Cheap action cam required

Gouldy-89
Gouldy-89 Posts: 49
edited October 2019 in Road buying advice
Hi all,

Started commuting in July by bike for a new job and had my first very close call today! (apart from by an ambulance, but if anyone is going to hit you might as well be a car with paramedics :lol:). Indicating to turn left, the car overtaking me also decided to, pulling in front of me and slamming their brakes on. If it wasn't for the fact I had my other hand already easing on the brakes I would of gone straight into the back of them. Would of been very hard to prove had I done, that it was their fault for pulling in so close and braking so hard. Managed to stop a few inches away thinking in the wet I probably would of done, though not enough for any damage.

Made me thought for the cost (I am hoping a smallish sum of money) will be well worth it if the worse was to happen.

So, to cut a long story short, I am looking for a cheapish action cam I can ideally mount to the handle bars under ideally for £30-50

Thanks in advance

Comments

  • photonic69
    photonic69 Posts: 2,416
    Look for Chilli Technology on Facebook. The guy does some decent cans for around £35-45. I’ve just bought two but waiting for delivery so can’t comment on function yet.


    Sometimes. Maybe. Possibly.

  • durhamwasp
    durhamwasp Posts: 1,247
    Just get a £30 one off ebay or Amazon, you also see them in B&M Stores and Home Bargains etc. I've got one, and they do the job no bother.
    Only bad part is the software if you want to do anything with the footage afterward.
    http://www.snookcycling.wordpress.com - Reports on Cingles du Mont Ventoux, Alpe D'Huez, Galibier, Izoard, Tourmalet, Paris-Roubaix Sportive & Tour of Flanders Sportive, Amstel Gold Xperience, Vosges, C2C, WOTR routes....
  • -Dash
    -Dash Posts: 179
    One of the key issues is battery life. Many don't last more than 1-1.5 hours. I've heard the Drift Stealth can do 3-4 and my old Garmin Virb used to do 2.5 hours (carried a spare battery for longer rides).
  • ibr17xvii
    ibr17xvii Posts: 1,065
    -Dash wrote:
    One of the key issues is battery life. Many don't last more than 1-1.5 hours. I've heard the Drift Stealth can do 3-4 and my old Garmin Virb used to do 2.5 hours (carried a spare battery for longer rides).

    I'd love to have some kind of safety camera on the bike but this is a big bugbear of mine, there just doesn't seem to be anything half decent out there that lasts more than a couple of hours without carrying spare batteries which I don't really want to do.

    I had the Cycliq front light / camera combo which was half decent. It had good battery life, good image quality with stabilisation & IME was pretty reliable. However the software you needed to use to transfer the videos was horrible, the unit itself was too big & clunky and it looked awful on the bike (IMHO) even mounted under my Wahoo. I really wanted to like it but in the end I sold it so the hunt continues.

    Considering the Drift Stealth but reviews are 50/50 to say the least but the batterly life is up to 8 hours with the extended battery.

    GoPro is the obvious answer due to size & image quality but battery life is pretty woeful & I really don't want to charge it after every ride.
  • -Dash
    -Dash Posts: 179
    ibr17xvii wrote:
    -Dash wrote:
    Considering the Drift Stealth but reviews are 50/50 to say the least but the batterly life is up to 8 hours with the extended battery.
    I think I must have meant the Drift Ghost X/XL.

    The bike mount looks horrendously bulky but I assume there's a more streamline version available somewhere.

    Perhaps this would be suitable enough: https://driftinnovation.com/collections ... -adapter-3
  • ibr17xvii
    ibr17xvii Posts: 1,065
    -Dash wrote:
    ibr17xvii wrote:
    -Dash wrote:
    Considering the Drift Stealth but reviews are 50/50 to say the least but the batterly life is up to 8 hours with the extended battery.
    I think I must have meant the Drift Ghost X/XL.

    The bike mount looks horrendously bulky but I assume there's a more streamline version available somewhere.

    Perhaps this would be suitable enough: https://driftinnovation.com/collections ... -adapter-3

    2nd one looks far better.

    I was considering it purely cos of the decent battery life & it's a fair bit cheaper than a GoPro but some of the reviews are really putting me off :(

    Having said that some of the reviews of the Cycliq were less than favourable but I didn't have any issues with the hardware itself, it was the software that was horrible.
  • bonzo_banana
    bonzo_banana Posts: 256
    Cheap small dashcam with a battery powerbank? They'll be setup for such a use and using external power.
  • -Dash
    -Dash Posts: 179
    Bonzo Banana wrote:
    Cheap small dashcam with a battery powerbank? They'll be setup for such a use and using external power.

    Know of a waterproof one?

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