Action cam for biking?
Discussion
Are you ok with editing? It takes hours of work to make an interesting video. In general excellent roads for riding look quite boring when watching them on video.
People seem to be moving away from go pro due to the cost and the build quality from what I've seen on Youtube. Insta seems more popular.
People seem to be moving away from go pro due to the cost and the build quality from what I've seen on Youtube. Insta seems more popular.
I have a ancient (by modern day standards) GoPro 7 Black and an Insta 360 2.
Go Pro delivers great visuals with a good depth of field especially on bright sunny days but you do have to frame the shot and if you are on the move and you are off road that is tricky unless you helmet mount.
The Insta is looking all around so you can do the framing afterwards which is great but it means the resolution is not as fancy as the GoPro.
I am not sure how the vibrations of a single will affect the footage and the lifespan of either.
I got a spring loaded clamp that grabs the chin on my helmet and used the Insta last year on the TET in Spain and that worked really, really well, the grip is never going to come off and I could put a little mic on it on the inside of the helmet part of the clamp too. The Insta does not care what the orientation is, somehow it manages to sort that out automatically.
This year I will be trying the Insta and the GoPro on the chin mount and see how that fairs.
As a slight aside there is a little VR app I have tried with my Index and that is fun with the Insta footage as you can look around as it is playing, the disconcerting thing is that the lateral movement is obviously not controllable so it is a little weird.
Go Pro delivers great visuals with a good depth of field especially on bright sunny days but you do have to frame the shot and if you are on the move and you are off road that is tricky unless you helmet mount.
The Insta is looking all around so you can do the framing afterwards which is great but it means the resolution is not as fancy as the GoPro.
I am not sure how the vibrations of a single will affect the footage and the lifespan of either.
I got a spring loaded clamp that grabs the chin on my helmet and used the Insta last year on the TET in Spain and that worked really, really well, the grip is never going to come off and I could put a little mic on it on the inside of the helmet part of the clamp too. The Insta does not care what the orientation is, somehow it manages to sort that out automatically.
This year I will be trying the Insta and the GoPro on the chin mount and see how that fairs.
As a slight aside there is a little VR app I have tried with my Index and that is fun with the Insta footage as you can look around as it is playing, the disconcerting thing is that the lateral movement is obviously not controllable so it is a little weird.
I have an Insta360 X3 I got for a trip in 6 weeks. I've been messing around trying to find good angles and best thing for audio. I have a selfie stick and clamps that let me put it out to the side of the bike which gives a great shot, and you can also use that footage for looking forward, at scenery, stuff on the street, it's very versatile. It's good on the handlebars as well, gives a decent POV shot. Extending out from the bike gives a better shot of you, but must be wary of parked cars, barriers etc, good for the stick to be on the handlebars so you can bring it in if required.
You mostly get wind noise with the camera mic. I tried a cheap Bluetooth mic that pairs with the camera but it was awful. I have the wired mic adapter and a Purple Panda mic. Sounds better, I'm not interested in talking just want the sound of the bike and ambient noise. This is more awkward though as you need to cable the mic to the camera in the different positions you want to use. I have a coiled 3.5mm cable for this. You can spend a lot of cash on a decent wireless mic but I didn't want to go that far, bluetooth sucks.
I am using cheap lens guards since if a stone flicks up and scratches the lens, the camera is useless. But the guards themselves scratch easily and glare is increased. You also have visible stitch lines between the cameras, so it's a big compromise but I dont want it getting damaged.
Editing is time consuming, the app is.. ok.. need a decent phone if you're doing it on the go, and will probably need another video editor to make something from the clips, I use Powerdirector which is mostly free and has loads of features. When you edit the footage the quality suffers as you are chopping one part of the 360 image down, so 5.7k becomes 1080p and then zooming makes it worse.
It depends what you want really, if you want POV and a mic in your helmet, a usual gopro type camera will be simpler. I toyed with the idea of both an action cam and 360 cam but settled on only the 360 together with a drone, as I won't be doing motovlogging style stuff.
Stick with wires taped to it:
You mostly get wind noise with the camera mic. I tried a cheap Bluetooth mic that pairs with the camera but it was awful. I have the wired mic adapter and a Purple Panda mic. Sounds better, I'm not interested in talking just want the sound of the bike and ambient noise. This is more awkward though as you need to cable the mic to the camera in the different positions you want to use. I have a coiled 3.5mm cable for this. You can spend a lot of cash on a decent wireless mic but I didn't want to go that far, bluetooth sucks.
I am using cheap lens guards since if a stone flicks up and scratches the lens, the camera is useless. But the guards themselves scratch easily and glare is increased. You also have visible stitch lines between the cameras, so it's a big compromise but I dont want it getting damaged.
Editing is time consuming, the app is.. ok.. need a decent phone if you're doing it on the go, and will probably need another video editor to make something from the clips, I use Powerdirector which is mostly free and has loads of features. When you edit the footage the quality suffers as you are chopping one part of the 360 image down, so 5.7k becomes 1080p and then zooming makes it worse.
It depends what you want really, if you want POV and a mic in your helmet, a usual gopro type camera will be simpler. I toyed with the idea of both an action cam and 360 cam but settled on only the 360 together with a drone, as I won't be doing motovlogging style stuff.
Stick with wires taped to it:
Edited by P675 on Monday 31st March 14:27
Depends what you want to do! My experience with gopros are I always end up with problems.
360x3 and x4 have been near infallible! X4 is a decent step up too
It is a bit of a faff editing etc but not too bad once you get used to it.
Very versatile for different sports I think compared to just a single lens action camera.
I've ended up getting an affiliate link for them so if you do order, and don't mind me earning a few quid then please consider using my code. INKRECK
Should give a free gift on the X4 too
Now just because I'm an affiliate doesn't mean I'll rate it if it's crap. I'm a genuine user (bought the X3 with my own money) and honestly find it hard to fault their kit on anything other than price.
Last day of spring deals today I think too
360x3 and x4 have been near infallible! X4 is a decent step up too
It is a bit of a faff editing etc but not too bad once you get used to it.
Very versatile for different sports I think compared to just a single lens action camera.
I've ended up getting an affiliate link for them so if you do order, and don't mind me earning a few quid then please consider using my code. INKRECK
Should give a free gift on the X4 too
Now just because I'm an affiliate doesn't mean I'll rate it if it's crap. I'm a genuine user (bought the X3 with my own money) and honestly find it hard to fault their kit on anything other than price.
Last day of spring deals today I think too
tight fart said:
Any advice for an action cam for biking, I’m looking at the insta 360x4.
Likely uses will be green laning, use when touring (off to the Pyrenees)
General holiday stuff, paddle boarding and hopefully skiing.
Would I be better off with a GoPro type? I’m not thinking helmet mount.
After a string of GoPro's ovr the years I got fed up with them overheating, turning off, corrupting footage etc and bought a 360 X3. Its been great, can wholeheartedly say its never over heated or failed. Its done over 1000km off-road in the himalayas, TT rides, Karting on-boards etc. If you're doing activities with others its great because its recording all angles. Someone drop their bike in a deep puddle behind you? The insta catches it. The only downside as alluded to above is the file size, full res recordings take up a fair amount of footage! That said, I usually just leave it mounted but off, press the circle button and it boots and starts recording within a few seconds. Likely uses will be green laning, use when touring (off to the Pyrenees)
General holiday stuff, paddle boarding and hopefully skiing.
Would I be better off with a GoPro type? I’m not thinking helmet mount.
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