GoPro, Garmin or Other Action Cams ?

[Damnyankee]

There's a reason the GoPro is so popular, it's simply the best action cam out there but more it takes great still photo's as well. I own the Hero 2 and I'm toying with the idea of going for the new Hero 4 that produces 4K video. My only complaint with the Hero 2 is the audio but it's really not the fault of the camera. Wind noise on the bike is unacceptable but there are a number of fixes, I chose to get an external stereo mic (the Hero 2 does record in stereo) with a 6' cord that allows me to place the mic where the wind noise is less a factor.

I've seen video's from other action cams and they're very good but the GoPro is extreme. I can pkug it directly into my tv's, PC and laptop to view and edit, I can control it with my HTC One phone, edit and send video directly to email, youtube or email from the phone and i'ts extremely durable.

The Hero 4 now has touch screen and built in wifi and bluetooth.   http://shop.gopro.com/on/demandware.store/Sites-GoPro-Site/default/Landing-Hero4

http://youtu.be/_QEokK1-Ttc?list=UUBzPqum0dW1Q3G9OKsLyvkw


http://youtu.be/6qKy5JhQIFA?list=UUBzPqum0dW1Q3G9OKsLyvkw


http://youtu.be/iO7rXXNMyz4?list=UUBzPqum0dW1Q3G9OKsLyvkw

http://youtu.be/6YM4kHS2G-c?list=UUBzPqum0dW1Q3G9OKsLyvkw

[Damnyankee]

:+1 On the 'Contour' range. The shape allows you to tuck the camera in closer to your helmet than the 'gopro' shaped devices, and also if on the side they are perhaps a little less prone to getting smacked by low hanging branches. Some deals on the Contour include the waterproof housing if that matters. Mine has the mini GPS card that lets you track your ride.

A point that matters with ALL the HD cameras though, is make sure the video capabilities of your PC are up to displaying them. For ages I was convinced I had a dodgy camera, with pausing and skipping, but it was only the speed opf the PC not keeping up with the demands of HD playback that was causing the problem. A decent video card resolved that.

Fact! I'm running a Nvidia GeForce GT 610, not top of the line by any means but before I installed it the onboard video was serioulsy horrible.

[Damnyankee]

About Youtube...

When you watch a youtube video can change the settings by clicking on the little gear icon at the bottom right side of the screen. I've noticed that youtube generally selects a lesser resolution when there is an option to switch to higher res. Most of my video's show as 360 or 480p when started when they are actually shot at higher res, some of to 1080p.

[Damnyankee]

I don't understand why people keep churning out these videos. Several minutes of what a person on a road, whether on a bike or in a car, sees in front of him or her is a pretty good definition of pointless.

Nobody who makes serious motorcycle videos uses this kind of footage more than a few seconds at a time, and for good reason. It puts people to sleep.

P.S. I'm talking about road footage, not dirt bike race footage, etc., which is a different issue.

Can't speak for anyone else but for me, they're memories, much like shooting stills at a family gathering. Capturing a few minutes of my rides is not necessarily meant for public viewing but for my own and my family and friends. While my video's may not interest you and that's understandable, to me, they're a part of my life experience and worth every second and every dime I spent on the equipment.  ;-T

[redrider]

Redge, Some may think your comments harsh but not I. I am not a professional videographer nor do I have the time or software to edit and produce a film quality video. Most of what gets posted on 'tube is boring simply because it is a snapshot of one person's day. When I watch my video, I re-live the moment. My pulse quickens, smells are remembered, conversations and stories cherished by me alone. No video made by any one can do all of that for me.Much like having to watch those old 8mm vacation films at family gatherings. Outside of the occasional "Hey Ya'll, watch this.." stunt, I suspect most footage should be left in the cutting room. Makes me appreciate a good film even more.

I also regard more than a few motorcycles as butt ugly although they may perform better than anything in my garage. I like redhead women and Guzzi bikes, others do not.

 Raw and uncut is exactly what life is and all of us only get one lap. Cheers, Friend   

[dan_s]

I've been using a Chinese 808 #16 cam for more than 2 years now. 720p resolution, 40$. I use it on a daily basis as a road cam, inside the helmet. The only problems I had were batteries dying sooner than expected and incompatibility with some memory cards (microSD). With an external battery and and the correct card it works flawlessly so far.
There are better models from the same maker, the Mobius, with 1080p res and the SJ400, 1080p and a viewscreen.
Here's a typical helmet shot. For uploading to youtube I used a simple editing program which deteriorates the image a bit.
http://youtu.be/6KCGe1nBcAw?list=UUQ5Ee833y2aUmb4B0RXGEYw

Excellent cam reviews on techmoan's website techmoan.com

[fotoguzzi]

this ones old but has not had views for awhile, not my best.

https://vimeo.com/33570675

[dan_s]

A comparison between gopro hero and the sj4000 wifi

Budget Action Cam Showdown: GoPro Hero (Full Revi…‏: http://youtu.be/EASnXTyRYE8

[Sack]

I was going to mention the Mobius also. Considering its price ($70) it's been just too good a bargain with video that compares very well with the high priced spreads. Self contained, relatively aerodynamic it conceals well to bike and helmet and has become a favorite in the RC world. See YouTube for sample videos.

[redge]

Redge, Some may think your comments harsh but not I. I am not a professional videographer nor do I have the time or software to edit and produce a film quality video. Most of what gets posted on 'tube is boring simply because it is a snapshot of one person's day. When I watch my video, I re-live the moment. My pulse quickens, smells are remembered, conversations and stories cherished by me alone. No video made by any one can do all of that for me.Much like having to watch those old 8mm vacation films at family gatherings. Outside of the occasional "Hey Ya'll, watch this.." stunt, I suspect most footage should be left in the cutting room. Makes me appreciate a good film even more.

I also regard more than a few motorcycles as butt ugly although they may perform better than anything in my garage. I like redhead women and Guzzi bikes, others do not.

 Raw and uncut is exactly what life is and all of us only get one lap. Cheers, Friend   

My hat's off. Hell of a response.

[PICKLEKOOKEN]

I have a Contour cam gps I like my only mistake was my doesn't have a remote mic and plug. I get a lot of wind noise no matter where I put the cam. I cam mount mine on the handle bars, crash bars, and my Helmet. Pic.

[oldmxdog61u]

I have a gopro that has served me well off road and in mx races. Zero problems.  Avi files are big, but the joy of reliving a event is bigger.

[Jerryd]

I do a lot of sailboat racing and we use the GoPro extensively. It gets mounted on the stern rail, the end of the boom looking forward, or at the top of the mast looking down. In addition, I've seen them mounted under the boat to show water flow over the keel or rudder. They really hold up well in the elements.

A friend of mine uses his on his quadcopter to film the races. One day the quadcopter battery wen't dead before it returned automatically to him. The whoe thing crashed in to the cockpit of a moored sailboat, but the GoPro was fine. Also, the sailboat ;)

[redrider]

'twould be nice to see a vid with the passenger controlling the drone on a group ride. Yeah, the GoPro has some packaging advantages. Longer run time and increased payload for the drones is a must.

[SPEIRMOOR]

I always wanted a Contour GPS since borrowing a friends a couple of years ago. I looked on Amazon and ordered this one the other day as the price is good.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009HRRMC6/ref=pe_385040_127541860_TE_dp_1

[bib]

I have the Sony HDR-AS20.
Good low light pictures.
Comes with waterproof housing.
Easy to use.
Good audio. (I believe one of the best for audio)
Also use it to capture movies of grand kids mucking around without them aware.
Do not use Sony PlayMemories software - you will waste a LOT of your time as it crashes for many reasons:
my lesson was when I mixed images captured by a canon camera in the same library as the sony PlayMemories Home.
No more memories played - in fact nothing played. Know problem not corrected.
There are many OS software including windows that will download images from camera to PC... mp4 files.

Be aware GOPro uses its own compression and codec -
cheers

[Xlratr]

I use the Sony Action Cam. The picture quality is very good, design is nice and the price is good. It comes with the water proof housing, which I use all the time.
I use the camera a lot because it fits in your pocket and it's easy to use without being distracted by monitors and stuff. I use it as the family video camera on holidays too.

I've tried several camera solutions while riding, but one thing that was always a problem was hard mounting to the bike (I used a RAM Mount with Tripod adapter). Every camera, regardless of camera type suffered from vibration. The videos at certain engine speeds became unwatchable. So now I just hang it round my neck on a neck strap.   

[redrider]

Vibration is my demon. The rear facing lens on the VIO system is mounted to the underside of the HB rack and is the most steady vids made on the V11. The front lens has been difficult. Fork and handlebar positions are not optimum. Yesterday, I installed the gas cap mount from the Benelli. A RAM camera base plate on that, RAM short arm and another base plate for the lens. Idle vibration is still there but smooth everywhere else. The height above the tank is about 5 inches with my hands in the lower corners at 1080.

[Damnyankee]

Vibration is my demon. The rear facing lens on the VIO system is mounted to the underside of the HB rack and is the most steady vids made on the V11. The front lens has been difficult. Fork and handlebar positions are not optimum. Yesterday, I installed the gas cap mount from the Benelli. A RAM camera base plate on that, RAM short arm and another base plate for the lens. Idle vibration is still there but smooth everywhere else. The height above the tank is about 5 inches with my hands in the lower corners at 1080.

I mostly use the GoPro mounted to my helmets and don't get much vibration. As I noted in another post about audio, once I used the external mic I get much less wind noise since I can place the mic out of the wind. I haven't posted any video since using the mic so, you'd have to take my word for it but as for vibration, mounted to the helmet the GoPro is exceellent.

http://youtu.be/94OzQLJU71s?list=UUBzPqum0dW1Q3G9OKsLyvkw

[father guzzi obrian]

I went with GoPro a few years ago as I am a cretin, when I had a VCR, it always flashed 12:00 as I could not set the time :'(    The GoPro works easily enough for an old fart, I like technology, but I would have to adopt a 10 year old kid to teach me how it works.....

[Damnyankee]

I went with GoPro a few years ago as I am a cretin, when I had a VCR, it always flashed 12:00 as I could not set the time :'(    The GoPro works easily enough for an old fart, I like technology, but I would have to adopt a 10 year old kid to teach me how it works.....

I hear ya father! The GoPro has gotten a little more complicated now that I almost always use the smartphone app but it was just a learning curve. I like being able to see what the camera sees in real time and the fact I can control the camera with my phone via wifi is awesome.I can also control more than a few camera's with the app.

I just looked at the Contour website to see if it's a better deal than another GoPro. Thanks but I'll stick with the GoPro. Contour has pretty good video but not nearly the features of the GoPro.

My oldest son is a videographer and he uses the GoPro for his clients that want 3D.

[scura283]

Lots of info here http://www.webbikeworld.com/motorcycle-video-camera-reviews/reviews.htm

[redrider]

I may have the vibration gremlin on the ropes. Kapsco Moto sold me the tank mount and on the Benelli all was golden. The V11 however was not. Using some flat washers and O rings to isolate the mount at the filler and another set to isolate the bolts, the rolling shutter effect has mostly disappeared. Even the at idle shimmy is gone. I took a short ride at sunset to test. Give me a few and I'll post on tube. Warning, this is only a test. Had this been a real......

Update-the image is 1000% more stable. There is always a solution-finding it can be a pill. Wander over to the Kapscomoto site for a look at the tank mount.

[Damnyankee]

I may have the vibration gremlin on the ropes. Kapsco Moto sold me the tank mount and on the Benelli all was golden. The V11 however was not. Using some flat washers and O rings to isolate the mount at the filler and another set to isolate the bolts, the rolling shutter effect has mostly disappeared. Even the at idle shimmy is gone. I took a short ride at sunset to test. Give me a few and I'll post on tube. Warning, this is only a test. Had this been a real......

Update-the image is 1000% more stable. There is always a solution-finding it can be a pill. Wander over to the Kapscomoto site for a look at the tank mount.

I looked at the tank mount on Amazon after I got the GoPro but after testing all the mounts I have for it including the suction cup, I decided I liked the helmet mount the most. The suction cup mount worked okay on the Bassa tank but I didn't like the perspective. Probably the only way to eliminate vibration is to isolate the camera from the bike but glad the Kapscomoto is working out for ya.

Ehen I use this helmet, I'll have to figure something else out, don't wanna mess up the leather with a stick on mount  ;D

[oceanluvr]

I looked at the tank mount on Amazon after I got the GoPro but after testing all the mounts I have for it including the suction cup, I decided I liked the helmet mount the most. The suction cup mount worked okay on the Bassa tank but I didn't like the perspective. Probably the only way to eliminate vibration is to isolate the camera from the bike but glad the Kapscomoto is working out for ya.

Ehen I use this helmet, I'll have to figure something else out, don't wanna mess up the leather with a stick on mount  ;D

At first I thought that was an early era, futbol  ;D  Wow, that is a nice helmet.  As for the cameras, I guess the overall consensus is, there is no agreement on the best single camera, but the top 3 seem to be GoPro, Sony and Contour/Ion in that order.   

[Damnyankee]

Why I chose the GoPro

http://youtu.be/LyfOf4LqOwQ

[oceanluvr]

Here is what i am going with, after too much time spent reading reviews, watching comparison videos, plus and I think this has been overlooked in the conversation, thinking about how often will I use it?  I mean, how many rides  or other events do you want to record, once the novelty wears off, which it will!  Do I really need a $300 or $400 toy to record some of my motorcycle or boat rides....?  So my pick is the Replay XD 1080 Mini.  My reasons are:

1. Quality of videos is comparable to Go Pro and the other top contenders
2. Small size... Therefore, less vibration and not as obtrusive
3. Price - $149 on Amazon

Below is the link to Replys site along with a few more links.  Will be interesting to have everyone who buys an action cam post a video, so we can compare and/or review, not for content, [for goodness knows, i may be the only one who likes my videos], but for the quality of the camera. Also, if anyone is interested, they do make a 4K pro camera that is state of the art and that goes for around $250 and here is a video of this model, pretty impressive. http://replayxd.com/product/prime-x/
http://enduro-mtb.com/en/first-look-replay-xd-primex-hd-camera/


http://replayxd.com/product/1080-mini/
http://provideocoalition.com/jfoster/story/replay-xd-hd-pov-cameras
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBtMduOTEwA
http://www.amazon.com/Replay-XD-Camera-Black-01-RPXD1080M-CS/dp/B00HJ4RN1E

[leafman60]

If anyone comes across a good deal on these cams for the Christmas season, please post.

I'm in the market.

I's like to see more comparisons of video quality.

[oceanluvr]

If anyone comes across a good deal on these cams for the Christmas season, please post.

I'm in the market.

I's like to see more comparisons of video quality.

You can check out my first video with the Replay WD Mini - Here is the thread  -  http://wildguzzi.com/forum/index.php?topic=73698.0

and the YouTube video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdG1x3UXfgI

[leafman60]

Why did you select that particular camera for purchase?