Camera suggestions?
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Intermediate
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 25
Likes: 0
From: Central, Ohio
Camera suggestions?
Got a 3,700 mile trip planned this summer and I thought it would be neat to film portions of the trip as I ride along. I know some mount them on their helmets, other on the bike itself. Since I have a Street Glide, thought there may be to much vibration to mount it directly on the bike. What are your suggestions? I would also appreciate any camera suggestions as well...I'm not familiar with what is available now. Don't want to invest a lot into the setup as well..hopefully. Thanks!
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 5,173
Likes: 177
From: East Coast
It's been done before on the Glide. I use the GoPro Hero2 camera on the FatBoy, but I have the balanced engine. At highway speed, the "A" engine might be even smoother for filming though. Get the optional battery pack, and also find out about wiring directly to power point on your bike. You'll have fun!
Cruiser
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 222
Likes: 1
From: Massachusetts
If your looking for a really good compact PHD camera, take a look at the Canon S100 or S95. The S100 just came out and you can get the S95 for cheaper money. Great pictures and video come out of this camera.
Good luck.
Good luck.
Road Warrior
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 1,296
Likes: 3
From: Cheltenham, UK
If it is an action camera you are after, GoPro do seem to be the most popular, but...
I opted for the Contour GPS model. The video quality is very good but I was mainly sold on the feature that it has a built in GPS receiver so you can overlay a route map on the video so you can see exactly where the footage was filmed. I will stick with this feature on any camera I buy from now on - great to know where it was filmed in 10 years time when you have forgotten!
I opted for the Contour GPS model. The video quality is very good but I was mainly sold on the feature that it has a built in GPS receiver so you can overlay a route map on the video so you can see exactly where the footage was filmed. I will stick with this feature on any camera I buy from now on - great to know where it was filmed in 10 years time when you have forgotten!
Account Retired
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 3,245
Likes: 12
From: Here
My wife uses the Contour 1080 HP and loves it. She has it mounted on her helmet. She tried it mounted on the bike, but got too much vibration. The only other camera she would look at would be the Drift. Some like the Go-Pro. She bought one and sent it back and bought the Contour.
Extreme HDF Member
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 14,744
Likes: 402
From: Phoenix '53, '88, '09 Big Twins
bike cam, makes me queasy for more than a short look.
My panasonic camera point/n/shoot and iphone have video modes. and i also have a flip cam that works fine.
used a microphone clamp mount to the crashbar for the flip cam ( euro microphone mount is same a std camera mount).
worked ok, audio is a mess of wind noise.
so results ok, cost= 0 as it was all stuff I had.
got to have to have a way to download all the data at the end of the day.
which now meant packing my computer etc.
with an ios device you can send video files to the cloud and store them there.
if this is something you think you are really going to get into, then a dedicated system with gps would be nifty.
mike
mike
My panasonic camera point/n/shoot and iphone have video modes. and i also have a flip cam that works fine.
used a microphone clamp mount to the crashbar for the flip cam ( euro microphone mount is same a std camera mount).
worked ok, audio is a mess of wind noise.
so results ok, cost= 0 as it was all stuff I had.
got to have to have a way to download all the data at the end of the day.
which now meant packing my computer etc.
with an ios device you can send video files to the cloud and store them there.
if this is something you think you are really going to get into, then a dedicated system with gps would be nifty.
mike
mike
Tourer
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 281
Likes: 0
From: FL
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Tourer
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 274
Likes: 2
From: Baltimore, MD
I use the Contour 1080P HD mounted on a 1" RAM ball that is mounted between my mirror stem and stem extensions. Only vibrations I have are at a stop with the bike in Neutral or the clutch handle pulled tight. Once under way it is very smooth and subject to the motions of the bike handling on the road. I use the 12V car adapter and plug it directly into one of my 12V accessory plugs I added.
The camera I use automatically records for 60 minutes about 3.5GB of data then auto's over to a new file. I haven't tried to reformat the microSD card to smaller files settings, but I would like to get the files down to about 1.5 GB of data or about 30 minutes per file.
Which ever camera you decide on buying and where to mount it is a personal choice, I just like having access to it without too much effort being involved to make adjustments.
A RAM mount makes easy on/off the bike for those moments when you need to take a video of something when off the bike.
There are lots of editing software out there for free to little cost. I suggest you try some of them and see which you like. You will want to edit maybe add music or just take a still picture from a video.
If you decide on a camera other than GoPro or Contour, make sure it can handle severe vibrations. Mounting a DSLR camera or standard digital movie CAM to your bike could be disastrous. Most cameras are not made to withstand severe vibrations. The CCD's are not shock mounted.
Good Luck.
The camera I use automatically records for 60 minutes about 3.5GB of data then auto's over to a new file. I haven't tried to reformat the microSD card to smaller files settings, but I would like to get the files down to about 1.5 GB of data or about 30 minutes per file.
Which ever camera you decide on buying and where to mount it is a personal choice, I just like having access to it without too much effort being involved to make adjustments.
A RAM mount makes easy on/off the bike for those moments when you need to take a video of something when off the bike.
There are lots of editing software out there for free to little cost. I suggest you try some of them and see which you like. You will want to edit maybe add music or just take a still picture from a video.
If you decide on a camera other than GoPro or Contour, make sure it can handle severe vibrations. Mounting a DSLR camera or standard digital movie CAM to your bike could be disastrous. Most cameras are not made to withstand severe vibrations. The CCD's are not shock mounted.
Good Luck.
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Road Warrior
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 1,730
Likes: 199
From: Vancouver BC
i just picked up a Drift HD http://driftinnovation.com/ . the major advantage it has over the gopro is the remote. no fumbling to find on button and the remote has dedicated on and off so you can hit the on button several times to make sure it is on, range 15'. gopro users i know have found after reviewing the footage when they get home somethimes find they've been recording when they thought it was off and visa versa....
the other cool thing is a built in moniter and the menu is much more user friendly than the gopro. you can get an add on moniter for the gopro which i think is a must if you go that route.
also the lens rotates so you can mount the camera in any position then level your frame with te lens. very helpful.
the other cool thing is a built in moniter and the menu is much more user friendly than the gopro. you can get an add on moniter for the gopro which i think is a must if you go that route.
also the lens rotates so you can mount the camera in any position then level your frame with te lens. very helpful.
