Author Topic: Recommend a bike camera (Read 3464 times)

Graham the gorilla · « **on:** 06 June, 2016, 07:34:36 pm »

I was recently knocked off my bike by a lorry, It is really hard to prosecute a driver unless there are witnesses, so I'm thinking of buying a camera for my bike.
Can anyone recommend a good camera ?
I'm thinking of the cyclic fly 12 as this has a 10 hour battery and can be charged from a battery pack.
Any advice would be appreciated as I don't know anyone who is using a camera

dim · « **Reply #1 on:** 06 June, 2016, 10:37:42 pm »

the fly 12 is ok, as it has a built in light, but it records oncoming traffic

the fly 6 is good (also has a light) as it records traffic from from rear (thats where you get taken out most times)

2 go pro's 4 are the best .... one mounted to capture footage from the rear, and one to the front, but they cost a lot more than the fly 6-12 combo

I've been looking closely at the cycliq and go pro's as i had a very narrow escape from a guy driving a landrover (his side mirror mirror missed me by less than and inch, and he was travelling at very high speed)

T42 · « **Reply #2 on:** 07 June, 2016, 10:54:19 am »

Go-Pro knock-offs (SJ4000 and the like) can be had for not very much - my two were around £50 each - and are OK as long as you remember to reset the date & time after changing batteries. There's maybe a little more tearing of the image than on the Go-Pro due to vibration, but if you mount one on your hat it should be OK.

Hot Flatus · « **Reply #3 on:** 07 June, 2016, 10:55:51 am »

Firefly 6s K is apparently good

LittleWheelsandBig · « **Reply #4 on:** 04 June, 2019, 07:44:48 am »

After yesterday evening's 'two dickheads in a Beetle' brakechecking incident, I want a decent camera or two for commuting. It/ they need to be able to pick up licence plates in low light and a seatpost mount won't work with my saddlebag. What are the current suggestions from the hive mind?

Frank9755 · « **Reply #5 on:** 04 June, 2019, 12:01:01 pm »

I've been thinking the same so will be interested in suggestions too

Dtcman · « **Reply #6 on:** 04 June, 2019, 01:21:32 pm »

DO NOT go for the torch style ones on eBay. I had one that died after about a month, had it replaced and it died too. The battery doesn't last long either (couple of hours)

I have the rear one built into a light from Aldi (fly6 copy) and that's quite good. get a week of commuting out of it.

still looking for a good front one though.

fuaran · « **Reply #7 on:** 04 June, 2019, 04:05:20 pm »

The DJI Osmo Action looks like a good alternative to a GoPro. And should still be compatible with most GoPro mounts.

grams · « **Reply #8 on:** 04 June, 2019, 09:09:37 pm »

Argos has these ones for £15 if you're budget conscious:
https://www.argos.co.uk/product/8161790

Meanwhile, I currently use one of these, which is not without its flaws (mildly buggy software, mainly), but the battery does last 4-5 hours, or nearer 8 with the long life battery:
https://driftinnovation.com/collections/cameras-new/products/ghost-x

Some combination of GoPro-style mounts and extensions should let you mount either anywhere on your bike.

fd3 · « **Reply #9 on:** 05 June, 2019, 03:33:40 pm »

I have a Dogcam Roadhawk - which I would *not* recommend.

I think that drivers will behave differently if you have an "obvious camera"TM, so to some point a box with a red led is all you need. But when you then have call to use it you need clear image to pick up the license plate (neither of the times I needed it has the camera provided) which means using a lot of battery which means short run-life or large size.

toontra · « **Reply #10 on:** 05 June, 2019, 04:32:30 pm »

The Yi Lite is a very good front camera. It's another GoPro knock-off but quality wise very nearly as good and way superior to the likes of the SJ400 (which I've been through a few of!). Got mine on an Amazon daily deal for around £70.

Frank9755 · « **Reply #11 on:** 07 February, 2020, 09:07:07 am »

Decided to get cameras so I've just spent 3/4 hour researching these and can't decide what to get. I'm at the point of information overload!
Need to stop now and do some work, but any more recommendations would be helpful.

ElyDave · « **Reply #12 on:** 07 February, 2020, 10:11:29 am »

I'm in the same boat here, with two bike and 1 car incidents in 12 months, now serioulsy thinking about both bike and car cams.

I did buy a cheapo chinese bike cam, but it died after about 9 months and the battery was shit. I was using on time-lapse mode to try adn eke it out. What is the collective conscious view on time-lapse vs continuous footage?

Asterix, the former Gaul. · « **Reply #13 on:** 07 February, 2020, 10:47:21 am »

Ditto. A very large farm tractor, oncoming yesterday nearly put me into a deep ditch. If they had, there'd have been no evidence.

HeltorChasca · « **Reply #14 on:** 07 February, 2020, 10:50:29 am »

I went GoPro Hero 7 White so I can multipurpose it’s use. Very happy. Fantastic value.

The Family Cyclist · « **Reply #15 on:** 07 February, 2020, 11:59:56 am »

Is there a difference between black and white for the go pro hero as seems to be about 50 quid extra for black

HeltorChasca · « **Reply #16 on:** 07 February, 2020, 12:08:42 pm »

Quote from: Johnny Faro on 07 February, 2020, 11:59:56 am

Is there a difference between black and white for the go pro hero as seems to be about 50 quid extra for black

Just simpler and less functions. The Black is very cool and ideally, if at the time I could afford it, that’s what I would have gone for. Importantly you can remove the battery and put another in and rotate. My white has a fixed battery which needs planning.

grams · « **Reply #17 on:** 07 February, 2020, 12:29:54 pm »

Since my post above, my Drift Ghost has died under a car (100% my fault). They have since introduced a Drift Ghost XL which has an integrated 9 hour battery and comes with a "waterproof" USB cable for powering it indefinitely.

I'm back to using my Sony AS200V, which is rainproof without an external case and has easily interchangeable batteries (can do it in a few seconds while riding). Pricey though, and batteries only last 90-ish minutes, which is poor by modern standards.

Quote from: ElyDave on 07 February, 2020, 10:11:29 am

What is the collective conscious view on time-lapse vs continuous footage?

I can't imagine timelapse footage is any good for documenting what happenned.

fuaran · « **Reply #18 on:** 07 February, 2020, 03:25:15 pm »

Timelapse photos are usually higher resolution than video. So may be useful to zoom in on details, eg to read a number plate. And easier to look through the photos afterwards, and save the relevant parts.
Though could miss some of the action in between photos, even recording one photo per second.
With 4K video, that can be more useful resolution. Though uses a lot more memory, and may use batteries quicker.

HeltorChasca · « **Reply #19 on:** 07 February, 2020, 04:09:06 pm »

Quote from: fuaran on 07 February, 2020, 03:25:15 pm

Timelapse photos are usually higher resolution than video. So may be useful to zoom in on details, eg to read a number plate. And easier to look through the photos afterwards, and save the relevant parts.
Though could miss some of the action in between photos, even recording one photo per second.
With 4K video, that can be more useful resolution. Though uses a lot more memory, and may use batteries quicker.

True. I used to do this, but less than 500m from home I had an issue with a van. Only thing that wasn’t recorded? That’s right: The van $:-\$

Carlosfandango · « **Reply #20 on:** 08 February, 2020, 02:41:41 pm »

www.chilli-tech.com

LittleWheelsandBig · « **Reply #21 on:** 10 June, 2021, 09:55:16 pm »

I am tempted by a Garmin 360 (record those drivers from all directions) but it boasts a 1 hour run time which won’t even cover a oneway commute.
https://buy.garmin.com/en-GB/GB/p/562010

What camera is out there for an all-weather commuter who needs 2-3hr runtime?

Tynan2 · « **Reply #22 on:** 14 June, 2021, 02:20:13 pm »

Also in the watching with interest camp, for commuting an hour each way.

All my varied accidents have happened in front, granted lots of excitement squeezing past from behind. My claims have been lucky in that the other parties admitted fault, more or less and there were witnesses, London rush hour tens to have lots of people about.

I always likes the idea of a helmet bullet cam on the gounds of a person tends to look at the object of imminent danger, but I see the argument for a backward looking one.

The GoPros and the other square cameras look stupid to me, as irrational as that might be.

Tynan2 · « **Reply #23 on:** 14 June, 2021, 02:37:20 pm »

That fly6 looks too good to be true, not sure if its real footage but the apparent clips of close passes are rather unpleasant.

ah, £199, yikes

Beardy · « **Reply #24 on:** 14 June, 2021, 03:00:16 pm »

Both the 6 and 12 look good, at nearly £500 for the pair I don’t think I’ll be investing any time soon. And besides, I’ve got SON hubs on two of my bikes, but there’s no indication if I can use it to feed electrons to the Fly units while they are in use. Not being ab;e to do so would be another reason not to buy them.