Taking photos while moving
 

Does anyone know if there is a camera that allows you to take photos while biking? There are lots of times I would like to take a pic of something but I don't want to stop and take camera out. Any ideas?

How fast can you get your phone out of your pocket?

If you are worried about aiming then maybe put it in video record mode or get you a gopro, virb, or some other video camera that you can put on helmet or bike. You can edit a still out of the video. Though quality won't be as good as a decent still photo shot.

If you want, there are drones with cameras that can be set to follow you. Though they get lost sometimes.

For me , if I really wanted the picture, I would stop.

GoPro has a voice mode that will take a photo when you tell it to. It also has a continuous shooting mode that will take a pic at pre-determined intervals. The wide field of view takes a more realistic photo of what you are seeing vs. a cell phone camera.

Video camera, grab still frames later. I do that a lot. VLC media player is great for frame grabs or short video snippets from long, boring bike videos.

Or set the video camera to still mode. Most can be set to shot a still every few seconds.

Mount the camera on your helmet and it'll photograph whatever you look at. With a handlebar mount and ballhead you can twist the camera to aim other directions as needed.

Sometimes I'll tuck an Olympus Toughcam into a jersey pocket for pix, but I don't often use it on group rides. I don't trust my balance enough to take my eyes off the road. I don't even look at the camera -- I set it to wide angle and just point the camera where I'm looking. I can fix level and crop issues later in Lightroom.

And I've seen too many cyclists fumble their cell phones to take photos -- worst ergonomics of any photography device, like a bar of soap.

Please pardon my preachiness. Personally, this sounds about as safe as texting while driving and we all know how we feel about that. In addition, any shot you grab under these circumstances will likely be of less than stellar quality.

Helmet mounted video camera.

So, you can turn your head towards whatever is interesting, then do video caps later.

Some of them are getting to be pretty extraordinary resolution. 4K?

Of course, unedited, that will chew up your memory storage quickly, but should be good at capturing license plates and "events".

It would be nice to have a remote bluetooth button for still photos. Perhaps they have that option. :foo:

It looks like there are a couple of Gopro remotes. I haven't tried them, but presumably they could be configured to snap photos with a push of the button on the bars.

And you might consider that your skill level is not necessarily equal to your confidence level.

People who text while driving tend to have the same view of their competence. Most go for their entire lives without having an accident. Nonetheless, controlled experiments indicate that using the phone in any way while driving impairs your responses roughly as much as being legally drunk while driving (an activity that also usually does not end in tragedy.) The take-away for thoughtful people should be that we are terrible judges of our own abilities on such matters, and that past luck should not be confused with being in control.

@tclune; You are clearly entitled to your opinion. If you are talking about a grab shot along the lines of "I was here" you're correct there as well. Anything beyond that level, I stand by my experience as a serious amateur for more than fifty years in both analogue and digital photography as well as my comment about distracted cycling.

I have a Garmin mounted on the handlebars so if it's in front of me, a simple touch of the screen will catch it. Otherwise, I slip it out of the cradle and do it properly while riding with no hands. Makes for a much sharper image than bouncing on the handlebars. I'm with ogmtb on this. It's definitely not the same as texting while driving! Sheesh, that's so much easier....

If you say so. ;)

Yeah; don't take photos while moving (unless, of course, you're riding stoker on a tandem). "Distracted cycling" is just stupid--dangerous for you and for anyone around you, pedestrian, cyclist or car.

You should stop to drink from the water bottle too- sheesh.

I use a small point & shoot. The quality is not always great, but it's fun.

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...06e024c4b6.jpg
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...aef8577595.jpg

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...285d5e8474.jpg

I've taken countless photos while moving. This is one of my favorites. It takes some skill, but done under the right conditions it's not dangerous. Saw maybe three vehicles in 30 miles on that road.

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...e3c1b1c46a.jpg

IKR. I almost hit like a dozen pedestrians and a ground squirrel snapping this pic. And you don't see any cars or other cyclists because they all swerved off down the hill or into the trees to avoid hitting me. Learned my lesson good.

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...988db51972.jpg

Yep.

Perhaps @tclune can tell me what appreciable risk I exposed myself and others to while taking this shot:

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...17e84d6b28.jpg

On the TD, I've taken a lot of pictures while moving. Sometimes I stop to take in a vista, other times it is to just take note of something.
When in "bikepacking" mode, I am usually wearing baggie shorts and I keep my Olympus TG-4 in a front pocket where it is readily available.
It is a matter of being comfortable doing something.

The hottest thing is drones with "follow me" technology. To give just that perfect aerial photo.

Is there even any place to get film developed these days?

I have a Topeak bag that fits on the stem of my bike. I think it is meant for a phone, but it fits my small point and shoot camera perfectly. I usually bring it on vacations to take pictures. It is pretty easy to pull out take a shot and put back in while moving along. However, I only do it on quiet country roads where I feel it is safe. Otherwise, I would get off and take a picture.

I believe some large pharmacy chains still do it, although I think they send it out. Rite-Aid, for example. I would Wally World also processes film.