Helmet Camera - Which one?

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XennoX

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OK, so I'm looking at getting a helmet camera for my daily commute/trips through the twisties/adventures. Obviously the buzzword these days is GoPro, however I want to know the amateur's & professional's opinion.

Cameras that I have found so far are [obviously] the GoPro Hero series and the Drift HD (Vanilla/Ghost). Contour manufactured PoV cameras until a few months ago when they went under, otherwise I would have bought the Contour+2 due to its design (sleek and streamlined). The Drift strikes me as being a bit on the large side, but it is streamlined and the GoPro has the nifty waterproof housing that comes with it.

Do you guys have experience with these products? Any recommendations? Alternatives? Budget is up to R5k.
 
I don't have any experience with any of those cameras since I'm using a Muvi, costs less than halve the price of a GoPro and does the same thing. (waterproof housing and build in colour screen)

My next helmet cam however will be a Drift. If you look at some motovlogs on YouTube you'll see that the majority of the riders use the Drift.
 
I had a GoPro and its not as heavy as what I thought it would be. A bit bulky perhaps. Be honest and say I never took it on the trails and only played with it at home (ended up selling it as it was gathering dust).

The advantage of GoPro is the accessories.
 
Right, full disclosure right up front... I worked with an online retailer who specialised in adventure camcorders and I'm now with the importers of one of the brands you mentioned. That said...
Here's my take on the cameras you looked at:
If you're worried about the budget, go for a GoPro White Edition. It's cheaper than the entry level Drift HD and is the better buy. You'll get a full HD camcorder which shoots 5Mp stills as well as a mount for your helmet. It's a really solid buy and you'd be saving around R250.00
If you're looking higher up the food chain things become a little less clear.
GoPro have the Silver Edition, which is basically the Hero2, repackaged in a new chassis with built-in WiFi. Really good camera... That is, unless you want a remote control. Those puppies will set you back R1300,00 which puts you right in Black Edition territory and the remote comes free with the Black Edition. Between the Silver and the Black at virtually the same price, there is no choose really... Black Edition wins every time. There are the new Hero3+ Silver and Black Editions , but for me at least, the logic stays the same... Buying a remote control, buy the Black Edition.
The Silver Edition gives you an 11Mp sensor and a side mount for your helmet and a few more options than the White Edition for setting frame rates at 720/1080p. The Black Edition gives you the same mounts as the Silver, a 12Mp sensor and, IMO, it's real party trick, just about every frame rate you can think of in 720/1080 and it also shoots in 4K. If you're a serious video editor, the GoPro Black Edition cameras are the ones to look at. Seriously.
The Drift sits somewhere in-between the Silver and Black Editions... It's easier to use, mainly because of the screen and with video settings, its as good as the Silver Edition but falls short of the Black Edition. It has it's own party tricks 'tho. That built-in screen for one (R1300,00 for a screen on a GoPro), a rotatable lens and the one that I find most important, a really long battery life.
YouTube has a couple of side-by-side comparisons but that might make it more confusing. For every video where the GoPro wins there's a video where the Drift video looks better... Bottom line. Decide what's most important for you... The look of the cameras, the video editing options, a screen, battery life... Buy the one that fits the bill best and, whichever choice you make won't be the wrong one.

PS. The Contour, 'tho not huge in SA was the second best selling camera in the States. Problem is the "was" part. Repairs and accessories will become a problem as the local agents run short of stock. If you go that way you'll need to keep that in mind. Also, there's the Sony, which really compares with a White Edition GoPro but it's pricey and doesn't have a wide range of mounts and the mounts are expensive... Just saying.
 
The only time I recommend the gopro is when you intend to use it for underwater stuff - and deeper than 10m.
Other than that there are quite a few which are cheaper and do a pretty similar job.
 
I am currently using the Hero3 White Edition, quite impressed so far, especially the GoPro Smartphone App compatibility.

However, I came across this camera recently at Makro - http://www.ioncamera.com/, it looked good in terms of aerodynamics and its compact design (I liked the fact that it vibrates when you start/stop recording, useful when its mounted on your helmet. It also has a dedicated button to toggle between 720p and 1080p recording), it is also in the R3000-R5000 price bracket, worth a look I think.
 
I have a gopro with about 5 or 6 different mounting options (Sourced from ebay and dealextreme). Get the black version and a few extra batteries from ebay. Sony has a pretty good action cam as well.
 
There is a new version of the go-pro out, and i've seen the outgoing black version dropped to 4.2k at some shops. I'd definetly see if you can get that.
 
As a new owner of a GoPro (3 months) I have to say that I am not as impressed as I thought I would be.
The battery doesn't last nearly long enough for it to be properly useful. I don't have extra cash to dump on overpriced spare battery packs and a million different accessories. The GoPro doesn't even have a standard tripod mount. You have to buy that separately. Everything is another accessory, another feature, more money.

It also takes inordinately long to charge because it has to charge via the computer, gets ridiculously hot during both use and charging, and the mounting/casings/straps and everything are laborous and annoying to open/close/use.

I'm rather disappointed. I would get rid of the thing in a heartbeat in favour of something else instead :( Something I would actually use.
 
bboy said:
There is a new version of the go-pro out, and i've seen the outgoing black version dropped to 4.2k at some shops. I'd definetly see if you can get that.
Click to expand...

Which shops are these?

greg0205 said:
Right, full disclosure right up front... I worked with an online retailer who specialised in adventure camcorders and I'm now with the importers of one of the brands you mentioned. That said...
Here's my take on the cameras you looked at:
If you're worried about the budget, go for a GoPro White Edition. It's cheaper than the entry level Drift HD and is the better buy. You'll get a full HD camcorder which shoots 5Mp stills as well as a mount for your helmet. It's a really solid buy and you'd be saving around R250.00
If you're looking higher up the food chain things become a little less clear.
GoPro have the Silver Edition, which is basically the Hero2, repackaged in a new chassis with built-in WiFi. Really good camera... That is, unless you want a remote control. Those puppies will set you back R1300,00 which puts you right in Black Edition territory and the remote comes free with the Black Edition. Between the Silver and the Black at virtually the same price, there is no choose really... Black Edition wins every time. There are the new Hero3+ Silver and Black Editions , but for me at least, the logic stays the same... Buying a remote control, buy the Black Edition.
The Silver Edition gives you an 11Mp sensor and a side mount for your helmet and a few more options than the White Edition for setting frame rates at 720/1080p. The Black Edition gives you the same mounts as the Silver, a 12Mp sensor and, IMO, it's real party trick, just about every frame rate you can think of in 720/1080 and it also shoots in 4K. If you're a serious video editor, the GoPro Black Edition cameras are the ones to look at. Seriously.
The Drift sits somewhere in-between the Silver and Black Editions... It's easier to use, mainly because of the screen and with video settings, its as good as the Silver Edition but falls short of the Black Edition. It has it's own party tricks 'tho. That built-in screen for one (R1300,00 for a screen on a GoPro), a rotatable lens and the one that I find most important, a really long battery life.
YouTube has a couple of side-by-side comparisons but that might make it more confusing. For every video where the GoPro wins there's a video where the Drift video looks better... Bottom line. Decide what's most important for you... The look of the cameras, the video editing options, a screen, battery life... Buy the one that fits the bill best and, whichever choice you make won't be the wrong one.

PS. The Contour, 'tho not huge in SA was the second best selling camera in the States. Problem is the "was" part. Repairs and accessories will become a problem as the local agents run short of stock. If you go that way you'll need to keep that in mind. Also, there's the Sony, which really compares with a White Edition GoPro but it's pricey and doesn't have a wide range of mounts and the mounts are expensive... Just saying.
Click to expand...

Thank you for the write up. The Contour+2 is also prohibitively expensive here (over R6 at the moment, the Contour+2 ROAM is cheaper but shall have to read up on it.)

The side-by-side comparisons as you mentioned are always differing. I don't really care for the remote control, as the camera will be switched on as soon as I start riding and switched off once I reach my destination. Any idea what the battery life is like on the GoPro's and the Drift's?
 
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AnibugZA said:
It also takes inordinately long to charge because it has to charge via the computer
Click to expand...

I charge mine using the given USB cable, but instead of using the PC I plug it into my Cell-Phone charger, charges quite quickly.
 
XennoX said:
Which shops are these?



Thank you for the write up. The Contour+2 is also prohibitively expensive here (over R6 at the moment, the Contour+2 ROAM is cheaper but shall have to read up on it.)

The side-by-side comparisons as you mentioned are always differing. I don't really care for the remote control, as the camera will be switched on as soon as I start riding and switched off once I reach my destination. Any idea what the battery life is like on the GoPro's and the Drift's?
Click to expand...

You'll get about an hour and a half of record time with the GoPro, set on 1080p at 30 frames per second... The Drift will get you around three hours.
 
Ewie said:
Midland XTC

https://midlandusa.com/xtc-cameras/
Click to expand...

Well this is not available localy but I just bought myself one on ebay, landed in south africa with import duties it was R2000, so if you want to take the risk, video is good, and it have all the mounts i need, Bike, etc, even a submersible case. video 1080 *30
702 * 60, all it can do but who want more if you just want a helmet ca

Drift seem nice as well as the garmin, but all of them cost a lot more.

Got the XTC 300.
 
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It was one of the outdoor shops at gateway that had 4.2k gopro blacks. Like Cape union mart of one of those other outdoory shops, I wasn't shopping for the camera I was buying accessories so I was looking everywhere.

My battery on my gopro has been fine, the only issue I have had is the bloody wifi draining the battery when I'm not even using the camera, there is a off switch for it but I never seem to get it right, charge go pro, try to use next day and the damn thing is flat cause the wifi was on the whole time.

The iphone app for gopro is great, allows you to view the videos and current view of the gopro which is great for getting the mounting position right. You can start/stop recording.. view/delete... configure all from your phone. Dunno if they others have but gopro has upside down mode too.
 
Even though the GoPro camera-within-housing approach makes the camera less aerodynamic and more bulky, the added benefit is that if the camera gets smashed for whatever reason, it is relatively cheap to replace the housing instead of sending the camera off for repairs etc. The other non-housed cameras are surely quite durable, but prone to scratches and knocks, especially the lens.
 
It's unfortunate that South Africa is GoPro mad, but I guess their marketing machine is just better than Drift's.

I recently purchased a Drift Ghost for the following reasons

-water resistant without the need for a cover. Actually waterproof for about 3m. The GoPro needs the cover to be water resistant

-built in LCD, whereas an on the GoPro you need to purchase it.

-Ghost is cheaper than the GoPro black and has a remote

-Ghost has better battery life

- Ghost is more streamlined with the bullet shape and easier to mount

-Ghost has tagging mode which allows you to capture your exact moment and filter the rubbish

- I must admit, the GoPro does have ever so slight better video quality but you wouldn't really notice, especially uploading to YouTube.

The Ghost S has just been released hut I would say if you don't plan on using it at night, just grab the normal Ghost. My mate in Jhb sells them for R4100 if you're interested.
 
RandomGRK said:
It's unfortunate that South Africa is GoPro mad, but I guess their marketing machine is just better than Drift's.
Click to expand...

Yep, that's why I asked for opinions. To me a GoPro is only popular because of the marketing machine it has. For me a Contour+2 would have been better than a GoPro (streamlined and had some awesome features, but not manufactured any more and the ones that are left are prohibitively expensive.)

RandomGRK said:
The Ghost S has just been released hut I would say if you don't plan on using it at night, just grab the normal Ghost. My mate in Jhb sells them for R4100 if you're interested.
Click to expand...

Fire away. I assume its this guy?
 
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