Recommendation for helmet camera

BDFun

Hi all,

I realise there is a poster further down about helmet cameras, but I didn't want to hijack it.

I am looking to invest in a helmet mounted camera that will be used when I commute to work on my racer while wearing a racer helmet.

• < £300 if possible
• Robust
• Waterproof
• Good image quality day and night. Good enough to capture license plates, especially when things are moving.

I've had some recommendations for GoPro HD or Contour HD, and most reviews I've found are 1-2 years old. I can't really make up my mind about which one to go for. The GoPro HD is reported to produce better quality images, but I'm slightly put off by the lack of sleekness when it is mounted on my sleek helmet.

Appreciate any advice that people can give.

bails87

Contour HD for helmet mounting, Go Pro for chest/frame mounting.

king_jeffers

bails87 wrote:

Contour HD for helmet mounting, Go Pro for chest/frame mounting.

+1

One thing I would say is the Contour HD is a little weighty on the lid. In terms of size, my setup is:



Thinking about getting a bar mount for the bike, see how it goes. Quality wise its great in day & evening, night time not so great. Kind of suffers in low lit areas, to be expected for the price I guess.

Let us know what you get :-)

Edit:

http://www.magnatom.net/ - reviewed the main stable of cameras out at the moment, most models have been updated since but gives you a good idea.

mtb-idle

I've got a GoPro HD and love it. I don't use it for daily commuting but have filmed a couple of journeys for my own entertainment. I also use it a lot for MTB'ing. The GoPro2 HD is now available in that price range.

It's quite weighty when it's on your lid but meets all of your criteria.

The better bet is as mentioned above to get the chesty strap and wear the camera more unobtrusively on your chest. You get a wide 170 degree field of vision plus a much smoother picture. If it's on your lid the footage is always jerky as you move your head around so much when commuting with all that shoulder checking and nervously keeping an eye on cars alongside you etc.

Here's quite a few vids wot i shot and edited

MTB-Idle videos

These should give you an idea of quality/field of view/mounting positions etc.

redvee

ContourHD has been replaced by Contour Roam though you might still find some for sale. ContourRoams have the advantage of self-metering which means they change to suit the light conditions whereas my ContourHD needs settings changed on the PC and ContourRoams have a higher IP rating.
I did initially notice the extra weight on my helmet, around 125g, but that went after 2-3 weeks.

BDFun

Thanks for the recommendations

It would be nice to not have to mount it on my helmet, but the main reason I'm getting is to capture anything happening on the road around me. For that reason, it seems like the best place to mount it is on the helmet.

Kieran_Burns

I have the Contour HD (2nd one after the 1st succumbed to my bouncing off the road) and if you would like to see what it can do when attached to a helmet:

http://www.youtube.com/user/Tr4veller?feature=mhee

apart from the Lightning

symo

There is a new Drift HD1080p too.

Thinking of getting one for £160.