Recommendations for front and rear cameras

[PipBaker]

Hi all,
Wish I had posted sooner regarding something cheerier and not out of desperation/frustration with feeling vulnerable on the road. Two nights in a row I have been close passed on a short commute home from work on a downhill section; where there is no need to be impatient . But its happening. So Im now feeling I need some cameras on the bike for this reason. Not solely; I would love to take some high quality video of long rides, taken through some nearby beautiful Sussex scenery too! Not looking to spend lots of money but am willing to invest in quality, preferably 1080p 60fps
Thanks in advance

[ClappedOut]

Interested in your choices, always fancied 360 go pro rig, but a 360 camera would be interesting, but they have I believe it is fish eye lenses.

Or some sort of bullet cam and recorder setup or motorcycle camera and power bank perhaps?

[richardfm]

They are not cheap but I recommend Cycliq cameras
[https://cycliq.com/]

[PipBaker]

Thanks, I had a look on the Cycliq website, seems reasonable when theyre integrated with the lights. Will look out for a set. Dont think I'll buy from GetNastyComputerVirusHere which supply them, Ive had poor experience with them in the past when buying expensive electronic goods

[ratherbeintobago]

Interested in your choices, always fancied 360 go pro rig, but a 360 camera would be interesting, but they have I believe it is fish eye lenses.

Or some sort of bullet cam and recorder setup or motorcycle camera and power bank perhaps?

I think Garmin do one too, though how good it is…

I assume the recommendations are image stabilisation, GPS, loop recording and a wide angle view, though I don’t know if any these things are overkill?

[TrevA]

I don’t think Garmin make the Virb anymore.

I’ve currently got a Cycliq Fly 6 on the rear, coming up to 3 years old and it’s still going strong and I use it 3-4 times a week. It’s got a good battery life, up to 6 hours, which you won’t get from a Go Pro or similar (2 hours if you are lucky). I’ve also got a Cycliq Fly12, buts it’s a heavy, old beast, so I don’t use it on my summer bike. I’ve just bought a ChilliTech Bullet Cam for the front, but it’s a bit rattly and the picture’s not that good. It’s only £40 though, compared to £300 for the Fly12.

[PipBaker]

Interested in your choices, always fancied 360 go pro rig, but a 360 camera would be interesting, but they have I believe it is fish eye lenses.

Or some sort of bullet cam and recorder setup or motorcycle camera and power bank perhaps?

I think Garmin do one too, though how good it is…

I assume the recommendations are image stabilisation, GPS, loop recording and a wide angle view, though I don’t know if any these things are overkill?

Wouldnt say no to those features, a loop would be good for when not wanting to record a 5 or more hour ride across a day. Just wanting to have the footage for feeling like I could use it in the worst case scenario. Not wanting to 'get' drivers, but had a heated argument with someone down in Southwick today and wish I could use it to diffuse the situation quicker. Plus could teach me to not to rise to it too! The Fly 12 is up on ebay atm so will bid on that, and will have a look out for a possible fly 6 for the rear.

[ratherbeintobago]

Cycliq appears to be the go-to but for me, the integrated light and lack of GPS put me off a bit. I suppose lack of GPS gives it a decent battery life.

What ANT+ integration does it do?

[PipBaker]

I think the Ant+ just changes light and brightness settings

[Stevek76]

Can be worth investigating what your local police force considers acceptable for a submission, some are more strict than others regarding elements like hardcoded timestamps etc, particularly worth finding people who submit to that police force as sometimes what the police form says isn't entirely reflective of what they do or do not accept & action on.

I'm not sure a camera necessarily always defuses a situation though, sometimes it can exacerbate it. Best to avoid the argument in my view, just submit the footage and let them deal with the fine.

[ratherbeintobago]

Best to avoid the argument in my view, just submit the footage and let them deal with the fine.

Aye, agreed.

It would be helpful if there were standards for cam footage; I think some forces are better at giving feedback than others too.

[Oorris]

I recently bought a Techalogic dual camera which gives me excellent clarity and good coverage of the road both in ahead and behind. I found that with helmet mounted cameras I needed to position them in just the right place or the extra weight on my head made my neck ache. It took a while to set up so that it captures the same view back and front but I'm happy with it now and I think it's a good deterrent.
I'm inclined to name and shame errant drivers on social media but so far have resisted the temptation.
Recently our local Police were happy to accept my b&w cctv footage of someone trying to steal from my car at night so I guess they'd accept decent colour video if necessary.

[Spen]

I have a sony camera for the front, not sure of the model but it's something like as20. I get about 2 hours from the battery which is now about 5 years old. the image and stabilisation are good at 1080 and 60fps, certainly good enough to read a number plate, so far not needed. There is a problem with fogging in the water tight case supplied but two 1mm holes drilled beneath lens housing solved that (on the underside so there's no rain ingress). It's smaller and cheaper than a gopro but uses the same or very similar sensor. I have a cycliq fly6 on the rear. This is the second one I've had, the first died half way through a ride. About a year ago it became stuck in get home mode, a internet search showed it wasn't the only one. However I recently found it, battery completely dead, so I charged to see if I could alter any settings, and hey presto! it's working, about 3 hours on a charge, might be a software glitch (was updated about 2 months before it died). Needless to say I'd be a bit reluctant to suggest a cycliq but maybe I've just been unlucky.

[David9694]

I’ve recently got a £45 AKASO camera, which is helmet mounted, and is fairly overt. I worry about things getting lost and broken when it’s north of £200. Hopefully you get the ease of use and picture quality at that price. It’s a question of battery life, that being what will give out first. The Akaso came with two batteries, with a claimed 90 minute run time each on video mode; pictures are ok, sound isn’t great. Each time you change the battery the clock and calendar reset, which is its worst feature really. It’s supposed to connect to video apps via broadband but like many users, I don’t find it wants to play.

[ratherbeintobago]

Daft question - if you’ve only got one camera, is it better to have it forward or rear facing?