New Sony Action Cam

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Christine Tham
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Re: New Sony Action Cam

Postby Christine Tham » Mon Dec 17, 2012 5:39 am

AUbicycles wrote:For the sony, the handlebar mount with inserts worked fantastically on the MTB and it didn't twist or turn.
Hi Christopher, I am using the Sony handlebar mount and I don't think the insert for a road handlebar gripped very well - at least it doesn't on my handlebar. Even after tightening it is prone to some movement if I apply a bit of force to it. The problem is I don't want to excessively tighten the mount as it may damage the carbon fibre.

I discovered the mount can move because I took the bike down Roseville bridge (max speed 78.8 km/h) and the mount moved as the bike rattled over an expansion joint at high speed.

Anyway, it's quite easy to construct a rigid mount as per Nate's instructions - another good option is to cannibalise the mount for a front light and adapt it to be a camera mount - google to find some good examples.

When I was using the Sony Bloggie as a camera, I found the best solution is just to strap the camera directly onto the stem and use Sorbothane (it's a material used to dampen vibration - quite expensive, but I bought a sheet years ago to mod my turntable and I have spare). I don't see any easy way of doing this on the Action Cam, but perhaps a better MacGyver than me can think of something creative. Unfortunately I had to retire the Sony Bloggie as it was never designed to be used as a bike camera - the vibration eventually caused the battery holder to become loose, and the camera would randomly turn itself off during a ride.

In terms of mounting the camera on top of the helmet, the supplied mount pads on the Actiom Cam should allow someone to do it. I considered it, but didn't as I was not convinced the glue on the mount pad was strong enough, and I don't want to damage my helmet. Also, the camera mounted on top of the helmet would have looked really dorky.
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Re: New Sony Action Cam

Postby DaveOZ » Mon Dec 17, 2012 6:59 am

The gadget freak in me gave in and bought one of these yesterday. My Contour has been great and even survived being dropped on the road but the battery life is awful. The main reason I went for the Sony is they really make good batteries and lenses. I got the kit with desktop battery charger and two batteries.

The handlebar mount works well on my commuter but I am thinking of using sticky Velcro to stick the camera directly to the top of my helmet without the housing. It is much lighter this way which is better for longer road rides and I just wont use it in the rain. I can mount it flat on it's side too as Quicktime on my Mac does a great job of rotating the video in seconds.

I really like the one touch record/on button. The Contour was a pain to turn on and record.

I'll upload some lowlight footage from my ride to work this morning.

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Re: New Sony Action Cam

Postby DaveOZ » Mon Dec 17, 2012 7:47 am

Actually just looking at it, the case isn't too heavy without the mounts. I think I was use the sticky velcro on the side of the case and put it on my helmet that way. This will protect the lens and make it waterproof again. I will post some photos later. I'll probably use a small tether wire too, just in case.

I'm going to mount the Contour on the rear on my rack and set it to a lower res so it might last loner. Will be interesting to have a rear facing camera too.

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Re: New Sony Action Cam

Postby DaveOZ » Mon Dec 17, 2012 7:56 am

I hope this is the right thread for ActionCam general discussion?

Here is a clip from this mornings commute in very low light. I very happy with the low light quality because I ride to work in the dark most of the year. You can even see the rabbits. :lol:


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Re: New Sony Action Cam

Postby AUbicycles » Mon Dec 17, 2012 9:46 am

I think that the mounting can solved - it may even mean using a small strip of handbar tape (backed with double-sides adhesive) which then gives the sony mount enough friction to remain. Agree on the carbon bars, a torque wrench should keep you on the safe side and if you are comfortable mounting and leaving (rather than doing it on a daily basis) this will work.

With the camera screw in the bottom of the waterproof case, I am certain that this opens up flexibility in secure DIY mounts, as long as you add a bit of creativity.
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Re: New Sony Action Cam

Postby Mulger bill » Mon Dec 17, 2012 10:49 am

DaveOZ wrote:I hope this is the right thread for ActionCam general discussion?

Here is a clip from this mornings commute in very low light. I very happy with the low light quality because I ride to work in the dark most of the year. You can even see the rabbits. :lol:

What time of day are you talking here Dave? That's pretty damn impressive if it's early morning.

Just going by what I've seen online without actually having a Sony in hand, my inner MacGyver is thinking some sort of underslung bar mount using two reflector mounts coupled with some atrfully cut and bent sheetmetal to form a cradle, secured with the inevitable 1/4" bolt. A little padding inside the cradle to protect and absorb bumps... :? I can't see any sort of lanyard mounting for backup tho'. :? :?

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Re: New Sony Action Cam

Postby DaveOZ » Mon Dec 17, 2012 10:53 am

Shaun,

There is a lanyard loop on the top of the case at the front. My kit also came with a small adapter that screws in the mounting hole and allow you to bolt up to GoPro mounts. This opens up lots of options.

The video was shot at 6:10am (left a bit late this morning) but it was also very overcast and misty rain. Put it this way, the camera could see better than me.

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Re: New Sony Action Cam

Postby g-boaf » Mon Dec 17, 2012 11:09 am

DaveOZ wrote:I hope this is the right thread for ActionCam general discussion?

Here is a clip from this mornings commute in very low light. I very happy with the low light quality because I ride to work in the dark most of the year. You can even see the rabbits. :lol:
Modern cameras and digital sensors are getting quite sensitive and they can do this with low noise (that's sort of like the digital style of film grain, if you care to call it that). Generally, the kind of light in your video should be pretty fine for the more modern camera gear coming on the market. What's really impressive is that even the cameras with smaller size sensors are starting to get more sensitive to light and with reduced digital noise, which is what generally reduces the detail of the image or video. You expect low noise from cameras with big 36x24mm size sensors (eg, Canon 5D Mk.III or Nikon D800 or D4 DSLR).

But you don't expect it with smaller action cameras up until now. :shock: It's remarkable how technology advances really quickly.

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Re: New Sony Action Cam

Postby Mulger bill » Mon Dec 17, 2012 11:12 am

Thanks Dave, appreciate the follow up.

The Sony is definitely on the shortlist for upgrade time...

Shaun
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Re: New Sony Action Cam

Postby Christine Tham » Mon Dec 17, 2012 8:00 pm

Went for a ride this morning. The video seemed okay, but I was bothered by the camera angling down.

Thinking about it, I don't really need the stretch strap and can mount the camera directly onto the helmet using cable ties and mounting stickers.

So, I went into full MacGyver mode.

First of all, remove the stretch strap by taking out the the two screws at the bottom
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Then, use Scotch removable mounting tabs to stick the mount to the helmet directly
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Use two 200mm cable ties to further secure the mount to the helmet via ventilation holes:
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Close up of the cable ties holding the mount in place:
Image

The finished product:
Image

The angle of the camera is adjusted empirically, by looking at myself in a mirror:
Image

And this is the result - test video of me cycling around the block (this was taken at dusk, so there wasn't a lot of light):
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Re: New Sony Action Cam

Postby greyhoundtom » Mon Dec 17, 2012 8:18 pm

Congratulations looks like an excellent result. :D

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Re: New Sony Action Cam

Postby AUbicycles » Mon Dec 17, 2012 11:53 pm

You have learnt well grasshopper.

I have to ask though... when it rains the camera it back into waterproof mount I assume.
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Re: New Sony Action Cam

Postby Mulger bill » Tue Dec 18, 2012 12:03 am

Time to grow a mullet Christine, nice work :)

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Re: New Sony Action Cam

Postby bigfriendlyvegan » Tue Dec 18, 2012 12:34 am

What's the license plate readability like on the stills from the video, Christine?

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Re: New Sony Action Cam

Postby GraemeL » Tue Dec 18, 2012 8:48 am

You could also use 3M Dual Lock, one piece on the helmet and one on the mount. Then you can do without the cable ties, the Dual lock will hold it nice and tight.

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Re: New Sony Action Cam

Postby norbs » Tue Dec 18, 2012 9:59 am

A warning to Sony users. A guy at the cafe this morning was holding about 8 pieces of his 3 day old Action Cam after his Macgyver attempt to the side of his helmet failed, and it hit the road (at exactly the same spot that Dave's old Contour hit the deck). With out the housing it just exploded according to the guys there. He was using some type of double sided tape.

The general consensus was the housing MAY have saved it.

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Re: New Sony Action Cam

Postby DaveOZ » Tue Dec 18, 2012 11:41 am

Ouch, good warning Norbs. The Velcro I use is very, very sticky. Proper industrial Velcro brand. We use it on the race car to stick everything on, including the bullet cam on the roof. Mind you I would always use a tether just in case.

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Re: New Sony Action Cam

Postby GraemeL » Tue Dec 18, 2012 4:34 pm

norbs wrote:A warning to Sony users. A guy at the cafe this morning was holding about 8 pieces of his 3 day old Action Cam after his Macgyver attempt to the side of his helmet failed, and it hit the road (at exactly the same spot that Dave's old Contour hit the deck). With out the housing it just exploded according to the guys there. He was using some type of double sided tape.

The general consensus was the housing MAY have saved it.
That is why I mentioned the 3M Dual Lock, I use it for my cameras and have never had an issue with it coming off or coming apart. It is a lot better than Velcro because the pieces fit together tightly without any movement.

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Christine Tham
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Re: New Sony Action Cam

Postby Christine Tham » Tue Dec 18, 2012 5:47 pm

norbs wrote:He was using some type of double sided tape.
That's the problem right there - even the good ones (for example, the 3M permanent mounting tape) just isn't strong enough given wind resistance and acceleration/deacceleration/bumps - it was an accident waiting to happen. Hope you friend learnt his lesson.

Same goes with Velcro type solutions - Velcro is specifically designed so that it can come apart if you apply force in a certain way - can one truly guarantee that will never happen when the cam is attached?
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Re: New Sony Action Cam

Postby Baalzamon » Tue Dec 18, 2012 6:11 pm

GraemeL wrote:
norbs wrote:A warning to Sony users. A guy at the cafe this morning was holding about 8 pieces of his 3 day old Action Cam after his Macgyver attempt to the side of his helmet failed, and it hit the road (at exactly the same spot that Dave's old Contour hit the deck). With out the housing it just exploded according to the guys there. He was using some type of double sided tape.

The general consensus was the housing MAY have saved it.
That is why I mentioned the 3M Dual Lock, I use it for my cameras and have never had an issue with it coming off or coming apart. It is a lot better than Velcro because the pieces fit together tightly without any movement.

Graeme
I recommend 3M Dual Lock as well. Used it for my helmet visor on my trike. I did not have an issue with speeds of 80kph and the visor coming off. Visor was made of a plastic A4 file, so was a bit flimsy but the Dual Lock held it in place very well.
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Re: New Sony Action Cam

Postby Christine Tham » Wed Dec 19, 2012 6:26 pm

Baalzamon wrote:
I recommend 3M Dual Lock as well. Used it for my helmet visor on my trike. I did not have an issue with speeds of 80kph and the visor coming off. Visor was made of a plastic A4 file, so was a bit flimsy but the Dual Lock held it in place very well.
With due respect, the situations are not really comparable.

To quote Wikipedia
Wikipedia wrote: The strength of the bond depends on how well the hooks are embedded in the loops, how much surface area is in contact with the hooks, and the nature of the force pulling it apart.
Velcro tends to work best when both surfaces to be joined are flat (maximising contact area) or can flex together.

Specifically, in the case of mounting the Sony Action cam (and/or housing) to a helmet, the bond is between a flat and a curved surface, so contact area will be minimal.

The 3M Dual Lock system provides additional strength by maximising the bonding surface and pressure using stems that lock the two surfaces together. It won't provide much benefit when the surfaces don't match.

I would suggest people may wish to draw upon the experience of norbs' friend, and avoid any potential issues.
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Re: New Sony Action Cam

Postby Christine Tham » Sun Dec 23, 2012 4:31 pm

Descent into Galston Gorge and climb out again to Arcadia Rd
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Re: New Sony Action Cam

Postby Christine Tham » Sun Dec 23, 2012 6:41 pm

Fast and furious riding on Pacific Highway - I was paced by two A group riders (Tom and Tim 8) ) and we were flying down the highway. I discovered after I uploaded the ride Strava awarded me a QOM for this segment.

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Re: New Sony Action Cam

Postby herzog » Mon Dec 24, 2012 1:18 pm

Looks like you've got the up/down angle of the camera angle spot on, but there seems to be a distinct tilt to the right in that footage. I noticed when I realised my head was tilted watching it LOL.

Is the mount pulling one side of your helmet down?

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Re: New Sony Action Cam

Postby DoogleDave » Mon Dec 24, 2012 3:18 pm

herzog wrote:Looks like you've got the up/down angle of the camera angle spot on, but there seems to be a distinct tilt to the right in that footage. I noticed when I realised my head was tilted watching it LOL.

Is the mount pulling one side of your helmet down?
I thought the same thing when watching the footage...

This camera is looking pretty good.....but I can't decide over this one and the Hero 3 Silver.

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