Show me your camera setup!

[cal3thousand]

There are some pretty good videos here on ES and then there are the not-as-nice videos as well. We are videoing our bikes, commutes, maintenance etc, but we don't discuss our shooting equipment or technique that much.

I wanted to get a discussion (in depth) where we can collectively gain some knowledge on good cameras, mounting options, editing and shooting techniques as well.

So, share your setup and be sure to include as much as possible on

• 
  [*]Camera model, year, and notable features/specs
  [*]Mounting options including helmet, bike, body, ground, and more!
  [*]Editing software or techniques
  [*]Mapping tools
  [*]Music
  [*]Camera performance: sound, picture, vibration, dark/light capabilities
  [*]Anything else (filming technique, angles, content, etc)
  [*]I guess this could also be a place where you can list your videos to share.
  [*] Notable camera accessories like USB mics and controls

I'll start (and I will edit this post as my setup changes) with my ghetto setups:

Most of my camera work is done on my Android phones since I'm always near one. My Galaxy Note II does 1080p at 30fps so the videos are pretty good if I don't need my hands at the same time (since the phone is a BEAST ). The only things that I am videoing at the moment are reviews of items and other short things. I am not doing commutes on it since the mounting options will never be trustworthy enough for my baby.

Last year, I purchased a Liquid Image Ego on a 50% deal (msrp $199.99). It's a small little camera with features comparable to the GoPro Hero 2 with a couple other bells and whistles included. I also bought a waterproof case for it and plan to mount it to my helmet since most of the bike mounted videos that I have watched suffer from vibration and chassis noise. At the moment, it is not mounted to anything, but I use the suction mounts occasionally. The camera has Android and iPhone apps that allow you to view videos, transfer files, change settings, control the camera and aim it (since there is no view finder nor display). What's cool about the company is that they have a bunch of Action Sports targeted cameras like goggles for snow and water.

Comparison to a GoPro:

Waterproof case with externally accessible buttons:

Here are some quick specs:

• 1080P at 30fps HD Video Mode
• 720P at 60fps HD Video Mode
• 12MP Photo Mode
• Continuous Photo Mode
• WiFi enabled
• 135 degree wide angle camera lens
• Records to a Class 6+ micro SDHC card up to 32 GB (sold separately)
• Rechargeable Lithium Battery (built-in) lasts for approximately 1.5-2 hours in the HD Video Mode
• Water resistant, requires additional Waterproof Housing (Model 750) for full waterproofing up to 40m/130ft

The camera body as standard camera mounting threads that are also on the waterproof housing. I plan to get a mount and put it on the side of my helmet. I think top mounted ones look a bit too phallic for my helmet :wink: .

That's NOT me :

This chest mount looks cool for ebiking:

 

[teklektik]

GoPro 2 HD. Mount details are here.
Haven't done too much done with it - cargo bike vids tend to be sort of boring (not too many jumps and wheelies ), but the vids are very stable without shake.

I have Dashware and used it to build some gauge overlays using an earlier $50 eBay camera but the odd camera pixel shape and poor support from Dashware made the whole enterprise a struggle. If you follow the mount build link back to the earlier mount, there is a a short video with gauges showing CA V3 ramping and Current Throttle control. I really can't recommend Dashware - it's a little one man operation with no support and no updates - too bad, it has some nice but unfinished features (kind of a pre-beta version). It may work better with GoPro and more mainstream vid formats than the odd-format cheapie camera that I used, but I haven't tried it with the GoPro yet.

 

[Ypedal]

I"ve been on a quest lately to sort this out, not easy, and very time consuming to make a pro video... and i fail miserably lol... but i'm still trying.

Recently got a Sony point and shoot, WX200 after this thread:
http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=52509&hilit=camera

software, i'm used to the free windows movie maker... but recently downloaded and am playing with Camtasia
http://www.techsmith.com/camtasia.html?gclid=CJaV3ueQ8roCFe9DMgodKB4AlA

i really like it.. i've tried a whole pile of video editor software and most of them have a very steep learning curve... camtasia is being relatively easy to get along with.

Edit : on the weekend, i picked up a USB mic, after hours of reading reviews and youtube comparisons... i picked up a Blue Yeti:
http://bluemic.com/yeti/

HUGE difference in audio quality compared to webcam or pin hole mic's .

 

[dogman dan]

I like my go pro a lot.

But it's true, making good vids is very time consuming. Particularly the editing, putting in music, and a good long one takes a long time to load to You tube on my internet speed.

Sorry I don't have any good pics of my mounts. Mostly I like to use the handlebar clamp mount, and some how or other attach a half inch pvc pipe to the bike to clamp the cam to. My favorite position, looking alongside the fork, was just a short pipe screwed to the bottom of my battery box. I liked seeing the fork work, and shit flying off the wheel.

The low camera position seemed to produce a more dramatic shot. Worst location is the helmet. From so high, it all looks slower and less exciting. I like some chest mount vids I have seen, but never got the chest mount for my gopro. Another good location if you can rig the mount for it, is looking right along the top of the front wheel. If the cam points with the wheel, it can add some interesting views, but it gets a bit much for dirt ride vids, much like a helmet cam vid can. Too much pointing all over.

 

[cal3thousand]

I like my go pro a lot.

But it's true, making good vids is very time consuming. Particularly the editing, putting in music, and a good long one takes a long time to load to You tube on my internet speed.

Sorry I don't have any good pics of my mounts. Mostly I like to use the handlebar clamp mount, and some how or other attach a half inch pvc pipe to the bike to clamp the cam to. My favorite position, looking alongside the fork, was just a short pipe screwed to the bottom of my battery box. I liked seeing the fork work, and shit flying off the wheel.

The low camera position seemed to produce a more dramatic shot. Worst location is the helmet. From so high, it all looks slower and less exciting. I like some chest mount vids I have seen, but never got the chest mount for my gopro. Another good location if you can rig the mount for it, is looking right along the top of the front wheel. If the cam points with the wheel, it can add some interesting views, but it gets a bit much for dirt ride vids, much like a helmet cam vid can. Too much pointing all over.

I'm going to have to play around with this a bit. I just ordered the chest mount for my Ego cam. Also noticed that it will do well attached to arms, legs, trees and maybe on the front of my Pelican batt box.

I agree that most of the head shots are from too high up and all aimed improperly, making for annoying videos.

I"ve been on a quest lately to sort this out, not easy, and very time consuming to make a pro video... and i fail miserably lol... but i'm still trying.

Recently got a Sony point and shoot, WX200 after this thread:
http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=52509&hilit=camera

software, i'm used to the free windows movie maker... but recently downloaded and am playing with Camtasia
http://www.techsmith.com/camtasia.html?gclid=CJaV3ueQ8roCFe9DMgodKB4AlA

i really like it.. i've tried a whole pile of video editor software and most of them have a very steep learning curve... camtasia is being relatively easy to get along with.

Edit : on the weekend, i picked up a USB mic, after hours of reading reviews and youtube comparisons... i picked up a Blue Yeti:
http://bluemic.com/yeti/

HUGE difference in audio quality compared to webcam or pin hole mic's .

Oooh... I like the USB mic suggestion. I will update the OP to include that as a suggested topic to discuss. Let's hear more about how you like it after some time

I'm going to download Camtasia and play with it on my vacation and see if I can do something with it too.

GoPro 2 HD. Mount details are here.
Haven't done too much done with it - cargo bike vids tend to be sort of boring (not too many jumps and wheelies ), but the vids are very stable without shake.

I have Dashware and used it to build some gauge overlays using an earlier $50 eBay camera but the odd camera pixel shape and poor support from Dashware made the whole enterprise a struggle. If you follow the mount build link back to the earlier mount, there is a a short video with gauges showing CA V3 ramping and Current Throttle control. I really can't recommend Dashware - it's a little one man operation with no support and no updates - too bad, it has some nice but unfinished features (kind of a pre-beta version). It may work better with GoPro and more mainstream vid formats than the odd-format cheapie camera that I used, but I haven't tried it with the GoPro yet.

Ahhh yes Teklektik and the beautiful Mundo. That front end mount (*the whole shebang) is one of the nicest rigs I've seen. Thanks for sharing. Do you have any videos posted that we can see the stability of the picture? Video smoothness is almost as exciting as a good wheelie to me nowadays

 

[teklektik]

Do you have any videos posted that we can see the stability of the picture? Video smoothness is almost as exciting as a good wheelie to me nowadays

Sadly, I'm trapped on an old backup laptop that is sort of like a steam-powered abacus.... most phones have more memory. Video work is out of the question.
As soon as I get one of the main machines running again, I'll put something together...
Thanks BTW - glad you liked the bike - she's a bit of a horse, but sweet and well behaved...

 

[arkmundi]

Veho MUVI is a great little minicam that comes equiped with a helmet mount:

 

[cal3thousand]

That's the most compact one that I have seen yet.

The Muvi Pro looks like the cheapo ones you can get off Aliexpress, but the HD could be very useful for bikers due to the size. Which one do you have? Any videos you can provide as examples?

 

[arkmundi]

I bought the VCC-004-Atom from Amazon along with the recommended Transcend 16 GB microSDHC Flash Memory Card, $76.48 for both. Its a tiny little thing and along with small size comes a small price tag. FYI, the micro SD card came with a full size SD adapter, necessary to read the micro SD on most machines. Right now I'm having trouble with the micro SD, both the reading & writing, so until I can sort through that issue, no, I don't have any video to share.

 

[Ykick]

I'm a little embarrassed to show my "old" camera setup - Tachyon XC std DEF. However, the mount is actually pretty decent CA clamp fixed on fork tube.
View attachment 1

I have tons of commute video since I run the camera every trip to work but this is/was an interesting one due to the NEW painted bike lane that runs against one-way traffic. Pay particular attention to NY city's finest standing in way of the bike path entrance, LOL....
[youtube]ufEVa3ljvTY[/youtube]
It's a suprisingly smooth location aided by the suspension fork. The sealed microphone is atrocious but I left the audio in so you can hear the hydro brake pads being used.

Also notice the guy I pass on the descent has no clamping brakes. Fairly common out here to see no brake bikes. They sometimes lift the rear wheel to lock it up with the crank and slow down a little faster. Impressive but crazy IMO....

Here's another quick one to show how you must NEVER, EVER ASSUME you have the right-of-way. The large truck which blows through STOP sign is obviously not concerned with any traffic on the bike/ped path. Which does NOT have a STOP, YIELD or even a "WARNING" at this crossing. Very, very common occurence at this spot....
[youtube]phKW6ckzF0E[/youtube]

 

[bzhwindtalker]

Canon 50D (hacked with magic lantern RAW)

Used to shoot this year's ebikig road trip, was maybe one of the worst tools for the job haha!
Shooting 14bit Raw video at 60-80mb/sec, with no sound and no tools to sync in post. Full manuall control, manual focus. Super complicated to edit, need power and a SSD. Beta software, stable but I had a major bug with a newer build.
Amazing IQ for the price, comparable to way more expensive cameras, good controls and body layout, great lens selection. Though as a rock.
A video I shot with friends at a DH competition :
[youtube]T32KbmFvmfI[/youtube]
RD 32 II

Not using this one as much as before, but it's a great little waterproof cam. You need an external screen to change the settings lol.
shot 100% on this cam :
[youtube]dLpr9aSfHvE[/youtube]
Panasonic LX7

From my point of view the best compact for video. has 120fps 720p, F1.4 lens and built in ND filter. Solid body (a friend dropped mine 1m on pavement without issues)
Auto mode works amazing!
[youtube]cAlqZfYyebc[/youtube]

I just brougth a panasonic G6, wich is a succesor to the famous GH2 and on par with the GH3 for IQ, will report when I'll have this one tested

 

[Ypedal]

Just purchased this :
http://www.costco.ca/BIOS-1080p-Bullet-Cam-HD-10.0-Lightweight-Digital-Video-Camera.product.100095296.html?catalogId=11201&keyword=bios+10.0&langId=-24&storeId=10302

80$ off making it 125$ shipping and tax included... comes with a bunch of accessories .. for the price, it seems fair.. should have it next week.

 

[yopappamon]

I just got this for my car, but for a cheapy its very high res., has reasonable stability control, and nice wide angle

Has a suction mount and a tripod style screw mount, poor battery life, but can be usb powered. Full HD recording

Not water proof, but could work for a bike cam

http://dx.com/p/5-0mp-wide-angle-car-dvr-camcorder-w-4x-digital-zoom-hdmi-night-vision-sd-slot-2-5-tft-lcd-67091

 

[arkmundi]

Was having trouble with the Veho MUVI cam, so returned it for a full refund (love Amazon). Got this new design mini helmet camera sj1000 camera 1080p hd for extreme sports. My review there:

This is an amazing device for the price. I bought and use it for a bike helmet mount to shoot the scenery on my various journeys. It performs beyond all expectation. Its very easy to use. With the visual instruction card, locate the pieces and perform the mount, all of 5 minutes. The helmet mount required two pieces - the camera holder and a strap to tie that to the helmet. Hit the on button and you're live. Hit the OK button and toggle between record and pause. Get home and plug into laptop, choose "mass storage" for the mode of connection, and the camera acts like an external hard drive, with all the content. There are other ways to attach the camera to things. There are other modes of operation. It was initially a bit disorienting to see the maze of attachment parts, but once you look at the visual clue card, it all becomes reasonable. The most confusing thing I found was the lack of any instruction manual, printed or online (I looked). The reason is the designers aimed for a device so intuitive, no manual was necessary. They surpassed that goal. I rarely give a 5-star to anything, but this camera gets it, and deserves it.

 

[cal3thousand]

Was having trouble with the Veho MUVI cam, so returned it for a full refund (love Amazon). Got this new design mini helmet camera sj1000 camera 1080p hd for extreme sports. My review there:

This is an amazing device for the price. I bought and use it for a bike helmet mount to shoot the scenery on my various journeys. It performs beyond all expectation. Its very easy to use. With the visual instruction card, locate the pieces and perform the mount, all of 5 minutes. The helmet mount required two pieces - the camera holder and a strap to tie that to the helmet. Hit the on button and you're live. Hit the OK button and toggle between record and pause. Get home and plug into laptop, choose "mass storage" for the mode of connection, and the camera acts like an external hard drive, with all the content. There are other ways to attach the camera to things. There are other modes of operation. It was initially a bit disorienting to see the maze of attachment parts, but once you look at the visual clue card, it all becomes reasonable. The most confusing thing I found was the lack of any instruction manual, printed or online (I looked). The reason is the designers aimed for a device so intuitive, no manual was necessary. They surpassed that goal. I rarely give a 5-star to anything, but this camera gets it, and deserves it.

Thanks for the thorough review. Will you be able to post up a sample video later?

 

[arkmundi]

Thanks for the thorough review. Will you be able to post up a sample video later?

Sure, here it is.
[youtube]8tfMNsj7ltU[/youtube]
Sorry for the rough quality - I didn't put a lot of effort into editing it. Date stamp is wrong - found the setting. Also there's a mode to smooth the shake for a second take.

 

[cal3thousand]

Thanks for the sample!

What I noticed about your camera is the sound quality. I like it much better than the GoPro's muffled sound and at speed, you don't have much wind noise, which is especially important for ebike use.

 

[Samd]

Awesome thread. Sub'd.

 

[Ypedal]

Hey, you guys might have a solution to this.

Got a new PC ( 6 core AMD 3.5 Ghz .. ) no more audio sync problems ..

Windows 7, using Camtasia 8.4, Sony Handicam shoots in .MTS format ... damn Camtasia won't open the files, i have to use a 3rd party app to convert to .AVI or .MP4 before i can edit them.. sucks balls.. tried codecs.. every google result i could find says it should work.. and yes it's a known problem.. but no luck here.

 

[arkmundi]

Hey, you guys might have a solution to this.

Got a new PC ( 6 core AMD 3.5 Ghz .. ) no more audio sync problems ..

Windows 7, using Camtasia 8.4, Sony Handicam shoots in .MTS format ... damn Camtasia won't open the files, i have to use a 3rd party app to convert to .AVI or .MP4 before i can edit them.. sucks balls.. tried codecs.. every google result i could find says it should work.. and yes it's a known problem.. but no luck here.

Gizmos, you can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.m2ts .. had to look that one up. You have the solution I'd take - another app to do a conversion first.