Video Camera who uses one?

[AUbicycles]

My Fly6 review coming very shortly which also looks at a comparison between the original Fly6 and the new (second generation) Fly6.

As a sneak peak, here is a comparison video. I have mixed it with short sequences but aiming to give you a feel for the visual differences in video capture. For best results, chose the highest resolution (720p) as this may default to a lower quality video so if it is 'blocky' or 'patchy' then that is the reason (click the cog to change the video quality).



A note, this was filmed with two cameras on my seatpost. This was the last of a long series of trials and attempts to get good footage that could be used to create a fair comparison.

Two key things to note, the new Fly6 has a smaller viewing angle AND the camera mounted on top seems to suffer more wobble (particularly at the end of the video). However the original Fly6 was less prone to wobble, I tried to determin the reason but couldn't accurately isolate it.

If you want to see longer segments, I can provide if there is enough interest. Often vehicles appear to the left of the footage (I often keep to the left when riding) so there are only rare opportunities for nice split screens.


Christopher

[spirro]

So why does the new Fly6 appear to be darker?

[ItsDank]

My Fly6 review coming very shortly which also looks at a comparison between the original Fly6 and the new (second generation) Fly6.

As a sneak peak, here is a comparison video. I have mixed it with short sequences but aiming to give you a feel for the visual differences in video capture. For best results, chose the highest resolution (720p) as this may default to a lower quality video so if it is 'blocky' or 'patchy' then that is the reason (click the cog to change the video quality).



A note, this was filmed with two cameras on my seatpost. This was the last of a long series of trials and attempts to get good footage that could be used to create a fair comparison.

Two key things to note, the new Fly6 has a smaller viewing angle AND the camera mounted on top seems to suffer more wobble (particularly at the end of the video). However the original Fly6 was less prone to wobble, I tried to determin the reason but couldn't accurately isolate it.

If you want to see longer segments, I can provide if there is enough interest. Often vehicles appear to the left of the footage (I often keep to the left when riding) so there are only rare opportunities for nice split screens.

Excellent review, I had the chance to review the original Fly6 here:



I now have the new one so I might do an update and film a review on it.

[Cycliq]

Andrew - can we have a hint at the kickstarter date and price?

The answers are mid Feb and no.....have to wait for the campaign to see the prices/pledge levels.

All I can say is that there will be some seriously good deals for those that get in early and for those that don't, there will still be awesome value at every level. We know the $399USD price seems a stretch but to be honest, for us to deliver it into stores throughout the world, it needs to be at this price or else it does not happen at all. When you see the KS campaign and all the features and functions we have delivered that are specifically for us (cyclists), you can add them together and compare them to the other solutions you see in this thread and I have no doubt, you will think that the price of $399USD is actually amazing value.

Cheers
Andrew Hagen

[PiratePete]

Hi Pete - we have done all sorts of tests but only publish "up to 6 hours" as we wanted to make a 'real' estimate for the purposes of marketing. We (perhaps like you) just hate when we base a purchasing decision on something only to find it does not perform anywhere near that in real life. Even tho, we have had just over nine (9) hours with the camera recording (with no flashing lights), we don't advertise "9 hours" because we think that most people will want the lights on - that's what we advise as our run-time (based on the brightest setting of flashing lights).

I would like to say in defense of Cedric (he might not read this forum) is that bringing a product to market in no easy task and to do what he has done is a massive achievement. I would bet he has spent four times what he raised on Kickstarter to get to where he is. To his credit, he delivered a better device than he proposed in his campaign. Delivering it late is not great but having gone through the process nearly three times, I can fully understand how it can happen when you rely on so many external parties.

We are confident we can deliver all the features and functions we are proposing for Fly12 but you have to understand, there are soooooo many hurdles and so much risk. Luckily we have delivered two products already so we are very confident we can put Fly12 in your hands making you a happy jelly bean!

Cheers
Andrew Hagen

Thanks for the quick response! Having founded a company and bringing many sources together to go to market myself I can appreciate the difficulties, and risk (there's a nasty 4 letter word!). For me I'm 6 years down the track and it's much easier now. For me ethics are a key concern, your battery life statement reflects similar values, this breeds much customer loyalty. Keep up the good work!

[jasonc]

When you see the KS campaign and all the features and functions we have delivered that are specifically for us (cyclists), you can add them together and compare them to the other solutions you see in this thread and I have no doubt, you will think that the price of $399USD is actually amazing value.

Thanks Andrew. If I can snag a deal on the kick starter, with the battery life as you've described here, I think we have a winner.

[cp123]

Fly crew - thanks for providing the advice on reformatting the card. I did it last night and will see how it works. do I also need to do the new firmware thing that someone posted about late last week and provided the link?



if I wait for a front fly - are they only mountable on top of handlebars, or can they be reverse mounted below - just between a speedo and lights and bell there's not much other room so was wondering whether they can be mounted on, but hang underneath the handlebars.


thanks

cp

[cp123]

Fly crew - thanks for providing the advice on reformatting the card. I did it last night and will see how it works. do I also need to do the new firmware thing that someone posted about late last week and provided the link?



if I wait for a front fly - are they only mountable on top of handlebars, or can they be reverse mounted below - just between a speedo and lights and bell there's not much other room so was wondering whether they can be mounted on, but hang underneath the handlebars.


thanks

cp

[PiratePete]

When you see the KS campaign and all the features and functions we have delivered that are specifically for us (cyclists), you can add them together and compare them to the other solutions you see in this thread and I have no doubt, you will think that the price of $399USD is actually amazing value.

Thanks Andrew. If I can snag a deal on the kick starter, with the battery life as you've described here, I think we have a winner.

+1 for me!

[wgc138]

I've started using the Virbs and so far these proof to be the best for cycling, only if you're willing to spend the time to overlay your gps data after the ride and if paired with garmin vectors, all the better. The video quality is also not bad, obviously not comparable with gopro black but good enough to make it interesting. The only downside is the garmin editing software is still in its infancy, you need this to overlay the gps data otherwise you could use any editing software.

As good as the fly6, the price is still a little bit high imo, especially those already equipped with gopro accessories and the run out prices on the normal virb is just too good to pass up. I'll probably get the fly12 as I'm always a sucker with these things, however its slightly weird for an established company to still use the kickstarter platform for a new line of product. But each to their own.

[queequeg]

I've started using the Virbs and so far these proof to be the best for cycling, only if you're willing to spend the time to overlay your gps data after the ride and if paired with garmin vectors, all the better. The video quality is also not bad, obviously not comparable with gopro black but good enough to make it interesting. The only downside is the garmin editing software is still in its infancy, you need this to overlay the gps data otherwise you could use any editing software.

As good as the fly6, the price is still a little bit high imo, especially those already equipped with gopro accessories and the run out prices on the normal virb is just too good to pass up. I'll probably get the fly12 as I'm always a sucker with these things, however its slightly weird for an established company to still use the kickstarter platform for a new line of product. But each to their own.

I just did my first test ride with the VIRB (normal), and mucked about with the overlays by manually syncing with the Edge 500. I got the VIRB Bundle from Pushys, which the have up on their ebay shop for $194 (handlebar mounts + extra battery), and Catch of the Day has the VIRB Elite up for $299 at the moment. I am seriously tempted to grab a VIRB Elite as well, and run them as a front/rear combo. I really like that you can set up the VIRBs to run as Master/Slave, so you start one recording and they all start. I might even pic up another VIRB in the runout, since Garmin has discontinued the regular VIRB now.
The only current GoPro that the VIRB competes with directly is the entry level HERO at $179, and I think it wins hands down over the basic GoPro. Comparing it to the GoPro4 Black is not really fair, as that is a $600+ camera with substantially higher specs, and I would argue completely unnecessary features for recording a bicycle commute.
In terms of editing, I would probably do the overlays in VIRB Edit, Export the footage and then import back into another Editor to chop up the footage as required. I have found one little feature though. Under Preferences in VIRB Edit, there is a checkbox that says "Export Transparent PNG Sequence for Overlays".

[wgc138]

The virb bundle is now 180 at Pushys, I couldn't help myself, this will be a permanent camera for my commuter.
The price for the elite at cotd is $299.

The only problem for with the virb editor is their encoder, it totally depends on the CPU which takes a while as oppose to the a real video editor which takes less time than actual length of the clip as it uses cpu and gpu.

Running them as front/rear is a really nice feature as well. A small pip for the rear while showing all of the data, its definitely sweet.

[queequeg]

The virb bundle is now 180 at Pushys, I couldn't help myself, this will be a permanent camera for my commuter.
The price for the elite at cotd is $299.

The only problem for with the virb editor is their encoder, it totally depends on the CPU which takes a while as oppose to the a real video editor which takes less time than actual length of the clip as it uses cpu and gpu.

Running them as front/rear is a really nice feature as well. A small pip for the rear while showing all of the data, its definitely sweet.

That's a bit rude - my wife got me the bundle from them last week and paid $229! $180 is a steal with the extra battery.I am going to grab one. Don't really want to spend $300 on an Elite.

[wgc138]

Anyone in the states can get a virb from clevertraining for $109, only the camera though. Pushys changes their price 3 times in the last week until they made officially advertised it on the current price, its a runout price until they released a mid range version to replace the standard virb.

[Grgic]

Anyone in the states can get a virb from clevertraining for $109, only the camera though. Pushys changes their price 3 times in the last week until they made officially advertised it on the current price, its a runout price until they released a mid range version to replace the standard virb.

But then you get a US jack and need to buy a converter to charge? Anyway, I too bought one from Pushys for $179 today after I had a road rage incident happen to me. Wish I had've been able to record it...

[queequeg]

Anyone in the states can get a virb from clevertraining for $109, only the camera though. Pushys changes their price 3 times in the last week until they made officially advertised it on the current price, its a runout price until they released a mid range version to replace the standard virb.

But then you get a US jack and need to buy a converter to charge? Anyway, I too bought one from Pushys for $179 today after I had a road rage incident happen to me. Wish I had've been able to record it...

It doesn't come with a charger anyway, just a USB cable. But the shipping + exchange rate makes it around $180 anyway, and that is without the extra stuff.

I just ordered another one at $179 too, so I can run a front/rear setup. Definitely a steal at that price with an extra battery and the mounts (although I bought the K-Edge Mounts as well, as the plastic ones are too bulky for my liking).

[cp123]

can I ask another possibly dumb question from the fly crew - I reformatted my card and entered the time and date. I've just realised its probably American time as my 8.30 am ride showed it was about 2 am. obviously if there are any incidents I would need a correct time. do I set it for Australian time plus 8 or how many hours back?

sorry if i'm stupid. lol

[Drizt]

I bought a virb package on run out from pushys. A steal at 180.

Just waiting on my 3d printed seat post mount to be made. Should work a treat.

[queequeg]

I bought a virb package on run out from pushys. A steal at 180.

Just waiting on my 3d printed seat post mount to be made. Should work a treat.

I ordered a K-Edge Rail mount for the rear camera. My seat post is already covered in lights, but what is this mount you are getting made?

[Drizt]

http://www.shapeways.com/product/3NTJMJ ... d=55138122" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[wgc138]

Anyone in the states can get a virb from clevertraining for $109, only the camera though. Pushys changes their price 3 times in the last week until they made officially advertised it on the current price, its a runout price until they released a mid range version to replace the standard virb.

But then you get a US jack and need to buy a converter to charge? Anyway, I too bought one from Pushys for $179 today after I had a road rage incident happen to me. Wish I had've been able to record it...

It doesn't come with a charger anyway, just a USB cable. But the shipping + exchange rate makes it around $180 anyway, and that is without the extra stuff.

I just ordered another one at $179 too, so I can run a front/rear setup. Definitely a steal at that price with an extra battery and the mounts (although I bought the K-Edge Mounts as well, as the plastic ones are too bulky for my liking).

When factoring shipping it wont be worth it as oppose to people already in the states or traveling in the near future. I was there and managed to get a few for myself and some mates at $99 each which was pre Christmas price. The pushys deal is definietly a steal if the handlebar mount is useful but most would find it obtrusive as it is above the handlebar, as oppose to underneath like the traditional k-edge or their new combo version or even the alu knock on ebay.

The 3d mount is very interesting though but i wonder whether this would be durable, obviously highly depend on the resin quality and once you go this side of the fence it wont be comparable to the cheap gro pro mounts which breaks like a twig

[queequeg]

I am not too fussed about the mounts as they don't fit on my bars due to the Ay-Up lights, but the extra battery is worth it.
I have some friends in the USA I could ship the camera to, but it would cost them $35 to send it on to me anyway.
I am using the K-Edge mount and it is rock solid. I can't use the combo mount as my lights are centre mounted. I am a bit paranoid about the plastic mounts as they were pretty flexy.

[Drizt]

Time will tell on the 3d mount. I'll use a tether.

[Summernight]

can I ask another possibly dumb question from the fly crew - I reformatted my card and entered the time and date. I've just realised its probably American time as my 8.30 am ride showed it was about 2 am. obviously if there are any incidents I would need a correct time. do I set it for Australian time plus 8 or how many hours back?

sorry if i'm stupid. lol

You enter the time as it currently is where you are - no need to work out timezones. Double check the way you entered the time and re-read the instructions to make sure the steps are done right. I usually turn the thing on in camera mode for a few seconds after changing the time setting and then check the footage to see whether the time stamp is correct.

[queequeg]

Time will tell on the 3d mount. I'll use a tether.

I'd use a tether regardless of the mount. I've seen photos of fractured K-Edge mounts with non-tethered cameras. The mount might have a lifetime warranty, but that does not cover the camera attached to it.