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Re: New Sony Action Cam

Posted: Mon Jan 14, 2013 6:49 am
by arkle
Christine Tham wrote:
arkle wrote:Gosh Christine you're fast! Respect :)
Actually I am not, but thanks anyway. Last year has been a bad year for me, and I'm still struggling to return to former form.

For example, last Sat on Mona Vale Rd, I was struggling to get to mid 40s when I know I used to blast it at close to 50. I did have one guy who was happy to suck my wheel though. It was so hot I could hardly breathe.
Well you're faster than me! Hehe.

arkle

Re: New Sony Action Cam

Posted: Tue Jan 15, 2013 5:33 am
by Christine Tham
I rode through rain yesterday with the Action Cam exposed, and it seemed to be okay. I couldn't be bothered stopping to remount the camera in the underwater housing.

Based on that I would say it should be okay to use the camera in light rain. Probably not a heavy downpour.

Re: New Sony Action Cam

Posted: Tue Jan 15, 2013 9:28 am
by sblack
Got a couple of videos up finally. The downside to 1080p is combined with internet speeds in my area it takes a long time to get anything online.

The first is the first run of the camera on the Meryla Meandering Audax ride. The camera is mounted using the Sony handlebar mount and shot at 1080p, 120 FOV and steady shot on. I didn't have any anti fog inserts and you can see the condensation build up along the way.


Next up is using the QR mount on the road bike. This time I had an antifog insert in and it worked well. The world and my glasses fogged up as I climbed my local hill but the case didn't. I ended up turning around earlier than planned as the fog started getting too thick for safety (silly me forgot the lights) so this is the roll back down the hill.


A little further along I took another short climb but this time much rougher, pretty much this is as rough as I would subject the road bike to.

Re: New Sony Action Cam

Posted: Wed Jan 16, 2013 6:14 pm
by Christine Tham
For those who are unsure whether drivers actually notice cyclists filming them, they do.

Interesting conversation with a driver on the way home tonight:

Re: New Sony Action Cam

Posted: Wed Jan 16, 2013 8:39 pm
by Boognoss
Christine Tham wrote:For those who are unsure whether drivers actually notice cyclists filming them, they do.

Interesting conversation with a driver on the way home tonight:

Nice to have good cyclist-motorist interaction. Probably jinx myself but I've have a good 2013 so far with traffic ;-)


Sent from my iSomethingorother using Tapatalk HD

Re: New Sony Action Cam

Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2013 4:59 am
by Christine Tham
Boognoss wrote: Nice to have good cyclist-motorist interaction. Probably jinx myself but I've have a good 2013 so far with traffic ;-)
After two years of commuting, I find that drivers during peak hour are generally okay. Occasionally an aggrieved honk or a yell, but generally everyone is just interested in getting to work and back with as little hassle as possible.

I participated in the UNSW safe cycling survey for 1 year, and during that year I reported zero incidents, close calls, or untoward behaviour from other road users. I did report 1 accident, but that was my fault (ran over a bump when I wasn't concentrating, and hit the ground at 40 km/h - still have the scars for it).

Re: New Sony Action Cam

Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2013 5:18 am
by Christine Tham
Some snippets from yesterday's ride to work.

For those who are wondering what 80 km/h looks like on a bicycle, here I am descending into Roseville bridge around 6am:


And this is the Warringah Rd just after sunrise (Ketut says ... ahhh, Rhonda!!!) from Wakehurst Parkway to Pittwater Rd. All the lights were green today, and anyone who cycles here regularly will know how unusual that is.

I went reasonably hard and managed to hit 55 km/h in just before Beacon Hill, and 65 km/h in the descent after.

Re: New Sony Action Cam

Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2013 9:55 pm
by queequeg
Christine Tham wrote:
Boognoss wrote: Nice to have good cyclist-motorist interaction. Probably jinx myself but I've have a good 2013 so far with traffic ;-)
After two years of commuting, I find that drivers during peak hour are generally okay. Occasionally an aggrieved honk or a yell, but generally everyone is just interested in getting to work and back with as little hassle as possible.

I participated in the UNSW safe cycling survey for 1 year, and during that year I reported zero incidents, close calls, or untoward behaviour from other road users. I did report 1 accident, but that was my fault (ran over a bump when I wasn't concentrating, and hit the ground at 40 km/h - still have the scars for it).
I participated in the same survey, and I had four incidents during that time. No falls or collisions, but some pretty close calls. Three were at roundabouts and one was on the Pacific Hwy at Crows Nest.
I had a close call coming home today at my least favourite roundabout in Marsfield (Agincourt/Balaclava). I was 3/4 of the way through when driver on my left tried to drive straight through me! Pretty much describes what happened the other three times as well. Blind drivers looking right through me like I was invisible!

Re: New Sony Action Cam

Posted: Fri Jan 18, 2013 5:08 am
by Christine Tham
queequeg wrote: I had a close call coming home today at my least favourite roundabout in Marsfield (Agincourt/Balaclava). I was 3/4 of the way through when driver on my left tried to drive straight through me! Pretty much describes what happened the other three times as well. Blind drivers looking right through me like I was invisible!
Drivers on the left trying to jump in happen even when I am in a car - some people really do not know how to use roundabouts. I drive/cycle expecting the worst to happen - so I always have an evasive move primed (even if it means braking).

On single lane roads, I will block the entire lane before maneuvering through roundabouts or road furniture - I sometimes signal (if my intention is unclear from the start) that I am about to do so. This allows me lots of scope to do evasive moves.

Have never had any problems from drivers doing so, because I will allow them to overtake me at the earliest opportunity by moving to the left and signalling them to overtake (with a flick of the hand). I even get hand waves from them.

I can post a video of me doing this, but I am not sure how clear my actions will be on the video.

Re: New Sony Action Cam

Posted: Thu Jan 24, 2013 9:42 am
by Christine Tham
Been having lots of conversations with cyclists on the road. Everyone seems to notice my camera. Helmet mounting is obviously very visible, even though I look somewhat Borg like.

A few impatient drivers yesterday morning - got two honks at two different times. Part of the problem was it was quite dark, and for some reason my front lights kept turning off. Stupid solar panel light :-( Maybe the drivers were warning me not to be a ninja.

Re: New Sony Action Cam

Posted: Thu Jan 24, 2013 11:31 am
by ILMB
Given the free advertising and publicity you're generating for this camera, I reckon Sony owe you a nice big fat freebie!

Re: New Sony Action Cam

Posted: Thu Jan 24, 2013 3:25 pm
by Christine Tham
ILMB wrote:Given the free advertising and publicity you're generating for this camera, I reckon Sony owe you a nice big fat freebie!
LOL - don't worry, they know it :-) Apparently the video of me chatting with the truckie is popular at Sony HQ :-)

I hope they remember me when they release the NEX full frame body at the end of the year :-)

Re: New Sony Action Cam

Posted: Fri Jan 25, 2013 12:15 pm
by liamb
Hi All

Just picked an action cam up yesterday. Just got to get the headband mount and I am all set. Where did people get a larger capacity Micro SD card from. I am not sure how much I will get on the 4gig card that came with it. Over all first impressions are good. more compact than a Gopro for sure.

Bill

Re: New Sony Action Cam

Posted: Sat Jan 26, 2013 8:57 am
by Christine Tham
liamb wrote: Just picked an action cam up yesterday. Just got to get the headband mount and I am all set. Where did people get a larger capacity Micro SD card from. I am not sure how much I will get on the 4gig card that came with it. Over all first impressions are good. more compact than a Gopro for sure.
Congratulations.

I use a Sandisk Ultra 32GB Class 10 card - the read speed when copying files to the computer is about 45 Mb/s.

They are quite cheap, and easily available from your favourite etailer.

Re: New Sony Action Cam

Posted: Sat Jan 26, 2013 9:34 am
by liamb
Christine Tham wrote:
liamb wrote: Just picked an action cam up yesterday. Just got to get the headband mount and I am all set. Where did people get a larger capacity Micro SD card from. I am not sure how much I will get on the 4gig card that came with it. Over all first impressions are good. more compact than a Gopro for sure.
Congratulations.

I use a Sandisk Ultra 32GB Class 10 card - the read speed when copying files to the computer is about 45 Mb/s.

They are quite cheap, and easily available from your favourite etailer.
Cheers got 1 yesterday for $60 SanDisk 32gig Class 10, and a head strap for the bracket. I copied your Velcro, Zip tie to helmet trick. (I notice the ties dig into the foam a bit but I figure if I come off and hit the road the camera will do more damage than a bit of dented foam.
Tried it early this morning, still got to jiggle the angle to get a bit more look up the road, but early on its a great thing. Got pushed off the road by a truck and got all the info I needed if I came off. Its also fantastic to grab family stuff. Got my youngest son's first unaided steps with a walker because it was quicker to start than my iphone or any other camera in the house to start.

1 question though. The hold slide button on the back??. Everytime I slide it over the back cover opens??. What is the function of the hold button??. I thought it may have been to stop accidental button presses. The paperwork is very brief and I cant find a forum on the net that talks about this. The Sony website is all about bling but nothing much more than the paperwork it came with and I cant download the PDF manual for some reason.

Cheers

Bill

Re: New Sony Action Cam

Posted: Sat Jan 26, 2013 10:05 am
by Christine Tham
liamb wrote: 1 question though. The hold slide button on the back??. Everytime I slide it over the back cover opens??. What is the function of the hold button??. I thought it may have been to stop accidental button presses. The paperwork is very brief and I cant find a forum on the net that talks about this. The Sony website is all about bling but nothing much more than the paperwork it came with and I cant download the PDF manual for some reason.
The hold button prevents the big red REC button from being accidentally pressed. Pretty useless functionality, and I discovered (don't ask how) if I press the red REC button really REALLY hard when the hold button is active, it engages anyway :oops:

Re: New Sony Action Cam

Posted: Sat Jan 26, 2013 11:16 am
by liamb
cheers, mine must be dodgey because the hold button dose not do that.

Bill

Re: New Sony Action Cam

Posted: Sun Jan 27, 2013 10:34 am
by Christine Tham
From yesterday's ride (Australia Day).

I headed out with the Renegade A group who were heading out to Akuna, but did a detour to do Duffy's Forest on my own as I wanted to get back by 8:30am.

This video is the segment of me at Duffy's. I noticed at the start at a bunch from the North Sydney cycling club was bearing on me from behind, so I tried to stay in front as long as I could. The frequent head dipping in the video is due to me trying to settle into a sprinting position.

The bunch caught me after two minutes, and I decided to suck their wheel. One of the guys commented about us both having pink handlebar tape as he passed me, and the guy at the back was commenting about my camera.

Notice how well formed the NSCC bunch is - very good steady riding. If only all groups are this disciplined.


Re: New Sony Action Cam

Posted: Fri Feb 01, 2013 5:59 am
by Christine Tham
Sony has invited me to a session providing feedback on the Sony Action Cam on 20 Feb.

If anyone has any specific comments they would like me to pass to Sony, please post either on this thread or by PM.

I intend to raise with Sony issues about the bike and helmet mounts as previously discussed, and show them what I ended up doing with the helmet mount. I also intend talking about issues with the back hinge and the hold button. I also wish Sony would include a standard tripod mount on the camera itself, rather than forcing people to use the underwater housing, which is bulky.

Re: New Sony Action Cam

Posted: Fri Feb 01, 2013 8:28 am
by herzog
Hi Christine, one thing that you could mention as feedback for a future model would be a chest mountable design.

Re: New Sony Action Cam

Posted: Fri Feb 01, 2013 9:26 am
by sblack
Hey Christine, I would like to see a firmware update which included the ability to flip the video for when the camera is mounted upside down.

Re: New Sony Action Cam

Posted: Fri Feb 01, 2013 9:44 am
by Rhubarb
sblack wrote:Hey Christine, I would like to see a firmware update which included the ability to flip the video for when the camera is mounted upside down.
You can do that easily in most editing packages, even Windows Live Movie Maker (free).

Re: New Sony Action Cam

Posted: Fri Feb 01, 2013 9:54 am
by liamb
Hi Christine.

I am glad you are showing your helmet mount option. I would like something with another axis of adjustment so you can adjust up and down and left and right, to be used with out the Waterproof housing. My ideal option would be a plate with enough holes for several zip tie options and Velcro on the base of the plate to position it prior to zip tying. with a dual axis interface with the headband mount case and or the waterproof housing. I had a chance to use a GOPRO this week and hate the bulky size of it on the helmet, the sony has it all over the GOPRO here. Also possibly a suction cap mount so you can mount to glass like in a car or boat or underwater in a pool. The standard Sony Handle Bar mount is very average, but I am not sure Sony would want to re tool to make a more substantial Aluminum option.

Cheers

Bill

Re: New Sony Action Cam

Posted: Fri Feb 01, 2013 9:58 am
by herzog
Rhubarb wrote:
You can do that easily in most editing packages, even Windows Live Movie Maker (free).
Sure but it's easier still if it can be done by the camera in the first place.

Also if you're on holiday or something you may want to review the footage directly on a tv or mobile device without downloading into an editing package.

Such a simple feature to add - really should be a no brainer.

Re: New Sony Action Cam

Posted: Fri Feb 01, 2013 10:28 am
by liamb
herzog wrote:
Rhubarb wrote:
You can do that easily in most editing packages, even Windows Live Movie Maker (free).
Sure but it's easier still if it can be done by the camera in the first place.

Also if you're on holiday or something you may want to review the footage directly on a tv or mobile device without downloading into an editing package.

Such a simple feature to add - really should be a no brainer.
There is a screen you can buy or chords (USB) to play on a laptop or PlayMemories APP for smart phones

Bill