Cycling videos – Equipment (Part 1)

Over the next few posts I am going to talk a bit about video equipment and specifically what I am using on my bikes. Later on we can talk about video composition and editing. Right now, let’s talk cameras.

There are several HD camera available on the market that can be used to record that special ride some of them good some not so much. One thing has to be said at the start, if you are looking for Hollywood quality videos from your rides this is the wrong place to look. You will get adequate video and horrid audio out of almost all of the POV (Point of View) cameras out there.

Let’s start with the cheap end. Places like DealExtreme and Chinavasion have inexpensive POV cams. You may even find some of those cams rebranded and selling for much more on eBay or other U.S. based websites. Please don’t be fooled they are the same cameras and produce the same videos. Here is a sampling:

This is called the Poseidon – Waterproof 720p HD Sports Action Video Camera. In the U.S. it sells for anywhere between $150 – $300. Direct from China you will pay just over $100. It supports MJPEG which is not really video just 30 JPEG images taken every second at 1280×720 and stored in a AVI container. It can also take images at 640×480 @ 60fps. It uses a full size SD card up to 32GB capacity. On thing unusual about this low end camera is that it does have an HDMI out port as well as USB and TV Out. It does come with a car dash mount as well as a handlebar mount and a remote control. It claims to be waterproof to 3 meters.

The AVI format means that you can use any of a number of video editing packages to finish up your videos even older versions of Microsoft’s Live Movie Maker (free download).

If you search YouTube you will find many videos made with this particular camera. Some of them are not that bad.

Here is the Gnarly HD – 1080P HD Sports Action Camera. It is also available direct from China for about $160 or rebranded in the U.S. for $200 – $260. It looks an awful lot like a Drift Innovations Drift HD. That is probably intentional as many Chinese manufacturers are masters of imitation. It supports 1080P, 720P, WVGA 848×480 and VGA 640×480. It also supports 5.0MP and 8MP (interpolated) still images. This cam actually has some brains to it as it uses H.264 rendering and stores videos in a MOV container. This is great for Mac users and if you download the Live Movie Maker 2011 from the link above Windows users can work with this format also.

The lens is rotatable and offers a 135° view, so mounting at odd angles should not be much of a problem. It comes with a helmet, handlebar and strap mount. There is a ¼ x 20 socket for other mounting options. They even include two batteries. This camera also offers HDMI out and USB connections. The little screen does help with setup as you can actually see what you are aiming at before filming.

The Gnarly’s drawback is despite it’s rubberized case it is not waterproof and does not record any resolution at 60fps (this flaw will become apparent in future installments. Again YouTube has a few videos demonstrating the capabilities of this little camera.

DealExtreme sells what looks like the same camera as the Eagle Eye Extreme HD. All the specs are the same as the Gnarly except Deal Extreme claims it is waterproof although some of the comments suggest otherwise. There are a few more YouTube videos for this camera setup.

The Mini HD Sports Camera. Sold by both Chinavasion and DealExtreme. $75 to $80 direct from China. This camera claims to be waterproof to 30 meters and does come with a handlebar mount and a helmet strap.

I can’t say much about this camera other than it uses MJPEG, only records at 1280×720 and then only at 30fps. It is pretty limited as far as video is concerned. The battery is not removable and has just a 2 hour capacity if you don’t use the LEDs. The recharging time is listed at 3 hours per charge. The four white LEDs do not put out enough light to be of much use and the four IR LEDs are also underpowered and you won’t be able to record anything more than a meter away.

A quick search on YouTube for the RD32 camera brings up an excellent review by Techmoan about this camera, as well as several other test videos. Please watch it before you decide you want one of these cameras.

One last camera for part 1 of this series is the Crocolis HD – 1080P HD Extreme Sports Action Camera. Another camera that looks like a similar model sold by Tachyon, the MicroHD. Selling for around $170 direct or $225 – $300 in the U.S. This camera does have a few features found on the top tier brands sold here. It features a 170° FOV, HDMI port, TV Out, Microphone In, USB and removable batteries. It uses a full size SD card up to 32GB. A microphone is included.

Video resolutions include 1080P @ 30fps, 720P @ 30/60fps and QVGA 320×240 @ 30/120fps. Waterproof, IP68 specified but no maximum depth. The LCD screen on the back aids in setup and aiming. A helmet mount, handlebar mount, suction cup base as well as some sort of aluminum bracket are included. There is a ¼ x 20 socket for other mounting options. One issue with the camera is that even with all these mounting options it must always be mounted upright as the lens is not rotatable.

Another search on YouTube reveal a handful of videos testing and reviewing this camera. There is a very good review about this camera on YouTube by Techmoan, watch it.

Part 2 will include the top tier cameras from GoPro, Contour, Tachyon and Drift Innovations.