Thinking of getting an action cam

[Papa Lazarou]

I've read loads of reviews but am stilljust as confused as I was before.

I realise all of the above are HD except for the Oregon-which takes it off my list. A surprising number of reviews don't like the Gopro but an equal number place it at the top. The Drift is the only one with a built in screen-which is a bonus-but pays for by being the largest-I think the Dogcam is the smallest. The Contour doesn't seem to get great reviews. The Replay isn't widely available in the UK but I can get one-I just don't know much about it!

The higher the CMOS the better. 60 fps is good. Sound quality and video quality obviously come top. I intend to stick it on a helmet or handlebars.

[Max Wedge]

  I just picked up a Hero 2. I picked that one over the Contour and the Hero HD because I  liked the ability to NOT have the 180 degree fish eye view, and the 11mp timed photos. The 127 degree view is good for some things, and the 'narrow' 90 degree view is similar to shooting with a regular video cam. The "2x" sharper lens seems to give some pretty good results, but night videos and shots can get pretty grainy, but bright sunlight is pretty impressive. The availability of accessories, like video screens and bluetooth and mounting stuff closed the deal for me. Seperate mike inputs and the ability to hard wire it to the bike was a bonus, but this comes at the cost of waterproofness.  I intended it for some still shots of bad weather riding and some videos on fun stretches. This will work for me.

  Is it the best? I don't think so, but for versatility, cost, and popularity of accessories, it is a good choice.

[jeepinbanditrider]

I've got a contour and love it. It actually fell off my helmet at about 45 MPH and still functions to this day. It fell of due to rider error lol.

The single biggest feature I enjoy on it is the fact you can rotate the lens depending on orientation of the camera. Say I Velcro it to my bikes shelf. Just rotate the lens and you have level video. Take that off and mount it to my helmet on the side and rotate the lens again for level video no matter what the angle .


Sent from my iPhone

[X1Glider]

There's a quick review of the Drift 170 at : http://www.motorcycledaily.com/

[Papa Lazarou]

There's a quick review of the Drift 170 at : http://www.motorcycledaily.com/

Hekpful review. The Drift seems far superior to the Dogcam and probably better than the Gopro.

[sas mayhem]

Also check out all the reviews here.

http://www.webbikeworld.com/motorcycle-video-camera-reviews/replay-xd-1080/
Cheers
Ron

[hankd]

I'm happy with my Contour Roam ($89 shipped on amazon). I used it this week on the ski slope... Easy to use.

[sas mayhem]

I'm happy with my Contour Roam ($89 shipped on amazon). I used it this week on the ski slope... Easy to use.

That's the one I got, so far no issues. It suits my needs.

Cheers
Ron

[mugwump58]

MCN picked the Drift Innovation HD170 Stealth and HD as "The Best Buy"  the GoPro Hero as recommended .

[KodiakRS]

Personally I'd get the hero 2.  Arguably the best video quality, one of the few that allows for a narrow gov, and has or can be modded to have the features of all the others. 

The downsides are that the cheap black plastic the they use for most of the mounts is brittle and can break quite easily.  The camera case itself is durable but if the mounts or case latch break you're sol.  Also the user interface on the hd was awful.  No idea if they updated it for the 2. 

Also, the stock audio on all of these cameras is pretty poor, an external Mic is a good idea.

[denydog]

My wife surprised me with a GoPro Hero2 this Christmas.  (As I was opening the gift, she made me promise I wouldn't do anything dangerous. ???)   I can't rate the Hero2 against the competition because it's new to me, and I haven't tried any of the competing products.  Well except for the Flip Video she gave me Christmas before last, but the Flip didn't seem suitable for on bike videos, so I never tried it for any action vids.

I do miss having a viewing screen on the Hero2 like the Flip has, and this will probably limit my use of the narrower view angles.  It's also going to take me a while to get comfortable using the multilevel setup and option menus, because of the small screen size, the unfamiliar symbols, and having only two buttons for input.

Now I just need some locals to ride out in front of me and do something interesting.

[Max Wedge]

Personally I'd get the hero 2.  Arguably the best video quality, one of the few that allows for a narrow gov, and has or can be modded to have the features of all the others. 

The downsides are that the cheap black plastic the they use for most of the mounts is brittle and can break quite easily.  The camera case itself is durable but if the mounts or case latch break you're sol.  Also the user interface on the hd was awful.  No idea if they updated it for the 2. 

Also, the stock audio on all of these cameras is pretty poor, an external Mic is a good idea.

The user interface is totally revised in the GP2. Once you have gone through it once, it is very simple.
Also the video monitor is now available so you can see what you are shooting.
Good point about the black platic mounts, will probably go to ram mounts.

[SuperHans]

With the Contour you can buy a Connect Card for around $30 that allows you to view live images on your smart phone and make adjustments to the camera.

http://store.contour.com/contour-connect-view-card-p55.aspx

[zer0netgain]

The VIO system is "the best" as far as quality, but it's also the priciest.

[Papa Lazarou]

The VIO system is "the best" as far as quality, but it's also the priciest.

Dammit, the only UK retailer has stopped selling them.

I think I might go for the Drift, as it is reviewed fairly well and I've found a cheap deal.

[Papa Lazarou]

Bought the Drift HD170 Stealth for £135. That's around $170,

[zer0netgain]

Dammit, the only UK retailer has stopped selling them.

The manufacturer won't ship to the UK?  

[X1Glider]

For the US residents, Cycle Gear is selling the original GoPro at $200.  Probably to make room for the 2nd gen.

[denydog]

I don't know if the Hero2 is worth the extra cost or not.  My wife just went and bought the latest, so I'm happy with it.  Bought a 32GB class 10 card the other day. Recording time is supposed to be 4:21 at the highest resolution, and 8 hrs at 720p.  The battery is estimated to last 2.5 hrs on a charge, so I'll probably pick up the optional battery BacPac.  Going to get the LCD BacPac as well.

I'm still working up the nerve to stick a mounting pad on my helmet.  Not sure if I want to or not.  Haven't figured out where to put one on the bike either, but we're in the middle of a real rainy spell, so I have lots of time to figure it all out.

[Max Wedge]

Was watching "Afghanistan: Bomb Squad", and noticed they all had either the Contour or the Hero.