insignia100

The thread on cameras got me thinking -- what are some popular cameras for cyclists? I have a GoPro Hero 3, but the batter life is pretty poor when looking at it from a "dash cam" perspective. I'd rather not have to swap out batteries. Perhaps it may not be realistic, but it would be nice to have a camera that would have something around 3 hours of battery life.

Notso_fastLane

Currently running a GoPro as well. The battery is typically good for about ~2 hrs.

On my velo (where weight isn't really a concern), I'm putting a motorcycle fwd/rear facing camera, and with the battery pack it should run upwards of 10-15 hours between charges.

The Cycliq's look pretty good, but they are pricey, and I don't know about the battery life.

rumrunn6

maybe, just get a another GoPro Hero 3? when the first batt dies, fire up the 2nd cam. why bother with another brand & model camera & any accessories likes mounts & chargers?

mcours2006

My Ion came will last for 2.5 hours, which is enough for my round trip commute, but it does need to be charged daily. During the winter months, however, battery life declines drastically, like by as much as 50% if the temp is in the minus double digits, so two charges per day are necessary.

Leisesturm

Full Disclosure: I am not a camera user nor an advocate for camera use. That said, carrying a redundant camera for the sole purpose of runtime extension is ... unsupportable. I mean, does it need to be said that such a strategy does not scale up very well. Redundant front and rear cameras? I think not. Redundant 360* coverage cameras? Admit it, you didn't think this through ...

rumrunn6

it's what I already do



maybe someday you'll join us!

Leisesturm

Never!

mr_bill

B&H photo is running a sale on the Hero 3 Battery BacPac.

There are also third party big ”backpacks” you can install.

Also external batteries, care has to be taken to keep it water resistant.

All will extend your run time.

So will settings. See GoPro Help Doc.

-mr. bill

fietsbob

35mm film Pentax SLR

Litespud

I use a Cycliq 6 rear camera - currently gets me ~4 h with the strobe on (I run the strobe on all rides, day or night). Camera has proven to be reliable, the strobe is excellent and the pics are decent, although the mic picks up a lot of drivetrain noise. A guy I ride with has a 6 on the rear and a Cycliq 12 on the front, but he finds the 12 to be a little buggy and short on battery life. Another guy uses Cycliq 6s front and rear, he just uses the front one with the strobe off. This seems like a better approach to me, given the relatively small size of the 6. I'd also rather a more powerful separate headlight than the 600 lumen built into the 12. When the battery starts to crap out in my 6, I will open it up to see if I can replace it. At the same time, I might see if I can replace the red strobe LEDs with white ones, and make it a permanent front-mounted camera, getting another 6 for the rear

1nterceptor

JW Fas

It is a bit unrealistic to want really long battery life unless you carry a beefy battery (weight penalty). The Cycliq Fly12 comes to mind as having a very good battery life, but it's not a light camera either.
My Sony HDR-AS100V gets two hours with all the options turned on. Sony's OEM batteries aren't cheap either, but they do have a long service life.

bakerjw

I run a Sony action cam. It has perhaps a 3 hour battery life but I don't record all of the time.

It also comes with a 100m waterproof enclosure. I have an adapter for my downriggers and run it with them sometimes to see fish following the spoons that I drag behind it.

JohnnyCyclist

I've been using Rideye's for several years now. Battery life is advertised as 'up to 10 hours', and I believe it - I've gone 8 hours between charges a few times.