What cameras are you using

duskyjoe

Up and running with the road hawk. Excellent piece of kit. All I want it for is for safety and playback. It's no go pro nor is it advertised as such. Battery pack add on a must. A big plus from me.

Reindeer

Stiletto72 wrote: »

I'm happy with the Roadhawk Bullet R+ on the side of my helmet. It's fairly discrete compared to some options out there. But if I didn't have that I would probably use the TomTom there.
Loop record would be a nice addition I must admit.
Here's a clip from my trip to France last week. As you will hear, the sound quality is not great as the waterproof lens cover completely blocks the mic. You would need to add an external mic for good sound. Video quality is pretty good though.

Here's me using the Activeon CX basic with the internal mic. The wind noise isn't quite as bad as yours, but it still makes the mic worthless for any real road work. I didn't realise until I looked closely at it that it has no external input for a mic . Anywho, you can easily hear my exhaust in the vid because it is basically a wide open standard Vance and Hines baffle on a pair of Short Shots behind 1.5 litres of Harley.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HheeV-34iSk

Stiletto72

The sound quality is not bad at all on that to be honest. The problem with the TomTom is that when you add the waterproof lens cover you cover the mic. I think that even with the standard lens cover the sound would not be great anyway.

Reindeer wrote: »

Here's me using the Activeon CX basic with the internal mic. The wind noise isn't quite as bad as yours, but it still makes the mic worthless for any real road work. I didn't realise until I looked closely at it that it has no external input for a mic . Anywho, you can easily hear my exhaust in the vid because it is basically a wide open standard Vance and Hines baffle on a pair of Short Shots behind 1.5 litres of Harley.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HheeV-34iSk

Sonics2k

Sorry for the bump on this one folks, but I thought it'd be a good place to post.

So, back in December I won a GoPro Hero 5 black from work and have been using it every day as a helmet camera, and as many people are often looking to get a camera, I thought I'd do a really quick review of it as I'm bored as hell in work.

The Model: https://www.amazon.co.uk/GoPro-HERO5-Action-Camera-Black/dp/B01LWK3MNR

Pros:

Video quality. Overall, this is really really good. I have it set to record at 30fps 1080p, though it can go higher with a faster SD card. Even driving at night the recording quality is very good, even when there is poor lighting on country roads. With a 32gb SD card I can get 1 hour of recording

Audio quality. It's not bad, it's also not great. It's mounted on the side of my helmet, and even with the wind reduction option added a lot of the playback is just wind, to the point where even the engine is largely drowned out.

Copying content: This is really simple, especially if you use the GoPro software. Plug it in, click the transfer option and done.

Cons:

Battery life.
Honestly, this is pretty damn abysmal, and you'd expect more these days. At best I can get around 2 hours or so battery life out of this at it's current settings, meaning it has to be charged every evening when I get home.

Size:

Weirdly enough, I'd put this as a con. The camera and mount are quite bulky, which in terms of protection is great, but it really really stands out. Depending on yourself, this might be a good thing.

Overall:

Well, I'd recommend it highly as a commuter camera for that extra bit of help, just in case the worse happens. The quality is more than good enough to pick up licence plates and faces, so in the event of a hit and run, the camera should get the details.

For people planning on a tour, I'd honestly pass on it unless you're willing to grab a tonne of spare batteries to bring along.

galwaytt

Stiletto72 wrote: »

The sound quality is not bad at all on that to be honest. The problem with the TomTom is that when you add the waterproof lens cover you cover the mic. I think that even with the standard lens cover the sound would not be great anyway.

I can attest that the sound quality with our without the cover is brutal.

I do have a separate mic in lead for it, but haven't been able to identify what mic you can use with it properly.

I also have an aux power lead for it, but ironically you can plug in either the mic or the power lead, but not both. Kinda dumb: one lead with two connector tails would be the answer...

Zascar

Is there such thing as a dashcam for bikes? Something that stays on the bike, hard wired in and just loopw recording. I'd like a camera in case of an accident but I really can't be arsed with charging and changing cards etc all the time.

thos

Zascar - this was my post earlier in the thread for the hardwired dashcam I fitted to my bike

thos wrote: »

This thread prompted me to try the Innovv K1, dual camera system for my bike. Hard wired, dashcam DVR loop recording, with GPS.
I only have it on the bike 3 days, so not much feedback yet, but so far it's been fit and forget. Starts recording automatically on ignition on.
The cameras are quite small and discrete, easy enough to find mounting places. Mine are both mounted off-centre, something I might look at changing as makes you look quite close to some things, and road position can look a little funny when you cant get a reference point off the bike.
I got caught in that downpour on Tuesday, cameras did ok, front has the benefit of wind to clear the view, but the rear got a good bit of tyre spray, and wasnt as clear. The kit comes with lense covers to help protect the cameras. 1080p and quality seems good.
The microphone is part of the front camera, no option to wire seperately. Sound is ok, less wind noise than the helmet mounted GoPro, but being up front it's just my sewing-machine triple whirring away without any real exhaust sound. It picks up general noise off the bike, but cant say if it picks up anything else in traffic.
The GPS details are hardcoded into the video stream, which I don't really like, it can be turned off, but not sure if you can still log the GPS data seperately. It does have a speed cut-out - so once you go above X mph, it stops logging GPS. But I was hoping to be able to pull out some snippets without giving too much away. Also, if it doesnt pickup GPS signal on startup (if in garage or underground car park) it tends to leave GPS off for the first segment (I have 5min segments set - you can do 1,5,10mins) and only enable GPS again for the next video. In fairness, I've got the GPS under the seat, where instructions say it should have clear sky view.
The software doesnt seem to do picture-in-picture, so I havent looked at having Front+Rear overlay yet, it's been viewing front/rear as seperate videos, but I might be missing something here. It shows the route map from GPS, also means you can click on the map to go to that point of the video which is handy.

Beta Ray Bill

GoPro is losing the market

5/6 years ago, everyone was using them, becuase at the time there wasn't really anything else

Sonics2k has already mentioned the Cons but add:

Battery - You can get uprated batteries but that's extra
Shape - GoPro is not a good shape to mount on a Helmet. Also in order to mount it somewhere correctly and be able to record for a few hours you need multiple connectors and a battery pack.... Now you've made it heavy and even more awkward to mount. Cue neck pain after about an hours riding. (I experienced this is Switzerland last year)
Price - The GoPro is VERY pricey for what it is.
The are loads of vids on youtube that compare the likes of this:
EvoDX Ultra HD - £36.70
To this:
Hero 5 Black Edition - £249.99
with not a whole lot of difference.

Smart Helmets will be on the market in couple of years, Sena are already developing one along with a host of other manufacturers and startups.
This will completely negate the need for an external camera.

In response to your question though.
I use a Drift Ghost, you cannot buy these anymore which is a shame, class camera. New one is useless though... don't buy that.

Sonics2k

grahambo wrote: »

Smart Helmets will be on the market in couple of years, Sena are already developing one along with a host of other manufacturers and startups.
This will completely negate the need for an external camera.

In response to your question though.
I use a Drift Ghost, you cannot buy these anymore which is a shame, class camera. New one is useless though... don't buy that.

Slightly off-topic, but I'm still not set on the idea of smart helmets, and that's coming from someone who is a massive fan of VR and AR. To me it seems all that stuff flickering on a HUD on your visor could be immensely distracting, and who knows how it'll work in the lashing rain and fog.

Beta Ray Bill

Sonics2k wrote: »

Slightly off-topic, but I'm still not set on the idea of smart helmets, and that's coming from someone who is a massive fan of VR and AR. To me it seems all that stuff flickering on a HUD on your visor could be immensely distracting, and who knows how it'll work in the lashing rain and fog.

I think they have a lot to offer:
Rear View Camera,
Front Camera,
HUD,
Interface with smart phone (IE OK Google, Navigate to X. OR Call John, etc)
Built in Intercoms.
Eventually, they'll Interface with bikes which could offer even more possibilities

Problem is though are Bikers Tech averse.
ABS, Traction Control, Anti Wheelie/Stoppy tech has (or had) been in MotoGP for years, but it's only finding it's way into the consumer market the last 3 or 4 years.

Riva10

Just received one of these. Bought it on the recommendation of a friend who has one and is very satisfied with his. Build quality looks excellent and the cameras are small and will be easily concealed.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/3-0-Inch-1080P-Full-HD-Motorcycle-DVR-Motorbike-Video-Record-Front-Camera-and-Rear-View/32826754280.html?spm=2114.search0104.3.1.2ebe491dTcwmui&ws_ab_test=searchweb0_0,searchweb201602_1_10152_10151_10065_10344_10068_10342_10343_5722611_10340_10341_10697_10696_5722911_5722811_5722711_10084_10083_10618_10304_10307_10302_10059_10534_308_100031_10103_441_10624_10623_10622_10621_10620_5722511,searchweb201603_25,ppcSwitch_3&algo_expid=3406b093-9815-41bf-80ca-c6cb94df40ee-0&algo_pvid=3406b093-9815-41bf-80ca-c6cb94df40ee&priceBeautifyAB=0

BlackWizard

Riva10 wrote: »

Just received one of these. Bought it on the recommendation of a friend who has one and is very satisfied with his. Build quality looks excellent and the cameras are small and will be easily concealed.

Where do you put the screen? Does it go under your seat? I'd be worried someone would just yank it off thinking its a satnav or something.

Richard tea

Riva10 wrote: »

Just received one of these. Bought it on the recommendation of a friend who has one and is very satisfied with his. Build quality looks excellent and the cameras are small and will be easily concealed.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/3-0-Inch-1080P-Full-HD-Motorcycle-DVR-Motorbike-Video-Record-Front-Camera-and-Rear-View/32826754280.html?spm=2114.search0104.3.1.2ebe491dTcwmui&ws_ab_test=searchweb0_0,searchweb201602_1_10152_10151_10065_10344_10068_10342_10343_5722611_10340_10341_10697_10696_5722911_5722811_5722711_10084_10083_10618_10304_10307_10302_10059_10534_308_100031_10103_441_10624_10623_10622_10621_10620_5722511,searchweb201603_25,ppcSwitch_3&algo_expid=3406b093-9815-41bf-80ca-c6cb94df40ee-0&algo_pvid=3406b093-9815-41bf-80ca-c6cb94df40ee&priceBeautifyAB=0

Can you post a video and review at some stage?

Ive been using a Sony action cam for about 4 years now. Its a quality camera but I could never warm to having a camera hanging off the side of my Helmet. Coming in and having to charge 2 batteries everyday is also a pain.

Riva10

BlackWizard wrote: »

Where do you put the screen? Does it go under your seat? I'd be worried someone would just yank it off thinking its a satnav or something.

Havent fitted it yet but will put the screen under the seat. The cameras are very small and no more noticeable than an eagle eye led.

BlackWizard

I feel the same as Richard. I use my GoPro as an incident recorder and casual action camera. I would prefer to have the incident recorder running at the time and not worry about charging it every day. I'm okay with putting effort into the action camera because that would be a hobby that I only do when out on an interesting drive. I could also then only turn on the action camera when I feel the need to record something.

Post up a review if you don't mind Riva

LLewellen Farquarson

Riva10 wrote: »

Just received one of these. Bought it on the recommendation of a friend who has one and is very satisfied with his. Build quality looks excellent and the cameras are small and will be easily concealed.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/3-0-Inch-1080P-Full-HD-Motorcycle-DVR-Motorbike-Video-Record-Front-Camera-and-Rear-View/32826754280.html?spm=2114.search0104.3.1.2ebe491dTcwmui&ws_ab_test=searchweb0_0,searchweb201602_1_10152_10151_10065_10344_10068_10342_10343_5722611_10340_10341_10697_10696_5722911_5722811_5722711_10084_10083_10618_10304_10307_10302_10059_10534_308_100031_10103_441_10624_10623_10622_10621_10620_5722511,searchweb201603_25,ppcSwitch_3&algo_expid=3406b093-9815-41bf-80ca-c6cb94df40ee-0&algo_pvid=3406b093-9815-41bf-80ca-c6cb94df40ee&priceBeautifyAB=0

Just bought one, with gps option. I'll be hopefully fitting it on a k1200gt on Sunday. I'll try and post up pics and review.

Emmersonn

LLewellen Farquarson wrote: »

Just bought one, with gps option. I'll be hopefully fitting it on a k1200gt on Sunday. I'll try and post up pics and review.

Only yesterday got mine fitted. Came on Monday. Will be trying it today. powered it off the usb on power pack and picture quality seems very clear but that was only around the house.

LLewellen Farquarson

Hi all,
well, I installed the cameras yesterday, in between the showers. It was a bit rushed (due to the downpours), so I didn't get a chance to take any photos.

The kit itself is great, very well made, and each component is very neat. Each also has a lot of cable, so there is no problem siting them anywhere on the bike. The front camera and GPS module have double connectors so you can remove part of the cable if necessary. I ended up tying spare cable with cable ties and tidied up behind the faring. All cable ties, double sided sticky pads, self tapper screws etc. are supplied with the kit. The GPS, and Cameras come with sticky mounting pads fitted, as well as holes for self tappers, which I didn't use. It also comes with a USB cable to allow you to view the control unit screen off the bike. You can test everything before fitting.

Also the GPS unit is extra, but only costs around €20 so is worth it. It sets the time automatically and stores location and speed data on the recordings.

Fitting is fairly easy, if you are handy. I drilled a hole for the rear camera cable, and drilled holes to feed the cables into the fairing pocket where I am housing the screen (the K1200GT has a lockable glove compartment). You may not have to do this, depending on your bike.

The sequence was
1. Take off, loosen any required fairing, take off seats etc.
2. Drill hole and feed through cable for rear camera. Don't fix camera yet.
3. Drill hole in fairing pocket and feed cable into it.
4. Feed front camera up under fairing and drill hole and feed cable into fairing pocket. Don't fix camera yet.
5. Find a suitable place to mount GPS unit, stick it on and feed cables. This cable attaches to power unit, and feeds back to control unit.
6. Attach power unit (converts 12v to 5v) to battery terminals, mount in a suitable place and run yellow wire to switched live. This yellow wire signals the unit to turn on. On a CANBUS bike like the K1200, there is a switched live (normally for GPS) near the battery.
7. Find a suitable place on the handlebars/fairing to attach the remote control and run the wire back to the fairing pocket.
8. Plug in the control unit, turn on the bike and if everything works, replace fairing, seats, and master at your neat installation.
9. Mount the cameras so that they are viewing correctly. Once you stick them on with the tape, they are not going to move. They are also pretty light, so I didn't feel the need to screw them in as well.

All in all, a pretty painless installation. As i said, each of the units are pretty small, so you should have no problem fitting them onto most bikes. The only thing visible is the handlebar switch and both cameras. They are the size of led bullet lights, so unnoticeable. The GPS is mounted under a fairing, and is picking up the satellites with no difficulty.

I haven't used it yet, but hope to do so tonight. There are various configurable settings, including length of file (1/3/5 minutes recording) and whether Pre-recording is on. This took a while to understand. Basically, if pre-recording is on, then the unit turns on as normal, but only records when you press the remote. It then records 10 seconds before the button-press, plus whatever time (1/3/5 mins) you have set. Advantage is that you only record when you want, so it is easier to find files. Disadvantage is that you have to remember to press the button.
The other mode is that it records all the time and loops in the 1/3/5 minute times (which equate to files). When the SD card is full it starts to overwrite, unless you have locked a file. In this mode you lock a file/time slice by pressing the remote.

The remote has an led that flashes to show you the unit is on, and alters the flash time to show what is happening to a recording, e.g. recording locked.

It took me a bit of experimentation to discover that in "normal" mode, i.e. non pre-recording, it will lock the current file when you press the remote, no matter at what time you press it. So, say you have it set to record in 3 minute slices (the default) and you press the remote at 1 second into the recording. It will lock the 3 minutes (remote flashes twice as fast), and then revert to unlocked,(remote goes back to normal flash rate). If you press the remote at 2

mins 59 seconds into a recording, then it will lock that 3 minutes, and revert to unlocked (after 1 second). You can of course press the remote again to lock the next recording. It is just something to watch out for if you want to ensure a recording is not overwritten. In other words, each 3 minute file is a separate entity, and will be locked no matter when you press the remote.

Hopefully I've explained it clearly. In any event any file/recording is only overwritten when the memory card is full. I don't know how much each file takes, and will have to work out how much a card stores. Currently I have the supplied 32GB SD card in, but it will take up to 128GB.

In both modes it automatically locks the current recording in the event of a crash (presumably detected by g forces).

One thing I would say, is this is a great piece of kit, but only if you want a "dashcam" type of setup, i.e. your main focus is to record an accident etc. If you want an "action cam" type of setup, then get a helmet cam, e.g. GoPro. The

reason for this is that this unit will only allow you to record in 1/3/5 minute time slices. So if you want to record a longer trip, you will have to get into file editing etc. It can be done I assume, but a helmet cam might be better if that is your requirement.

Would I recommend one? Absolutely. Especially as I know two people who were able to prove that they were not at fault in an accident by showing the footage. One was t-boned at a roundabout (other person said they were speeding) and the other was when a van stopped after the lights and then reversed back into the motorcycle (and claimed that the bike when into them).

Emmersonn

Tried mine yesterday and was very disappointed with the result. Just went for a bimble up the road. I had the supplied Kingston 32 GB inserted. The camera gave the impression that t was not able to record the full amount of info received. The resultant video was almost in slow motion and was missing parts of the ride. What i mean is that in a period it was as if it was doing a time lapse. The supplied card was a class 10. I replaced this card with a 128GB card which I had purchased on ebay during the week and again headed off. Was out for most of the day until about 8 oclock last evening and have just checked the result. I am delighted with the new card. The picture quality is very clear front and back. The video is faultless so no complaints from me. As L F says above I would highly recommend a camera if only to avoid a "misunderstanding" in the event of an accident. and based on yesterday's videos I would recommend the above one. I am unable to post a video as I am only new to Boards. Thanks Riva10 for the link.

Just to give an idea of GB usage. I did just over 510 Klm and there is 1.1GB space in the 128 GB card.

D3V!L

Looks like Innovv have replaced the K1 with the new waterproof K2. I'll be think thinking about that for the near future.

thos

D3V!L wrote: »

Looks like Innovv have replaced the K1 with the new waterproof K2. I'll be think thinking about that for the near future.

Ooh, includes wifi too - would be nice to grab footage off the bike instead of faffing around with cards. Might be time to upgrade my K1!

LLewellen Farquarson

A couple of photos of what's visible.

LLewellen Farquarson

Just an update on this, if anyone is thinking of ordering one.

I viewed some of the footage, and the gps information wasn't showing. I moved the gps module and now it's working perfectly (although it is showing that I sometimes drive slightly above the speed limit, not good).

Also, don't order the 32mb card that is offered with the unit. Its transfer rate can't keep up with the recording. As Emmersonn said, the video is very stop/start and erratic. I have ordered a 100mbs 128gb card (as had Emmersonn), which should solve the issue.

That's it, still happy with the unit.

73hdkgo

LLewellen Farquarson wrote: »

Just an update on this, if anyone is thinking of ordering one.

I viewed some of the footage, and the gps information wasn't showing. I moved the gps module and now it's working perfectly (although it is showing that I sometimes drive slightly above the speed limit, not good).

Also, don't order the 32mb card that is offered with the unit. Its transfer rate can't keep up with the recording. As Emmersonn said, the video is very stop/start and erratic. I have ordered a 100mbs 128gb card (as had Emmersonn), which should solve the issue.

That's it, still happy with the unit.

How does it perform at night? Does video quality nosedive or is it still acceptable?

LLewellen Farquarson

73hdkgo wrote: »

How does it perform at night? Does video quality nosedive or is it still acceptable?

I'll let you know in a few days, I haven't done any night driving yet.
Perhaps Emmersonn can answer this?

Emmersonn

Can.t help I'm afraid. No night driving at the moment,

LLewellen Farquarson

Just an update. Night driving- it's fine, it's the same as using a normal camera at night. If there is ambient light, e.g. in town, then the quality is pretty good. Out of towns, the lights on the k1200gt let the camera see pretty far ahead (even on low beam). The rear camera gets saturated by following headlights.

On that note, the quality of the rear camera is definitely not as good as the front, but it is VGA. It is fine as a second camera.

Also, as I said before, it's definitely a dashcam. I was coming over a pass. I had a great view, but when I looked at the video, all I saw was hedges. So if you want action either mount it as high as possible, or get a helmet mounted one.

Emmersonn

At last I got the finger out and have uploaded Front and rear camera clips today
https://youtu.be/Vk65r1iZtsM
https://youtu.be/bqjuNzfZDRQ

Quality on You tube not as good as the actual recording

Sonics2k

Emmersonn wrote: »

At last I got the finger out and have uploaded Front and rear camera clips today
https://youtu.be/Vk65r1iZtsM
https://youtu.be/bqjuNzfZDRQ

Quality on You tube not as good as the actual recording

That second one looks like something from a Pearl Jam music videos.

LLewellen Farquarson

Emmersonn wrote: »

At last I got the finger out and have uploaded Front and rear camera clips today
https://youtu.be/Vk65r1iZtsM
https://youtu.be/bqjuNzfZDRQ

Quality on You tube not as good as the actual recording

Pretty much the same quality as mine. It jumps every now and then when the writing can't keep up with the frame rate. Getting s U3 speed card might solve it, but I couldn't be bothered.