Cameras? Good idea or not?

Shishman
Shishman Posts: 40
edited February 2011 in Commuting chat
Dear all.

Are cameras just about policing your ride?

I am trying to convince my missus that buying a camera is not 'policing' my commute but protecting myself and other riders from bad drivers.

What do you think?

Comments

  • The can of worms is open.
  • EKE_38BPM
    EKE_38BPM Posts: 5,821
    Where did I put my popcorn?
    FCN 3: Raleigh Record Ace fixie-to be resurrected sometime in the future
    FCN 4: Planet X Schmaffenschmack 2- workhorse
    FCN 9: B Twin Vitamin - winter commuter/loan bike for trainees

    I'm hungry. I'm always hungry!
  • Mr Plum
    Mr Plum Posts: 1,097
    Shishman wrote:
    Dear all.

    Are cameras just about policing your ride?

    I am trying to convince my missus that buying a camera is not 'policing' my commute but protecting myself and other riders from bad drivers.

    What do you think?

    Depends what way you look at it. Personally I wouldn't spend the £250 required to get an all singing, all dancing HD camera just to record the commute - I've got better things to do with my money. I got pissed off with the apparent "I can get away with it because it's only a cyclist" mentality of a lot of drivers so I got myself a dirt cheap (£7) MD80 clone to name and shame dangerous/inconsiderate drivers. I'm not particularly insistent about using it as I'll tend to only bother using it during the day and when it's not raining, which means that over winter I didn't use it a lot. The bottom line is that it's down to whatever you feel prepared to pay and whatever your personal reasons for using one is. Above all - don't turn into a self righteous tw@t cos no one will take you seriously :P
    FCN 2 to 8
  • gtvlusso
    gtvlusso Posts: 5,112
    Personally - I would not bothe r- spend the money on something useful, like lighter wheels...... Ultimately, it is up to you though.

    Things to think about:

    1, remember to remove cameras from bike when parking up.
    2, weight on bike - if you are a weight weenie!
    3, what are you going to use them for? Berating other road users on youtube or just your own personal use incase of accident?

    In case of accident, i.e. you ride in an unsafe area or busy area, or maybe you are a little nervous - fair enough, worth doing.

    If you are just going to show footage of other road users on youtube and add your own comments and perceptions, then I would not bother. There is enough people doing that, makes cyclists look like complete tools...and often the perception is incorrect anyway.

    i.e. filming a close pass by a car, is not really a close pass to anyone else who cycles, but because you filmed it, you have to put it on youtube and comment with the reg number, I think thats out of line....

    Still, it is up to you.....now to look for new racing wheels! :-)
  • Lancslad
    Lancslad Posts: 307
    Buy camera use. If you didnt get knocked off/ witness an accident/incident delete the footage. If your going to chase people down and scream youtube at them dont buy one. I prefer just to shout obsenities and make rude gestures at people deserving of it. Lifes to short. I bought one of them cheap cameras but it only last 40mins and my commute is an hour so I dont bother.


    /grabs beer and nachos.
    Novice runner & novice cyclist
    Specialized Tricross
    Orbea (Enol I think)
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 72,242
    It's not protection really.

    You'll get hit whether you have a camera on your head or not - hence all the videos of people getting knocked off, shouted at etc.

    It's to prove to everyone you're a victim.

    The question is, does the missus find the victim angle attractive?

    I'd guess, probably not - not many do.
  • dhope
    dhope Posts: 6,699
    I have one of the 7 quid MD80s too, used it Skiing. I'd quite like to get a GoPro HD, if only as a gadget.

    Could be helpful if you had an accident, but by no means essential.

    I don't really get the people that post every little incident of a slightly close pass, a pedestrian not looking or a RLJ. I think it was iPete that posted a 2 min vid of his commute with stills at 5 second intervals and brief sections of double speed video - looked quite cool.
    Watching Gaz545 cut and edit a completely normal commute with normal people doing normal but slightly careless things - not so much.
    Rose Xeon CW Disc
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  • mattsaw
    mattsaw Posts: 907
    For me it's about how you use it.

    Some people love to use them to emphasise how they're in the right and love taking the time to stop other road users while pointing indignantly to their helmet.

    Other like to record cool stuff they see while at the same time having the protection of having a video record in the rare events when things do go wrong.

    And then you have the rare users like Gaz545 who has the most imformative and balanced YouTube channel that I've seen.
    Bianchi C2C - Ritte Bosberg - Cervelo R3
    Strava
  • dhope
    dhope Posts: 6,699
    Mattsaw wrote:
    And then you have the rare users like Gaz545 who has the most imformative and balanced YouTube channel that I've seen.

    Hrm, maybe I'm doing a disservice. I'm thinking of whoever has vids of 'London cyclists doing silly things', which is just 5 minutes of normal commuting where a nodder might drift a bit at some point.
    Rose Xeon CW Disc
    CAAD12 Disc
    Condor Tempo
  • mattsaw
    mattsaw Posts: 907
    dhope wrote:
    Mattsaw wrote:
    And then you have the rare users like Gaz545 who has the most imformative and balanced YouTube channel that I've seen.

    Hrm, maybe I'm doing a disservice. I'm thinking of whoever has vids of 'London cyclists doing silly things', which is just 5 minutes of normal commuting where a nodder might drift a bit at some point.

    I think they're worth a watch again. When I first started out I picked-up a lot from him about road positioning and generally being safe. My wife also watches them as she likes how he's so polite when he does confront people. :wink:

    I've seen plenty far worse when it it comes to posting arcane videos....
    Bianchi C2C - Ritte Bosberg - Cervelo R3
    Strava
  • Valy
    Valy Posts: 1,321
    I ordered one of the MD80 clones off ebay for about £8 recently.

    Don't know how much I will use it tbh, but at £8 it's almost a case of "why not?" :P It was also prompted by an encounter with some bitch on a period in an X5.

    So I say you can get one of the MD80s fairly easy - not expensive and has quality good enough for IDing plates/showing actions in case of really shitting driving.
  • kurako
    kurako Posts: 1,098
    Mattsaw wrote:
    My wife also watches them as she likes how he's so polite when he does confront people. :wink

    You should see some of the early ones. There's language would make a trooper blush. He's got posher now that he's famous :wink: [/b]
  • mattsaw
    mattsaw Posts: 907
    Kurako wrote:
    Mattsaw wrote:
    My wife also watches them as she likes how he's so polite when he does confront people. :wink

    You should see some of the early ones. There's language would make a trooper blush. He's got posher now that he's famous :wink: [/b]

    I might show her some tonight, I'm worried she's getting a bit keen :oops:
    Bianchi C2C - Ritte Bosberg - Cervelo R3
    Strava
  • kurako
    kurako Posts: 1,098
    Mattsaw wrote:
    My wife also watches them as she likes how he's so polite when he does confront people. :wink

    You should see some of the early ones. There's language would make a trooper blush. He's got posher now that he's famous :wink:
  • Thanks for all the common sense out there.

    My missus wants a new bike so instead of a camera the money will be put towards that or......

    Curry and Cider :twisted:
  • rolf_f
    rolf_f Posts: 16,015
    Cameras - good idea or not?

    Sorry, you are way too late here. Cameras were invented getting on for 200 years ago :lol:
    Faster than a tent.......
  • jamesco
    jamesco Posts: 687
    Mr Plum wrote:
    ...I got pissed off with the apparent "I can get away with it because it's only a cyclist" mentality ...

    For a second, I read that as 'I got pissed off with the apparent "I can get away with it because I am a cyclist"' and was nodding away, because there certainly is a lot of d!ckish riding going on at the moment.

    The best short-term fix IMHO would be a crackdown to enforce the laws on the books - jumping lights, vehicles in ASLs, parking in throughways, failure to give way etc. - so that selfish prats on both 2 wheels and 4 will act a bit more considerately.

    Oh, and get off my lawn ;)
  • jds_1981
    jds_1981 Posts: 1,858
    Think they're a good idea. Although I've got my fair footage of bad driving my preferred usage of mine is
    - reviewing where I've cocked up or put myself in a less than ideal situation to reduce the likelihood of it happening again - http://vimeo.com/17136901
    - reviewing the few occasions I've had competition in the game that must not be named. - http://vimeo.com/17240877
    - showing people my commute - for some reason they don't seem to be as keen to watch it as I am to show it to them? ;)
    FCN 9 || FCN 5
  • I'm getting a GoPro HD (import - much much cheaper) for my motor racing (our races are televised - this year I'm supporting Teenage Cancer Trust - high quality in-car footage is a sure way of getting your car on TV more often and getting TCTs name out there)

    I plan to use it on some of my commutes if only to demonstrate to the local police inspector how crappy driving standards have become whilst he has his patrols sat in lay-bys on dual carriageways looking for speeders. It'll be nice to to capture some time-lapse of my commute for posterity too
    ROAD < Scott Foil HMX Di2, Volagi Liscio Di2, Jamis Renegade Elite Di2, Cube Reaction Race > ROUGH
  • gaz545
    gaz545 Posts: 493
    dhope wrote:
    Watching Gaz545 cut and edit a completely normal commute with normal people doing normal but slightly careless things - not so much.
    Mattsaw wrote:
    And then you have the rare users like Gaz545 who has the most imformative and balanced YouTube channel that I've seen.

    This is the thing about posting videos online, you will get people that like what you do and people that don't.

    My videos have got through to cyclists and drivers on how to behave properly on the road, and i get comments back from them saying so. If you can change the mindset of a few drivers about how they drive, then isn't that a good thing?

    The police use some of my footage to train HGV drivers about what cyclists might do around their vehicle and how to look out for it.
  • gtvlusso wrote:
    Personally - I would not bothe r- spend the money on something useful, like lighter wheels...... Ultimately, it is up to you though.

    Things to think about:

    1, remember to remove cameras from bike when parking up.
    2, weight on bike - if you are a weight weenie!
    3, what are you going to use them for? Berating other road users on youtube or just your own personal use incase of accident?

    In case of accident, i.e. you ride in an unsafe area or busy area, or maybe you are a little nervous - fair enough, worth doing.

    3oz of £7 camera on your helmet :!: in case you are knocked off, questions answered.

    Mine have got me apologies from companies and compensation just by sending the videos of their drivers BAD driving, £50 from boots, £25 of garden centre vouchers, a video now being used in "staff training" and a bunch of flowers :evil: :evil:
    Peds with ipods, natures little speed humps

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  • dondare
    dondare Posts: 2,113
    Two things wrong with helmet cameras:
    1) they fit on a helmet. So you need to wear a helmet.
    2) they seem to attract bad drivers.
    This post contains traces of nuts.
  • mattsaw
    mattsaw Posts: 907
    dondare wrote:
    Two things wrong with helmet cameras:
    1) they fit on a helmet. So you need to wear a helmet.
    2) they seem to attract bad drivers.

    I think some people with helmet cams seem to use them as some kind of invincibility cloak and don't think twice about putting themselves in dangerous situations.

    I have seen seveal videos where the cyclist is clearly in the right, (being squeezed at pinch points spring to mind) but seem to carry-on regardless seemingly to prove a point and get the incident on camera.

    That's not to say they're a bad thing, I'm thinking of getting one, but I think you need to bear in mind that they don't prevent accidents. I'm also not a fan of the self-rightious, eveyone makes mistakes even car drivers, we can but learn from them.
    Bianchi C2C - Ritte Bosberg - Cervelo R3
    Strava
  • gaz545
    gaz545 Posts: 493
    dondare wrote:
    Two things wrong with helmet cameras:
    1) they fit on a helmet. So you need to wear a helmet.
    This is why they shouldn't be called helmet cameras but instead video cameras used by cyclists. A helmet is just a mounting option, MrOrigamist has a fantastic channel where all of his videos are taken from a camera mounted on the stem.
  • dondare wrote:
    Two things wrong with helmet cameras:
    1) they fit on a helmet. So you need to wear a helmet.
    2) they seem to attract bad drivers.

    Duh, they also fit handlebars, light mounts, extenders, clothing and so on, and well, sorry, as for two, do you have any scientific proof to back this up, would love to see it. Perhaps you are simply seeing more bad drivers thanks to cams :roll:
    Peds with ipods, natures little speed humps

    Banish unwanted fur - immac a squirrel
    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... heads.html
  • dondare
    dondare Posts: 2,113
    Point taken. Not all cameras are helmet cameras.

    It does seem, though, that those youtube films show the same cyclists getting into trouble over and over again whereas I can go from one end of the year to the other (commuting in London, 11 miles each way) without having even one near-death experience.
    This post contains traces of nuts.
  • I consider my camera akin to a commuting black-box recorder: I fit it and forget about it (well almost, I wipe the memory card and charge it regularly, if I remember). I post a few vids on YouTube - mostly clips where people can learn from my mistakes, or understand more about defensive cycling tactics and strategies. I also try to highlight problems with road layouts and cycle facilties and try to use the material for educational/campaigning purposes.

    I don't have a victim mentality; don't seem to attract much trouble and can't imagine how anyone who uses a camera thinks it endows them with a force-field of invincibility. I'm not interested in naming and shaming drivers and I don't have the bike handling skills and judgement to be able to orchestrate near misses/minor collisions.

    Call me crazy, but I sometimes just film rides because I enjoy cycling with others.
  • Origamist wrote:
    I consider my camera akin to a commuting black-box recorder: I fit it and forget about it (well almost, I wipe the memory card and charge it regularly, if I remember). I post a few vids on YouTube - mostly clips where people can learn from my mistakes, or understand more about defensive cycling tactics and strategies. I also try to highlight problems with road layouts and cycle facilties and try to use the material for educational/campaigning purposes.

    I don't have a victim mentality; don't seem to attract much trouble and can't imagine how anyone who uses a camera thinks it endows them with a force-field of invincibility. I'm not interested in naming and shaming drivers and I don't have the bike handling skills and judgement to be able to orchestrate near misses/minor collisions.

    Call me crazy, but I sometimes just film rides because I enjoy cycling with others.

    Could not have put it better 8)
    Peds with ipods, natures little speed humps

    Banish unwanted fur - immac a squirrel
    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... heads.html