Cycle helmet camera

[jon.mithe]

Hi,

Trying to figure out if these are worth the money / hassle. Basically I commute through london 5 or 6 days a week. I've been involved in one accident a year ago were a car from a parked position swung out to do a u-turn and utterly lambasted me as I was cycling down the road. The driver was completely in the wrong, but in the shock of it all I did not think get his details nor the people who helped me + witnessed what a d*ck the driver had been - live and learn...

So I'm thinking about getting one head cameras of these primarily to back myself up / cover my own arse, i.e. if something like that happens again I can go straight to the police with what actually happened rather than he said / she said conjecture. Especially as in my accident the car driver was saying "why didnt you brake" (grrr)...

Also, in my 2 years of commuting I can think of a handful of instances where some driver has almost knocked me off with dangeours driving. I here there are places where you can submit these videos and the police take action? Does anyone know if this process actually works? I wouldnt want to do this normally or for every bit of bad driving, no-ones perfect and what nots, but just for those instances where its plain stupid / over aggressive / dangerous driving and if he continues like that, its only a matter of time before some cyclist is knocked.

Just wandering here if anyone has any thoughts on all of this / uses a camera? I'm about to research cameras, any good brands / models? If I do this I would spend that extra bit of money to get something with a decent framerate / quality so you can see everything clearly.

Thanks,
Jon

 

[supercooper]

helmet cam I bought try this link its one I bought and it cost less than £15 and for the money it is fantastic . it has a high shutter rate and low light response. The only thing is with it coming from Japan it takes about 3 weeks for delivery. Hope this helps..........p.s 320656331398 this is the ebay item No. if you have trouble with the link

 

[mummra]

I've just got a coutour GPS from Evans last week. Very happy with the quality of the video but I think there are some issues with the firmware. I'm having to remove the battery after every couple of goes to reset the device after it's hung. It was quite expensive but I got Evans to price match me a website about £40 cheaper than their site.

I got it too for the same reasons as you after being knocked off though I've found that vehicles (and wildlife) have started to aim for me now.

Not sure what I'm doing with the video though as I'm using Windows Movie Maker to edit it at the moment.

 

[sabian92]

helmet cam I bought try this link its one I bought and it cost less than £15 and for the money it is fantastic . it has a high shutter rate and low light response. The only thing is with it coming from Japan it takes about 3 weeks for delivery. Hope this helps..........p.s 320656331398 this is the ebay item No. if you have trouble with the link

How did you fit yours on your helmet? I've got one (and I paid a damn sight more than 13 quid as well, unfortunately...) and I can't work out how. I've got all the brackets and stuff but I can't work out how, although saying that fitting a saddle bag almost got the better of me so you can see how bad I am with stuff like that...

 

[downfader]

Hi Jon!

Theres loads of options if you do decide to tread those waters, it all depends on a) budget and b) use.

With a) the more you spend the better the camera generally is. You'll more likely get HD thesedays, and more likely better quality in low light. There are two main types of sensor: CMOS and CCD. CCD will be the one for the dark, but CMOS aint far behind and is cheaper.

With b) you have to assess how you'll use it (bars, helmet, etc); if you need a waterproof unit; if you need sound, etc... video format may be an issue for some, but most will load into windows movie maker.

Muvi clones can be had for about £20, a fully pro kit (that gets used on Ski Sunday, Top Gear, Rallies, etc) anywhere between £200+


There is a thread of cameras (in commuting iirc) if you want to look for it. It lists most of the favourites used (not just for reporting drivers but vlogging, campaigning, educational vids, etc)

 

[cloggsy]

helmet cam I bought try this link its one I bought and it cost less than £15 and for the money it is fantastic . it has a high shutter rate and low light response. The only thing is with it coming from Japan it takes about 3 weeks for delivery. Hope this helps..........p.s 320656331398 this is the ebay item No. if you have trouble with the link

Do you have an example of the footage taken with this camera please?

 

[rockyraccoon]

Do you have an example of the footage taken with this camera please?

+1

 

[gaz]

In my opinion it is worth buying a better quality camera. It doesn't have to be HD.

The pro's are

• better quality
• better field of view
• better options
• easier to use
• better mounting options
• easier to mount

For example, the muvi's and muvi clones don't have the best mounting options. The quality isn't as good as other cameras but for their price is good. The mounting is appalling and lining up your shot can be hit and miss! The biggest downside is the field of view, it has something like a 62degree viewing angle, compare that to a gopro which is around 170 degrees then the difference in what you see in the video is vast.
Things like drivers passing too close will look very different on a muvi when compared to a go pro.

My choices are ContourHD's, GoPro or drift innovation cameras

 

[cloggsy]

My choices are ContourHD's, GoPro or drift innovation cameras

All great cameras Gaz, but the cost differences are huge; 10 times + the cost of the eBay special!

I'd just like to see some footage taken on the £13.99 camera

 

[gaz]

All great cameras Gaz, but the cost differences are huge; 10 times + the cost of the eBay special!

I'd just like to see some footage taken on the £13.99 camera

10x the cost, 100x the camera.

 

[downfader]

All great cameras Gaz, but the cost differences are huge; 10 times + the cost of the eBay special!

I'd just like to see some footage taken on the £13.99 camera

The ebay-special uses a cheap CMOS sensor that is about half the size of the more expensive cameras. The frame rate and picture processing wont be as fluid or detailed as the more expensive cameras.

This was filmed with an ebay-special style of camera:
View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcpHJLiQutw

This with a higher quality CMOS sensor:
View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVAU1QsRL5A

This with a CCD sensor (and about 10x the cost of the ebay-special type):
View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QiAEqAUwCu0

CCD at night:
View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgwU4rBGDOw


Quality counts when it comes to plate recording.

 

[cloggsy]

The ebay-special uses a cheap CMOS sensor that is about half the size of the more expensive cameras. The frame rate and picture processing wont be as fluid or detailed as the more expensive cameras.

This was filmed with an ebay-special style of camera: http://www.youtube.c...h?v=bcpHJLiQutw
This with a higher quality CMOS sensor: http://www.youtube.c...h?v=AVAU1QsRL5A
This with a CCD sensor (and about 10x the cost of the ebay-special type): http://www.youtube.c...h?v=QiAEqAUwCu0
CCD at night: http://www.youtube.c...h?v=FgwU4rBGDOw

Quality counts when it comes to plate recording.

Which camera are use using at the moment Mr 'fader?

 

[downfader]

Which camera are use using at the moment Mr 'fader?

Most recent one is the HDS-720p by Camsports. Good quality video in daytime, slightly let down by battery and video time and a forward facing flashing light showing its recording...

http://downfader.blogspot.com/2011/02/camsports-hd-s-720p-camera-review.html

The next one up by Camsports is bulkier but better options. I also own one but havent got around to using it in anger, LOL.

 

[bilboburgler]

I have a few practical concerns
1) when you are in the deep stuff you are unlikely to remember to switch it on
2) So you need to have it running all the time
3) If you don't have it running all the time why not just keep a mobile around your neck, when you have got up off the floor you can start using it.

I'd love to see the conclusions of this as this is critical issue for all our safety

The other thoughts I've had on road safety concern making yourself more visisble and by this I don't mean a vest

1) Enormous flappy jackets
2) large horn (pardon me ) a constant noise like a very load car
3) a horn like they sell the kids in Damascus which hits 100dBA every tme but kills the batteries
4) Sticky out flags all over the bike making it look about the size of a car so even the biggest idiot can see you coming
Any ideas