Cheers wirral_cyclist I guess I can just ignore stabilization.
wirral_cyclist wrote: ↑29 Sep 2021, 7:25pmRecords in 3-6 minute file chunks and will (or won't if you prefer) overwrite oldest file after card fills up, runs 32gb cards out of the card box and only needs a 64 or 128 card re-formatting to fat32 (from exfat).
Does it also record continuously though?
A video I saw had a Ghost camera recording clips but it cut 2 or 3 seconds between each clip.
wirral_cyclist wrote: ↑29 Sep 2021, 7:25pmMy ride was 60 recordings long @3mins so 3hrs and still running, battery good for 4.5hrs ish I believe (spare battery is £6)
Cheers this is all helpful
Regarding stabilization, it can be done after the fact. I never realised it seems to be that stabilization that drains batteries a lot.
We'll always be together, together on electric bikes.
Looks like you've probably got enough advice there already, but for what it's worth... I've used quite a few:
The Chilli tech rear camera is absolutely excellent - image quality is really good, can't remember what the internal battery is rated for but I've never yet run out of battery up to 4-hour rides, it incorporates a light which isn't great and I don't use cos I use a separate rear light. Advantages: cycle record (records over earliest clips so you never have to erase anything) and one-touch record, so no guessing whether it's recording or not - if it's on it's recording. No disadvantages I can think of, I love it.
Before that I used a Cycliq Fly6 - not bad, not great pic quality, good runtime (similar to above), one-touch record, cycle record, internal battery, and incorporates a really good rear light (ditto didn't tend to use it)
For front cameras - the Chilli bullet helmet camera is excellent in a couple of ways but the picture quality isn't so great - the previous version was really terrible, the Mk2 is much better, but still not all that brilliant, though probably good enough just for evidence. Battery life rated at 4 hours, haven't had a chance to test that yet. Removable battery so you can get a spare and extend that 4-hours. Also one-touch, also cycle record, and it's quite light, which is why I've just bought a couple...
...to try and ween myself from my ultimate fave so far which is the Garmin Virb fitted on the helmet (with various zip ties) - I've had this for a couple of years now, absolutely fantastic, really excellent pic quality, so good I've used it for youtube music videos, and it's really well made and totally reliable. One-touch record (well, a slider), but NOT cycle record so you have to remember to erase it. Runtime only about 2-hours but a removable battery so I bought a few spares, always take one along and swap it during the ride. If you've got neck issues it might be a bit heavy.
I used a Contour Roam II for ages, one-slide record, not cycle record but easy one-button card format so no menus just press a button for 5 seconds to erase, not particularly great picture but again good enough for evidence. Only about 3 hours runtime, and internal battery so that's yer lot.
I think the comment about linking to an external battery is beside the point and nothing to do with ignorance; you've already got lights and other faff, you don't want extra hassle - everything should be as simple and fool-proof as possible; one-touch record, not having to erase the thing, and easy fitting to the bike are essential to make it useable on a daily basis. More stuff to connect up makes more risk of stuff going wrong.
None of the above involves any image stabilisation - I've never needed it, though it can be done later on software e.g. iMovie.
In short the only one I'd really rave about is the Chilli rear camera - truly excellent, and I'm not looking for anything else, it's just brilliant!
The front one is pretty good in almost every way, just not great image quality, so I might go back to the Garmin Virb, and I'm watching this thread in the hope of some good tips!
Yeah if it's got a power bank plugged in, it's not going to be waterproof so I'd rather avoid doing it.
Cheers folks, it looks like the Chilli Bullet camera makes the most sense out of everything mentioned so far.
Those are cheap enough to get two of them. It's useful having rear footage of closes passes.
The worst thing about getting knocked off isn't my lower back, leg and elbow bruised/cut, or the scuffs on my saddle and mirror... it's the confidence knock it causes, worrying (even more) about every car at every junction.
We'll always be together, together on electric bikes.
Looks like it's dead-easy to operate. However, for me, mounting on the saddle post would
be difficult, as I have a saddlebag that would obscure the camera lens.
I would probably check out the quality of the Chilli Tech cameras before buying. I looked at them and while they claim to be HD, the video quality seems awful and the frame rate doesn't look to be even 30fps.
Yes I've mostly stopped using a saddlebag in favour of a bottle cage tub for tools & spare tubes etc. and a triangular bag that goes within the frame... but when I do use a saddlebag the camera goes on the frame, on the seat tube below the seat clamp and just peeking between the seat stays - gets slightly more mud spray there but still works.
I've just found that in bright sunshine the Chilli bullet cam sometimes wash out number plates so they're unreadable. And it's definitely not HD unless HD stands for something other than high definition!!
It certainly appears to record continuously, interestingly (or not) irfanview doesn't show the last frame(s), and so appears to jump within the same time-stamped second, however in quick time the footage is as near to continuous as I can judge on the relatively featureless jerky 'honking' footage I had, might be a frame(s) missing but equally it could just be the bike mounting picking up the countersteering a bit.
My wife is out riding with it today, I'll see if I can find a freewheel/downhill section for a really steady picture (on our roads ) with something to gauge how much might be missing (as the file is written presumably?). Any easy reliable way to work out true frame rate?
Manc33 wrote: ↑29 Sep 2021, 8:50am
Cheers Pebble, I'd be clueless linking it up to some other battery lol.
That kind of comment makes me so cross... it's a standard cable in a standard port, and completely solves one of your biggest issues.
Why do some people delight in ignorance? I'm sure it's a relatively recent thing.
A bit harsh, I think. While it frustrates me sometimes that many people do not understand mechanical issues on their bikes I don’t voice such an opinion in their direction, rather I accept that some people’s brains are not wired that way. I too struggle with electrical matters and would rather seek confirmation from the wise than spend the wrong money.
it's the "lol" at the end.
"How would I hook it up to an external battery?", or "how easy would it be?" are perfectly reasonable questions - we aren't all experts in everything, or even very many things, but we do know that there is a wide body of knowledge here, and someone suggesting an alternative probably means that it's worth considering.
I got grumpy and Manc got an undeserved both barrels, apologies.
Last edited by [XAP]Bob on 30 Sep 2021, 4:03pm, edited 1 time in total.
A shortcut has to be a challenge, otherwise it would just be the way.No situation is so dire that panic cannot make it worse. There are two kinds of people in this world: those can extrapolate from incomplete data.
Raph wrote: ↑30 Sep 2021, 12:19amGarmin Virb fitted on the helmet (with various zip ties)
If you do that with a zip tie of much thickness (I suspect even the minimum needed to secure a Virb), you can pretty much kiss most of the impact protection of your helmet goodbye. If the camera scuffs the ground, the zip ties will cut through the expanded polystyrene of most helmets, then the reduced support on one side will result in any air-vent-enabling support skeleton moulded into the helmet failing, followed by the zip tie continuing its cut through the polystyrene and snapping the thin outer shell. If the camera impacts the ground, then it is no different to landing square-on to a rock, which only Snell B97 or better helmets are tested against, which is a few mostly-MTB helmets on sale now.
I'd use a proper breakaway mount, a lighter hat, or at least ride like my head was lots more vulnerable than riding bare-headed.
MJR, mostly pedalling 3-speed roadsters. KL+West Norfolk BUG incl social easy rides http://www.klwnbug.co.uk All the above is CC-By-SA and no other implied copyright license to Cycle magazine.
The Virb is rubber-coated plastic, the Chilli camera is aluminium. If you're worried about the Virb then I wouldn't go near the Chilli either, especially as it'll probably nestle between ridges in the helmet therefore nearer your skull and is held by elastic webbing which I can't imagine breaking, whereas the Virb sits quite high on a moderately secure but very breakable clip with two small spring-loaded dogs that engage holes in the camera.
Yes the zip tie is pretty feeble, it only goes through one small hole in the mount - I only used the plural because it's not long enough so it's two daisy-chained, which doubles the failure points, and "various" was cos of many different configurations to get it vaguely stable. When I first put it on my previous helmet I did break it off deliberately just to see what would give first (didn't like the helmet anyway so took the risk) - the clip and camera came off together, the zip tie gave way and the helmet didn't even dent. The hole in the mount is meant for a tiny thumbscrew - limits the zip tie to tiny so you can't use a fat one anyway.
Also in either case (Chilli or Virb), it's right on top, which is the least likely impact point - hence many helmets of old prioritising sides rather than top in the days before making them from expanded polystyrene. (remember the "skid lid"? Sides only, big hole in the top!)
The worst from that point of view was the Contour Roam, as it went on the side, though you can turn the lens 90deg so could fit it on top in theory.
The issue of helmet safety pretty much counts out putting anything on any helmet - I've had this discussion many many times. If your head hits something head-on it doesn't matter how breakable the furniture is, it'll still go right through into your head.
Garmin Virb fitted on the helmet (with various zip ties)
at least ride like my head was lots more vulnerable than riding bare-headed.
I do anyway. If I regularly tore around through city centre traffic I'd probably think up something else. Where I live I'm more likely to hit tarmac at an angle than anything head-on. But anyway I was actually commenting on picture quality and battery life - put it on the bars if you prefer (I did for a while), I think some of the attachments are same as Go-Pro.
Raph wrote: ↑30 Sep 2021, 2:52pm
Also in either case (Chilli or Virb), it's right on top, which is the least likely impact point - hence many helmets of old prioritising sides rather than top in the days before making them from expanded polystyrene. (remember the "skid lid"? Sides only, big hole in the top!)
Only the tops of helmets are tested by the current standard EN1078, not the sides. It seems very strange to me to compromise the only standard protective area.
The issue of helmet safety pretty much counts out putting anything on any helmet - I've had this discussion many many times. If your head hits something head-on it doesn't matter how breakable the furniture is, it'll still go right through into your head.
Yes, if you're hitting anything other than the road or a kerb with the top of a EN1078 helmet, or anything with any other part, you're into unknown territory anyway.
[...] put it on the bars if you prefer (I did for a while), I think some of the attachments are same as Go-Pro.
A much better idea IMO.
MJR, mostly pedalling 3-speed roadsters. KL+West Norfolk BUG incl social easy rides http://www.klwnbug.co.uk All the above is CC-By-SA and no other implied copyright license to Cycle magazine.
I usually like the LOL - it just takes the seriousness away from any comment someone makes, helps to interpret what is trying to be conveyed. It is like someone saying something then smiling or shrugging their shoulders.
Anyways - what is the idea of helmet mounting a camera when on a bike, I don't always where a helmet, so a permanent attachment to the bike means the camera comes on every ride, also the tethered battery would be a problem with a lid on.
Actually one aspect of having a camera on your bars is that the audio is pretty much totally road/bearing/brake noise, but on the Chilli bullet cam if you use the waterproof rear cover, the audio is fairly worthless anyway so you wouldn't be losing much. For me it's more a matter of the video being not just straight ahead but catching stuff like passengers taking a swipe leaning out of car/van windows (one such vid went to the cops last year), a handlebar cam wouldn't have caught that. A handlebar mounted camera often misses the relevant bits of action. The solution might be to use two, pointing outwards 45deg left & right, maybe on the ends of the bar like where you'd put a mirror. Hmmm...
) with something to gauge how much might be missing (as the file is written presumably?). Any easy reliable way to work out true frame rate?
