Redbullet

Hi,

I wonder whether this issue is common to all actions cameras mounted on handlebar:

I opted for a "SJCAM" alternative, which is way cheaper than a Gopro 7- 8 black. The movies of the camera (with stabilization) are reasonable in 2K and 4K, although they might be a little lower quality than Gopro - no problem with that, it is covered by lower price.

However, there is a big issue: the sound is pretty much unusable, due to strong crackling that is induced by small vibration of the bike on the road. Is it an issue for any action cam mounted on handlebar, or is it a design flaw of this particular model?


A sample is posted here: Please ignore the "bottom of the barrel" sound, it has been fixed by them by a new firmware, but the strong crackling is still there and it ruins any sound.


Thanks

DrIsotope

The noise (to me) sounds like either the mount, or it picking up something clicking/tapping on the bike itself, like cables. Is it in a case? What type of mount is being used?

I would try different mount positions, and see if anything changes. If it's in a waterproof case, make sure the camera is tight in the case so it can't vibrate.

rumrunn6

yeah I get that too. didn’t always. I shy away from the bars & use the helmet instead

WhyFi

Yup, I got this kind of noise on my GoPro when it was stem mounted in the case. I also got it from my Cycliq when it worked loose. Double-check all of the mount fasteners, maybe give the bolts a drop of Loctite. Check cables, too.

Lemond1985

I run Cycliq cameras, so this is probably N/A, but I have a rattling sound coming from inside one of my two Fly12CE's.

My understanding is that it's a sort of a hardware-based mechanical image stabilizer, that moves around inside the camera 5-10 mm, and tells the camera where to crop the edge of each the frame off, in order to make the video image appear stable. My Fly12CE reportedly shoots in a much higher resolution (4k?) than the 1080p video I get, but the oversized frame is used for image stabilization purposes, FWIW.

I'm wondering if maybe the GoPros use something similar to smooth out the video?

atwl77

Same here. Noise from the mount joint(s) creaking, noise from the camera housing, noise from internal brake/gear cables, etc. They all add up, especially on the handlebars where the vibrations from the road are significant.

GoPros are electronically stabilized. Most action cameras are electronically stabilized.
The Sony X3000 has an internal gimbal.

canklecat

That's normal. All my action cams and even my P&S cameras in video mode mounted on the bike pick up and exaggerate every bike noise. Best way to reduce that is an external mic. Bike Blogger on YouTube is among the few vloggers who bother with that, but he chatters during his rides to narrate them and does little editing. He also mostly uses a chest harness, which minimizes noise from the road and bike. Works for his style.

Noise depends on the bike (my carbon fiber bike is much noisier than my steel bikes, mostly because the carbon tubes amplify and resonate loudly), mic location on the camera body, mount and where it's mounted on the bike.

Usually wind noise obscures most external sounds on my videos. You're doing better in that regard if you can hear anything other than wind noise.

Helmet mounts aren't necessarily better, just different. Same with chest mounts, etc. There's always some trade-off.

Without fairly sophisticated image stabilization, helmet mounted videos tend to look herky jerky and are hard to watch for more than a few seconds. There are two basic types of image stabilization, but so far I've seen selectable IS only on some lenses for dSLRs and sensor based stabilization on some mirrorless models. Vibration reduction is good for reducing chatter from rough pavement, but won't help on a helmet mount. The slower type stabilization is good for controlling handheld or helmet mounted movement, but may not cope well with road chatter when mounted directly on the bike. I've used both types with an older Nikon V1 but that camera was too heavy and bulky for bike use.

I have a VanTop Moment 4 with pretty good stabilization for helmet mounting. But it didn't work out as a practical traffic documentation camera so it's gathering dust now.

After trying three or four systems with various types of stabilization I settled on a pair of Drift Ghost X 1080 HD cameras that have no image stabilization. 5-hour runtime with the standard battery, and there's an optional 8-hour battery pack. They're fine mounted on the bike, although wind noise depends on the bike. On one bike with integrated brakes/shifters and exposed cables crossing under the camera, it'll pick up noise from wind hissing across the cables; not so much on the other bikes -- downtube shifters on one, bar-end on the other. The rear facing camera is much quieter -- my body blocks most of the wind noise. But the bike and road noise are more audible.

The Ghost X cameras have a port for an external mic, that can be mounted to minimize road and bike noise, and covered with a wind screen, but it requires uncovering the weather resistant rubber cap and exposes the camera to rain and splashes so I haven't bothered.

If I was really picky there are filters in audio editing software that can reduce and almost eliminate most repetitive noises, including wind and road chatter. Even my ancient copy of Cool Edit Pro can handle that chore. But I don't have any videos important enough to bother with that.

WhyFi

FWIW, this is the mount that I have and I'm not getting any of that kind of noise anymore - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07SSXGZ1H

I would think that being out front on a longer lever is going to transmit less of that jitter than a lot of the mounts that clamp right to the middle of the stem.

rumrunn6

looking at some of my videos I don’t hear it on bar mounted videos on my mountain bike. I’m guessing due to the much lower tire pressure & shock absorption. so maybe letting a little air out of the front tire on road bikes would help?

reg: mount location on an arm further from stem I would think the stem would be subjected to more micro vibrations & mic jitter but in a longer mount might cause larger more obvious camera movement

WhyFi

I've been running my camera without stabilization and it hasn't been an issue.

Iride01 

I thought that was why you paired the video up with a good music score. No one want's to hear road and traffic noise while watching a video made by another. That's almost as painful as having to look a pictures of others grand children.

rumrunn6

good to know so I might give that a try cuz for some clips I do like the bar mount

rumrunn6

yeah but a little ambient sound is good tho, like the sound of peepers & birds in a marsh,


giggling children, crusty snow or ice or the grunting when a rider falls. on mine, when it’s just wind noise, I turn down the volume on my speaker. but you’re right adding a music track can eliminate that junk noise. plus, since riding videos can be boring the music can make watching more tolerable

Redbullet

I don't use the waterproof case and I tried 2 mounts:
- One on the handlebar close to the stem, with camera upside down (below the handlebar), using the 2 simple pieces as in the attached pictures.
- One on the fork neck (I have a distance of around 4 cm between the frame and stem, covered with washers). For that, I used one more piece for mounting, to rotate 90 degrees and assure distance from frame.
Both mounts produce roughly the same noise.
I doubt it captures bike or cables noises, because I hear almost no noise like those, but I hear lot of noise from cars and surroundings. The camera somehow "hears" the opposite: a close crackling which most of the time is louder than surroundings...
I think it is some internal piece vibrating...

Redbullet

Both Gopro and SJCAM - the camera I use, advertise the so call "6 axis gyro stabilization". Indeed, when you set it on, the camera shows only a part part of the sensor (like 'narrower field of view") and uses the remaining area of the sensor to smooth the fast movements of the camera. It is, indeed, effective in most of the cases on the road bike (although sometimes the hard vibration can overcome it).

Is that "gyro" a mechanical system? Anyway, I also tested with stabilization off. It resulted in poorer image due to vibration and the same level of crackling.

Redbullet

So... did you have similar crackling with an usual mount and the crackling was eliminated by that particular mount?

Redbullet

You can easily get rid of a large amount of that. Wind is only a part of the noise; the most of the noise is generated by the air flowing around and through the holes of the microphone. If you cover the mic with a thin piece of permeable, velvet - like material, you lose just a little bit of sound, but get rid of a large amount of that noise. The remaining is much more silent and sounds like the real wind.

rumrunn6

I can here mine at about the 7 second mark & crossing the train tracks & going down the hill afterwards

Redbullet

Ugly noise, but still much better.
My cam crackles almost continuously on normal roads. Are you on a road bike? What camera? What mount? Does the camera have have any kind of stabilization?

WhyFi

You don't hear it because it's conducting. Your camera hears it because it's conducting.

When I owned a GoPro, I used the same type of mount that you posted above, mounted it on the stem, and I got the same kinds of noises.

With my current camera, I've only ever used my out-front mount. I had similar rattling noises with this mount until I used Loctite on the fasteners. I think that, all things equal, a mount like this is going to suffer less from conducting lever/cable noises because it's a more isolated.

canklecat

Depends on the mic design and placement. My Drift Ghost X and old Ion Speed Pro cameras don't create any wind noise on their own -- the mics are bottom facing, flat and neutral to wind noise. But they do pick up any turbulence from the surroundings. It's so sensitive to turbulence I can hear the difference between various helmets, based on how the vents affect air flow.

rumrunn6

that's a lot of questions. I'm not pepared to answered them all thoroughly. I played with them today. I have 3 of the same model. I did not have the noise on the original model I bought new. I bought 2 more pre-owned hoping to get one w/o the noise, but they both have it. I'm convinced dropping them dislodges an internal mount causing something inside to rattle. today on my mountain bike, my black one did best mounted on the bars. but it's rare that the ground is smooth enough for a good bar mounted video

rumrunn6

yes that was a road bike. the noise on my bar mounts isn't as bad on bikes w/ softer tires like the hybrid or mountain bike. but I tend to ride those bikes on rougher roads, where a bar mount can't be stabilized w/o a gimble

the camera(s) is/are a Polaroid XS100 Extreme Edition. I they sold the design cuz I also got a black one under a different badge name (Metroflash). 2 have wifi but looking at files w/ my phone takes too long. it's water proof w/o an additional case . the quality is so~so. but it's what I have, so I muck around with it. I dream of a better camera & a gimble

the original camera came w/ lots of mounts & I've since made some DIY modifications for the helmet, a small tripod & a collapsable stick. I love having 3 cameras, all with the same quick release, on multiple mounts. it makes doing different things on the fly much easier. like one for hand held stuff & the stick for low angle stuff

the camera does have stabilization, but I subject it to too much abuse for the stabilization to reduce all movement





I added this accesory to all 3 bikes so that I can run a headlight & camera & not have shadows & not capture my bars in the frame. I use it upright like this because when I first had it sticking straight out front horizontally, it wanted to move. in this position, it stays where I set it



I bought some extra mounts & did some cutting & gluing to adapt to the tripod & stick


this just screws on, so I cam use the tripod w/ other cameras


but this is glued on cuz I got the stick just for this purpose


super glue works really well on helmets. I put this Q/R on 3 of them






it even holds up to falls