Bike Camera for Commuting

Schorpio

Hi all,

Had my fair share of near misses and reckless passes from drivers - I'm finally thinking it would be worth my while getting a camera.

This would only be for commuting - I'm not intending on sharing any production-quality youtube videos. Based on that, I think a GoPro would be overkill. ideally something on the budget end of the market.

I've looked up some options on Amazon, and most of the cheaper options seem to be 'fake' 4k, with poor 1080 performance. Ideally I'd prefer quality 1080/60.

Does anyone have any recommendations?

How Soon Is Now

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058268286/bike-camera-for-commuting

The AKASO brand ones are decent I've got one and actually nice camera. Issue with them is finding spare battery's. I eventually sorted it on Amazon but took a while.

Amazon.co.uk

This is the one I have AKASO Brave 6 Plus Native 4K 30FPS 20MP WiFi Action Camera with Touch Screen EIS 8X Zoom Voice Control Remote Control 131 Feet Underwater Camera with 2X 1350mAh Batteries and Helmet Accessories Kit: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics & Photo

That's the type of battery I needed TEKCAM 3X1350mAh Action Camera Battery Pack with Charger Compatible with AKASO EK7000/EK7000 Pro/APEXCAM/Dragon Touch/APEMAN/GOOKAM Action Camera: Amazon.co.uk: Sports & Outdoors

This is very handy if you don't want to mount it on the helmet by the way TEKCAM Action Camera Head Strap and Chest Strap Mount Accessories Compatible with Gopro Hero 10 9 8 7 6/Apexcam/AKASO EK7000 Pro/Lead Edge/Goodmans 4K Action Camera : Amazon.co.uk: Sports & Outdoors

I tried having one on the helmet for a few weekend spins to take few nice videos but having something on top of my head I found was a distraction would even go as far to say it can kind of mess with your balance.

Seth Brundle

I have a Cycliq Fly12 (front) and Fly6 (rear) but they aren't at the bargain end of the scale.

However, is a bargain camera a false economy? Given the purpose is presumably to capture a reg plate in all conditions (including possibly dark & wet). Will a budget camera do the job?

sy_flembeck

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119771365#Comment_119771365

I have the same combo and yes, while not cheap the footage is clear. And they also combine a light so it's a win-win really

Macy0161

For commuting, I think you would get by with an action cam. Notwithstanding including the light, I personally see the attraction of the Cycliq camera's is the battery life. Until very recently, I was still getting 5 hours out of my Fly12*. My commute is generally under an hour.

*still yet to try to replace the batteries, and also waiting to see the reviews of the Fly12 Sport!

AndrewJRenko

If you've never had a camera before, you might be as well getting something cheap off eBay or Aliexpress, just to try it out and see what you like and don't like.

Drift have great battery life,

Apeman have great picture quality

Techalogic have good functionality, front and rear lenses in one tube, but very poor sound quality.

SteM

+1 for the fly 6 & 12. Great cameras and lights.

Not first gen fly 6 though, camera is shite on them imo.

CramCycle

I have a Go Pro and it's exceptional. The only issue is the image stabilization is so good it can make a MTB trail appear like freshly laid road. Also had a Cyclic, heavy but the light was decent and the battery exceptional. Quality was very good. It did die as a camera but on the same note, it had been flung across a road at 40+kmph on several occasions without issue and had 5 years on it at that point.

If your on a budget though, Drift would be the one I'd go for, mine was exceptional and broke due to misuse rather than a camera issue. I also had cheap ones back in the day but they really aren't worth it IMO unless it's only for yourself.

Suvarnabhumi

I also have a Gopro (Hero 9) and it's brilliant. Transferring clips from the camera to the app is so simple, that even I've mastered it. I dropped mine and cracked it the screen and they replaced it free of charge (it's part of the deal when you sign up to their subscription). They even waived the postage cost for me.

CantGetNoSleep

I wonder if Garmin have sorted out any of the issues the new Varia with camera seemed to have when it launched

Macy0161

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119777435#Comment_119777435

Not that based on the last post I saw GPLlama make on another forum.

CantGetNoSleep

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119785827#Comment_119785827

That's a shame as on paper it is ideal for what a lot of people would need and the Varia is still my favourite cycling product - I'll hold out for v2

AxleAddict

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119788753#Comment_119788753

Yeah - it was such a let down - it had the potential for greatness, but the reviews have been mediocre at best - it's pretty pricey too. Some of the complaints can be addressed in the app, but others are hardware limitations so, like you, I'll wait and see if they bring out a new version in the future. I'm somewhat surprised, given the almost universally positively reviewed Varia radars, that they would have risked released something seemingly half-baked like this. We live in hope...!

OKDublin

I'm just looking at the Aperman SEEKER R1 4K Smart Cycling Camera. Laser bike lane looks great but £429 a bit pricey.

https://uk.apemans.com/products/cycling-camera-seeker-r1