Go pro's

danlightbulb
danlightbulb Posts: 701
edited July 2018 in MTB buying advice
Hi all.

I might be interested in recording some of my rides.

I say might, because i have the following concerns:

1. will i look silly using one of these when im not super skilled or super quick or any good at jumps, or riding in epic scenery.

2. how much do i need to spend to get good enough quality? camera + mounts and other accessories?

I had a quick scan through the forum and didnt find much on this. Anyone offer any advice?

Comments

  • jamski
    jamski Posts: 737
    I got one on amazon for like £70 with loads of bits. You’ll need to buy a memory card too if you haven’t already got one. I’ll try and get you a link.

    Here you are.

    https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01HPXH29Q/ ... nBbP3X0TAF
    Daddy, Husband, Designer, Biker, Gamer, Geek
    Bird Aeris 120 | Boardman Team 650b | Boardman Pro FS | Calibre Two.two
  • danlightbulb
    danlightbulb Posts: 701
    Thanks. That seems amazingly cheap. Are you happy with yours?

    From my reading around, wide angle lenses flatten the trail, so should i be looking for something less wide angle?

    Also ive read about gimbals? Do i need one of these?
  • jamski
    jamski Posts: 737
    I haven’t researched much at all, no idea about the angle of the lens. All I know is you need the wide angle to get everything in. The higher the camera, the flatter/slower it will look. Had mine on the helmet and my god it’s slow. Now trying on the bars but think it’ll shake more. We’ll see.

    It’s totally fine for my needs. Good enough quality, battery life and so on. Gimballs make things uber smooth, but are pretty pricey.
    Daddy, Husband, Designer, Biker, Gamer, Geek
    Bird Aeris 120 | Boardman Team 650b | Boardman Pro FS | Calibre Two.two
  • craker
    craker Posts: 1,739
    I got a cheap one in a waterproof case a couple of years ago; the cycling vids I've taken with it are downright dull. As jamski says, a wide angle lens and high mount make it look pedestrian paced.

    I've had much more fun taking mine into the sea kayaking and body boarding.

    Yes, I feel like a teletubby when this thing is stuck on top of my helmet.
  • figbat
    figbat Posts: 680
    The best footage I have seen is from a chest mount. In terms of footage, regardless of your skill on the bike you can make an interesting video if you take a little time to edit it afterwards rather than just stick a whole ride on YouTube. Short, sharp scenes, bit of (copyright-approved) music, try a few different mounting angles and keep the whole film short.

    Additionally if/when you do face-plant you can then analyse what went wrong.
    Cube Reaction GTC Pro 29 for the lumpy stuff
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  • cougie
    cougie Posts: 22,512
    You do need a decent computer with a fair bit of memory to do the editing that makes it look good.

    Watch some videos on YouTube to see what people are using.
    It will take a lot of work to make it look good.
  • danlightbulb
    danlightbulb Posts: 701
    I have a decent pc, so quite keen on giving the editing a go actually.

    So Id need camera, chest mount and probably bar mount to start? Does that cheaper Amazon camera come with a chest strap?
  • JBA
    JBA Posts: 2,852
    John Lewis are selling the GoPro Session 5 for £139. That's a good price if it's within your budget.
    Alternatively look on eBay for second-hand cameras. Serial upgraders are always selling off the last model.

    There are hundreds of different mounts available from the legit (expensive) GoPro mounts to cheap Chinese knock-offs so take your pick based on your budget.

    As figbat has said above, editing is the key to a good video. It takes time and patience to edit 2 hours of riding footage down to 3 minutes of watchable video but it worth the effort. Sessioning sections of trail is good for getting shots from different angles and provides variety for the final video.

    EDIT: Just gone on to the John Lewis website as I am tempted to get a Session5 and they have sold out again. They were in stock at 8.30 this morning!
    “Life has been unfaithful
    And it all promised so so much”

    Giant Trance 2 27.5 2016 ¦ Sonder Broken Road 2021¦ Giant Revolt Advanced 2 2019 ¦ Giant Toughtroad SLR 1 2019 ¦ Giant Anthem 3 2015 ¦ Specialized Myka Comp FSR 2009
  • danlightbulb
    danlightbulb Posts: 701
    John Lewis are a nightmare for discounting stuff then not having stock, Ive noticed that before.
  • jamski
    jamski Posts: 737
    I have a decent pc, so quite keen on giving the editing a go actually.

    So Id need camera, chest mount and probably bar mount to start? Does that cheaper Amazon camera come with a chest strap?

    No it doesn't. You get pick them up dirt cheap though.
    Daddy, Husband, Designer, Biker, Gamer, Geek
    Bird Aeris 120 | Boardman Team 650b | Boardman Pro FS | Calibre Two.two
  • billycool
    billycool Posts: 833
    I've got a GoPro 4 Silver - works well for me.

    If you want to buy a lesser brand that's fine. Just read the reviews. I bought one of these for someone else and it seemed half decent. Also had a remote on/off. Not actually tried it on MTB but I will at some point.

    https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B078MFZRH9/ ... _lig_dp_it

    or this:

    https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B075Q9SCQD/ ... _lig_dp_it

    I prefer to have 1080 @ 60 FPS as a minimum (frames per second). A lot of the cheaper ones run at maybe 25 or 30fps. 50 or 60fps is meant to be better for high speed stuff (like MTB).

    Don't worry too much about 4k, unless you have 4k TV/monitor. A lot of them offer it but at very low FPS.

    I chest mount mine - it's about the only place you can get a stable video and you get a reasonable speed sensation.

    I was recommended a gimbal recently but that's more advanced and I'm not ready to spend the cash yet.

    https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B019XPFTNA/ ... _lig_dp_it

    As for accessories, one of these has just about everything you'll need and some:

    https://www.amazon.co.uk/Action-Camera- ... pack&psc=1

    I'd suggest getting spare batteries - depends what you want to do but a standard battery lasts about 45 mins on average.

    Also - get a micro SD card, either 32 or 64GB should be fine. I think my 64GB does at least 3 hours when empty.

    Ref editing - I currently use Windows Movie Maker - I have Win 7 on my desktop. It's older software and you can't get it anymore. Quite basic but does the job. GoPro have their own software (heard varying feedback on that) and I'm pretty sure you can do it on-line via You Tube but never tried it.

    Most action cams will have a wide angle `fish eye` lens around 150 to 180 degrees. Arguably, the wider the lens, the flatter the picture. I'm not sure what is/isn't best. I know that with the older Go Pro editing software you could remove the fish eye and view the vid in 2D rather than 3D. Not sure if that is a feature any more.

    You don't have to be a good rider to enjoy using an action cam. You actually get to learn a lot by getting someone to video you. It's also great fun to review your rides. I recently rode in Afan and it was only when I watched the video back that I realised how great the view was. During the ride I was too busy looking at the trail.

    Here are some of my videos, just to show you what some basic editing of a chest mounted GoPro running 1080@60fps looks like.

    BPW: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tjYcqoW0wo

    Afan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kjm2BR4Cr9E

    Night ride: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aj_lcjSmvWo

    Snow: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hDwaeDTDu7k

    Afan (Blade) - best bit is 16:30 onwards https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5S2wgaIeGM&t=1067s
    "Ride, crash, replace"
  • Why do you need GoPro exactly?

    There are many cheap alternatives to this camera. Some of them are delivered immediately with all accessories, for example Campark ACT74
  • JBA
    JBA Posts: 2,852
    Sandy_Noel wrote:
    Why do you need GoPro exactly?

    There are many cheap alternatives to this camera. Some of them are delivered immediately with all accessories, for example Campark ACT74

    You didn't read the thread, did you?

    Several posts point to other makes of action cameras.
    “Life has been unfaithful
    And it all promised so so much”

    Giant Trance 2 27.5 2016 ¦ Sonder Broken Road 2021¦ Giant Revolt Advanced 2 2019 ¦ Giant Toughtroad SLR 1 2019 ¦ Giant Anthem 3 2015 ¦ Specialized Myka Comp FSR 2009