Bike camera

[trousersnake01]

Before I start,  I can't afford a go pro camera.

I do about 100 miles a day and a couple of European trips a year and always like to use a camera recording on the bike just for piece of mind really that I'll catch that knob that has me off.
I'll put some pics on below of what I have and what I'm planning.
I've been using the rechargeable bullet camera for a few which has given great service, but the rechargeable cells are no longer holding a charge.
The downfall with it when it was working great is that it only has a couple of hours charge and two and a half hours recording on a 8gig max card.  So I would have to put it on charge all the time and keep taking the SD card out to pop in my phone or computer to wipe.
So i want a couple of things to make me happy.
A bike powered camera and one that will just keep recording over and over going over previously recorded film in a loop.

So I'm going to try this.
Its a cctv DVR that holds a 32 gig SD card and runs off of 12v and store's film in a loop so doesn't run out of space.
It will take any CCTV camera at the same frame rate as my old one.
Its two inches square by about three quarters so will drop into the tank glove box. 
Just waiting for the camera to come to test it out.
You can also fit an external mike for sound however I normally end up editing the sound out due to the horrible wind noise but with an external mike that can be buried under the tank so you just hear the engine roar.
Anyway,  If you are into bike cameras I would appreciate your views on my proposed project.
Hopefully be able to attach pictures as doing this on my phone.

[alibx11]

If you check out the following thread you'll see what I bought, fits your needs exactly, as it's the same requirements I had when looking for one, great thing is you can hardwire it into the accessory wire and it will automatically start and stop every time the ignition is switched on and off... check it out, there are plenty of other cams available, but this one suited my needs perfectly.....

http://www.gtr1400.co.uk/forums/index.php/topic,2460.0.html

[pistole]

- being as i am also a cheapskate , had considered various car recorder units like those above. They're very very cheap , can take a memory card up to 32 GB and is powered from a cig.socket.

- only concern was the non-waterproof function and maybe they don't take vibration(s) very well.

- its probably a better "economy" setup than your convoluted thing that you're trying to do there with separate recorder + cam situation , where there are multiple possible failure modes. Something that you'd be very pissed at when you find you've not recorded anything after a 3 hours brilliant bit of road ...

- that said , my GoPro Hero3 is fantastic and would recommend it to anyone. It makes its money back easily with the quality of the recordings that it gives you , its durability and ease of use (ie , mount and forget). The budget White Edition is cheap and does most of what you would want from a cam mounted on a moving vehicle.

- that and with a GoPro , you can go crazy with mounting points (my next experiment is to strap it onto my boot). Mounted on the swingarm with a shaftdriven bike is no fun because of the whine from the shaft drive's gears esp from on-off-on-off throttle application.

- cheers

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[Lonewolf]

Mr Snake I personally wouldn't bother with a camera such as you have bought as I fear the quality will  be a disappointment....but I could be wrong.  Even expensive cameras can produce poor quality results if the lens quality is poor.


I bought a camera system before the GoPro which set me back £250 and it was trash, it was promptly returned. A HD mini camcorder something from Comet would be a good idea, they are reasonably cheap now and offer full HD. Stick one on a Ram mount to the clutch reservoir bolts and Bobs your Uncle.

[O.C.]

there are so many options available ...but the only way to establish if any of them are as good as they claim, is to try them, so give it a go Trousersnake, and don't forget to let us know what you think

I've used a Go Pro for about 3-4 years now and its very very good, but they are pricey.

Don't dismiss the really cheap end of the market as these little fellas do perform quite well, and its possible to attach them almost anywhere on your bike  ...okay I know they aren't super quality with edit facilities etc., but they do work, and possibly better than you might think

http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_trksid=p5197.m570.l1313&_nkw=key+fob+camera&_sacat=0&_from=R40

[SirToU]

I'll give my 2p worth.

hmmm, I understand the "want" for an accident camera, and actually, the cheaper end of the market will do fine for this, likely hood is, as along as it shows actions, what do you need it really detailed for?  your only recording the last minute or so before the accident. it then becomes vitually useless as its potentially going to be pointing at the scenery from a very low vantage point! ;-)

If however your wanting to use it to record your trips across europe for posterity, then that a different matter. and some thing like the Go Pro or Drift 720HD is a must.  The quality these cameras give is astounding and can be multi purpose for the cost.  something like this is full 1080p and I would have thought more than adequate for you.  the onboard footage on this link is the older 1080p drift camera https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NF62Gbmu0LU. 

So I think, you need to work out what its really for first.  Suggestion though - for a 15min trip - suction mounts are excellent, for anything longer - I wouldn't use one!  Drift has bounced down the motorway twice - but it still works.  :-)

hope that helps.

Neil

[Debs]

Im going to get this one when I can afford it... It was rated very highly on the gadget show..

http://dx.com/p/hd-1080p-mini-sports-dv-5-0mp-cmos-water-resistant-camera-camcorder-with-tf-2-leds-1-red-laser-119097

BTW.. Re the GoPro.. What does it record in? Most Ive seen record in AVI and requires converting to MP4

[O.C.]

Mine records in AVI Debs, I don't know about the latest GoPro Hero models

[pistole]

BTW.. Re the GoPro.. What does it record in? Most Ive seen record in AVI and requires converting to MP4

- my Hero3 records in MP4

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[Debs]

- my Hero3 records in MP4

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Thats interesting to know. thx pistole

My car cameras also record in AVI and its a right pain in the ass to convert it..

[trousersnake01]

If you have an android phone then they take the memory cards from the cameras and you can download apps that play the AVI files or you can download apps to convert them to other type of files. And there are also apps where you can edit and shorten and add music.

[Debs]

If you have an android phone then they take the memory cards from the cameras and you can download apps that play the AVI files or you can download apps to convert them to other type of files. And there are also apps where you can edit and shorten and add music.

I have those apps but its still a pain.. Plus I use a Mac.. I also have windows installed on it.. Cannot play AVI files from my cameras on Mac, so have to do it all on windows.. Grrrr

Also have a windows phone so no removable memory card, but dont have that problem as it works great on Mac with a lead... Bloody technology... Grrrrrrrr 

[trousersnake01]

Deb's, what about getting yourself a cheap android tablet, about 70 quid, or get yourself the best phone ever, the Galaxy S3, or wait a month for the S4 to come out.


This is a video recorded on my cheap camera that I have just retired due to its battery.
This was taken when I was in Spain last year.  I love being able to look back at my trips, we normally do one a year to World War One and Two stuff around Europe.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEDEh3PM51Y

[trousersnake01]

This is a picture taken from my current CCTV so I'm hopping it will be good enough on the bike.  But we're see.

[pistole]

- sorry to say , but that resolution from a static camera is very poor. If the same camera were mounted on a moving platform , the resolution would be even worse.

- just for your comparison , below is a moving photo grab on the GpHero3 using the 0.5 seconds time-lapse setting :

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- not trying to deter you ... and good luck with your testing.

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