Budget bullet camera set up

[blackmamba]

Hi

I would like to buy a budget bullet camera set up - camera, hard drive, mount plus anything else that is required (software, memory card etc). It would be used on a motorbike as well as on the outside and inside a car. Mainly for track day and Sunday morning blast use.

Can anyone suggest a set up or package that works well. I am not a film maker so it doesn't need to be perfect picture quality but of a good enough so i can see what is going on. Compact size (so it is easy to mount on the bike and behind the grill of a car) and cost are probably more important than ultimate picture quality.

Any suggestions would be gratefully received and if you can suggest some where that sells it, even better.

Thanks in advance

[nigelpugh7]

blackmamba said:

Hi

I would like to buy a budget bullet camera set up - camera, hard drive, mount plus anything else that is required (software, memory card etc). It would be used on a motorbike as well as on the outside and inside a car. Mainly for track day and Sunday morning blast use.

Can anyone suggest a set up or package that works well. I am not a film maker so it doesn't need to be perfect picture quality but of a good enough so i can see what is going on. Compact size (so it is easy to mount on the bike and behind the grill of a car) and cost are probably more important than ultimate picture quality.

Any suggestions would be gratefully received and if you can suggest some where that sells it, even better.

Thanks in advance

Depends on your budget really, but then it always does with Camera equipment.

Also I would not recommend a Hard Drive based system, the shocks and vibrations will kill it too quickly.

I have used a VIO POV for years in my Caterham and Porsche for track days and its been fantastic.

This year I upgraded to the same version just full HD.

You can see my videos from both versions on my youtube channel here:

http://www.youtube.com/user/nigelpugh7?feature=mhe...

Happy to answer any questions you have re use and application too!!

[Dave 500]

Its a bit of a tough one really.

The biggest problem is getting something cheep that does video and audio well.

The only way to get good audio is to use a external mic but cameras with those inputs are normally on the higher end stuff.

If its a budget of £150-£200 I would get a Contour 1080 HD (I think it might have been replaced now but have a look on Ebay) it has a better mic than the Gopro 1 and more stream lined for your bike. Cameras in this price range won't have external mic inputs.

If its a budget of £200-500 I would probably go for a GoPro 2 however you will need an external mic as the one in the unit is total garbage. PS when you use an mic with the GoPro 2 it will no longer be water proof.

If its a budget of £500+ I would get a VIO POV HD

I have all of the above in my tool kit how ever the cameras are only half the cost. You will probably end up buying extra battery's, extra SD cards, mounts and microphones etc etc.

The other thing to think about is if you are filming HD you will need a good powerful computer with loads of storage to deal with the footage, it doesn't take long to fill 32gb cards.

Supplier wise, I always use Dogcam the service is fantastic.

[onesickpuppy]

Dave 500 said:

Its a bit of a tough one really.

The biggest problem is getting something cheep that does video and audio well.

The only way to get good audio is to use a external mic but cameras with those inputs are normally on the higher end stuff.

If its a budget of £150-£200 I would get a Contour 1080 HD (I think it might have been replaced now but have a look on Ebay) it has a better mic than the Gopro 1 and more stream lined for your bike. Cameras in this price range won't have external mic inputs.

If its a budget of £200-500 I would probably go for a GoPro 2 however you will need an external mic as the one in the unit is total garbage. PS when you use an mic with the GoPro 2 it will no longer be water proof.

If its a budget of £500+ I would get a VIO POV HD

I have all of the above in my tool kit how ever the cameras are only half the cost. You will probably end up buying extra battery's, extra SD cards, mounts and microphones etc etc.

The other thing to think about is if you are filming HD you will need a good powerful computer with loads of storage to deal with the footage, it doesn't take long to fill 32gb cards.

Supplier wise, I always use Dogcam the service is fantastic.

I just had a wee look at Dogcam's website and this might fit the bill for under 90 notes?

http://www.dogcamsport.co.uk/dogcam-bullet-hd-came...

[blackmamba]

Thanks all for the suggestions. The Dogcam website is excellent and seems to offer a huge range - I think the Dogcam Bullet HD Bike Camera Package might be what I am after for £100.

Cheap enough that I wouldn't be too disraught if it falls off and compact enough to make mounting easy.

Has anyone used one? Looks simple and I expect the picture quality will be more than adequate for what I need and I can always upgrade if I find I am using it a lot.

Thanks again.

[nigelpugh7]

blackmamba said:

Thanks all for the suggestions. The Dogcam website is excellent and seems to offer a huge range - I think the Dogcam Bullet HD Bike Camera Package might be what I am after for £100.

Cheap enough that I wouldn't be too disraught if it falls off and compact enough to make mounting easy.

Has anyone used one? Looks simple and I expect the picture quality will be more than adequate for what I need and I can always upgrade if I find I am using it a lot.

Thanks again.

The only thing to be mindful of with Cameras like that is the lack of a screen to ensure your placement and framing is correct.

If you could stretch the budget to a system with a screen it would pay benefits in the long term use and alternative placement choices.

This would make a good alternative choice to my VIO POV HD:

http://www.dogcamsport.co.uk/minidvr-hd-bullet-cam...

[blackmamba]

That is a very good point! I could end up with a memory card full of nothing very useful. That mini DVR looks good - still compact and with the all important screen. Preumably once set up the screen can be disconnected while recording and thne just used to manage playback.

I did look at some of the cameras with built in screens (like the GoPro) but I think they would be too cumbersome to mount on a bike and more likley to shake due to size / weight.

Thanks for the steer.

[onesickpuppy]

blackmamba said:

That is a very good point! I could end up with a memory card full of nothing very useful. That mini DVR looks good - still compact and with the all important screen. Preumably once set up the screen can be disconnected while recording and thne just used to manage playback.

I did look at some of the cameras with built in screens (like the GoPro) but I think they would be too cumbersome to mount on a bike and more likley to shake due to size / weight.

Thanks for the steer.

I think it needs to remain connected as the memory card is in the screen part.

[nigelpugh7]

blackmamba said:

That is a very good point! I could end up with a memory card full of nothing very useful. That mini DVR looks good - still compact and with the all important screen. Preumably once set up the screen can be disconnected while recording and thne just used to manage playback.

I did look at some of the cameras with built in screens (like the GoPro) but I think they would be too cumbersome to mount on a bike and more likley to shake due to size / weight.

Thanks for the steer.

Your very welcome buddy, thats what we are all here for to help people make informed choices!!

I don't have personal experience though, it was other members of the Lotus 7 Club who started out with devices without screens, and most of those people now have units with screens.

We used to have a great laugh at some videos of a track day outing where all you can see was the roll bar obscuring the view, or worse still looking down into the car to see nothing but the black interior!!

Somebody else made a good point too about the file size, I have reduced my VIO POV HD to 720 setting as the size of each clip was a nightmare to copy edit then share or publish.

In my experience the better and more simple the workflow, the easier it becomes to share, which lets face it is what was the main aim of these on board video set ups in the first place.

My other tip is to start out with making lots of shorter videos if you are doing track, or even road work on your bike with video.

If you leave it running for a long period, then the file is huge and hard to edit, and worse still takes an age to view and proof before editing.

Lots of smaller clips, means easier to edit and share when you are happy you got something good and want to share it.

For this reason too, its also best to have some form of remote control to start, stop and tag videos as you go.

Good luck and when you have made a choice let us know and share some videos too!!

[nigelpugh7]

onesickpuppy said:

I think it needs to remain connected as the memory card is in the screen part.

Indeed it does, my VIO POV HD is exactly the same as this.

[blackmamba]

That is a shame, makes it harder to conceal under a fairing. Better have another look at the dimensions and mounting points on my car and bike.

Cheers.

[jingars]

OP,

I have the DogCam 720 bullet and undertook a Lotus 7 Club "Handling Day" at Dunsfold yesterday. What is quite possibly the world's most boring video ever to be taken from the Top Gear track is now up on YouTube but it does demonstrate the abilities of the camera quite well in various light levels; some of the laps were in direct sunlight while the second batch were in overcast conditions.

All of Nigel's comments are quite valid. It is difficult to tell whether you have the camera mounted in the vertical, and also precisely where the thing is pointed - both somewhat useful things to know!

I have a class 4 micro SD card. The picture suffers from "roll" which may be better with a faster card, but I think the rolling effect is a feature of the 30 fps frame rate. If I were to buy a replacement then I would look at a 60 fps device.

The bullet cam comes with two backs; one with holes in and one without. The one with holes is completely overwhelmed at road speed; if you were skiing or snowboarding then I am sure that it would be ideal to capture speech and the whoosh as you went over the snow. I use the solid back, which at least gives some engine noise. However, as has been written previously, you really need an appropriately placed external mic to get a decent sound.

For the occasional use I give it I give the Dogcam 720 bullet a thumbs up. It is a bargain for it's price, but you need to understand and accept the limitations.

The picture quality from Nigel's kit is far superior, is easier to get properly set up and pointed in the right direction, and is easier to operate as you can tell when it is recording and when it isn't. With no wires the bullet cam is easier to clamp all over the place.

Yer pays yer money and yer takes yer choice - as ever!

Edited by jingars on Sunday 20th May 11:07

[nigelpugh7]

jingars said:

OP,

I have the DogCam 720 bullet and undertook a Lotus 7 Club "Handling Day" at Dunsfold yesterday. What is quite possibly the world's most boring video ever to be taken from the Top Gear track is now up on YouTube but it does demonstrate the abilities of the camera quite well in various light levels; some of the laps were in direct sunlight while the second batch were in overcast conditions.

All of Nigel's comments are quite valid. It is difficult to tell whether you have the camera mounted in the vertical, and also precisely where the thing is pointed - both somewhat useful things to know!

I have a class 4 micro SD card. The picture suffers from "roll" which may be better with a faster card, but I think the rolling effect is a feature of the 30 fps frame rate. If I were to buy a replacement then I would look at a 60 fps device.

The bullet cam comes with two backs; one with holes in and one without. The one with holes is completely overwhelmed at road speed; if you were skiing or snowboarding then I am sure that it would be ideal to capture speech and the whoosh as you went over the snow. I use the solid back, which at least gives some engine noise. However, as has been written previously, you really need an appropriately placed external mic to get a decent sound.

For the occasional use I give it I give the Dogcam 720 bullet a thumbs up. It is a bargain for it's price, but you need to understand and accept the limitations.

The picture quality from Nigel's kit is far superior, is easier to get properly set up and pointed in the right direction, and is easier to operate as you can tell when it is recording and when it isn't. With no wires the bullet cam is easier to clamp all over the place.

Yer pays yer money and yer takes yer choice - as ever!

Edited by jingars on Sunday 20th May 11:07

Wise words from Uncle Jon!!