meridaman wrote:Hi Guys, With 70 pages of great info, I don't really have the time to trawl through all of them unfortunately. My situation is this, I lost 100kg in body weight 3 years ago, kept it off (mostly) and next month will be taking part in the 1200 KMS for Kids ride from Sydney to Brisbane. I'd like to mount a HD Video Camera either helmet or on the bike to record the ride, I have plentiful access to SD cards so that's not an issue, what about battery capacity/length, weight/aerodynamics? What do you recommend?
The GoPro is great and there are several places you could mount it. The main one would be the bars, mount it as close to the stem as you can, this will reduce a lot of sideways movement, You need to use a small strip of rubber under the mount, this helps to reduce vibrations, you also need to make sure the mount is as tight as you can get it, this includes the connection from the camera to the mount. You could also use the Chest Mount and Helmet Mount. The helmet mount isn't all that bad, if you use it for short distances.
If money isn't an issue, you could buy a few Battery Bac Pac's, this will give you plenty of recording time.
For some variation you could mount the GoPro onto the quick release on the front or rear wheel, this gives a different perspective and looks pretty cool. This only takes a couple of small metal L Brackets, check out the DIY mounts, scroll down to mount 8.
To add some interest to your ride, you could also buy a couple of Jumbo cameras approx $40, these are 720P and very good for the money. These cameras are small and light, you could put these on various parts of the bike to give different angles/views.
Check out page 1 of this thread for more info.
These are easy to mount and again look at the DIY Mounts for some ideas on cheap easy to make mounts. You can also buy and external battery pack for these approx $17. Check out page 1 of this thread for more info.
These are not waterproof but there are some DIY cases for it on its own, or with the external battery connected.
For more information look at the links in my signature.
Graeme
***Looking For Information About Bicycle Cameras ***
Baalzamon wrote:Well I have the suction cap mounting now, so into the cars now for my commuting or on bike.
I started out with the Suction Mount, but didn't like it. I now have the GoPro mounted under the rear view mirror, I used one of the flat adhesive mounts and one of the arms. It sits upside down, but that's not a problem because you can either flip it in the camera or do it in software.
Having it under the mirror keeps it out of the way and gives a very good view of the front of the car.
Graeme
***Looking For Information About Bicycle Cameras ***
Baalzamon wrote:Well I have the suction cap mounting now, so into the cars now for my commuting or on bike.
I started out with the Suction Mount, but didn't like it. I now have the GoPro mounted under the rear view mirror, I used one of the flat adhesive mounts and one of the arms. It sits upside down, but that's not a problem because you can either flip it in the camera or do it in software.
Having it under the mirror keeps it out of the way and gives a very good view of the front of the car.
Graeme
Hmm interesting idea. I use my camera upside down on my trike so would save me the hassle of flipping it each time. And yep better field of view, guess what I'm doing when I get home
meridaman wrote:I'd like to mount a HD Video Camera either helmet or on the bike to record the ride, I have plentiful access to SD cards so that's not an issue, what about battery capacity/length, weight/aerodynamics? What do you recommend?
Also keep in mind that you will need a high speed SD card (Class 4 min, Class 10 is best) with the GoPro HD Hero 2 to us it to the fullest extent (especially for time lapses).
Can any GoPro users out there please provide a sample or two of the still images (photos) these cameras produce.....? I'm interested in a portable / mountable video camera that can expose a scene correctly.......
"Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana" - Groucho Marx
open roader wrote:Can any GoPro users out there please provide a sample or two of the still images (photos) these cameras produce.....? I'm interested in a portable / mountable video camera that can expose a scene correctly.......
In good lighting it takes really nice photos.
Not so great in overcast, low light conditions though. Typical for a action camera.
Photos/video look amazing in golden morning/afternoon light.
All these were shot on my HD Hero 2 at 11MP wide screen mode.
I really want to get a small, light-weight portable tripod for doing time-lapses.
Check out my practical cycling and cycle touring website:VELOPHILE AUSTRALIA
I stumbled across a video from NAB 2012 (some kind of video/camera conference?) where the chief software engineer was talking about an improved camera video mode called protune that adds the following: 35mbps h264, flat color, no in-camera sharpening/de-noise, 24p. A bit more poking around and I found this screenshot comparison of the current and protune videos: http://i.imgur.com/7XPey.jpg
It'll eat up SD card space faster but it's going to be a very nice quality improvement if that screenshot is genuine!
wizardhat wrote:I stumbled across a video from NAB 2012 (some kind of video/camera conference?) where the chief software engineer was talking about an improved camera video mode called protune that adds the following: 35mbps h264, flat color, no in-camera sharpening/de-noise, 24p. A bit more poking around and I found this screenshot comparison of the current and protune videos: http://i.imgur.com/7XPey.jpg
It'll eat up SD card space faster but it's going to be a very nice quality improvement if that screenshot is genuine!
Its actually avoiding encoding damage more than anything else that I can see. (Cameras have to encode a frame on average at the frame rate otherwise they'll overrun their buffers and drop a frame). Go pro will be offering it on the HD Hero 2 as a firmware upgrade (as it requires no new hardware features to implement). So basically they are turning off all the smarts that process the image and waste time and using a relatively simple encoding step and dedicating time to the data transfer.
I'll be interested as usual, because encoding is a source of damage to night footage. May finally tempt me into joining the go pro owners brigade (I've tried just about everything else).
I love my gopro, I have a curved adhesive mount on the dash of my car and the bow of my kayak. I use it on the bike too. I have the battery bacpac and I think you could just buy spare batts and use the bacpac to charge them while you are using the camera. Also I would not bother with Class 4 SD cards anymore. I got a 32GB class 10 Kingston for $30, and you can get even cheaper than that.
Update: Not surprised but the retailer confirmed that this was accidental (my liability) and not a manufacture issue. Obviously it did get a knock though I asked why the mount failed before the case. I certainly accept the verdict and have ordered a new one. Despite this, I will aim to avoid this type of mishap again because at $60 it is pretty expensive - that said it is a worthwhile investment to improve the video quality (especially if you don't break it).
Ongoing point of criticism of the K-Edge GoBig GoPro Mount I find the Allen Key screw to be too soft and within a short time it was worn.
Tip Mount this UNDER the handlebar. I didn't do it as it was a bike on load and there were too many cables in the way however it means that the camera is also exposed. Mounting underneath the handlebars keep it more protected and also it doesn't stand out like a sore thumb.
A note, I have now spotted these at lower prices locally (online Aussie retailer) than overseas.
AUbicycles wrote:Update: Not surprised but the retailer confirmed that this was accidental (my liability) and not a manufacture issue. Obviously it did get a knock though I asked why the mount failed before the case. I certainly accept the verdict and have ordered a new one. Despite this, I will aim to avoid this type of mishap again because at $60 it is pretty expensive - that said it is a worthwhile investment to improve the video quality (especially if you don't break it).
Ongoing point of criticism of the K-Edge GoBig GoPro Mount I find the Allen Key screw to be too soft and within a short time it was worn.
Tip Mount this UNDER the handlebar. I didn't do it as it was a bike on load and there were too many cables in the way however it means that the camera is also exposed. Mounting underneath the handlebars keep it more protected and also it doesn't stand out like a sore thumb.
A note, I have now spotted these at lower prices locally (online Aussie retailer) than overseas.
Have you thought of taking it to a TIG welder and getting it fixed?
Can't hurt giving it a try.
Giant Reign 1 Merida CX4 Trek Superfly Al Trek Earl
AUbicycles wrote: Ongoing point of criticism of the K-Edge GoBig GoPro Mount I find the Allen Key screw to be too soft and within a short time it was worn.
...
note, I have now spotted these at lower prices locally (online Aussie retailer) than overseas.
They list the max torque on the Allen key screws as 2nm...very low - not far past finger tight. I wouldn't recommend moving it around much.
Who is the local retailer? I'd be interested in another for my second bike (due to above point!) Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2
Looxcie says its new HD video cam is the first wearable camera that offers direct-to-Facebook live streaming through the Looxcie App for Facebook on a smartphone or tablet running iOS (5.0 or higher) or Android (2.3.3 or higher). Live mobile streaming is available up to 480p resolution and the camera adapts output to match the capabilities of the network, so streaming over 3G will be at 240p at 15 frames per second (fps), and 320p/15 fps for 4G or Wi-Fi. Users can specify exactly who gets to see the live broadcasts by creating viewing groups, which can be amended on the fly.
It seems every man and his dog are coming out with video cameras these days. This is of course a good thing because it will help to bring prices down as well as better smaller cameras. But I am just surprised at how fast this has happened.
Graeme
***Looking For Information About Bicycle Cameras ***
Looxcie says its new HD video cam is the first wearable camera that offers direct-to-Facebook live streaming through the Looxcie App for Facebook on a smartphone or tablet running iOS (5.0 or higher) or Android (2.3.3 or higher). Live mobile streaming is available up to 480p resolution and the camera adapts output to match the capabilities of the network, so streaming over 3G will be at 240p at 15 frames per second (fps), and 320p/15 fps for 4G or Wi-Fi. Users can specify exactly who gets to see the live broadcasts by creating viewing groups, which can be amended on the fly.
What's the best thing about riding up a long steep hill climb? Descending it of course! Here's a vid I've put together of me descending my local hill climb here in the Snowies. I found some recommeded render settings in Vimeo which seems to have improved the quality a bit. Obviously descending at speed has caused a few vibrations from rough road surfaces but all in all not too bad.
2012 Wilier Gran Turismo 2012 Specialized Epic FSR Comp 29er
bella26 wrote:What's the best thing about riding up a long steep hill climb? Descending it of course!
+1 [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LzkwbXgX8o&feature=player_detailpage[/youtube] My first video, a #16 HD Key Cam, ride data recorded with a Garmin, and synchronized with Dashware where the gauges were added. More music found, so I am looking for matching terrain.
I'm looking to buy a whole bunch of GoPro accessories.. I need a way to keep the camer aand all the other gear all together, safe and organised. Something akin to the wonderful Ay Up POD case would be excellent.
Any suggestions?
Check out my practical cycling and cycle touring website:VELOPHILE AUSTRALIA
elStado wrote:I'm looking to buy a whole bunch of GoPro accessories.. I need a way to keep the camer aand all the other gear all together, safe and organised. Something akin to the wonderful Ay Up POD case would be excellent.
I have been using a version 2 808 #16 keychain cam with the D (120 deg) lens as a helmet cam, and am finding it an improvement as a helmet cam over the earlier ver1. The old #16 was great as a bar mount but on the helmet riding a racing bike my head is mostly down and all the video was of the front wheel and road until I sat up at a stop. The v2 #16 comes in three lens choices a TV out cable (no sound) and a new config tool. At ~$42 it must be the best bang for the buck camera. wider FOV makes v2 another helmet cam option
