Helmet cameras - advice on buying one.

[Two-Wheels]

I'd been considering one of these for a while but was always something that i'll 'look at later'. As per usual the incident happens before you get it sorted.

So on the back of my crash at the weekend, I'm looking for a bit of advice on getting one.

When i search for cycle cams, a lot of them appear to be big square things & i'm not looking to be giving my neck a weights workout!! I was thinking something 1) small and 2) something more like a cylinder.

I guess handlebar cam would perhaps be better in some ways but then I wonder if I was ever to wind up in a situation where I'm the one being accused of not looking, if I had a helmet cam then this would surely help me out there.

Price point? Well, first we need to establish something that puts out quality footage. If I say £xyz but that only bags me grainy footage then I need to spend more, simple. Though something that's all singing and dancing with a ton of features I wont need as I'm no YouTuber would be overkill. I just want to record clear footage of the ride so that if i was taken out again it would give as accurate as can be video portrayal of what happened.

 

[vickster]

I personally wouldn’t attach anything hard and pointy to a bike helmet. Indeed, I believe the manufacturers strongly recommend against

 

[numbnuts]

If you mount it on your bike you will need two, front and rear

 

[Cycleops]

The GoPro is the standard to beat but it’s quite pricey. Although the cameras look big and square they are in fact quite small. If you want something really small the Insta360 might be for you.

View: https://youtu.be/l_A_av9v5c8

Here’s a review of most of the alternatives:
https://cycloscope.net/best-cycling-camera-bike-helmet

 

[kingrollo]

I have the fly 12 bar mounted camera. its got it quirks - but once you stick to the basic features only its pretty good.

cycliq have the updated fly 12 CE - I did try this - but had a few problems so returned it. a guy at cycling club uses one without issues though.

i might be wrong but this looks to be a copy of the original fly 12

https://www.cyclesolutions.co.uk/ac...Bc2zC4x8uC0b_0cM-2w1TKqBoCMBUE0waAvZlEALw_wcB

 

[KnittyNorah]

Aldi currently have a rear camera w/light in their cycling specials at around £40 - NO idea if its any good but but would certainly be worth looking at. Over the years I've had some decent electricals/electronics from Aldi and Lidl.

 

[Arjimlad]

https://bristolcycling.org.uk/cycling-with-video-cameras-a-cyclists-perspective-part-3-kit/

I wrote this for Bristol Cycling Campaign - I've done a few posts about kit choices if you search for Arjimlad and Drift they'll come up. It's a shame we have these encounters but in my area they can be reported pretty easily and have consequences for the few dangerous drivers.

 

[neil_merseyside]

I have two chilli bullet cams and mounted on the rear footage is good, front frame or handlebar isn't ideal as coverage wanders a lot. I've decided to try helmet mount as evidence of good observation and Speedo readings can only inform on circumstances. Helmet mount is a self adhesive velcro pad on the helmet and a holster on the cam, I am fairly sure camera mountings would give long before impact became an issue. Only issue is getting consistent camera aim with my preferred over ear mounting, I think my next helmet can account for that.

 

[Two-Wheels]

Thanks for the responses.

vickster - that's a shame. I can see the logic in it though to be fair. I guess you wouldn't really want that as your landing point.

I know front and rear would be the ideal setup but I have a Varia RTL515 on the rear post & I can't sacrifice that as I wouldn't go out without it. Also have a saddle bag. Any rear cam would need to be mounted in a different way.

Looks like i'll have to go the handlebar route then. At the end of the day it'll be better than nothing.

 

[rockyroller]

recently got a gopro8 for a good price. my experiments have been very good. the quality of the video is an upgrade. my last camera was a fairly low profile unit; tube shaped & had no image stabilization so using it on the bars was mostly too jittery. I'm hoping the new camera will work better on the bars so I don't have t wear it on my helmet as much. but I do like the video from the helmet better, for the ability to record what I am looking at. I mounted a quick release mount so it is interchangeable w/ my current cameras, but also I can move it from bars to helmet quickly & easily. I've been playing with the thought of mounting on the front of the helmet so it would be less conspicuous. I think ppl thought I looked ridiculous with the other cameras on my helmet so I don't think they will think much worse for me w/ the gopro on my helmet

 

[Electric_Andy]

I had an "Apeman" action camera a few xmases ago, was about £40 and included mounts, brackets, straps etc. It was only 1080p but the picture was good enough, and sound wasn't bad either (probbaly terrible in the wind though). Maybe buy a cheap one and see how you get on? Then you can upgrade, or if it just does the job of recording to an acceptable standard then you can keep it. Dpeends on what you want from it; if it's just to capture potential incidents then I would think you just need one with 1080p and a waterproof case, adequate mounts and a battery that will last your desired time?

It was square, but very small.