Video Camera who uses one?

[Aushiker]

Got one. They're pretty neat helmets, Made by the same mob as Fox helmets, and probably the most comfortable brain bucket I've worn. The excellent camera mount is a bonus.

I assume this comply with Australian standards?

Andrew

[trailgumby]

Indeed. Velogear.com.au has 'em. Mine has the shiny red and silver AS/NZS 2063-2008 sticker

[AUbicycles]

Here is the link to the review of the Kali Amara helmet on BNA by trailgumby.

[trailgumby]

Just tried posting a pic so you can see what it looks like with a camera fitted, but the photo is too big and blows out the screen

[Aushiker]

Just tried posting a pic so you can see what it looks like with a camera fitted, but the photo is too big and blows out the screen

Easily solved with http://imgur.com or http://minus.com/

Andrew

[Xplora]

So if money was no object, what is the bees knees right now?

My recent "issue" in an intersection has ensured that I am treating my rides very very very differently. My family needs that security.

[qualos]

I would go the GoPro Hero 2 using K-Edge mounts front and back.

I have started packing the Ion Air Pro's back up to sell and will order K-Edge brackets and get the my old GoPro's back out.

[GraemeL]

So if money was no object, what is the bees knees right now?

My recent "issue" in an intersection has ensured that I am treating my rides very very very differently. My family needs that security.

If money was no object, I would get a GoPro.

Graeme

[Xplora]

Isn't it a bit fugly compared to the Contour? Or are the images "that much better"?

[RonK]

I have started packing the Ion Air Pro's back up to sell...

Well, I read on a cycling forum that the Ion is a bit ordinary, so good luck with the sale.

[elStado]

I've been pretty happy with my new GoPro HD Hero 2. I love it how there are so many mounting options and accessories, however the downside is that they are SO expensive for what they are. 25 euros for the bike mount which is nothing but a plastic clamp that would have cost nothing to make. GoPro are obviously making a killing from these accessory upsales which really should come with the kit anyway (I bought the outdoor kit and assumed the bike mount came with it).

The fish eye lens makes photography tricky too due to the curved effect. Nothing a bit of mucking around won't fix. Not sure where I will mount my GoPro on my bike as I don't have helmet to mount it on and I am using a handle bar bag. I think I might try to mount it on the hoop of my Tubus front roller pannier rack. Will have to experiment with it a bit and see how it goes.

[trailgumby]

Get the Chesty chest mount. By far the best POV for most bike uses, although helmet has its good points for commuting use.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uhw1MgDOlw&feature=plcp[/youtube]

[trailgumby]

Isn't it a bit fugly compared to the Contour? Or are the images "that much better"?

Having used both... the images are that much better. I had a choice of a trade discounted Contour after the review, or paying a retail price for the GoPro Hero2. I took the latter option.

Wide 170deg FOV works better IMO, and the colour rendition and amount of picture information is superior. I prefer the chest mount as well - more stable.

[wurtulla wabbit]

Go pro is better overall.
Contour roam is easy as pie to use. Slide on, beep ! Recording. Slide back, beep ! Stopped.
That's it ! Don't even need to look at it.
Waterproof without case to 1m. Had it in our pool, worked great !
Unless you want to do full on movies, I wouldn't bother with the go pro.
I use mine in my van too, Incase of accidents then format the card if nothing happens.
It's as simple as pressing a button in the back of the camera and that's it done.

Very easy to use camera.

Ps, contour roam is wide angle same as go pro but doesn't give the fish eye effect that I hate.

[Lukeyboy]

Isn't it a bit fugly compared to the Contour? Or are the images "that much better"?

I don't have any experience with the Contour but the GoPro is pretty good image quality wise. Only problems would be in low light as its an action camera. If there are street lights around you can still make things out but if there are none don't expect to see much. With the GoPro's there are a bunch of accessories that are available. Chest mounts, helmet mounts, roll bar mounts (fits on the stem), handle bar mounts and a bunch of extension arms and 3M sticky mounts that you can stick on the frame/helmet etc. There are some issues with the case fogging up (If you use it for watersports it might be something you'd look into more but for cycling its only usually as a result of where and when you mount the camera ie in a room with ac on cold then go straight for a ride in the heat outside etc) but there are ways around that such as using the skeleton housing, using the door with the cuts on the back, just simply opening the case remove the camera for a second or two (on the full waterproof casing) then wack it back in, anti fog strips etc. The skelton housing (holes in the sides to use the cable ports, changing memory cards and recharge the battery/external power source without opening and closing the casing) has to be bought seperate (~60 bucks). Depending on the quality of roads/terrain you ride on if it's a bit bumpy I'd reccommend buying a third party mount such as the K-Edge to prevent the mounts from cracking/fracturing.



A few examples of the image quality. Given that I don't normally ride at night here are the closest examples I can offer with the GoPro Hero2. I don't have access to my normal PC at the moment but if you'd like I could put together a quick video tomorrow of the various lighting/conditions of the GoPro Hero2.

Viewing well lit and dark areas in the same scene.


Street lights/built up areas:


The transition between the two (well lit to dark):


Street lights/back streets: First one is on my bike with a generic handlebar light. Second one is onboard a car.



A few from the day: First is from the chest mount with the rollbar mount on the stem. The rest are from the rollbar mount.

[wurtulla wabbit]

Go pro is a great camera, I ride dirt bikes with a few guys who use them. Great videos but stick up too high and get snagged, contour is more compact.

[AUbicycles]

Thanks for the video trailgumby .. and sharing your views Lukeyboy

[elStado]

Played around with a bunch of mounting options today with my GoPro 2. This way is good as it is out of the way and gives a pretty cool perspective. It has around 4mm clearance from the tyre, so should be ok. I'll use it carefully for the first day though and make sure that it isn't coming loose as it could be dangerous if it falls into the tyre. I used the bike handlebar mount with a rolled up 35cm section of inner tube to allow it to fasten in place and reduce vibrations. Looks cool eh?



I don't have access to fast enough internet to upload a vid right now but I'll post something up in a couple of weeks after I get back from France (heading off in the morning). I've also got my E-werk charger sorted out which is awesome so now I can charge my phone or camera on the road! Adiós!

[GraemeL]

I have noticed a lot of pro's use GoPro, I have seen then used in a lot of different TV shows. The picture quality is better than the GoPro 1. As far as low light is concernec, all of these cameras will perform poorly in low light, they are designed for sports and as such will perform at their best in daylight.

I have said it before and I will say it again...

If I was in the market for a new camera and all I wanted to do was record my ride for security reasons, I would only buy two Jumbo's and have them front and rear. It is a lot cheaper and they are VERY easily mounted in a lot of different postions. If you are worried about water, there are several ways to protect them from getting it wet. There is also a H/Bar mount available for it on Ebay.

If you on the other hand, you intend to use the camera for other things such as family videos or other sports etc then the GoPro would be the way to go.


Graeme

[ZepinAtor]

Isn't it a bit fugly compared to the Contour? Or are the images "that much better"?

I'm of the same opinion. The Go-Pro is a square box compared to the Contours more bullet shape.

I'm after the most easily concealed camera (under stem or similar) which is easy enough to mount/use. I'm not particularly after a perfect image, I just want to capture the obvious, threatening tools in cars, registration plates/car models/makes/colour.

If budget is not an issue would the contour fit my intended use ? And yes I have looked over almost all of this thread, but like to ask these questions incase of recent technilogical advances.

Is there a smaller more easily concealed camera out there which is user friendly & water resistant ? I was hoping for a pencil shaped camera which could be concealed in the vent holes of my helmet, although I could imagine there would be all sorts of issues with battery recording times, water resistance & safety in case of an acccident having a camera inbeded into your skull.

[AUbicycles]

There are some new sports cameras coming out in the more compact Contour 'tube' style.
GoPros are surprisingly flexible when it comes to mounting and I have been able to achieve better image quality with standard GoPro mounts that standard Contour mounts, plus can more easily reinforce GoPro mounts.

I am wondering if a compact mid-range camera would suit your needs, though GraemL will be the better person to know whether such a compact camera that suits your needs is readily available.

[KonaCommuter]

This is footage from my Contour HD 4am this morning. I could see clearly however the camera, on the settings I'm using, didn't pick up much. I could clearly see the drivers face of the car that shot through the roundabout but nada on my camera.

[scirocco]

Isn't it a bit fugly compared to the Contour? Or are the images "that much better"?

I'm of the same opinion. The Go-Pro is a square box compared to the Contours more bullet shape.

I'm after the most easily concealed camera (under stem or similar) which is easy enough to mount/use. I'm not particularly after a perfect image, I just want to capture the obvious, threatening tools in cars, registration plates/car models/makes/colour.

.

+2. If you are looking for something which doesn't look too obvious on a bike you might want to scroll back to my 21st April post in this thread. Picture is superb on the 60 fps setting. I would post videos but haven't got organised enough to get a Youtube account set up.

But I agree with other comments that the standard Contour mounting leaves something to be desired.

[RonK]

Here is the link to the review of the Kali Amara helmet on BNA by trailgumby.

Well, I've not been very impressed with the security of the GoPro strap on helmet mount, so on the strength of Trailgumbys review I've ordered one these helmets. The helmet pricing seems ridiculously cheap for a local retailer compared to the Giro I usually wear, so I hope I'm not disappointed by it.

[il padrone]

I'm after the most easily concealed camera (under stem or similar) which is easy enough to mount/use. I'm not particularly after a perfect image, I just want to capture the obvious, threatening tools in cars, registration plates/car models/makes/colour.

Go Pro can be mounted under your stem quite easily using the bike mounting. This one is not mine but I've done something similar.



And the quality of the image is very much better than bullet cameras.