Cycle Cameras / Helmet Cams (GoPro, Drift, Veho, Contour, Fly6, Fly12, SJCAM, Apeman, 1080p, etc.)

I've just been testing out the Hero 2 with the chest mount on the commute to work, and apart from looking like you're wearing suspenders, it does give a good angle for seeing what's going on with the bike - should be good for the mtb'ing I'm planning for it!

Drift Innovation HD170 for me. Colour display, water resistant, rugged exterior, cheap spare batteries, reasonable internal mic. Go-Pro only beats it on attachments and compactness.

Ive got the Helmet Hero set with 2 different helmet straps,adhesive mounts and the other long arm/short arm mounts.Also got the bike handlebar mount thingy and dont think its great for the money.Lots of reports of them breaking.Tends to wobble a bit.
Wiggle sell a cnc'd alu mount-cant remember what its called.
Hint:you can make your own chest mount handy enough with the base of the presentation box it comes in-the black bit.
Just drill a hole in each corner,hook a couple of bungee cords through the diagonally opposite holes,and away you go.Used off roading a few times,worked fine for me after a bit of tweaking.
In fact, the black base could probably be used in a few different ways.
Try http://goprouser.freeforums.org/ for more hints,etc

I'm being lent a few cameras:

• Drift HD
  
• Replay XD 1080
  
• Veho Muvi
  By the guys (and girls) over at http://www.actioncameras.co.uk/
  
  

So now I'm over-dosing on the things I can look like a loon by wearing them all and taking the opportunity to compare them.

Will let you know my thoughts on them next week.

Could I ask which of the Veho Muvi's?

The Atom and the Mini are both SD, the HD has a screen, and looked like it mounted differently.

Interested to see your thoughts on them though.

This one:
http://www.actioncameras.co.uk/veho-muvi-full-hd10-handsfree-camcorder

Veho Muvi HD 10.

Just looked in the box, and first thought is "Is there a way to turn the screen off or does it go off after a while?". Would kill battery life otherwise. Will take a closer look at them all tomorrow as I'm deep in some code right now.

First impressions:

Replay has the best packaging, a carry bag, a nice shape, good quality mounts... but I won't be able to test it as this box doesn't contain a cable with which I could charge it. Oh well. The Replay itself has a micro USB connection, and I did happen to have a cable but it doesn't work with it. I'm assuming that they've got a proprietary set of connections in the cable. Either that or they've accidentally given me a faulty unit and not a demo one.

It's a shame, I was interested in seeing the Replay work. Especially because it's the most aesthetically pleasing and smallest and I think most people would like that on their bike/helmet.

The Veho Muvi has the best in-box clamps, by a league. The initial quality (of image) seems great. Menus are basic but work fine. Concerned by a total absence of waterproofing/shower-resistance, but I know there is a plastic waterproof case available so it's largely a non-issue.

The Drift HD is really nice. Mounts included won't work on a bike, but I'll attach it to the side of a helmet for the test. There is a handlebar mount available, so that's cool. Especially like the fact that there are two batteries, that it's pretty shower-proof (not sure I'd want to submerge it), and that the menus are a breeze (managed to record and playback within moments of powering it up).

So I'll be testing the Veho Muvi and the Drift HD. The Replay will have to wait as I won't get the chance to get the charger from ActionCameras before I leave on Monday morning.

Just a thought.

Came across this and was thinking my Galaxy S2 might be up to the job, I was more interested in a frame/handlebar mount option anyway. The phone does full 1080HD, I would imagine many of the new smart phones do now.

But with a smart phone you'll end up with no battery life, no storage, and if there is any rain your phone may die, and if it gets knocked a lot it may break.

A phone costs more than a dedicated camera, which will be showerproof, have it's own storage, have a lens with a wide field of view to catch all the action, have a larger lens so it works in dimmer light... the list goes on.

I took the Veho Muvi and Drift HD out to Swinley today (didn't end up going to bath... hate long drives solo and the increased fuel cost by being solo made me go to Swinley instead).

I know which one is the better... by a country mile. It's the Drift HD.

I'll show photos of what you get in the box a little later, and will see if I can work out video editing in the next day or so to upload a video or two.

A summary would say: The performance of both cameras was much alike, so the differentiators are not video capture but mounts, ease of use, ruggedness (dust and water resistance), battery, etc.

The Drift HD wins.

The Drift HD has (and the Veho Muvi doesn't):
1) removable batteries (in use 1 battery lasted about 2 hours 10 minutes, and the box came with 2 batteries giving over 4 hours of use).
2) a rotatable lens so that however you mount it the horizon will be horizontal
3) water resistance
4) a shape that lends itself to helmet and bike mounted use
5) a mount that was immediately usable on the bike without buying a dedicated one (though this involved using the goggle mount and velcro and strapping it to the side of the head tube)

I also preferred the controls, and found the menu more intuitive (they both have pretty much the same menu but Veho Muvi went and made it complex by making 7 buttons control it rather than 4).

I also preferred the quick release system on the Drift HD. Veho had a nice addition of a little plug to ensure it couldn't release itself by accident, but Drift HD just got it right first time and didn't need a safety plug.

Both cameras recorded in 1080p QuickTime format. Which I've found easy enough to open and edit in OpenShot.

Due to the shape of the Veho Muvi, it looks more than a little daft helmet mounted. Actually, it looks really daft. If you're thinking about the Veho Muvi, unless you're getting a dedicated handlerbar mount (in which case the form factor suddenly makes some sense)... don't bother.

I had a real sense that these are two cameras that were created for different purposes. Namely, that the Veho Muvi has better mounts for fixing to flat surfaces and controlling the exact shot. I could easily imagine that behind a motorbike windscreen, in a car, mounted to the side of a rally car, or with the optional waterproof case being stuck to skis and snowboards.

The Drift HD on the other hand felt like something that was designed to be outdoors first and foremost. It likes a little water and dust with ease, and it's easy to control with gloves on (bigger, more tactile buttons). I could easily imagine the Drift HD being at home on bikes of all types, as well as all winter sports, and down at the beach (if you're into parasailing and the like there is a fully waterproof optional case too). The Drift HD just felt far more at home outdoors being bashed around.

And a last point... the Drift HD FOV (field of view) is 170'... meaning that it can see 85' to either side... meaning you get a really big picture of what's happening around you when you playback the video.

The Veho Muvi actually did pretty well there too, with 160' FOV, but again trumped by the Drift.

Price comparison:

Veho Muvi is £150 from Action Cameras and you will almost definitely want to purchase the optional mount for "poles" at £24.95... so you're looking at £175, but don't use it in the rain!

If you want to use it in the rain, then you will need to purchase the bundle that contains the waterproof case, which is £200, and with the pole mount that means you're spending £225.

The Drift HD is £230. It's already water resistant (various sites say it's submersible to 1m, which is good enough for heavy rain)... so you won't need a waterproof case just to use it on the bike without worrying about the weather. Strictly speaking there wasn't a need for a handlebar mount either as I managed to secure the Drift HD quite fine using the goggle mount and velcro around both headtube and stem... but if you want a fair price comparison we should throw it in, it's £17 for the dedicated handlebar mount. This brings the Drift HD in at £247, bike ready.

Veho Muvi (bike ready): £225.
Drift HD (bike ready): £247.

With so little in the price difference, the advantages of the Drift HD bury the Veho Muvi.

The only thing that neither camera could do was to make me a cup of tea and bring me biscuits.

After a new head cam after I "lost" my gopro in a hostel in holland (bastards) might invest in a drift, I like the fact it has a display unlike the hero as it is similar to using a disposable sort of (waiting till you get home to see the footage) unless you cop out the cash for the LCD add on

Both of the ones I tried had built-in LCD screens. The Drift's was really easy to see even in bright sunlight, and of course supported playback of the films you've recorded so you can nuke the ones you didn't want.

'Tis a damn good camera.

The Drift HD wins.

That's what I keep telling people! You can also get them a lot cheaper, brand new on ebay. There's a shop that sends them sans original packaging (you can still ask for original packaging option) and they may as well be free.

Martina?

Tina Fey, hottest woman in the world.

I meant Martina Hingis...

That's what I keep telling people! You can also get them a lot cheaper, brand new on ebay. There's a shop that sends them sans original packaging (you can still ask for original packaging option) and they may as well be free.

lnk pls

About to crash, will go through my ebay history tomorrow and dig it out.

But with a smart phone you'll end up with no battery life, no storage, and if there is any rain your phone may die, and if it gets knocked a lot it may break.

A phone costs more than a dedicated camera, which will be showerproof, have it's own storage, have a lens with a wide field of view to catch all the action, have a larger lens so it works in dimmer light... the list goes on.

I agree with a lot of what you say there, though I am not looking to use the camera for documenting my commute. I don't actually want the wide angle as it is usually very distorted, and I don't need a helmet mount option. I just want some footage to edit and then produce a soundtrack for. I admit most are not going to be in the same boat as me.

I think I am willing to drop £25 on the mount and try it. Thanks for your reviews though, it all helps.

thinking about investing for the road, downhill and surfing I'll be doing in NZ. Plus use snowboarding when I come back to Europe... anyone used the new GoPro yet?

GoPro HERO3: Black Edition - Smaller, Lighter and 2X More Powerful - YouTube

Saw the breakdown of that, looks very nice indeed.

I use the Veho Muvi (not the new HD one) with the water tight housing. No complaints given the price but... I've noticed, as have others, that over time the battery just doesn't last (and it can't be replaced). Inded I've had a fair few over the years.

Has anyone been using their camera (ideally on commutes i.e. daily) for over a year and still has good battery?

I was thinking of investing in a more expensive one if it means it lasts longer. I see ones like the GoPro have replaceable batteries, but how have things worked out in this arena for forum members? Any recommendations?

Oh and cheers for the link to that site Velocio - not seen before but looks a good place to go.

i ordered a 4 pack of replacement gopro batteries from China for £15 and so far haven't died in a bicycle shaped fireball... Bit of a shitter that they don't last longer but still preferable to that stupid battery bac-pac they do for an extra £50 and doesn't fit in the housing.

psshaw...

Anyone uses Contour here? Have just gotten myself a GoPro hero 2, don't ask me why I didn't go for the Hero 3 silver with the same price tag (well, coz I was stupid). Anyway, on a 2nd thought, I am thinking of returning it and go for the more expensive Contour+2 - all the GPS tracking and bluetooth seems really interesting. But I have heard comments about GoPro produce better quality image and it's a better camera overall.

Stick with GoPro.

I'm impressed with the GoPro 2 during my cycle tour, it even survived rush hour when it fell off the bicycle and several cars hit it in Barcelona, the GoPro 3 sound even better.

I've got a GoPro hero 2, one of the best investments when it comes to tech, selling it to get a GoProp 3.