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Off Topic: Wearable video cameras/helmetcams.

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      CommentAuthorbilld
    • CommentTimeSep 14th 2010
     
    We've had a few mentions in comments about these but it seems like they deserve a thread of their own. I've been doing research on and off for a few months. I still haven't decided. Every time I feel close to deciding, I find something else that seems to need some investigation. I'm heavily leaning towards the VHoldr ContourHD. I like that it's HD and has good sound. I'm a little concerned about night performance and the reviews of the vented helmet mount are not good.

    VHoldr just announced a GPS version:

    http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-13746_7-20016299-48.html

    The entire video would be geo-tagged including position, altitude and speed. These things are getting nuts.
    • CommentAuthort.e.d
    • CommentTimeSep 14th 2010
     
    I'll post this again here. Good results mounted on rockets. Still have yet to order mine, but it is on the list...

    Keychain camera
    •  
      CommentAuthorHans
    • CommentTimeSep 14th 2010
     
    I'm thinking of getting one also. Jeremy (urban bike & social) is in distribution, and heading to Interbike next week, and working on sweet talking. I'm thinking he could buy a small quantity.
    Things that make you go hmm....
    •  
      CommentAuthorbilld
    • CommentTimeSep 15th 2010 edited
     
    t.e.d:I'll post this again here. Good results mounted on rockets. Still have yet to order mine, but it is on the list...

    Keychain camera
    Here's a site with a lot of info about that one:

    http://chucklohr.com/808/
    •  
      CommentAuthorbikingbill
    • CommentTimeSep 15th 2010
     
    Why can't they just overlay speed and perhaps stuff like grade above the video? That would be far more interesting.

    billd:We've had a few mentions in comments about these but it seems like they deserve a thread of their own. I've been doing research on and off for a few months. I still haven't decided. Every time I feel close to deciding, I find something else that seems to need some investigation. I'm heavily leaning towards the VHoldr ContourHD. I like that it's HD and has good sound. I'm a little concerned about night performance and the reviews of the vented helmet mount are not good.

    VHoldr just announced a GPS version:

    http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-13746_7-20016299-48.html

    The entire video would be geo-tagged including position, altitude and speed. These things are getting nuts.
    •  
      CommentAuthorbilld
    • CommentTimeSep 15th 2010
     
    bikingbill:Why can't they just overlay speed and perhaps stuff like grade above the video? That would be far more interesting.
    It's my understanding that the data is encoded into the video stream's meta data. Software can display that overlayed onto the video while it's playing.

    I don't know that GPS can give you grade. Some GPS units can display grade but I think they either have a built in "level" to sense it or they have to have topographic data which they can look up from the location.
    •  
      CommentAuthorbilld
    • CommentTimeSep 15th 2010
     
    Another one I was interested in for a while was the Tachyon XC.

    http://www.tachyoninc.com/

    They claim good low light performance. Standard definition. Poor sound. Submersible. Won't take rechargeable batteries. A lot cheaper than the Contour.
    •  
      CommentAuthorbilld
    • CommentTimeSep 15th 2010 edited
     
    I've also gleaned a lot of info from these sales sites that specialize in helmet cameras:

    http://helmetcameracentral.com/
    http://www.helmetcamera.com/

    YMMV
    •  
      CommentAuthorPacMUle
    • CommentTimeSep 15th 2010
     
    speaking of helmet cams... i'v been toying around with the idea in my head, mostly just for fun ya know... then i read this today :(


    http://ipayroadtax.com/?p=415


    these kinds of things can be usefull in alot of ways...
    • CommentAuthorSam
    • CommentTimeSep 16th 2010
     
    I hope once you all buy these neato helmet cams, you'll upload the videos and set them to some neato music. I know I'm a nerd, but even this is a little on the odd side...I love watching videos from the pov of commuters from other cities. The one below is from Moscow.



    What I find interesting about the video above...how flat Moscow is and how homogeneous, automobiles make cities look.
    •  
      CommentAuthorbilld
    • CommentTimeSep 17th 2010 edited
     
    I've seen the helmet cam video that PacMule posted around for a while. The driver has apparently been convicted based upon the video:

    http://road.cc/node/23959?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=2010-09-17
    •  
      CommentAuthorSigurd
    • CommentTimeSep 17th 2010 edited
     
    Is helmet mounting the camera decisively preferable to bar mounting it? On the bar, at least the camera will be pointed forwards and horizontal most of the time - whereas on the helmet, not so much.

    Having said that, the road scenes in the incredible "Line of Sight" short film about alley cat racing, shown at the Bicycle Film Festival in San Diego last weekend, are shot using a helmet cam:

    •  
      CommentAuthorbilld
    • CommentTimeOct 29th 2010 edited
     
    Tachyon has lowered their prices recently. I'm guessing that it has something to do with their HD camera coming out soon. Apparently their HD camera is only going to be $180.

    I'm having no luck finding reviews of the ContourGPS that say anything about its low light performance. I did find a review of the ContourHD (720) that was not favorable about its low light performance.
    •  
      CommentAuthorbilld
    • CommentTimeOct 29th 2010
     
    Njord Noatun:Is helmet mounting the camera decisively preferable to bar mounting it? On the bar, at least the camera will be pointed forwards and horizontal most of the time - whereas on the helmet, not so much.
    I suppose it depends upon what you want.

    On the helmet, the camera is also higher and so can see more things. Some people like the ability to look around. Others prefer only the straight ahead view.
    •  
      CommentAuthorbilld
    • CommentTimeDec 15th 2010
     
    I had seen diving goggle video cameras before but now someone's gone and made video camera sunglasses:

    i-KAM XTREME Video Eyewear
    •  
      CommentAuthorbilld
    • CommentTimeJan 4th 2011
     
    Here's an interesting ski video by Daron Rahlves running three ContourGPS cameras during a ski run. Notice the map to the right of the video and the speed/elevation below the map.

    67 MPH. ON SKIS.
    • CommentAuthorWilliam.
    • CommentTimeJan 4th 2011
     
    I have an Oregon Scientific camera. It was a gift from someone special.

    So I won't say anything about it, other than: if you have someone special in your life, and they are going to sneak out and get you a riding camera: have a talk with them about it first.
    • CommentAuthorWilliam.
    • CommentTimeJan 4th 2011
     
    Lucas B. always does some pretty interesting stuff. His website used to have some pretty cool videos on it, but I quit keeping track.
    • CommentAuthorWilliam.
    • CommentTimeJan 4th 2011 edited
     
    Sigurd:Is helmet mounting the camera decisively preferable to bar mounting it? On the bar, at least the camera will be pointed forwards and horizontal most of the time - whereas on the helmet, not so much.

    Having said that, the road scenes in the incredible "Line of Sight" short film about alley cat racing, shown at the Bicycle Film Festival in San Diego last weekend, are shot using a helmet cam:



    Sigur, your handle bars move ALOT. Here's a video for you to show:



    edit skip to 1:34
    •  
      CommentAuthorbilld
    • CommentTimeFeb 1st 2011
     
    •  
      CommentAuthorSigurd
    • CommentTimeFeb 2nd 2011
     
    William.:Sigurd, your handle bars move ALOT. Here's a video for you to show. Edit skip to 1:34
    Only saw your response now - was that Adam in that movie?

    Clearly the handlebar moves quite a bit - but still, perhaps, less than the helmet?

    At any rate, I recently mounted my headlight on the headtube in order to get it out of the way of my handlebar bag: I am amazed how stable the light cone is from the headtube, including when hammering up hills out of the saddle: Perhaps the headtube would be a good place to mount a camera, too!
    • CommentAuthorWilliam.
    • CommentTimeFeb 2nd 2011
     
    Sigurd:
    William.:Sigurd, your handle bars move ALOT. Here's a video for you to show. Edit skip to 1:34


    Clearly the handlebar moves quite a bit - but still, perhaps, less than the helmet?

    At any rate, I recently mounted my headlight on the headtube in order to get it out of the way of my handlebar bag: I am amazed how stable the light cone is from the headtube, including when hammering up hills out of the saddle: Perhaps the headtube would be a good place to mount a camera, too!


    No: the head doesn't move as much. The head is kind of a gimbal mount and automatically levels and absorbs vibrations. For video, to do get some of the users' annoying habits (I'm was a double looker) and you have to line the camera up to exaclty what you're looking at. Also, remember it's much, much higher.

    I want to say that head tube is bad...but I can't think if I've tried it...so IDK, it seems feasible. A lot of the videos I see lately for MTB seem to focus on chest plate mounted cameras.
    •  
      CommentAuthorbilld
    • CommentTimeJul 8th 2011
     
  24.  
    DIY camera mount
  25.  
    PVC is so versatile.
    •  
      CommentAuthorbilld
    • CommentTimeNov 23rd 2011
     
    Croydon Cyclist compilation:

    •  
      CommentAuthorbikingbill
    • CommentTimeNov 23rd 2011
     
    I'd love to know how his complaints to the taxi folks worked out.
    • CommentAuthorHMeins
    • CommentTimeNov 23rd 2011
     
    They seem even more aggressive than the cabbies here.
  29.  
    Notice that every incident, he was in the blinds pot of most automobiles. Just saying....It's a completely opposite environment compared to other bicycle-centric cities wherein drivers are taught traffic awareness and courtesy at an early age. I wouldn't want to live there.
    •  
      CommentAuthorbikingbill
    • CommentTimeNov 23rd 2011
     
    markphilips:Notice that every incident, he was in the blinds pot of most automobiles. Just saying....It's a completely opposite environment compared to other bicycle-centric cities wherein drivers are taught traffic awareness and courtesy at an early age. I wouldn't want to live there.


    It's a PARADISE when compared to Palm Beach County, Florida.
    •  
      CommentAuthorbilld
    • CommentTimeNov 23rd 2011
     
    markphilips:Notice that every incident, he was in the blinds pot of most automobiles.
    No. They were overtaking. He ended up passing through their blind spot but they had to pass him for him to get there. It's the pass and move over early move. It happens to me maybe every 1-2 months. I am extremely vigilant about staying out of blind spots. I rarely pass on the right. When I do it because it is incredibly unlikely that the car ahead of me will turn right. In most cases that I pass on the right, the motorists are in a situation where they can't move at all.

    One thing that I've been seeing a lot more of lately is when I'm in the middle of the lane, idiots will tail gate and then pass close. This used to be really rare but I've been getting it a few times a week lately. I've started safety wobbling when I sense someone following close. It's gotten a few very angry horn leanings but the psychos change lanes.
    •  
      CommentAuthorbilld
    • CommentTimeNov 23rd 2011 edited
     
    BTW, if you want to see full versions of those videos, he has a youtube channel.
    [[_linker_]]
    •  
      CommentAuthorbilld
    • CommentTimeNov 24th 2011 edited
     
    Here's another fun one from the U.K. I found it on ipayroadtax.com.

    A driver is aggravated at a bicyclist for riding in the center of the lane (two lanes in that direction on this road). Apparently she flipped him off. He catches her at the light and she tells him to go pay road tax because he's holding everyone up. There is no road tax in the U.K. (or the U.S. for that matter). In the U.K. they pay a vehicle excise duty that is based upon carbon emissions. Bicycles have zero carbon emissions so guess what their V.E.D. would be if they were subject to V.E.D.? Guess what V.E.D. is for pure electric cars? Yep. It's zero.

    Anyway, the second half of the video which he plays after the encounter is actually several minutes of riding before the encounter. It shows him passing what I can only guess is over 1000 cars stuck in gridlock (he actually fast forwards most of it). The road forks and the fork he takes is less congested and that's where she gets angry with him and accuses him of holding everyone up -- after he passed her, probably not long before the fork that allowed traffic to open up. Her delusional state is so complete that she thinks she was stuck in traffic all that time because of a bicyclist who just passed her a few seconds before the end of the congested section.

  34.  
    It's amazing how some drivers get fixated on blaming cyclists because they were stuck in gridlock crawl-hour. This video reminds me of another that talks about the real cause of traffic: too many cars on the road.

    "Go try cycling. It's less stressful than driving"
    •  
      CommentAuthorSigurd
    • CommentTimeNov 24th 2011
     
    I wonder if drivers of farm tractors on the road are treated in a similar manner? I saw a cyclist with a T-shirt saying "Just Pretend I am a Tractor" on the back, so perhaps not - if so, is it cyclists' mere vulnerability that makes them subject to scorn from motorists?

    Questions, questions...

  36.  
    I think about that as well. Car drivers tend to get confused when there are cyclists ahead of them. Out of their confusion they "honk" there horn. I really like that shirt.
    •  
      CommentAuthorbilld
    • CommentTimeNov 24th 2011 edited
     
    Sigurd:I wonder if drivers of farm tractors on the road are treated in a similar manner? I saw a cyclist with a T-shirt saying "Just Pretend I am a Tractor" on the back, so perhaps not - if so, is it cyclists' mere vulnerability that makes them subject to scorn from motorists?
    Do they get annoyed? Sure.

    Do they try to claim that the tractor driver has no right to be in the road? Almost never.

    They believe that bicyclists either don't have a right to be in the road or they believe that bicyclists can safely ride on the edge of the lane, even though they usually can't.
    •  
      CommentAuthorbilld
    • CommentTimeJan 30th 2012
     
    Contour now has bluetooth integration with Android and iOS devices so you can use your phone as a viewfinder:

    http://contour.com/software/mobile
    •  
      CommentAuthormarkphilips
    • CommentTimeFeb 1st 2012 edited
     
    •  
      CommentAuthorbilld
    • CommentTimeFeb 1st 2012 edited
     
    And I thought that the V.I.O. POV was expensive.
    •  
      CommentAuthorbilld
    • CommentTimeFeb 10th 2012 edited
     
    If anyone is considering the V.I.O. POV.HD, there's an online coupon for $100 against the price this month.

    http://theviovoice.vio-pov.com/news/save-100-on-your-pov-hd-purchase/

    Still pricey but at least it's something.
    •  
      CommentAuthorbilld
    • CommentTimeFeb 22nd 2012
     
    Here's another interesting camera from a company based in L.A.

    http://replayxd.com/

    Most extensive review I've found:

    http://www.webbikeworld.com/motorcycle-video-camera-reviews/replay-xd-1080/

    A fairly good comparison with some other cameras:

    •  
      CommentAuthorsvelocity
    • CommentTimeFeb 23rd 2012
     
    I'm still scratching my head how during that Hot Rod video camera shootout were they able to get the exact same shot from the exact same angle from four different cameras. Anyhow...

    Those RePlay cameras look really good. Sound and camera are seem excellent, especially in low light. I have a GoPro and think it's awesome but the square camera is a bit bulky and feels a bit awkward when attached to your helmet. I've attached it to my bike frame during a session at the track and it worked really well (I'll have to post an edited version). The RePlay seems a bit more diminutive and aerodynamic but I can't tell if it is waterproof. I imagine it can resist a lot of the elements but the GoPro and it's case are nearly indestructible.
  44.  
    MOVED THIS HERE. Other cyclists with web cams upload their videos on Youtube for others to see. So perhaps you can start uploading these videos for future purposes. I've seen some gnarly cyclists vs cars scenario. And some of them have become necessary to have.

    batmick:Not sure if this is the right thread for this so feel free to move.

    I started using a helmet cam 3 weeks ago. Got it for some other purpose at work but figured I might as well slap it on my helmet and film my ride. It has been fun and my kids get a kick out of seeing what I do on my bike.

    Now I managed to "catch" a couple of bonehead to illegal moves by cars and other cyclists and I am wondering what to do about it.

    There is the regular motorcycle in the bike lane, one of them actually buzzing a cyclist in front of me because there was not enough room. I got two people who felt they had to cross the double yellow and break the speed limit in the construction zone on the 101 bridge out of Del Mar. Mind you, I was taking the lane and doing 30mph, five over limit already. It was clearly a demonstration of power. Captured a couple of near misses from left and right hooks and who knows what else I will film in the future.

    So the question is, what do I do with this footage? I have not been able to find an email address or web forms with file submission to report these incidents with copies of the video to police.

    They will most likely not issue a ticket but maybe send out a warning to the drivers in question? Or am I too optimistic and should just keep this to myself and only use it when something really happens?
    •  
      CommentAuthorbilld
    • CommentTimeApr 16th 2012
     
    A friend of mine who lives in Adelaide Australia has been video recording his daily bike commute. A local news reporter noticed his videos and did a story on bicycle safety with his videos prominently featured. He uses the sun glass camera that I mentioned earlier in this thread.

    http://au.news.yahoo.com/video/sa/watch/28965047/councils-focus-on-safety-for-cyclists/
  46.  
    Here is one important advantage of a mini camera while biking

    California Hit-and-Run Caught on Bike Camera
    13 hours ago - ABC News 2:31 | 309,879 views
    Police say a driver in Berkeley hit two bicyclists and fled the scene.

    LINK
    http://gma.yahoo.com/video/news-26797925/california-hit-and-run-caught-on-bike-camera-29134035.html
    • CommentAuthorShady John
    • CommentTimeApr 30th 2012
     
    The comments at the end about helmets and riding on the shoulder were a little too pedantic, but did you see the guy in the rear with the yellow helmet hit his head on the ground? I doubt he would have walked away if he hadn't been wearing the helmet. It's one thing to talk about theoretical risks, but it's quite another to see someone hit his head on the pavement and then get up and go on with his life.
    •  
      CommentAuthorbilld
    • CommentTimeJun 4th 2012
     
    OK. I'm ready to ride.

    •  
      CommentAuthorbilld
    • CommentTimeJul 21st 2012
     
    •  
      CommentAuthorsvelocity
    • CommentTimeJul 24th 2012 edited
     

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