OT: bike cams?

[Kurt Wallace Martin]

any suggestions for basic traffic-capturing cameras? I’d love to start getting footage of the many magical bay area commuting moments.
I like the power of a helmet cam for capturing what I’m looking at, but I’m curious about cams that just get all of the shenanigans from the bars or seat post, too...

kurt

[Corey Siegel]

+1, same boat. I've been looking on Ebay for a 1st or 2nd gen GoPro to cut down on price, but would love recommendations.

kurt

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[Darrin Ward]

+1

i have been thinking the same thing.  the go pros just seem a bit clunky to me. 

[Judd Blair]

K-edge has a sweet combo mount that fixes that problem - Garmin mount on the top, GoPro on the bottom. There's tons of other options for cameras out there, but I would highly recommend looking at mounting solutions as a driving factor behind your camera choice, and GoPro has that on lock.

[Darrin Ward]

wow okay i hadnt seen http://www.amazon.com/K-Edge-Garmin-GoPro-Bicycle-Computer/dp/B00OC7ESOQ

thanks judd

[Dave Blizard]

I got a gopro as a gift.. so I've been using it and really liking having a record of my rides. It's easy to use and the iphone interface really makes it simple. I'm not sure of pro's and con's regarding other devices.. but so far I'm happy with the results. Battery life might be a concern.. but it's been fine on 1.5 hour rides. 

I opt'd for a Paul Components Stem Mount which keeps the camera steady, but doesn't offer the ability to view things of interest.. your basically stuck with whatever you capture in the direction your going.

D

On Fri, Mar 27, 2015 at 10:54 AM, Darrin Ward <dmw...@gmail.com> wrote:

[Dave Blizard]

oh snap.. that's even better! :)

[Judd Blair]

Yeah, keep in mind I haven't used one. I helmet mount my Sony ActionCam because I use it mainly for commuting (read: russian dash cam), but it does look really sweet. I can also offer my thoughts on the ActionCam, but they aren't overwhelmingly positive, and to be honest I don't really think action cams are that useful in general unless you're serious about filming a project and use multiple camera angles. Fixed camera angle = booooring. 

Also keep in mind in comes in 2 models - aero and non-aero. Aero is kind of a deceptive name, it just means "short" - it works better with the 500 series vs the big honking garmins. 

[Darrin Ward]

i am actually kind of curious on your thoughts about the sony actioncam 

in honesty i am not particularly all that interesting in recording my rides except for the russian dash cam aspect (catching crazy assholes).  the go pro actually seems interesting if you are doing extreme sports which is not what i would call paradise loop.  though one might argue commuting in sf is extreme sports.

[Judd Blair]

So GoPro and Sony are very, very similar - I don't think one is more geared toward extreme sports than the other, they're going after the exact same market. 

I got a chance to pick up a Sony (AS20) for like, $60, so I figured "why not"? I really like the form factor - length vs the width-wise GoPro, but it turns out the weird GoPro design actually is pretty versatile since you can mount it flat against things (bars, chest, etc). Again, the mounts here really make a difference - there's a bajillion ways to mount the GoPro because of its popularity, less so for the Sony. Then again, the Sony uses a screw-style mount, so in theory it's still pretty versatile. 

GoPro's width means you can cram a larger sensor in there, and (I think) a bigger battery. Another huge issue with the Sony is that the camera gets hot - this means the case fogs up like a mother when you ride in SF weather. They make an official "moisture absorbing thingie" you stick inside the case, but come on...

[James Nishimuta]

I have the Garmin Virb Elite mounted on my handlebars. I got it because it doubles as a cycling computer: it has GPS and ANT+ connectivity. Their video editing software lets you overlay this info on the video if you want to share. Examples

[Judd Blair]

FWIW you can use that VIRB software to take any arbitrary video and overlay a .fit file from your garmin over it. I use my sony cam with it.

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[Ben Blizard]

Amazon tells me people often buy the k-edge with the VIRB (~100 on ebay, you could probably get one for slightly less if you put effort into it).  It looks like VIRB has a go-pro compatible mount?  I don't know what you'd put the on the top of that k-edge, though.  

And, I really like having less things with me on bike rides.  The number keeps going up, and I still only have the same two arms.

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Ben Blizard
Voice: (650) 450-0037

[Eric Altendorf]

I have a Fly6, which seems like much more of what's wanted for security footage.... Always recording continuous loop.  Only problem is they only make a taillight version so far.  Also the post crash auto stop feature sometime misfires on potholes before stop lights.

Silas on mission cycling runs them front and back and caught a pretty epic head on crash in to a deer which now has 3m+ youtube views.

[Ryan C]

I've been very happy with my Garmin VIRB Elite.  Seems to be made by a different group of folks at Garmin than the Edge line considering the relative lack of bugs in the VIRB.  I also appreciate that when my Garmin 810 craps out, the VIRB has a GPS log of my route as a backup.

The VIRB is a bit more sleek on either handlebars or a helmet than the GoPro, and the battery life is better.  I get just short of 3 hrs out of a full charge on the VIRB, and for longer rides using an external battery can allow me to record a full day's worth of riding.  If you want to wear the VIRB on your helmet, it makes you look less like a Tellatubby than the GoPro... not that there is any way to make a helmet-attached camera look good.  Personally, I prefer to have the VIRB on my helmet when riding in SF for the insurance against either idiotic road incidents or harassment by the SFPD, and I use the K-Edge combined Edge/VIRB mount when on longer rides outside town.

I originally decided to fork over the $ for the VIRB after getting a ticket for running a stop sign at the sleepy intersection of Grove & Octavia after stopping (really) at the stop sign.  Without proof that my wheels stopped turning, I didn't have much chance of fighting the ticket.

It's been more fun than I've expected to watch the more interesting portions of my rides - some of the quick downhill descents actually make for pretty good video.

[Kurt Wallace Martin]

a couple of recent, relevant reviews…

fly6 new version: http://www.bikeradar.com/us/road/gear/category/accessories/lights/back/product/review-cycliq-fly6-combination-tail-light-hd-camera-48491/

virb w/ ant+ power: http://www.dcrainmaker.com/2014/02/support-action-camera.html