Daniel4

Here is the front view of my bicycle helmet. The camera is currently on top. However, the lens is probably 6inches higher than my eyes so I may not be recording what I am looking at, especially when I speak to motorists or am looking at licence plates.

So I've set up the mounting on the side of my helmet but I think it would only save me one inch.

My next camera will have to have image rotation so I would be able to place it exactly at eye-level.


PS. I have considered mounting it on my handle bar but I wanted it to record where my eyes are facing, not where I am steering. I have also considered a chest mount but the camera would not be plainly visible.

prj71

And the purpose of this would be???

Daniel4

To record while riding.

pdlamb

Either you play for the Raptors or I wouldn't worry about the offset between your eyeballs and the camera.

prj71

And you want to do this why?

rumrunn6

I like using a camera on my helmet too. mostly for entertainment purposes. I adjusted things so that I had a good compromise & recorded what I was looking at. I see you also attached a light, very cool very rare to see both on a helmet. I've done the same. when aligning both I used a wall at home to help me get them both pointing at the same spot. I can't imagine balancing a weight even a small weight on the side of my bike helmet. I jury rigged my own custom mount so the camera would be as close to the helmet as possible. up until recently, my cameras have been only tubular shaped, so if I wanted them on the helmet they had to be on top. I recently acquired a flat square type camera so there's a possibility of mounting it on the front of the helmet. if I did that & still wanted a light I would have to move the light to the top of the helmet. I don't do too much riding in the dark. getting vids w/o shake on the head can be challenging so I try to keep the helmet straps adjusted securely & when running the camera try my best to hold my head steady, sometimes riding off the saddle. up until now my cams have had zero image stabilization. so the helmet provided the best results. on the bars, was only good on smooth pavement. the new cam has some stabilization so it will be interesting, once I start using on a bike, how I will like it & how I will use it. I like recording my experience on the ride so having it on the helmet provides a better recording of my experience. so if some clown in a vehicle is being nasty & we pull up to a light together I can easily turn my head & record their face if visible, or their license plate, etc. but like I wrote it mostly as a photo hobby than as a legal document for abusive behavior. was doing some experimentation w/ 2 helmets recently, to be sure the new cam is capturing the same view as the previous cameras. admittedly, I am not a minimalist





previous cams






new cam



I like having a quick release so that I can take other photos hand held. a 2nd cam can also be used for this

don't worry about the ppl that want to tear you down & attack your goals. take the vids & pics you want

rumrunn6

btw - if using a cam for recording street problems be sure it has good resolution. these kids shot me w/ their harmless water pistols as they drove by. these are vid clips. not great tho

Daniel4

Thanks, rumrunn6.

I've had the camera on top for over a year now and it does capture licence plates. Haven't had any major incidences probably because my cameras are so visible.

As for minor incidences like passing too closely or right hooks at bike lanes they still occur but not as often as before. I have screen captures to identify commercial vehicles with date, time and location that I send to their public relations departments.

SpedFast

I too have a camera mounted on my helmet, but I learned a lot more using my helmet mounted light at night than I ever did watching footage of what I filmed. I now have the camera adjust just like the spot beam on the front of the helmet so I know that whatever my eyes are seeing, so is the camera.

rumrunn6

fwiw - I found adding a rear strobe to my left drop bar, (in addition to my light on my back rack),cut down on getting buzzed, aka close pass or someone cutting back in front of me too soon. having that strobe up front helped them gauge when it was safe to move back over & helped remind them I need some courtesy room while they are passing. I tried doign it a few diff. ways w/ a few diff. lights but wound up happy with this one, this way






on my way home last night, driving my car, I passed an electric bike. they have nice lights on the tips of the bars. red facing rear & white facing front, in addition to their front & rear lights. the lights on the bars were helpful to me as a driver as I was passing the rider

Daniel4

I did a Google search on your behalf. Here are the results.

https://www.google.com/search?q=why+...e-gws-wiz-serp

BobbyG

Here's what I do:


and here's how the videos look:

rumrunn6

side by side cool. wow that's a solid 3 minutes. lots of content, in not a lot of time

Daniel4

Cool.

When you took the close up shots, like pouring your drink, or at the water fountain, how did you aim the camera properly? It's still 6 inches above your eyes. Did you have to use an app to change the camera angle?

BobbyG

sorry, that was my phone camera

Shimagnolo

Dayum! Now why didn't I think of this??? [slaps forehead]
I like it!
I'm going to do this ASAP.
I think I may even have a couple spare lights on hand.

rumrunn6

yeah go for it. a bit more dramatic at night. & if you use the same light as the rear they sometimes, completely by random, might flash together

joesch

Nice 3 min tour of the CS CO area.
Coffee and other substance rides are much more being shown these days.
Do you mix the yerba mate with coffee ?

BobbyG

Thanks...no I don't mix yerba mate with coffee. I suppose it can and has been done, but I haven't read about anyone doing it on my yerba mate sites.

I use the coffee maker for Yerba Mate. I usually make it just like coffee with the same number of scoops. I love coffee...but I can't drink it every day anymore, the acidity is a problem.
Here's my YM story:
https://www.bikeforums.net/pills-ill...erba-mate.html

joesch

Looked at your story. Have also heard similar good usage reports for kratom. Both do have some warning published by the mayo clinic. Probably moderation is best practiced. Coffee works fine for me.

Back to the cameras and vids, I do hope more will use and share nice tours like yours. I was gifed a gopro but have not used it much. Would like to capture some of my favorite rides for sharing ...

Daniel4

I just noticed that you also put an elastic band around your light clip. I had my tail light fall off a few times myself when I rode over bumps and potholes.

So now I put an elastic band around every clip I have, even on my camera clips. I don't trust the glue even though it's really tough.

That light protrudes about as far as a handle bar mirror. But when you filter through congested traffic are you ever afraid the metal might scrape against another vehicle?

rumrunn6

no my hips are wide, hehe

giffenf

I record pretty much every mile of every ride, and I do it for the reasons stated above, which, when asked I summarize by saying there are 3 reasons: 1) in case something interesting happens on a ride (like the time I saw a homemade casket go by strapped to the top of a minivan, just another day in Hollywood), I want to show it to people, 2) drivers tend to be much more polite when they see they're being recorded (either that or because I'm in Los Angeles, and everyone here is an actor, they just out of habit show their best side whenever they see a camera), and 3) for those drivers who are less polite, I have evidence in case there is an undesirable outcome.

Yes, I have terabytes of boring ride footage, but when I want to show off hair-raising (if I had any hair) descents or lane-splitting, I can. And when I crash, I've got that, too. I recently got a new helmet, and the only place the mount would securely strap in is up front, but that makes the camera only a couple inches above my eyes, and the camera view looks just like I remember when I watch the video. And maybe it's a little more aero, but at my size, it's not likely to make much difference.