all you're going to do is post videos on YouTube.


https://youtu.be/jxWHxO3Kito

[j.silvs]

Go Pro's firmware problems are ridiculous

Drift has better quality footage IMO

[madness1802]

No need to have it running at full 1080p. Way too much memory used in filming and battery will get hammered. I normally run it at 720p 30fps on a 16gb card. Does my daily runs to work and back.

Its a versatile camera and can be used for more than just riding which is why I like it.

I don't upload to youtube because your be asking for trouble if your not careful (speeding etc). I've actually got it for insurance purposes and to improve my own riding as I can watch it back at look in to where I went wrong, what I can improve on etc. Useful kit.

Price was £170 (on offer via groupon, so keep your eyes open). Normal price is £230 onwards.

Camera is a Camera, But you need to find one that will suit YOUR needs. Just have a dam good google and look carefully in to reviews My mate has one and watching his videos I was impressed. say no more.

Not seen any issues with firmware though, it was pretty much ready to go...
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Current: Suzuki Gladius 650cc ABS

[Matt94]

I've got a drift 720, the quality isn't TOO bad.. although it doesn't have an external mic so the sound quality isn't amazing.

And also if the battery dies whilst it's recording it loses ALL the footage that is currently stored on there.. Is really annoying as the battery life isn't amazing and I just caught some fantastic footage only to find I cant watch it because the battery died whilst it was still turned on.
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current; beemer 5 series!

[madness1802]

[The Tot]

Jo,

you wanted to see some samples? Like I said in the other thread, I've only had the camera a week but it's surpassed my expectations.

My brief was very similar to yours. I wanted something very simple that will keep going - Rotatable lens was a must, and because I only use mine for youtube, 720p is where it stays mostly.

I went for the contour + the £25 accessory mount because racecar! It's not a helmet camera unless you can mount it onto a helmet properly...

https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc1/1004469_10151802032280712_2057857726_n.jpg.

720p gives 170 degree field of view. I've included low-light/sunset conditions to give you a decent representation of what value you're likely to get. I'm never buying a gopro again since my last one expired!

As always, watch in HD.. unfortunately youtube ruins the footage with the encoding, and as did pinnacle. RAW mp4 footage was as clear as you want for the price! Only get fussy if you're a pro, but if you're a hobbyist, the Contour Roam2 will HIT the SPOT!

Chasing the Sunset through the woods on my MTB... test for low light conditions and vibrations on various mounts whilst on the rough stuff. Originally recorded in 720p 60fps.

Early morning ride with Marco - various mounting options tested to see susceptibility to vibrations and changing light exposure. Mounted onto R&G bung with the strap and mounted onto RAM mount on my top yoke-nut. I had a RAM cradle mount for the iphone, but no longer use it. I have a RAM ball mount threaded tripod adapter to go onto the other end of the boom for cockpit and rider shots.

I never mount directly to my helmet (bar the pic above) because I don't know which helmet I want to ride with when going out! I don't want to permanently stick a helmet mount onto my sidepod or chin.

So if the footage above is what you're looking for, then DO get the Contour Roam2. Read my review on the other thread to see pros and cons, but overall, for me 10/10, considering I've had an ATC2K (7 years ago!), GoPro SD (4 years ago) and now this... price has come down, yet quality in terms of build and footage has increased.

Evidently... this is my 6000th post on BCF so YAY!
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The Tot 2019 Z1000SX - 2007 R1
Never argue with autism

[madness1802]

[yambabe]

Cheers, some great info so far.

Wondering now how long the batteries last on average? He is the sort of person who will turn it on then just forget it until he gets home several hours later!

Will he get a 5-hour ride out of one battery charge?
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Sod falling in love, I wanna fall in chocolate.

[madness1802]

[The Tot]

Put simply, stick it on 720p 30fps. If you're content or happy with the quality for the internet, then leave it at that. I couldn't tell the difference between 720 and 1080 when i played the raw files on VLC. And, to be honest, I preferred the extra viewing angle offered by the 720p; 170° Vs 130° offered with 1080.

I left to go out to the Forest of Dean with a full charge and left my camera rolling pretty much continuously for 3 hours. I forgot to charge and went out for about an hour and a half the following morning, again recording continiously.

It's a simple slider switch which means, more importantly than FORGETTING to turn the camera off, you know that the camera is actually recording based on the fact that the switch is in the forward position. Hated gopros because there was no physical way of being able to check that you were recording other than looking directly at the camera to see the red flashing light.

This system is FAILSAFE! Even with the drift and handy wifi remote, the remote doesn't exactly tell you if it's recording or not! Also, with wifi and such like, you'll be draining battery.

This thing is pretty much idiot proof. Set and forget!
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The Tot 2019 Z1000SX - 2007 R1
Never argue with autism

[AlanC]

[ocatoro]

[The Disapproving Brit]

[Shinigami]

I want something ideally sub £135 that supports an external mic, seems only the extortionate ones support external mics.

I don't plan on becomming a vlogger or anything but would like the option, and the more natural sound (without all the windrush) you tend to get in general
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Current: Honda City Fly CLR125 2003 Honda CB600F Hornet 2008 Yamaha FZ6 S2 + 1991 Kawasaki GPZ500
"Once you realize what a joke everything is, being the Comedian is the only thing that makes sense.