Handlebar camera for high quality output

[Cugel]

.....not for anything to do with "safety" or catching naughty motorists. I hardly see any motorists at all out in West Wales back roads. Those I do come across are generally very considerate.

To elaborate, I'd like a small, waterproof, shockproof and very well stabilised camera for taking high quality 4K as well as still pics whilst on the move on the bike. I don't wear a helmet so the camera would need to be mountable on the handlebars, meaning it would have to manage stabilisation (of either the camera itself or it's footage) very well indeed.

The only examples I've looked at are various GoPro models, which seem to be technically good at getting the high quality of output but not so good in terms of their use and resilience. They're also relatively expensive, although I don't mind paying more to avoid CSOs (camera shaped objects).

So .....

Anyone with GoPro experience (models 9 and above) for handlebar-mounted use?

Anyone recommend other brands/models that produce high quality output when used on a bicycle and are resilient?

Thanks in anticipation.

Cugel

PS I have searched the forum but the vast majority of posts I've read seem to be about camera use in catching those naughty motorists rather than producing high quality prosthetic cycling memories for when I'm too decrepit to get on a bike anymore.

[richardfm]

I have an earlier version of this https://cycliq.com/bike-cameras/fly12-sport/
It's not cheap, but the footage is good and it doubles as a light

[brianleach]

I have the GoPro Max. The stabilisation is exceptional despite the sh*t Hampshire roads. Not so keen on the 360 degree aspect as it seems to accentuate my stomach!!! Not cheap though and I have to say the stabilisation on my very old JVC action camera was also very impressive. I am not sure they are made now though.

[Audax67]

One Alsacienne I know of did Strasbourg-Tibet with a full-size dSLR on a handlebar mount. I have her DVD somewhere in my office midden. She had the disconcerting habit of taking the camera off the bars while riding to film herself doing bits of commentary without any warning, so that you thought she was crashing. Brilliant ride, though, and superb-quality video. IIRC she got the worst reception in Switzerland, the best in Turkey, and only had anything pinched in Georgia.

[thirdcrank]

I've no recent experience of this but if your aim is winning an Oscar then give a thought to the sound recording, unless you intend to dub your soundtrack later. In the fairly early days of digital video I bought what was then the latest thing - from JVC - and mounted it on a front rack on my shopping bike. The idea was to film examples of CycleUNfriendly Infrastructure. The road noise from the front tyre and the wind noise were overpowering.

[brianleach]

give a thought to the sound recording

A very good point. The GoPro is good for stability but does pick up road noise of all sorts, including my heavy breathing!!!

[Stroudy]

Also consider a chest harness for the GoPro (or other brand). Your body acts as a damper to the vibrations and shocks of the road or trail. I also found the footage more enjoyable with a view of the bars, etc. than out front on the bike, which gives a sort-of 'flying' impression, if that makes sense.

[st599_uk]

One issue with all small action cameras is that their shutter speed is far too high. It creates an falsely sharp picture which then causes loads of encoding errors and aliasing (Watch any YouTube from a handlebar mounted GoPro or similar, the pavement will be a mess of randomly moving blocks).

You can get Neutral Density filters (ND) to bring the shutter speed down and induce a bit of motion blur which will clean up the coding.

Also look for a camera that can match the framerate to the local mains lighting, or you'll get flickering lights and changing levels whenever you're not naturally lit.

[re_cycler]

A direct competitor to the Go pro would be the DJI Action 3.
Both seems to have their individual merits. There are plenty of You Tube videos comparing the two.
https://www.dji.com/uk/osmo-action-3

You're not thinking of cluttering up your handlebars with electronics ?

[Cugel]

Thanks for all the replies.

After further consideration and a read of various reviews of the models mentioned, I've decided to take another path - a drone camera with active tracking that means you can get the wee thing to follow you on the bicycle. Such a drone will be far more useful for other photography besides the recording of some nice sections of a bike ride .... although it seems it can do that too. More expensive, though.

Reviews of GoPros and their ilk all seem to suggest that the firmware can be flakey; and that videos produced are likely to be very boring, as they provide a single point-of-view.

****************

So .... anyone using a tracking drone to follow and video or photograph bits of their bike ride? An essential element seems to be not just the tracking ability but also the 3-axis collision avoidance capability that detects up coming obstacles in real time and automatically flies the drone around them.

Cugel

[re_cycler]

Using a drone on your own may be tricky as technically the CAA require you to be able to see the drone at all times and have control over it. Battery life can be fairly short dependent on wind conditions, so on the smaller drones you'll likely have under 15 minutes per battery charge.
It may be worth having a read of this before making a decision.
https://www.caa.co.uk/drones/rules-and- ... -uk-rules/

[Cugel]

Using a drone on your own may be tricky as technically the CAA require you to be able to see the drone at all times and have control over it. Battery life can be fairly short dependent on wind conditions, so on the smaller drones you'll likely have under 15 minutes per battery charge.
It may be worth having a read of this before making a decision.
https://www.caa.co.uk/drones/rules-and- ... -uk-rules/

It seems to be less restrictive if the drone weighs less than 250 gms (which is why many weight 249 gms) but the CAA still want a user to register if the drone is to be used in public spaces. I would, anyway, register and do their "how to use a drone properly" course.

I wasn't thinking of having this possible drone follow me and t'ladywife for whole bike rides but rather to do a follow-on or follow-in-front movie only for those brief sections of a ride in the most scenic backroads, where there's very little chance of seeing other traffic; and when other traffic does come along, it can be seen well before it reaches we cyclists.

We hope also to gradually amend our cycling from mostly "get-fit" rides to more of the tourist kind albeit the tours will all be relatively short and certainly less than one day - but with lots of stops. There's be stopping!? Yes, although not something I've done for decades, except for road junctions and the cafe. A drone camera is likely to enable a wider range of viewpoints than those available from a road-stop with a static camera.

But so far, just a thought.

Cugel

[gazza_d]

As far as cameras go a Techalogic CF-1 may fit the bill.
Good 1080p image quality. Upto 7 hours battery life.
Has a go-pro mount on the case so can be used with handlebar go-pro mounts and things like chest harness.

The downside as you've mentioned is that it is a single view point.

[re_cycler]

I wasn't thinking of having this possible drone follow me and t'ladywife for whole bike rides but rather to do a follow-on or follow-in-front movie only for those brief sections of a ride in the most scenic backroads, where there's very little chance of seeing other traffic; and when other traffic does come along, it can be seen well before it reaches we cyclists.

In that case you could have a lot of fun and end up with some great film and photos. It's worth keeping an eye on the CAA rules as they're at present updating a lot of them, but haven't fully explained what that means for users. There is talk of exemptions for existing users going up to 2026.

[Redvee]

GoPro Hero9 should be cheap given there was a Hero11 released a few months ago. GoPros have good stablisation and I record in 4k60fps. Regarding a drone, you could always use the same drone as Jeremy Vine