Camera help
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Central, CA
Posts: 633
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 22 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Camera help
Want to buy a camera to record when riding. Rides usually 1.5 hour to 2 hours. Never used a GoPro but I have $500 credit at cabelas and am trying to choose between the hero4 silver or black, hero5 black.or the sessions. The hero4 black is more expensive that the hero5 and I'm not sure why.
I bought a fly6 yesterday and a k edge Garmin/GoPro mount yesterday. What do you suggest
I bought a fly6 yesterday and a k edge Garmin/GoPro mount yesterday. What do you suggest
#2
Señior Member
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Michigan
Posts: 13,749
Bikes: Windsor Fens, Giant Seek 0 (2014, Alfine 8 + discs)
Mentioned: 13 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 446 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 8 Times
in
7 Posts
If you HAVE to use the money at Cabelas and GoPros are all they have, I'm sure someone here will help you. IMO GoPro is vastly overrated and overpriced. Also they're kind of tanking because of the poor reception of the quadcopter that they sunk a bunch of money into - I'm sure they won't go away but their support may suffer (and the couple of times I called their support when I owned one, they were already rude and useless).
Also I don't think any of the GoPros have 2 hour batteries. The best it can do without extra packs is around 1:30 unless you shut everything off and use the lowest res, and even then they can't quite make 2 hours.
Generally the Black GoPro has the best framerate and resolution, and the best low light performance. The Silver is usually last generation's Black.
Framerate and resolution probably are completely irrelevant to you. You're unlikely to want to record your commutes at 4K or 120 frames per second. Low light performance is nice, but I'd still be surprised if it actually can catch a license plate at twilight, so it may be pointless.
I have a Contour Roam 3 up front. 3 hour battery life, around $100. Waterproof without having to screw with extra cases, doesn't look like a brick strapped to your helmet, rotateable lens, one gigantic slide switch to turn on and start recording so you can flip it on and off with gloves on. It's not ideal but for the money it's hard to beat.
Also I don't think any of the GoPros have 2 hour batteries. The best it can do without extra packs is around 1:30 unless you shut everything off and use the lowest res, and even then they can't quite make 2 hours.
Generally the Black GoPro has the best framerate and resolution, and the best low light performance. The Silver is usually last generation's Black.
Framerate and resolution probably are completely irrelevant to you. You're unlikely to want to record your commutes at 4K or 120 frames per second. Low light performance is nice, but I'd still be surprised if it actually can catch a license plate at twilight, so it may be pointless.
I have a Contour Roam 3 up front. 3 hour battery life, around $100. Waterproof without having to screw with extra cases, doesn't look like a brick strapped to your helmet, rotateable lens, one gigantic slide switch to turn on and start recording so you can flip it on and off with gloves on. It's not ideal but for the money it's hard to beat.
__________________
Work: the 8 hours that separates bike rides.
Work: the 8 hours that separates bike rides.
#3
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Central, CA
Posts: 633
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 22 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
If you HAVE to use the money at Cabelas and GoPros are all they have, I'm sure someone here will help you. IMO GoPro is vastly overrated and overpriced. Also they're kind of tanking because of the poor reception of the quadcopter that they sunk a bunch of money into - I'm sure they won't go away but their support may suffer (and the couple of times I called their support when I owned one, they were already rude and useless).
Also I don't think any of the GoPros have 2 hour batteries. The best it can do without extra packs is around 1:30 unless you shut everything off and use the lowest res, and even then they can't quite make 2 hours.
Generally the Black GoPro has the best framerate and resolution, and the best low light performance. The Silver is usually last generation's Black.
Framerate and resolution probably are completely irrelevant to you. You're unlikely to want to record your commutes at 4K or 120 frames per second. Low light performance is nice, but I'd still be surprised if it actually can catch a license plate at twilight, so it may be pointless.
I have a Contour Roam 3 up front. 3 hour battery life, around $100. Waterproof without having to screw with extra cases, doesn't look like a brick strapped to your helmet, rotateable lens, one gigantic slide switch to turn on and start recording so you can flip it on and off with gloves on. It's not ideal but for the money it's hard to beat.
Also I don't think any of the GoPros have 2 hour batteries. The best it can do without extra packs is around 1:30 unless you shut everything off and use the lowest res, and even then they can't quite make 2 hours.
Generally the Black GoPro has the best framerate and resolution, and the best low light performance. The Silver is usually last generation's Black.
Framerate and resolution probably are completely irrelevant to you. You're unlikely to want to record your commutes at 4K or 120 frames per second. Low light performance is nice, but I'd still be surprised if it actually can catch a license plate at twilight, so it may be pointless.
I have a Contour Roam 3 up front. 3 hour battery life, around $100. Waterproof without having to screw with extra cases, doesn't look like a brick strapped to your helmet, rotateable lens, one gigantic slide switch to turn on and start recording so you can flip it on and off with gloves on. It's not ideal but for the money it's hard to beat.
#4
Me duelen las nalgas
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: Texas
Posts: 13,513
Bikes: Centurion Ironman, Trek 5900, Univega Via Carisma, Globe Carmel
Mentioned: 199 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4559 Post(s)
Liked 2,802 Times
in
1,800 Posts
I've been using an Ion Speed Pro since July 2016. Similar shape to the Contour Roam cameras -- cylindrical, versatile low profile mounting options. But it's quirky with pros and cons.
Pros:
Inexpensive
Runs 90 minutes or longer.
Weatherproof without special housing (but rear cap must be in place).
Runs for hours off an external USB battery (without weatherproof cap).
Easy to operate
Decent flare-resistant ultra-wide lens and good daylight resolution.
Ruggedly made and generally reliable.
Cons:
Customer support mediocre
170 degree ultra wide angle lens is really too wide for traffic documentation. It's better suited to close up action cam videos.
Mediocre nighttime resolution -- very noisy, poor dynamic range, may not record license plates.
The only really annoying glitch has been with freshly formatted media cards. For some reason it takes several uses, recording and erasing files, before it runs continuously without stopping prematurely. With a freshly formatted Sandisk card it tends to run for only 30-60 seconds, then stop unexpectedly. When restarted it should run about 40 minutes continuously per file, then automatically switch to the next file (seamlessly) and record continuously until the battery is exhausted or media card is filled. Ion recommended formatting only once, then deleting files when finished rather than reformatting. I've tried both and they seem to be correct. As long as I delete files when finished without reformatting the card I experience fewer glitches. But I still need to check the camera often to be sure it's recording.
While I'm satisfied overall with the Ion Speed Pro I may try a Contour Roam next since they're comparably priced, and I like the cylindrical form and weather resistance without special housing.
The Moebius dash cams may be the best values, although they're not weather resistant -- they're intended for vehicle dashboards. And they need external power supplies. But housings are available, as are inexpensive USB port lithium ion batteries.
However there are so many video cams for $100 or less suitable for dashboards, action, etc., with new entries every month. The Techmoan channel on YouTube is a good place to start.
Pros:
Inexpensive
Runs 90 minutes or longer.
Weatherproof without special housing (but rear cap must be in place).
Runs for hours off an external USB battery (without weatherproof cap).
Easy to operate
Decent flare-resistant ultra-wide lens and good daylight resolution.
Ruggedly made and generally reliable.
Cons:
Customer support mediocre
170 degree ultra wide angle lens is really too wide for traffic documentation. It's better suited to close up action cam videos.
Mediocre nighttime resolution -- very noisy, poor dynamic range, may not record license plates.
The only really annoying glitch has been with freshly formatted media cards. For some reason it takes several uses, recording and erasing files, before it runs continuously without stopping prematurely. With a freshly formatted Sandisk card it tends to run for only 30-60 seconds, then stop unexpectedly. When restarted it should run about 40 minutes continuously per file, then automatically switch to the next file (seamlessly) and record continuously until the battery is exhausted or media card is filled. Ion recommended formatting only once, then deleting files when finished rather than reformatting. I've tried both and they seem to be correct. As long as I delete files when finished without reformatting the card I experience fewer glitches. But I still need to check the camera often to be sure it's recording.
While I'm satisfied overall with the Ion Speed Pro I may try a Contour Roam next since they're comparably priced, and I like the cylindrical form and weather resistance without special housing.
The Moebius dash cams may be the best values, although they're not weather resistant -- they're intended for vehicle dashboards. And they need external power supplies. But housings are available, as are inexpensive USB port lithium ion batteries.
However there are so many video cams for $100 or less suitable for dashboards, action, etc., with new entries every month. The Techmoan channel on YouTube is a good place to start.
#5
Senior Member
The GoPro Session is excellent. The video quality blows most other options out of the water. Battery life is the primary limitation, figure ~1hr in real-world conditions.
It depends on what you're looking for in a camera. If long-run time is the primary focus, look elsewhere. If you want high-quality video in real-world conditions get a GoPro.
It depends on what you're looking for in a camera. If long-run time is the primary focus, look elsewhere. If you want high-quality video in real-world conditions get a GoPro.