Talk to me about helmet cameras

prawny

I've been dabbling with using a camera on my commute. I've got a cheap Sj4000 that I used for MTBing which I tried first and it's given me a bit of confidence that should the worst happen then I've got some evidence.

But, the battery life is shorter than my commute.

I bought a veho Muvi K2 on an offer last week, and it was ok, but there was a small fault with it plus the case fogged up terribly.

I've just bought a GoPro session at lunch time, but now I've had a proper play with it it turns out it wont overwrite old files, so I'll need to be manually deleting files off it morning and night, which seems like a bind. Otherwise it looks like the best option, and to be honest is over my ideal budget.

Is there anything else out there that does what I need for sensible money?
i.e <£150, battery that lasts over 2 hours, preferably rain proof without a case, will auto overwrite old files and good quality video?

fenix

I think it can ?

https://gopro.com/support/articles/how- ... oping-work

Semantik

1st bit of advice- don't wear it on your head. Enrages (some) motorists and you look silly.
I have a Contour Roam 2 which is waterproof without a case and battery easily lasts 2 hours. Doesn't overwrite by itself though. Prefer to manually delete myself tbh. Can be had for £92 atm.

whatleytom

As already been said, set it to looping. I've started recording my commutes using a GoPro. I have it mounted underneath the bars instead of a helmet mount. Have a memory card and battery big enough to cover 20 miles of commuting a day so I just delete the card as I need to.

prawny

Nah, Go pro looping is stupid. It only loops the recording that you're doing, so if you get passed to close but don;t stop the recording it will over write the current file, but not the one from the day before.

Edit- the session looping is even worse, you can only start it from the app/remote, and I can't afford a silver/5 black.

Agree on the helmet mounting though, mine is tucked away under the bars, behind the garmin.

The other option is getting a 64gb card and only deleting once a day which might be the solution. I did look at the contour, but the extra detail of 1080p is useful for picking out reg numbers.

whatleytom

Depends how long your commute is, 16gb lasts me 20miles or just over an hour. I just delete each morning once I know I don't need the footage.

prawny

My commute is also an hour, morning can take up to 90 mins if I really pootle. the 32gb card I've got will be enough for one way, I was just hoping I'd be able to get away with deleting once per day. so I can get the mornings footage back to my laptop if the need arises.

wolfsbane2k

The shimano CM-1000 camera won't do what you want - exclude that if you haven't already - battery life is < 2 hours at 720p, and 32gb limit, but is waterproof without any accessories etc.

prawny

I'm starting to think the only real contender is the Fly12, but I don't need the light, and I can't afford it.

I'll try the gopro tonight and tomorrow and see how it goes. At least I can use that when I'm on my MTB too.

pblakeney

Ask Michael Schumacher which one he was using.
You may have to wait a while for a response though.

MrSweary

PBlakeney wrote:

Ask Michael Schumacher which one he was using.
You may have to wait a while for a response though.

Haven't read the final report on this but the thought of attaching a large non-crumpling thing to one of my main crumple zones never seemed like a very good idea.

fenix

It's usually stuck on though - so I'd expect it to break off pretty quickly.

rick_chasey

Depends how you fall right?

Helmet is there to protect ya head, not hold something hard right by it.

---

I generally have a broader issue with the fact that nowadays everyone's f*cking surveillanced the whole time.

Was chatting to my boss (in his '60s) about his stag, and he made the point that my generation (i.e. anyone born after 1985) is " a lot more sensible than my generation" - I know why - anything you that's outa line someone will take a picture or film and somewhere it'll end up on the internet.

We all make mistakes right? We all have moments which we'd like to forget. Now every f*cker and his dog can film your momentary loss of composure or error and stick it on the internet as a permanent reminder.

I'm sure you'll just use it when you get smashed up by some car, but you'll succumb to the temptation.

Just accept that sh!t happens to everyone occasionally, even you, and roll with it a bit more.

Semantik

Rick Chasey wrote:

Depends how you fall right?

Helmet is there to protect ya head, not hold something hard right by it.

---

I generally have a broader issue with the fact that nowadays everyone's f*cking surveillanced the whole time.

Was chatting to my boss (in his '60s) about his stag, and he made the point that my generation (i.e. anyone born after 1985) is " a lot more sensible than my generation" - I know why - anything you that's outa line someone will take a picture or film and somewhere it'll end up on the internet.

We all make mistakes right? We all have moments which we'd like to forget. Now every f*cker and his dog can film your momentary loss of composure or error and stick it on the internet as a permanent reminder.

I'm sure you'll just use it when you get smashed up by some car, but you'll succumb to the temptation.

Just accept that sh!t happens to everyone occasionally, even you, and roll with it a bit more.

Your peace-loving sentiments I'm sure are well meaning and it would ne nice if the worse we can expect on the roads is a 'momentary loss of composure or error' as you put it from the occasional motorist.
But we all know it goes further than that as can be seen time and again. Cyclists being driven at deliberately at speed during road races, drivers stopping and punching riders to the ground while hurling vile abuse at them, vehicles overtaking riders in 'punishment passes' causing genuine fear of serious injury, dangerous left hooks on virtually every commute into the big cities.
Got any kids old enough to ride a bike? Or a partner who rides alone? Would you like them to be on the receiving end of any of this sort of behaviour? Would you 'roll with it''? Am guessing not.
Cameras are a very useful tool in taking action against aggressive driving and criminal behaviour on our roads.Without them prosecutions are considerably harder to get home.
If we have to put up with a few wallies along the way posting footage online of comparatively innocuous 'incidents' which they wrongly perceive as amounting to dangerous driving then that's surely not too offensive or contemptuous towards our human rights on the whole is it?

pblakeney

Semantik wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

Depends how you fall right?

Helmet is there to protect ya head, not hold something hard right by it.

---

I generally have a broader issue with the fact that nowadays everyone's f*cking surveillanced the whole time.

Was chatting to my boss (in his '60s) about his stag, and he made the point that my generation (i.e. anyone born after 1985) is " a lot more sensible than my generation" - I know why - anything you that's outa line someone will take a picture or film and somewhere it'll end up on the internet.

We all make mistakes right? We all have moments which we'd like to forget. Now every f*cker and his dog can film your momentary loss of composure or error and stick it on the internet as a permanent reminder.

I'm sure you'll just use it when you get smashed up by some car, but you'll succumb to the temptation.

Just accept that sh!t happens to everyone occasionally, even you, and roll with it a bit more.

Your peace-loving sentiments I'm sure are well meaning and it would ne nice if the worse we can expect on the roads is a 'momentary loss of composure or error' as you put it from the occasional motorist.
But we all know it goes further than that as can be seen time and again. Cyclists being driven at deliberately at speed during road races, drivers stopping and punching riders to the ground while hurling vile abuse at them, vehicles overtaking riders in 'punishment passes' causing genuine fear of serious injury, dangerous left hooks on virtually every commute into the big cities.
Got any kids old enough to ride a bike? Or a partner who rides alone? Would you like them to be on the receiving end of any of this sort of behaviour? Would you 'roll with it''? Am guessing not.
Cameras are a very useful tool in taking action against aggressive driving and criminal behaviour on our roads.Without them prosecutions are considerably harder to get home.
If we have to put up with a few wallies along the way posting footage online of comparatively innocuous 'incidents' which they wrongly perceive as amounting to dangerous driving then that's surely not too offensive or contemptuous towards our human rights on the whole is it?

The trouble with all those scenarios is that having a camera will prevent none of them.

Semantik

PBlakeney wrote:

Semantik wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

Depends how you fall right?

Helmet is there to protect ya head, not hold something hard right by it.

---

I generally have a broader issue with the fact that nowadays everyone's f*cking surveillanced the whole time.

Was chatting to my boss (in his '60s) about his stag, and he made the point that my generation (i.e. anyone born after 1985) is " a lot more sensible than my generation" - I know why - anything you that's outa line someone will take a picture or film and somewhere it'll end up on the internet.

We all make mistakes right? We all have moments which we'd like to forget. Now every f*cker and his dog can film your momentary loss of composure or error and stick it on the internet as a permanent reminder.

I'm sure you'll just use it when you get smashed up by some car, but you'll succumb to the temptation.

Just accept that sh!t happens to everyone occasionally, even you, and roll with it a bit more.

Your peace-loving sentiments I'm sure are well meaning and it would ne nice if the worse we can expect on the roads is a 'momentary loss of composure or error' as you put it from the occasional motorist.
But we all know it goes further than that as can be seen time and again. Cyclists being driven at deliberately at speed during road races, drivers stopping and punching riders to the ground while hurling vile abuse at them, vehicles overtaking riders in 'punishment passes' causing genuine fear of serious injury, dangerous left hooks on virtually every commute into the big cities.
Got any kids old enough to ride a bike? Or a partner who rides alone? Would you like them to be on the receiving end of any of this sort of behaviour? Would you 'roll with it''? Am guessing not.
Cameras are a very useful tool in taking action against aggressive driving and criminal behaviour on our roads.Without them prosecutions are considerably harder to get home.
If we have to put up with a few wallies along the way posting footage online of comparatively innocuous 'incidents' which they wrongly perceive as amounting to dangerous driving then that's surely not too offensive or contemptuous towards our human rights on the whole is it?

The trouble with all those scenarios is that having a camera will prevent none of them.

That much is obvious. But without camera evidence of these misdeeds you have little hope of doing much about them afterwards. Without witnesses it becomes your word against theirs. Which is frustrating to say the least. I would rather have something further than that to rely on. Evidence from these cameras can be priceless in securing convictions and persuading other parties to admit liability.

pblakeney

Semantik wrote:

That much is obvious. But without camera evidence of these misdeeds you have little hope of doing much about them afterwards. Without witnesses it becomes your word against theirs. Which is frustrating to say the least. I would rather have something further than that to rely on. Evidence from these cameras can be priceless in securing convictions and persuading other parties to admit liability.

I must remember to add a clause in my will to prosecute using the evidence.

rick_chasey

Might as well film your entire life for that moment when someone commits a crime against you.

Because that's a world I want to live in.

Semantik

PBlakeney wrote:

Semantik wrote:

That much is obvious. But without camera evidence of these misdeeds you have little hope of doing much about them afterwards. Without witnesses it becomes your word against theirs. Which is frustrating to say the least. I would rather have something further than that to rely on. Evidence from these cameras can be priceless in securing convictions and persuading other parties to admit liability.

I must remember to add a clause in my will to prosecute using the evidence.

Good. And your beneficiaries will most likely thank you for having a camera fitted and working.

Semantik

Rick Chasey wrote:

Might as well film your entire life for that moment when someone commits a crime against you.

Because that's a world I want to live in.

Get a few more miles in and a few more years under your belt and you may well have a different opinion.

rick_chasey

Semantik wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

Might as well film your entire life for that moment when someone commits a crime against you.

Because that's a world I want to live in.

Get a few more miles in and a few more years under your belt and you may well have a different opinion.

Are you for real?

pblakeney

Semantik wrote:

PBlakeney wrote:

Semantik wrote:

That much is obvious. But without camera evidence of these misdeeds you have little hope of doing much about them afterwards. Without witnesses it becomes your word against theirs. Which is frustrating to say the least. I would rather have something further than that to rely on. Evidence from these cameras can be priceless in securing convictions and persuading other parties to admit liability.

I must remember to add a clause in my will to prosecute using the evidence.

Good. And your beneficiaries will most likely thank you for having a camera fitted and working.

No. They won't. They will be mourning.
Yours?

wolfsbane2k

PBlakeney wrote:

Semantik wrote:

PBlakeney wrote:

Semantik wrote:

That much is obvious. But without camera evidence of these misdeeds you have little hope of doing much about them afterwards. Without witnesses it becomes your word against theirs. Which is frustrating to say the least. I would rather have something further than that to rely on. Evidence from these cameras can be priceless in securing convictions and persuading other parties to admit liability.

I must remember to add a clause in my will to prosecute using the evidence.

Good. And your beneficiaries will most likely thank you for having a camera fitted and working.

No. They won't. They will be mourning.
Yours?

My OH & I opinion's opinion is similar.
They would rather I'd be alive, but if dead, at least they'd hopefully know who caused it to stop them killing others, and to claim against their insurance to replace my income etc.

tgotb

Semantik wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

Might as well film your entire life for that moment when someone commits a crime against you.

Because that's a world I want to live in.

Get a few more miles in and a few more years under your belt and you may well have a different opinion.

I love these threads. Last time, we asked the OP whether he was 100% confident that having a camera wouldn't turn him into a GoPro vigilante. With a level of self-awareness that's all too rare on this forum, he admitted that carrying a camera might have a negative impact on his own riding, and decided not to get one.

My observation is that most of the people who've been commuting by bike for a long time seem to have realised that a slightly more zen attitude is going to have a beneficial impact on their blood pressure and mental health; its the guys (yes, it always seems to be guys) who've been doing it for 2 or 3 years that still seem to think that filming the World is going to turn it into a better place.

fenix

I'd not be relying on claiming on others. Get your own life insurance in place - what if you just have a heart attack or a (very unlikely) deadly crash was your fault.

I'd be surprised if the chances of death from a bad driver were higher than natural causes whilst exercising.

Semantik

Rick Chasey wrote:

Semantik wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

Might as well film your entire life for that moment when someone commits a crime against you.

Because that's a world I want to live in.

Get a few more miles in and a few more years under your belt and you may well have a different opinion.

Are you for real?

No wish to demean you or cause offence but from your comments you are clearly still a young guy(30 or under) and I can see that most of your miles are the same short journey to work and back, some of it on those rather nice blue lanes for cyclists with only the occasional longer ride out.
I have been cycling considerably longer than yourself, since well before you were born. And while I am not going to claim I have any greater prowess on a bicycle than the next man (or woman) or any greater right to comment than others one thing I have learned is that there are some f***ing nasty people in the world. Some of them are regular users of our roads. And one of these days you might meet one. So you need all the weapons in your arsenal to fight back and a helmet cam is one such weapon.
Having said all that, I can see that your original comment was slightly tongue in cheek so I'm happy just to roll with it.

slowbike

TGOTB wrote:

Semantik wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

Might as well film your entire life for that moment when someone commits a crime against you.

Because that's a world I want to live in.

Get a few more miles in and a few more years under your belt and you may well have a different opinion.

I love these threads. Last time, we asked the OP whether he was 100% confident that having a camera wouldn't turn him into a GoPro vigilante. With a level of self-awareness that's all too rare on this forum, he admitted that carrying a camera might have a negative impact on his own riding, and decided not to get one.

My observation is that most of the people who've been commuting by bike for a long time seem to have realised that a slightly more zen attitude is going to have a beneficial impact on their blood pressure and mental health; its the guys (yes, it always seems to be guys) who've been doing it for 2 or 3 years that still seem to think that filming the World is going to turn it into a better place.

Having been riding for a few more than the 2 or 3 years - got a GoPro - not for filming my commute - but I did a couple of times - tbh, it was just a pita. Just occaisionally I wish I had it - usually for the stupid overtakes carried out by professional drivers who should know better (aka bus drivers) - but yup - it's just not going to make any difference.

rick_chasey

Semantik wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

Semantik wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

Might as well film your entire life for that moment when someone commits a crime against you.

Because that's a world I want to live in.

Get a few more miles in and a few more years under your belt and you may well have a different opinion.

Are you for real?

No wish to demean you or cause offence but from your comments you are clearly still a young guy(30 or under) and I can see that most of your miles are the same short journey to work and back, some of it on those rather nice blue lanes for cyclists with only the occasional longer ride out.
I have been cycling considerably longer than yourself, since well before you were born. And while I am not going to claim I have any greater prowess on a bicycle than the next man (or woman) or any greater right to comment than others one thing I have learned is that there are some f***ing nasty people in the world. Some of them are regular users of our roads. And one of these days you might meet one. So you need all the weapons in your arsenal to fight back and a helmet cam is one such weapon.
Having said all that, I can see that your original comment was slightly tongue in cheek so I'm happy just to roll with it.

Ok you really are.

:roll:

If you ride anything like the chat you're giving on here, you're right you'll probably need a camera.

Semantik

Rick Chasey wrote:

Semantik wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

Semantik wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

Might as well film your entire life for that moment when someone commits a crime against you.

Because that's a world I want to live in.

Get a few more miles in and a few more years under your belt and you may well have a different opinion.

Are you for real?

No wish to demean you or cause offence but from your comments you are clearly still a young guy(30 or under) and I can see that most of your miles are the same short journey to work and back, some of it on those rather nice blue lanes for cyclists with only the occasional longer ride out.
I have been cycling considerably longer than yourself, since well before you were born. And while I am not going to claim I have any greater prowess on a bicycle than the next man (or woman) or any greater right to comment than others one thing I have learned is that there are some f***ing nasty people in the world. Some of them are regular users of our roads. And one of these days you might meet one. So you need all the weapons in your arsenal to fight back and a helmet cam is one such weapon.
Having said all that, I can see that your original comment was slightly tongue in cheek so I'm happy just to roll with it.

Ok you really are.

:roll:

If you ride anything like the chat you're giving on here, you're right you'll probably need a camera.

Think this is time to remind you of your own immortal words:

<< Don't be a dick! >>

rick_chasey

I must apologise and worship at your experienced, well worn feet.

I didn't realise over a decade of riding 6 days a week left me ill qualified to challenge your opinion.

I must beg for forgiveness.













Just don't film it.

dhope

Semantik only has 400 posts to Chasey's 30k so while Semantik has riding bikes for longer his internet opinion is largely insignificant


Though, at the risk of tainting the thread with real world experience, I believe Rick has been victim to a shoeing in the past and no caped helmet cams swooped in to come to the rescue. But he probably is aware that not everyone is a saint despite the meagre 30 years on the earth :roll: