Action Cam/Helmet Cam anyone?

Danbo!

Does anyone use one of these for commuting? I got into a pretty serious incident a couple of weeks ago with a moped rider who was extremely aggressive, and have been considering in investing in a helmet camera.

I've been cycling in and out of Dublin for 5 years now and have had my fair share of close calls, been knocked down twice, but the moped incident got to me more than anything previous. I think it may be useful to film the commute in case of any of the above happening again, you never know when you might need a reliable witness..

There seems to be a range of them from about €50 to €500, but there aren't many online reviews. The €50 one was in the Gadget shop and seemed huge, was by some unknown company and the spec seemed exaggerated. I'm just trying to work out how much I need to put on top of the €50 to get something usable.

Any recommendations appreciated!

petethedrummer

I've been looking at these for quite a while and the two best seem to be:

the Vholdr ContourHD
http://vholdr.com/contourhd/videos

And the gopro hero wide HD
http://www.goprocamera.com/hdheropreview/

Judging on the clips I've seen and comparative tests, I would probably go for the GOPRO HD but I am not an expert. I think they're both available on Wiggle and Chainreactions or will be soon.

Note: These are all in one cameras with no additional wires or recording devices.

BostonB

Looking at youTube gives and idea of the quality, lots of people post their cycling vids there. Converting it to youtube probably make its worse than it is. I was thinking of getting one aswell, but they seemed expensive for the quality. That said it might pay for itself.

CheGuedara

Been browsing around myself at helmet cams and came across THIS in additon to the VholdR units.

Without being HD the image quality seems to be quite good, though the 720p VholdR is coming at a very not too dissimilar price and in a smaller unit size. Though if you're planning on using it as only a commuting device you could probably get away with something along the lines of THIS - should be sufficient to capture all the relevant details

If all else fails you could always ask TA what camera he'd recommend

07Lapierre

CheGuedara wrote: »

Been browsing around myself at helmet cams and came across THIS in additon to the VholdR units.

Without being HD the image quality seems to be quite good, though the 720p VholdR is coming at a very not too dissimilar price and in a smaller unit size. Though if you're planning on using it as only a commuting device you could probably get away with something along the lines of THIS - should be sufficient to capture all the relevant details

If all else fails you could always ask TA what camera he'd recommend

I have one of these . Video quality is OK, but the sound is crap. Here's a sample video the video was taken with camera on the handlebars - not recommended. the road surface was pretty smooth (unlike Irish roads) so mounting a camera on your helmet should give better results. There is a high quality setting on the camera, but you'll only get about 30 mins of video and it also highlights any vibrations (reducing the video quality helps improve this)

CheGuedara

Handy seeing the video from that actually - would the image be stable enough if helmet mounted for the OP to capture say the licence plate / face of an agressive motorist in the event of an altercation (what the OP wants to use it for) do you think?

07Lapierre

CheGuedara wrote: »

Handy seeing the video from that actually - would the image be stable enough if helmet mounted for the OP to capture say the licence plate / face of an agressive motorist in the event of an altercation (what the OP wants to use it for) do you think?

Depends on how steady the OP's head is! . The camera is only as steady as the head its bolted to. I mean, when communting into work i find I'm always moving my head (at junctions, check over my shoulder etc.) so it really depends on a lot of factors. e.g if its a dull day, how fast the car is travelling and what settings the camera is on ( high or low resolution etc.)

Trial and error really

decrrrrrr

Bought the VHoldr HD Cam two weeks ago (brand new off Ebay) Great piece of kit and quality is superb from it...

Only two downsides for me are (1) not ideally suited to mounting on a vented helmet (2) has to be linked to computer for playback

Both are only small downsides though.

I bought an attachment to allow me to attach to the helmet. It just arrived yesterday so I now need to get it positioned on the helmet correctly. My first attempt last night was off position..

Sniipe

show us a pic of it mounted and a vid decrrrrrr?

Danbo!

Thanks for the advice. Had considered the atc3k, but the sound problem is unfortunate. I may still go for it because it seems reasonable price wise, and sound isn't overly important.

07Lapierre is the cam any use in low light?

CheGuedara wrote: »

If all else fails you could always ask TA what camera he'd recommend

TA??

07Lapierre

Stee wrote: »

Thanks for the advice. Had considered the atc3k, but the sound problem is unfortunate. I may still go for it because it seems reasonable price wise, and sound isn't overly important.

07Lapierre is the cam any use in low light?


TA??

No its no good in low light. Hey its a cheap camera! tell me, are you seriously going to wear a camera every time you commute into town?

Stokolan

decrrrrrr wrote: »

not ideally suited to mounting on a vented helmet

They have a vented helmet mount




Id also like to see a vid of this in use thats not on thier site. Thinking of gettong one myself

CheGuedara

Stee wrote: »

TA??

TimAllen - a local legend. IIRC he Videos his drives in case he comes across evil cyclists. Google (just coz search is down)

petethedrummer

Comparative Reviews:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PG5HZuRKLvg

http://helmetcamreview.wordpress.com/

Danbo!

Bumpedy Bump...

Finally picked up a camera the day before yesterday. Got the Veho Micro Muvi DV, tiny little thing I had ignored previously because of the shape, was unsure about mounting it to a vented helmet. It actually wedges into the centre vent nicely. you can buy an "extreme sports pack" with clips and straps and mounts etc, but wedging it into the vent works for me so far. I may pick up the sports pack if Im going skiing again.

Tested it in the car yesterday going to Wexford and back, and its surprisingly good, in low light too.. Tried it out on the bike this morning, but I seem to have the angle slightly wrong so you can only see a few feet in front of me. Will try and fix this on the way home. Sound is pretty much pure wind though.

Quality is decent enough to read reg numbers, though this does depend on speed/distance and road surface. Very rough surface obviously causes some vibration.

07Lapierre wrote: »

tell me, are you seriously going to wear a camera every time you commute into town?

Thats what I really didnt want to do to be honest, having a camcorder strapped to your head is a bit odd. The veho cam sits in the vent nicely and you wouldnt really notice it unless you were looking for it. I didnt want to mount it on the bars because the vibration would ruin any chance of decent recording.

If I get a better angle on the way home ill post up the vid, and will post up some pics of the cam too.

Lumen

Stee wrote: »

Thats what I really didnt want to do to be honest, having a camcorder strapped to your head is a bit odd. The veho cam sits in the vent nicely and you wouldnt really notice it unless you were looking for it. I didnt want to mount it on the bars because the vibration would ruin any chance of decent recording.

Right, but you're discussing whether it looks odd, not whether you're intending to film every single commute.

Is this still the plan?

Danbo!

Lumen wrote: »

Right, but you're discussing whether it looks odd, not whether you're intending to film every single commute.

Is this still the plan?

Yeah, I wouldnt mind strapping something huge to the helmet for one trip, but the plan is to record every trip, so want something light and small.

Lumen

Stee wrote: »

Yeah, I wouldnt mind strapping something huge to the helmet for one trip, but the plan is to record every trip, so want something light and small.

Have you researched the legality of evidence collected this way?

I'm not trying to rubbish your idea, and recognise that you've had some incidents which have put you on this path, but it seems like a lot of faffing.

Danbo!

Lumen wrote: »

Have you researched the legality of evidence collected this way?

I'm not trying to rubbish your idea, and recognise that you've had some incidents which have put you on this path, but it seems like a lot of faffing.

Hmm, I may be coming across as a paranoid freak in this thread. No, Im not exactly looking to mark every incident and take it to court. Its an interest of mine (photography/film making) and while 5 hours of cycling a week doesnt make for exciting footage, I may still use it, and it's peace of mind at the same time.

If you're talking legalities, you can film anything you want in public, whether digital media stands up in court is a different story. I highly doubt I will be taking anything to court.

And before anyone asks, no, I will not be Dublins answer to MagnaTom or whatever that guys name is.

blorg

Really seems like overkill. What are the details of the altercation with the moped rider?

Danbo!

blorg wrote: »

Really seems like overkill. What are the details of the altercation with the moped rider?

Moped rider in cycle lane stopped at pedestrian lights, light goes green, he sits there for a few seconds. I call out "Light's Green" and then overtake him because he didnt move. About 100 feet up the road feel a push on my shoulder, nothing serious, not enough to effect balance or anything. Turn around to "Dont you ****ing tell me what to do, ill wrap that ****ing bike around your head." Told him "Light was green, you werent moving, shouldnt be in the cycle lane anyway" At this point he pulled in across the cycle track, blocking me. "Do you have any idea who I am? I'll follow you home and have you ****ing killed" :rolleyes:

Now, I knew this guy was full of ****, considering I realised at this point he works in a shop beside my office, so I told him to "Go **** himself and get out of my way". He responded with "Dont push me you speccy eyed ****, I swear it, dont push me". Told him once more to just **** off. In the end i went up on the path around him as he wasnt going anywhere. I listened out for the moped coming up behind me afterwards, planning to hit the footpath in case he did anything, but he never passed.

Anyway, I think most people here think that just because of this incident im scared ****less and hence the camera. Actually, I had considered it for a while before this, and have seen a lot during commuting, such as cyclists breaking lights and getting knocked down, yet everyone takes their side. It cant hurt to have it just in case.

blorg

OK, #1 moped rider you could have defused the situation if you had wanted to. Sounds like you escalated it. Yes, the moped rider was wrong and yes he was a twat. But what do you do with your video evidence?

#2 If you see a cyclist braking a red light and getting knocked down and feel you absolutely have to get involved you can offer to make a witness statement on behalf of the car driver doing the knocking down, again a camera is not really relevant or necessary here.

Are you planning on becoming some sort of roving CCTV vigilante?

niceonetom

Stee wrote: »

...was unsure about mounting it to a vented helmet. It actually wedges into the centre vent nicely.

Mopeds, legal issues, and faffing aside, I'd be slightly concerned about punching a neatly camera-shaped hole in my skull with this arrangement in the event of a tumble.

Lumen

blorg wrote: »

Are you planning on becoming some sort of roving CCTV vigilante?

...

Stee wrote: »

And before anyone asks, no, I will not be Dublins answer to MagnaTom or whatever that guys name is.

blorg

Lumen wrote: »

...

He seems to be proposing that one aim with this is to gather video evidence of other cyclists breaking the law, presumably with a view to getting involved in some way?

Stee wrote: »

have seen a lot during commuting, such as cyclists breaking lights and getting knocked down, yet everyone takes their side. It cant hurt to have it just in case.

The whole thing sounds nuts to me.

Danbo!

blorg wrote: »

Are you planning on becoming some sort of roving CCTV vigilante?

No.

blorg wrote: »

He seems to be proposing that one aim with this is to gather video evidence of other cyclists breaking the law, presumably with a view to getting involved in some way?

The whole thing sounds nuts to me.

Jesus, no im not proposing that at all. Think you've trolled this thread enough now to be honest. I started the thread looking for advice on helmet cameras. Why I bothered to tell anyone why I'll never know, it was clearly idiotic on my part. You seem to have taken from this that I will cycle around dublin all day looking for people that break the law and report them to the police.

If you look at the first few replies, you'll see other people are interested in getting them too, and some people even have them :eek: Now that I have bought one I thought people might want to know about it. Thats all I intended the thread to be about.

I had been thinking about getting one for quite a while before that, I've cycled through some amazing places but I wouldnt lug a dSLR with me on the bike. Never actually thought about buying one until that incident. What happens if the agro moped driver decided to beat the **** out of me? Then I thought if I did get it for taking on long spins through the countryside, it wouldn't hurt to use it on commutes.

stopped_clock

I used to work with a guy who commuted on a moped and had a helmet-cam for the same purpose as the OP. AFAIR he was involved in an incident with a car and his video evidence was very useful to him in subsequent proceedings.

There have been posts on here in the past where cyclists claim aggressive motorists have backed off when their camera is highlighted.

I was witness to a potentially nasty road-rage incident last year. If it hadn't cooled down, I'd have video-ed it with my phone rather than rely on my memory. (Obviously, I'd also have stepped in and saved the day.)

(I know this is a very friend-of-a-friend type post, just making the point that the OP's idea is not unique and has been useful.)

blorg

I have a helmet cam myself, an Oregon Scientific one, and considering getting the same one you mention wedging into the helmet as it looks smaller, it can be got for something like €14 on eBay shipped, there was another thread on it. Nothing against helmet cams but the rationale you mentioned primarily being assaulted on your commute and (your own example), other cyclists breaking red lights and being hit by cars. I failed to see how the latter case was relevant to yourself.

It just seems like utter overkill to me to take one on every commute; to an extent your attitude will determine how many altercations you end up in and I worry that having a cam is only going to increase them (as Magnatom gets into a lot more scrapes than your average commuter.)

Mountain biking, or even racing, might make more sense.

I took two videos with mine before getting bored. These are on the bars BTW, so very shaky, helmet would be better.

Bad cycle lane design:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZykTnzyETQ

Me crashing (something I am quite good at):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFuccG0_Occ

Danbo!

blorg wrote: »

It just seems like utter overkill to me to take one on every commute; to an extent your attitude will determine how many altercations you end up in and I worry that having a cam is only going to increase them (as Magnatom gets into a lot more scrapes than your average commuter.)

When I started commuting I was an agro-bastard and found myself coming home every day worked up over something small and mostly irrelevant that had happened. I calmed down quite a bit and it saved my sanity tbh.

Magnatom has a youtube channel dedicated to bad driving and subscribers, so I assume he gets in more scrapes to entertain the masses, more than likely subconsciously. Im not trying to entertain anyone, so hopefully it will be hours of boring, incidentless footage.

In my opinion, I didnt make the moped incident escalate all that much. Yes, I told him where to go, but only after he threatened me twice. I was actually surprised at myself considering how much this guy pissed me off.

Yes the light-breaking example may be irrelavant, and as you said you made a couple of videos commuting and got bored. Primarily I bought it for long spins, etc, but if its only a matter of popping it in the helmet and hitting record, ill use it for commutes, especially after reading stopped_clocks post above. It was only after the moped incident that I actually thought about going ahead and buying one.

BostonB

I've thought getting one too.

...I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I've watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser Gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in the rain....

I would think people might be less quick to do something if they thought they were being filmed. That said it might inflame the situation either. Are mobile phone videos admissible?

mockler007

BostonB wrote: »

Looking at youTube gives and idea of the quality, lots of people post their cycling vids there. Converting it to youtube probably make its worse than it is. I was thinking of getting one aswell, but they seemed expensive for the quality. That said it might pay for itself.

type in cycling in dublin finglas to centre and the quaility of the cam is fab, ask yer man what it is, i did before and i cant find his reply

boomdocker

i have one of these:

http://photojojo.com/store/awesomeness/helmet-camera-mount/

use it with an old nikon coolpix s1, which is a light little thing.

now i know you are thinking, 'sh!t that looks ridiculous', but believe me its a million times better than those oregon scientific yokes. you can mount the camera really tight on the helmet with it

here's some action shot last week with it:

http://vimeo.com/10189286

chakattack

blorg wrote: »

Are you planning on becoming some sort of roving CCTV vigilante?

Please do! I'd love to be able report every person I see texting and driving or speeding up to run an orange light.

You could gather ALOT of evidence every week if you commute daily.

Lumen

FEISOL Bicycle Mount

Would this work with a standard digital compact camera, like this?

Though I'm not sure I'd be entirely happy with €800 of camera attached to my handlebars.

blorg

Lumen wrote: »

FEISOL Bicycle Mount

Would this work with a standard digital compact camera, like this?

Though I'm not sure I'd be entirely happy with €800 of camera attached to my handlebars.

It should do but you would probably kill the camera through vibration. The helmet mount linked earlier would be safer.

BostonB

boomdocker wrote: »

i have one of these:

http://photojojo.com/store/awesomeness/helmet-camera-mount/

use it with an old nikon coolpix s1, which is a light little thing.

now i know you are thinking, 'sh!t that looks ridiculous', but believe me its a million times better than those oregon scientific yokes. you can mount the camera really tight on the helmet with it

here's some action shot last week with it:

http://vimeo.com/10189286

While the IQ is better, I think its suffereing from a lot of blur, as it can't keep up. The action cameras might be slightly better in that aspect. Looks nuts though. Especially on a commute. I've been kinda waiting for a action camera thats bettere quality. I agree with you a lot of them are very poor quality.

BostonB

mockler007 wrote: »

type in cycling in dublin finglas to centre and the quaility of the cam is fab, ask yer man what it is, i did before and i cant find his reply

COuldn't find it.

ED E

Stee wrote: »

I didnt want to mount it on the bars because the vibration would ruin any chance of decent recording.

Not quite as bad as one might think.

Mine is a clone of yours, from china:p E14 Shipped +Card Cost. Wouldnt spend much on it as I'm going to be subjecting it to bad environments for camers.

Mounted on headtube with duct tape:)

There are some very bad bits there, but most roads arent as torn up.

blorg

Quality on that looks pretty good. Do you have a link to the eBay seller? It's probably not even a "clone" as such, probably same thing just Veho re-brand it.

ED E

blorg wrote: »

Quality on that looks pretty good. Do you have a link to the eBay seller? It's probably not even a "clone" as such, probably same thing just Veho re-brand it.

Yeah, from memory there are around half a dozen versions, all the same bar the name on the outside.

Note, they can be picky on cards, the lexar one I tried first dropped 1 in 50 frames or so, causing an audio blip too.

This is the seller: http://myworld.ebay.com.hk/newyorkelectronics168/

Or you can look for DV001 or MD80:)

Lumen

Lethal_Bullet wrote: »

Or you can look for DV001 or MD80:)

Like this?

DirkVoodoo

Tempted to get one too, it's pretty good video quality.

ED E

Lumen wrote: »

Like this?

Yep. I didnt get the nice box thats in the description, just styrafoam. Its the box for a branded one, so i'm guessing they just stole the pic:rolleyes:

ED E

Cant remember if this was the old card or the new one, either way, bad in low light.

blorg

Lethal_Bullet wrote: »

Cant remember if this was the old card or the new one, either way, bad in low light.

You mean "not bad" I presume, that quality is very good for low light conditions.

cdaly_

The T-Flash card mentioned, is that the same as a micro SD card? http://www.cellphone-china.com/8gb-micro-sd-tf-card-p-303.html

ED E

blorg wrote: »

You mean "not bad" I presume, that quality is very good for low light conditions.

Yeah, I just hate ghosting, being a gamer does that.

cdaly_ wrote: »

The T-Flash card mentioned, is that the same as a micro SD card? http://www.cellphone-china.com/8gb-micro-sd-tf-card-p-303.html

Thats the one. Get a Sandisk from mymemory.co.uk, if you order from china it'll likely be a fake thats a far lower class.

Danbo!

Lethal_Bullet thats pretty much the exact same quality as mine, silly me for buying the branded version for 100 quid. I assumed the cheap versions on ebay would be rubbish. cant post an example at the minute cos im moving house and have no broadband, only mobile. hopefully get something up soon, but its much the same as the ebay one. So if anyone else is getting one, dont buy the branded one! damn.

2 Wheels Good

Just got the Muvi copy off ebay yesterday. Worked great in the car, will try on the bike at the weekend. Quality very good for the size. Got a 4Gb micro sd card in O2. Total cost €30.

k123456

had a look on ebay for the MD80

If you are using on a bike or helmet, some come with a number of brackets
helmet type bracket, belt clip and magnetic .

Most seem to come with the belt clip only, which might not work too well on a bike or helmet

HxGH

My Dad has a helmet cam that he can connect to his Archos.

It's pretty sweet..

No idea why he bought it though?

He just wanted to collect something useless and expensive I suppose?