bikeman66
Senior Member
- Location
- Isle of Wight
I guess a good number of cyclists like to take video footage of their rides (especially the crazy descents down mountains if youtube is any yardstick), and they are also useful during a commute, as evidence if you are on the wrong end of an irate motorists driving.
Although I don't commute by bike, I thought I'd look at buying a GoPro or similar to record some of the rides I do while on holidays etc.
I know GoPro are the market leader in these type of video cameras, and probably for good reason, but you certainly seem to pay a premium for the name as well. I was researching HD Action Cams the other day and literally chanced upon the Vivitar DVR 794HD.
It is, as the name might suggest, a High Definition unit and has a 12 megapixel sensor for still shots. It comes with a waterproof casing, a helmet mount, a bracket for attaching to your handlebar, charging adapter, and a USB lead. The only thing you'll need to buy additionally is a micro SD card. I bought mine from Argos, and the camera was £59.99, and I got a 16gb SD card and adapter for £19.99. Whole deal was just under £80.00, which is so much cheaper than an equivalent GoPro.
As with most action cam's, there is no LCD viewfinder screen on the rear, so reviewing your footage will have to wait until you can play back on your laptop or PC. You can hook it up via the USB and run it through the supplied software, but in all honesty, it's easier to just stick the SD card in a card reader slot and off you go.
The camera itself is pretty small, has minimal external controls and features a tiny LCD screen on the top which shows resolution selected, mode (video or still), number of shots available, minutes of video remaining etc etc. It is pretty tiny so you'll need good eyesight (or strong glasses) to see it. Once you're used to how the unit works the screen is almost surplus to requirements anyway.
The lens has a fixed focal length and features a 120 degree field of view. Inevitably, with such a wide angle lens, you do get some distortion at the edges, but no more than most other (more expensive) units out there. In my opinion, picture quality, when played back through my laptop, is excellent, with sharp images and good colour reproduction. I'll have to purchase a separate HDMI lead to enable successful playback direct to the TV. Sound is OK, but the waterproof casing, unsurprisingly, muffles it a little. A 16gb SD card will allow 2 hours, 45 minutes of video to be taken at maximum resolution (if the battery lasted that long). I've seen reviews suggesting a battery life of up to 2 hours, but others claiming only around 1 hour. Haven't used the unit long enough yet to be able to comment on battery life with any authority though. The good thing is that the battery is a separate unit rather than being built in, so I presume it would be possible to purchase a second "back-up" just in case.
Also included in the box is a basic remote control, which may be of limited use as it only works when pointed directly at the front of the camera.
There are probably better action cams out there, but having seen footage shot on some of the more well known brands, personally I would (at this stage) find it difficult to justify paying the considerable premium for a GoPro when comparing the quality of the video with the Vivitar DVR 794HD.
£60.00 for the camera itself, looks like a great bargain for what seems like a pretty well made, easy to use unit which yields good quality results. I'll add any relevant details which may become apparent in long term use in due course, and maybe upload some footage of this Saturdays ride.
Would definitely recommend this unit so far.
Although I don't commute by bike, I thought I'd look at buying a GoPro or similar to record some of the rides I do while on holidays etc.
I know GoPro are the market leader in these type of video cameras, and probably for good reason, but you certainly seem to pay a premium for the name as well. I was researching HD Action Cams the other day and literally chanced upon the Vivitar DVR 794HD.
It is, as the name might suggest, a High Definition unit and has a 12 megapixel sensor for still shots. It comes with a waterproof casing, a helmet mount, a bracket for attaching to your handlebar, charging adapter, and a USB lead. The only thing you'll need to buy additionally is a micro SD card. I bought mine from Argos, and the camera was £59.99, and I got a 16gb SD card and adapter for £19.99. Whole deal was just under £80.00, which is so much cheaper than an equivalent GoPro.
As with most action cam's, there is no LCD viewfinder screen on the rear, so reviewing your footage will have to wait until you can play back on your laptop or PC. You can hook it up via the USB and run it through the supplied software, but in all honesty, it's easier to just stick the SD card in a card reader slot and off you go.
The camera itself is pretty small, has minimal external controls and features a tiny LCD screen on the top which shows resolution selected, mode (video or still), number of shots available, minutes of video remaining etc etc. It is pretty tiny so you'll need good eyesight (or strong glasses) to see it. Once you're used to how the unit works the screen is almost surplus to requirements anyway.
The lens has a fixed focal length and features a 120 degree field of view. Inevitably, with such a wide angle lens, you do get some distortion at the edges, but no more than most other (more expensive) units out there. In my opinion, picture quality, when played back through my laptop, is excellent, with sharp images and good colour reproduction. I'll have to purchase a separate HDMI lead to enable successful playback direct to the TV. Sound is OK, but the waterproof casing, unsurprisingly, muffles it a little. A 16gb SD card will allow 2 hours, 45 minutes of video to be taken at maximum resolution (if the battery lasted that long). I've seen reviews suggesting a battery life of up to 2 hours, but others claiming only around 1 hour. Haven't used the unit long enough yet to be able to comment on battery life with any authority though. The good thing is that the battery is a separate unit rather than being built in, so I presume it would be possible to purchase a second "back-up" just in case.
Also included in the box is a basic remote control, which may be of limited use as it only works when pointed directly at the front of the camera.
There are probably better action cams out there, but having seen footage shot on some of the more well known brands, personally I would (at this stage) find it difficult to justify paying the considerable premium for a GoPro when comparing the quality of the video with the Vivitar DVR 794HD.
£60.00 for the camera itself, looks like a great bargain for what seems like a pretty well made, easy to use unit which yields good quality results. I'll add any relevant details which may become apparent in long term use in due course, and maybe upload some footage of this Saturdays ride.
Would definitely recommend this unit so far.
