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Good camera?

tibork

New member
I've been out from the world of mobile cams for a while, what are some of the best video cams out there nowadays for riding? Is it still the GoPro?
 
This may do better in the Photography section as we have some Members that are great photographers. If there is limited response here, I will move it over for you.
Good luck.
OM
 
Oh please do .. sorry didn't know there was a section for the cameras. Please feel free to move it. Thank you!
 
I just got a GoPro Hero 7 to capture some video of my ride through Europe... below is an example. It's a great camera, especially now that it has a screen on the rear so that you can see exactly what you're shooting.

I am also hear very good things about the DJI Osmo Action Cam.

 
re the GOPRO's. (H5,6,7)

my experience is with an H5 Black.

pros -
-simple to use
-can be run with power connected so battery won't die
-they have built in GPS. the gopro editing software allows you to access this with simple clicks to overlay your track, speed, g-forces, etc.

https://youtu.be/YATggN7D7aE

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/YATggN7D7aE" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>



cons -
- the mobile app sucks. wireless connection to gopro is hit or miss. file transfer speed is dog slow...and the files are huge. usually the wireless link drops mid-transfer causing you to have to start over. mobile app also only saves to the phone internal memory(within the gopro app)..not a memory card.
-camera does not remember settings once you turn it off. once you turn it off, all the setup you did goes away and it returns to default.
-computer editing software does not show file names, only a thumbnail. hard to tell one video from another when they are all similar thumbnail shots

bottom line....gopro does pretty good at capturing the video...but trying to work with it afterwards is a major PITA.
 
cons -
- the mobile app sucks. wireless connection to gopro is hit or miss. file transfer speed is dog slow...and the files are huge. usually the wireless link drops mid-transfer causing you to have to start over. mobile app also only saves to the phone internal memory(within the gopro app)..not a memory card.
-camera does not remember settings once you turn it off. once you turn it off, all the setup you did goes away and it returns to default.
-computer editing software does not show file names, only a thumbnail. hard to tell one video from another when they are all similar thumbnail shots

bottom line....gopro does pretty good at capturing the video...but trying to work with it afterwards is a major PITA.

Visian: that is a nice road to ride ... with it's own danger of course ... and the picture is very clear and sharp. Thank you!

Mlytle: those cons really concern me, especially the memory card issue but even more the losing the settings after turning it off. I will see if the newer (or even older) models are better, if not I am not sure if I would go with any of them. I guess I am looking for just a simple recording cam that just records on a card which then can be transferred to a computer. Sometimes they try to put too many fancy things on them while sacrificing what are more important. Thank you for your input! ... PS: nice track run with that 'S'!
 
cons -
- the mobile app sucks. wireless connection to gopro is hit or miss. file transfer speed is dog slow...and the files are huge. usually the wireless link drops mid-transfer causing you to have to start over. mobile app also only saves to the phone internal memory(within the gopro app)..not a memory card.
-camera does not remember settings once you turn it off. once you turn it off, all the setup you did goes away and it returns to default.
-computer editing software does not show file names, only a thumbnail. hard to tell one video from another when they are all similar thumbnail shots

bottom line....gopro does pretty good at capturing the video...but trying to work with it afterwards is a major PITA.

Marshall - I had a GoPro 4 before buying my 7... the main reason I sprung for one is the image stabilization. As you can see from my sample vid, it works really well (a lot of that road I was on was rough as hell!)

However, the Hero 7 also incorporataed some pretty big improvements that *I think* address some of your concerns... however, not 100% sure.

After shooting, my practice is to remove the microSD card and copy the files to my iPad using a hardwired card reader. From there they go to iCloud so that there is a backup. I honestly have not tried the WiFi route.

I can also do the same thing with my Mac and you definitely see the files in Finder... and then drag them to iMovie or any other editing software.

The Hero7 definitely remembers its settings after you power down.

I need to play around with that app more....
 
Visian: that is a nice road to ride ... with it's own danger of course ... and the picture is very clear and sharp. Thank you!

You would not believe how much better they look on the computer. However, they do survive YouTube's compression pretty well.... until you view them on Facebook! :eek
 
You would not believe how much better they look on the computer. However, they do survive YouTube's compression pretty well.... until you view them on Facebook! :eek

Ian, in the true spirit of an Airhead I was finally able to fashion a handlebar mount for my 6 x 9 Speed Graphlix. Pain in the ass riding with the hood over my helmet though. :scratch

Friedle
 
Marshall - I had a GoPro 4 before buying my 7... the main reason I sprung for one is the image stabilization. As you can see from my sample vid, it works really well (a lot of that road I was on was rough as hell!)

However, the Hero 7 also incorporataed some pretty big improvements that *I think* address some of your concerns... however, not 100% sure.

After shooting, my practice is to remove the microSD card and copy the files to my iPad using a hardwired card reader. From there they go to iCloud so that there is a backup. I honestly have not tried the WiFi route.

I can also do the same thing with my Mac and you definitely see the files in Finder... and then drag them to iMovie or any other editing software.

The Hero7 definitely remembers its settings after you power down.

I need to play around with that app more....

i hope they fixed the settings issue...when i use the camera in my race car i have to manually set the focus/iris location for the windshield. every time i start the camera i have to reset it. PITA with the camera on a roll bar in the car.

re: the download issue. yes, could offload to computer, but i don't carry a computer with me on the MC. multiday trips want to just dump the files to the big memory card in the phone. it just does not work. and many places I ride don't have good cell connectivity, so sending to the "cloud" is not an option.
 
re: the download issue. yes, could offload to computer, but i don't carry a computer with me on the MC. multiday trips want to just dump the files to the big memory card in the phone. it just does not work. and many places I ride don't have good cell connectivity, so sending to the "cloud" is not an option.

I also offload images to my phone... it's an iPhone 10 with 512 gig, so not your everyday phone, but I put the microSD into a card reader that plugs into the phone. On my last tour, I brought my iPad, which is easier to use when it comes time to edit.

They definitely fixed the "lost settings" issue... and the touch-driven User Interface on the rear screen is very nice.
 
Ian, in the true spirit of an Airhead I was finally able to fashion a handlebar mount for my 6 x 9 Speed Graphlix. Pain in the ass riding with the hood over my helmet though. :scratch

Friedle

You no doubt have a digital back for this setup so that it works with your /2 computer, right? :ha
 
You no doubt have a digital back for this setup so that it works with your /2 computer, right? :ha

Of course, although it is somewhat difficult to stuff the film into the computer. Maybe I am not using the right settings ????

Friedle
 
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