Just curious as to what works well. I've tried a few things, with mixed results. Smartphones with OIS are thrown off by the intense vibrations, and it's hard to find a phone mount solid enough to make phones without OIS workable.
Currently, I'm switching up between two action cameras. One is an Akaso EK7000 4k action camera. The audio is acceptable, but the video shakes because this particular camera has no image stabilization (OIS or EIS). It was a gift, so no loss on my par, aside from having to buy another. One thing that makes the situation worse is that there are two ways to mount the camera. One is a waterproof box which kills the audio. The other is a snap-in frame that wobbles. The tripod mount on the bike itself is all metal and solid as, well, metal. The movement comes from the camera holder flexing.
My other unit is an old HTC RE camera which looks like an inhaler. It has image stabilization and better exposure, but the microphone is on top and catches all the wind noise, and I'm still working out ways to use a foam windscreen.
I went ahead and ordered the EK7000 Pro, which does have electronic image stabilization, and I also ordered a chest harness mount. We shall see how it goes, but what about you? What works and what doesn't?
I use a GoPro Max for all of my footage. The stabilization and wind reduction is pretty amazing on it. I don't yet have a bike mount beside the Ram Mount I use for various shots. I tend to use the chest mount for first person footage. It is pricey though and I do like what I've seen out of the Insta360 cameras.
I have had a lot of experience video taking while Hang Gliding and curently Paragliding, I used GoPros . Hang Gliding was easy mount on the down tube. Paragliding I had a chest mount backup parachute which gave a real stable view and great footage. I just recently purchase a Garmin and they have a small one that has excellent sound inspire of being in a case. The real plus with a Garmin you have the capability to record and view things like speed , route etc.
As for mounting while Ebiking I may have to McGyver it. Just got Garmin and it is winter here so haven't got to try it but have viewed others and am really impressed.
I have several ways of mounting cameras on the bike. There's my tripod mount on the front which is supposed to be a stem mount, but I modified it to fit the Rad rack mounts. Then I have a clamp on mount that is really strong and heavy. Then I also have a pair of smaller handlebar mounts, and one that I can hang the camera under the crank for an interesting perspective.
My biggest obstacle is the camera itself, and if the Pro version of the EK7000 does not give me good results, then I may have to get a real GoPro. I'll see if I can shrink down a sample clip that I can upload here.
I had to cut down the samples to 12 seconds and 720p to fit here.
The first clip from a snow covered road using the HTC RE Camera.
The second clip is of a mountain bike trail using the Akaso action camera.
Both are actual speeds.
I have the GoPro max mounted on top of my helmet. I record in 360.
Jim
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
The new Akaso EK7000 Pro arrived yesterday, and was a disappointment. The image stabilization is poor, and is only available at 720 and 1080P. The microphone also sounds terrible, so I boxed it back up and started the return process.
Looks like I'll need a GoPro to get decent results. I did receive a chest mount harness, but did not try it. I figured with my body eliminating the vibrations, the EK7000 without stabilization that I got for Christmas would work ok. It did work in the under-crank position, so that's another possible use.
Quote from: jbfoster on January 04, 2021, 03:02:55 PM
I have the GoPro max mounted on top of my helmet. I record in 360.
Jim
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Hmmm, that sounds interesting. Do you have a link to any samples?
due to it's minimalist size, i'm using an $80 mobius maxi camera in a generic gopro handlebar mount recording at 2.7k / 4k.
i use the usb port on the bolton upgraded display to power the camera.
great quality video history archive of my rides.
unfortunately, nothing like being on the actual ride - the videos get boring after watching clips from several dozen rides.
..but non-riders find them entertaining.
;D
I use a GoPro 5 Black attached to a mount designed for the Garmin Edge. It mounts on the hard points for the front rack and provides a very solid base for the camera. I don't care too much for the movements in the body or handlebar mounts and this gives me the view I want.
Quote from: wkindred on January 05, 2021, 10:05:07 AM
due to it's minimalist size, i'm using an $80 mobius maxi camera in a generic gopro handlebar mount recording at 2.7k / 4k.
i use the usb port on the bolton upgraded display to power the camera.
great quality video history archive of my rides.
unfortunately, nothing like being on the actual ride - the videos get boring after watching clips from several dozen rides.
..but non-riders find them entertaining.
;D
I used the USB port plugged into the Akaso on my last ride. It has it's own battery and can make it for an hour, but it's easier to power the camera from the bike than to swap batteries mid-ride. Non-riders do find the videos entertaining, but my wife was horrified to see me doing 20 mph on snow and ice!
Quote from: reppac on January 05, 2021, 02:46:26 PM
I use a GoPro 5 Black attached to a mount designed for the Garmin Edge. It mounts on the hard points for the front rack and provides a very solid base for the camera. I don't care too much for the movements in the body or handlebar mounts and this gives me the view I want.
Similar position as my front mount. I like this view as well, but do you get shake from the frame vibrations?
If anyone is curious here is how I film my videos on YouTube: https://youtu.be/WglM7XMTc2g
I'm really interested in what comes after the GoPro Max since it's likely what I'll continue to use due to only needing one camera for multiple use cases. I really enjoy editing and playing around with the 360 footage.
I just ordered the Akaso v50 Pro. Weird buying a four-year-old electronic gizmo, but after watching hours of reviews (including recent) it is, apparently, the action cam that suits my requirements...and
BUDGET. I will try it on my helmet, bars, body, etc, and let everyone know what happens. Cheers...
Quote from: Altema on January 05, 2021, 07:58:06 AM
The new Akaso EK7000 Pro arrived yesterday, and was a disappointment. The image stabilization is poor, and is only available at 720 and 1080P. The microphone also sounds terrible, so I boxed it back up and started the return process.
Looks like I'll need a GoPro to get decent results. I did receive a chest mount harness, but did not try it. I figured with my body eliminating the vibrations, the EK7000 without stabilization that I got for Christmas would work ok. It did work in the under-crank position, so that's another possible use.
I just bought a GoPro Hero 9 at Costco on sale last week. I haven't used it yet. I'm headed to Florida at the end of this month to ride from Key Largo to Key West and back and wanted it for that. I also bought the accessory kit below from Amazon. It has a bunch of different mounting options. I still haven't decided between helmet, handlebars, or chest.
https://www.costco.com/gopro-hero9-black-action-camera-bundle.product.100756138.html?langId=-1&krypto=2An86ADmMDtLCg9GDlMX8E2wH6eLydyPpSWMYieqJgPBaHhmyl%2FPx3faIsrmcunQqRQh7r%2B2N8WApjoXeyV%2F0vkaueHjO2%2B2C6AaKdAesgKYXRPauS7tIgpQLSMyxmy8fe02tBidM2%2Fo0V9VSgk7tXBNig9YVwy8kVTVP88t3iALJGoozQ9TyiJCliOi5pSUZv2mfd5fablSDnlFXIZcGZd9R5zyOlGm4h%2FFieQai%2FM%3D
https://amzn.to/37LOdlR
I'll post an update when I get back from my trip.
Great! Let us know which you wind up preferring, eh?
Quote from: crorris on April 08, 2022, 06:17:48 AM
...bought a Hero...haven't decided between helmet, handlebars, or chest.
I've seen people with selfie sticks and the videos don't show the selfie sticks. How do they do that? Does anyone know?
Quote from: Eric7 on April 09, 2022, 12:06:16 PM
I've seen people with selfie sticks and the videos don't show the selfie sticks. How do they do that? Does anyone know?
That's a good question; I've wondered that too, and assumed it's software associated with a fisheye or 360-degree lens. Hopefully somebody knows, but you might also ping forum-owner Ryan to this question - I think he uses that technique.
There are YouTubes that explain it, including how to hold the stick so that "seams" don't show. The technology is awesome but imperfect, and you often see results like those unintentionally funny photoshopped Instagram selfies men and women take to show how impossible skinny they are. LOL. Anyway, I like to keep two hands on the bars, eyes on the road. Cheers!
Quote from: JimInPT on April 09, 2022, 01:24:31 PM
Quote from: Eric7 on April 09, 2022, 12:06:16 PM
I've seen people with selfie sticks and the videos don't show the selfie sticks. How do they do that? Does anyone know?
That's a good question; I've wondered that too, and assumed it's software associated with a fisheye or 360-degree lens. Hopefully somebody knows, but you might also ping forum-owner Ryan to this question - I think he uses that technique.
So far so good. Picture quality is excellent, comes with a dozen different mounting do-dads, and two batteries. Got it mounted on the backpack strap that clips across my chest, and it works so well I might just keep it there.
Quote from: NaturallyRC on April 08, 2022, 04:37:22 AM
I just ordered the Akaso v50 Pro. ...
Quote from: NaturallyRC on April 08, 2022, 04:37:22 AM
I just ordered the Akaso v50 Pro. Weird buying a four-year-old electronic gizmo, but after watching hours of reviews (including recent) it is, apparently, the action cam that suits my requirements...and BUDGET. I will try it on my helmet, bars, body, etc, and let everyone know what happens. Cheers...
Quote from: Altema on January 05, 2021, 07:58:06 AM
The new Akaso EK7000 Pro arrived yesterday, and was a disappointment. The image stabilization is poor, and is only available at 720 and 1080P. The microphone also sounds terrible, so I boxed it back up and started the return process.
Looks like I'll need a GoPro to get decent results. I did receive a chest mount harness, but did not try it. I figured with my body eliminating the vibrations, the EK7000 without stabilization that I got for Christmas would work ok. It did work in the under-crank position, so that's another possible use.
Let us know how it turns out! I'm interested to see if they got it right on that model. I still have mine but not sure what to use them for.
Will do. I've used it twice now and couldn't ask for more when it comes to colour fidelity, picture clarity, contrast, auto-while balance, etc. Very impressive. Excellent stabilization too. The two batteries provided are more than enough to record a 50km ebike ride, and one 64 Meg Micro SD card (sold separately) gets it done, provided I shoot at 1080p 30fps. Minor issue ejecting the card (it always needs help from a toothpick) and the tripod screw mount interferes with the battery door (which came off once, due to the conflict, but I put it back on). The human interface is okay. Here's a link to a film I just finished, for reference. Bear in mind that (last I checked) it had been assigned the crappy AVC codec instead of the much nicer v9, which the uploader likes to reserve for heavy hitters that earn YouTube more ad revenue than my humble channel. https://youtu.be/HfjiAIduU9I
Quote from: Altema on April 16, 2022, 07:45:30 AM
Let us know how it turns out! I'm interested to see if they got it right on that model. I still have mine but not sure what to use them for.
Here's a recent video that shows off the picture quality quite nicely, even on a dull overcast day.
Specs: 30fps and shot in 1080p to save disk space, but ripped in 4K so that YouTube would assign it the v9 codec (the good one).
https://youtu.be/LMLqsp10plI
Quote from: NaturallyRC on April 17, 2022, 01:11:00 PM
Here's a recent video that shows off the picture quality quite nicely, even on a dull overcast day.
Specs: 30fps and shot in 1080p to save disk space, but ripped in 4K so that YouTube would assign it the v9 codec (the good one).
https://youtu.be/LMLqsp10plI
Wow, that is 100 times better than the Akaso cameras I had. I shoot 30fps @ 1080p as well to save space. Thanks for the tip on ripping to 4k for YouTube quality, and that was a nice video you did.
I'm impressed, myself, from a budget camera. I shot today in brighter conditions, down by the lake, and it looks even sharper. Thanks for the kind words about my little film.
Quote from: Altema on April 17, 2022, 01:25:58 PM
Wow, that is 100 times better than the Akaso cameras I had. I shoot 30fps @ 1080p as well to save space. Thanks for the tip on ripping to 4k for YouTube quality, and that was a nice video you did.