Modern Buddy

Does anyone have an action/video camera that's not the GoPro that they like? There are many out there. Is GoPro really the only one that's any good? I've searched around, looked at reviews, but user experience is really the feedback I need. And Internet comments various places, meh.

There's no doubt that the GoPro is a quality cam. I need no convincing of this. But I have some issues with the GoPro: cost, size and form factor (awkward brick shape), no screen (unless you buy one), possibly not the best value for the quality. As in I might settle for good, but not as good, if the price is better.

I might even consider one that costs as much if it has more features (screen, remote) and a size/shape I like more.

Any recommendations? With video?

Dingo listed the Muvi camera in the GoPro thread I started.

topic26563.html

EDIT: Woops! Just saw that you replied to that one! My bad!

check out today's w00t

http://www.woot.com/

its a gear pro

If you have a smart phone you can down load a app for the gopro and have a screen, that's how i use mine at least on a iphone. I bought mine used wasn't to bad on price that way.

I use a Contour Roam, it has a low profile form factor and a lens you can rotate so no matter how you mount it you can always get a level shot, it also has a laser level you can turn on to make sure you've got it correct. They went out of business mid 2013 and have since been bought up by a previous investor and opened their doors again. They have a few cameras on the market, some with removable batteries, gps, bluetooth, but they get expensive. I have a Roam 1 which is pretty much a Roam 2 if you update the firmware. I got mine off Amazon for $100.

Pros: Instant on/off recording switch is easy to use with gloves on, flip it forward, it beeps and starts recording. Standard camera mount threading on the base, so you can use a variety of non-contour mounts. Waterproof up to 2 meters without a waterproof case.

Cons: No view finder, no biggie, one less thing to break. And you can't change your settings on the fly, you have to do it on your pc, OR watch my video below on how to hack it and have different settings on different sd cards, just swap a card to change from 1080p, to 720, to slow mo or 5mp stills at different intervals. The higher end models with bluetooth allow you to download apps for your phone so you can change your settings and view your videos though.Lowlight recording isn't so hot but no action cam is.

Other than that it's tough as nails, I use mine for videos and the rest of the time as a witness should anything unfortunate happen while riding.

http://contour.com

here are a few videos I shot with it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAhPRZNLCtg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMv_M-NRwYo

Oh, you want a screen and remote... check out Garmin's new entry into the action cam world the Garmin Virb. It has everything but the kitchen sink.
I've been thinking about getting one to replace my Roam before Amerivespa.

http://sites.garmin.com/virb/?lang=en&country=US

JHScoot wrote:check out today's w00t

http://www.woot.com/

its a gear pro

I bought a Gear Pro several months ago from Woot. $45 delivered.
For the price it's not a bad deal, comes with lotsa accessories. Ideal starter mini/sport-cam.
Here's a test video I made shortly after getting it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fXQZWQNaV4

I have three GoPros and I hate them. Hard to use. I got a JVC Adixxion and I think it is great! It takes a 1/4 20 standard tripod mount. It has two mount holes. One on the side, one on the bottom. It is waterproof without needing an extra housing. The video screen is built in, not an add on and the wifi to Iphone works great! I can put the camera on my helmet and see what I'm recording, even zoom from the phone on my handlebar. The only downside is wind noise. Above 25 mph it is awful, BUT I fixed that. A simple $3 microphone foam sock with a hole cut in the end and zip tied to the camera kills the noise up to 50 mph. The profile is narrower too. I got mine for $399 at Cycle Gear.

Picked up a vivatar DVR 785HD....
WORSE camera ever....sure three settings (picture, video, vehicle) work ok and it swicthes settings within each mode (mp's for pic, 640/HD in video )...but here's where it gets horrid,first the modes are set by a little slslide switch on the side BUT to change the mode its a 2 inch by 1.25 inch touch screen so if you fat fingers or nails...
Then there is the horrid built in battery, it DOES NOT HOLD A CHARGE! I've tried charging for dayscand within minutes its at half, minutes more and it's done....
Then there is the quality of the mounts....brittle and easily snapped.

I've reboxed it and it's going to goodwill, maybe someone else can make it work...

DO NOT GET ONE...

I'm looking for something that can be wired right from the battery to stay charged all day. I also would like to find something that I don't need to use a bunch of flash drives for. I was hoping with the GoPro Hero 3 that I'd be able to hard wire it for power, then run the USB feed directly to an external hard drive tucked away under the seat and just capture still images every 3 seconds for a timelapse. I'm trying to capture timelapse of the entire trip from DC to Alaska over the course of 12 days, then another 10 days to New Orleans, and another 5 days home. That's a LOT of storage space I will need, and I don't plan to bring a laptop with me just for the sake of converting image files over each night. GoPro camera won't let me upload images directly to an external (500 GB was what I hoped to use), so I would need to buy several 64GB flash drives.

Not sure if the GoPro will do that. The JVC says I have 5 hours HD recording on a 32 GB card. It can be powered by USB but you have to leave the back open.

In reply to boot scoot, using an action cam (like my Contour Roam) when set to taking still images, it uses significantly less battery and storage when set to take still images. I think for a distance trip of that length you'd probably want to use a 10 second interval anyways if you want to convert it to a time-lapse movie. I know the contour roam and the Garmin Virb allow you to charge while you shoot via usb. As for a solution to your storage, you can get portable external HDs that have sd card slots that rip and delete your cards, those get pretty expensive though. If space saving is more important than size, you could use one of these.

http://www.amazon.com/Nexto-Digital-Pho ... rd+storage

Still figuring out storage options when traveling but may end up with WiFi hard drive and uh… something.

Reviews for cameras are simply maddening. They're just too all over the place to be reliable.

olhogrider wrote:I have three GoPros and I hate them. Hard to use. I got a JVC Adixxion and I think it is great! It takes a 1/4 20 standard tripod mount. It has two mount holes. One on the side, one on the bottom. It is waterproof without needing an extra housing. The video screen is built in, not an add on and the wifi to Iphone works great! I can put the camera on my helmet and see what I'm recording, even zoom from the phone on my handlebar. The only downside is wind noise. Above 25 mph it is awful, BUT I fixed that. A simple $3 microphone foam sock with a hole cut in the end and zip tied to the camera kills the noise up to 50 mph. The profile is narrower too. I got mine for $399 at Cycle Gear.

Interesting. Not too concerned about wind noise and sound. No good sound while riding anyways.

Is yours the first or second version? How's the image stabilization?

This is the second version. Image stabilization works really well. Almost no vibration goes to the camera. For fun I rigged a mount for installing a gopro on an RC helicopter. All it did was make the camera floppy. The controls and menus are outstanding. Most reviews say image quality is on par with the gopro. I'm no expert but I would agree with that. You are welcome to borrow the gopros any time.

TomCat wrote:

JHScoot wrote:check out today's w00t

http://www.woot.com/

its a gear pro

I bought a Gear Pro several months ago from Woot. $45 delivered.
For the price it's not a bad deal, comes with lotsa accessories. Ideal starter mini/sport-cam.
Here's a test video I made shortly after getting it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fXQZWQNaV4

this is what I ended up with too! I will review the GearPro when it arrives.

ericalm wrote:Still figuring out storage options when traveling but may end up with WiFi hard drive and uh… something.

If you go this route you should put an SSD (Solid State Disk) in the external drive. There would be much less chance of damaging the disk with the constant bouncing.

TomCat wrote:

JHScoot wrote:check out today's w00t

http://www.woot.com/

its a gear pro

I bought a Gear Pro several months ago from Woot. $45 delivered.
For the price it's not a bad deal, comes with lotsa accessories. Ideal starter mini/sport-cam.
Here's a test video I made shortly after getting it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fXQZWQNaV4

Cool dog!

So I have been using my iPhone 4S & 5 to shoot video. I mount it using the mCam from www.actionlifemedia.com. It has it's limitations. But I can edit & publish right on the phone wherever I am. I have the 64GB versions so my storage typically exceeds my needs. I've posted some of my work in various threads over the last 20 months of riding. Below is a link to my ride along videos. You can see a variety of angles, shots, filters and apps used.


http://m.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8K ... wRE6TZRXG_

I like the look of that garmin set up but love the ease of which I use my current rig. I guess part of your decision making process should include how often you will be going through the footage, editing and what kind of finished product you hope to achieve.

Good luck

olhogrider wrote:I have three GoPros and I hate them. Hard to use. I got a JVC Adixxion and I think it is great! It takes a 1/4 20 standard tripod mount. It has two mount holes. One on the side, one on the bottom. It is waterproof without needing an extra housing. The video screen is built in, not an add on and the wifi to Iphone works great! I can put the camera on my helmet and see what I'm recording, even zoom from the phone on my handlebar. The only downside is wind noise. Above 25 mph it is awful, BUT I fixed that. A simple $3 microphone foam sock with a hole cut in the end and zip tied to the camera kills the noise up to 50 mph. The profile is narrower too. I got mine for $399 at Cycle Gear.

I just bought a first generation JVC GC XA1 from seller blinq on eBay for $97 shipped. It was factory refurbed but added a two year warranty for like $15.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/400633509226?ss ... 1439.l2649

I like it better than the gopros BC its waaay cheaper and has a built in LCD. Even the first gen has full 1080p HD WiFi and waterproof shockproof droproof withOUT an extra case. Also has an ap for androids that relays to the smartphone screen. Got generic mounting kits including a handlebar quick release mount for like $6 also on eBay.

Just got it. Really impressed. Especially for about $100.

The Count

Ive done a lot of research on action cams and there really is no better camera than the gopro. While it does have its shortcomings, there are usually ways to work around them and make them work for you application.

For a screen, the GoPro 3 has the iphone option like Zuki mentioned. For battery life, I picked up a set of 3 additional batteries and an awesome charger on Amazon for like $25. For storage, 64gb cards are really the only good option without bringing a laptop or something.

Every iteration of the GoPro gets better, so maybe the camera you are wanting is a version or two away. Until then, I still think that the GoPro line is the only action cam worth considering.

Syd wrote:

ericalm wrote:Still figuring out storage options when traveling but may end up with WiFi hard drive and uh… something.

If you go this route you should put an SSD (Solid State Disk) in the external drive. There would be much less chance of damaging the disk with the constant bouncing.

The drive will ride in the support vehicle. Macally makes a WiFi enclosure, though. Wouldn't mind having a portable with an SSD.

CountChocula wrote: I just bought a first generation JVC GC XA1 from seller blinq on eBay for $97 shipped. It was factory refurbed but added a two year warranty for like $15.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/400633509226?ss ... 1439.l2649

I like it better than the gopros BC its waaay cheaper and has a built in LCD. Even the first gen has full 1080p HD WiFi and waterproof shockproof droproof withOUT an extra case.

Let me know how you like it once you've used it a bit. There are several good deals on ebay on this inn!

walke2jd wrote:For a screen, the GoPro 3 has the iphone option like Zuki mentioned.

My issue with this is that I'll already have a GPS and camera mounted to the scoot above the dash. I'd rather not have one more thing up there!

Got the GearPro today. I'm taking a ride tomorrow; I'll see how it does.

ericalm wrote:My issue with this is that I'll already have a GPS and camera mounted to the scoot above the dash. I'd rather not have one more thing up there!

I think with the screens, even on cameras that have built in screens, you only use them to line up the camera on the mount. You should only need the screen for the minute or so it takes to confirm the camera is pointing in the right direction. My issue with the screens built into other cameras, is that once mounted, the screen could be obstructed (i.e. mounting camera near bottom of scooter, on front of snowboard, etc). With the iphone screen, you can put the camera anywhere and look at the screen seperately.

walke2jd wrote:

ericalm wrote:My issue with this is that I'll already have a GPS and camera mounted to the scoot above the dash. I'd rather not have one more thing up there!

I think with the screens, even on cameras that have built in screens, you only use them to line up the camera on the mount. You should only need the screen for the minute or so it takes to confirm the camera is pointing in the right direction. My issue with the screens built into other cameras, is that once mounted, the screen could be obstructed (i.e. mounting camera near bottom of scooter, on front of snowboard, etc). With the iphone screen, you can put the camera anywhere and look at the screen seperately.

I had that problem before I started using my iPhone. I would put the camera on the top of my helmet trying to get it setup to where I thought it was in the right spot then I would have to record a little video and come back take the sd card out and check to see how it come out and it would be a little to high or low. Then I would just have to adjust it a little hoping I had it right. I actually went and found a Iphone that wasn't able to be activated (bad ESN) and I use it to operate the wifi on the gopro, works great, that way I dont kill my battery on my phone and I can use my phone for everything else and not have to undo my phone every time i need to use it.Most of the time you can find Iphone with bad esn pretty cheap can also use a ipod also I guess.

zuki wrote: I had that problem before I started using my iPhone. I would put the camera on the top of my helmet trying to get it setup to where I thought it was in the right spot then I would have to record a little video and come back take the sd card out and check to see how it come out and it would be a little to high or low. Then I would just have to adjust it a little hoping I had it right. I actually went and found a Iphone that wasn't able to be activated (bad ESN) and I use it to operate the wifi on the gopro, works great, that way I dont kill my battery on my phone and I can use my phone for everything else and not have to undo my phone every time i need to use it.Most of the time you can find Iphone with bad esn pretty cheap can also use a ipod also I guess.

Ha! I remember doing that exact same thing when I had my first GoPro!

GoPro really listens to the user feedback they get and work hard to improve each generation. I think the iPhone screen sync is the biggest improvement in action cams since the original GoPro. Now they just need to shrink it by half and it will be unstoppable.

I kind of wish I had bought the original GoPro. It was a 35mm film camera that mounted on your wrist so you could point to aim it while doing action-y things. Really wanted one, but the digitals came before I got it.

I received a MonoPrice MHD camera for a gift last August.

Video and picture quality for daytime use is pretty decent, but unimpressive at dawn or dusk. The video output is MOV only. Storage is micro-SD, or data can be obtained through the micro-USB port. A mini HDMI output is provided for playback from the camera.

As some have mentioned for other cameras, wind noise is a big bummer; I wish the mic could be turned off. It would also have been nice to have an auxiliary option, but the housing is waterproof to 10 meters and has no external jacks.

Battery life is adequate, running about three hours. However, the battery is sealed into the unit and the unit cannot record while charging.

The included mount fits on the left grip of my Yager nicely and is surprisingly solid and stable.

The big up is the price. The MHD does what it does pretty well for under a hundred bucks. If it gets bashed, you won't mourn it like a GoPro or nicer cam.

My last run with it was marred by what I suspect was a formatting issue with my SD card. I bought a Sandisk 32GB Class 10 micro SD, so I'm a bit peeved that a card that cost more than a third of what the camera cost got all fiddly while recording a long ride. The video it captured was better than expected until the SD got dumb. I've low-level formatted the card and will try it again before the Yuma ride; if necessary, I'll buy another card.

I took a video of a ride last weekend with the GearPro. I left it at its default settings, which happen to be 1080, so about 15 minutes ended up being 600MB. Pretty jumpy too, as you would expect hanging off the right mirror stalk, but still ok.

Any idea what Auto mode might mean? Auto as in car or auto as in function?

The local Wally Mart had a Midland XTC https://midlandusa.com/xtc-cameras/product/xtc205vp2/ on clearance for $75. Hopefully get to use it this year.

Just in case you are still looking, REI has a 20% coupon and all their GoPro stuff on sale right now. Use code 126TAKE20

The GoPro HERO3+ Silver would only be $240 which is pretty awesome.

We had Dustin *DJelliott review several different models including the contour on our latest ClevelandMoto podcast and he came up with the same conclusion...

The company he works for does professional video production and has loads of experience in this arena.

Go with the GoPro.

That REI coupon really makes it tempting.

I have a DriftHD. I wanted the option for a helmet mic, so I was choosing between a Drift and a GoPro. The drift is water resistant out of the box...the gopro needs a case. Also, the drift looks better IMHO.

walke2jd wrote:Just in case you are still looking, REI has a 20% coupon and all their GoPro stuff on sale right now. Use code 126TAKE20

The GoPro HERO3+ Silver would only be $240 which is pretty awesome.

All the GoPros now out of stock on REI.

But… Hero 3 Silver Edition is on clearance at Best Buy for $230 (Not Hero 3+. Is there much difference? Ugh.)

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/gopro-hd-he ... /7674048.p

Check this site out: http://nofilmschool.com/2013/10/compari ... pro-hero3/

It has a full side by side comparison of the 3 vs the 3+. If it were me, I would call REI and get a raincheck if possible, as the 3+ looks different enough to be worth it. I am still on the original Hero though, and don't have many complaints, so you would probably be fine with the regular 3.

Here's another less in-depth, but still worthwhile, comparo from The New York Times - http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/13/techn ... d-ion.html

pugbuddy wrote:Dingo listed the Muvi camera in the GoPro thread I started.

http://www.modernbuddy.com/forum/topic26563.html

EDIT: Woops! Just saw that you replied to that one! My bad!

I've been using a Mobius Action Cam for years. Tiny and lightweight (folks put them on quadcopters/drones), serves very well, beautiful video, records audio as well.

I have been using a Garmin and really like it. Great quality and I can control it with my GPS.

I've been using an SJCAM M20 with good results. Its smaller than a Gopro. I can control it and watch its output on my cell phone. It can also be controlled with a wristwatch like controller. Most of the Gopro mounting accessories are compatible with it.

I have a Tachyon BikerCam & it's useless. Sim cards don't load video onto my computer. $230 paper weight. I should have tried it before the return policy expired. Apple support couldn't help. I recommend NOT buying one.

If remote and screen were not important I would recommend Mobius cam. I just like the pic quality. I've use it on my Buddy and in my car. I have not yet tried it on Forza. I got Mobius for my older drone originally because GoPro was too expensive. The one issue is that it's battery does not not like 19 degree weather.
Speaking of drones, they might be an answer if you are riding in fairly empty area and drone has a " follow me" mode