Helmet Cameras Pros and Cons

[Martin]

I was sitting in the right hand turn lane at lights on a dual carriageway( US riders you'll have to invert your thinking). Lights turn green with a green right turn arrow, so I take off only to encounter an older female take off on a red light in the opposite direction, she is holding up her hand in what I think is an apology for taking off through the red light. She however doesn't stop but continues, forcing me to veer left out of what is going to be a collision. Hand still raised and what I take as an apologetic look on her face. I just shook my head at her and did my turn. With no other traffic around to witness this, if I hadn't taken action to avoid this and we had collided, what proof would I have had as to her error. That night the Honorable Minister and I were watching a TV show featuring idiot drivers caught on dash cam. She reckons that I should get one as a precaution.

So fellas who runs one, where do you have them mounted, on the bike or helmet and what side of the helmet? Has anyone used them to prove they were in the right. And general pros and cons. I had a look at Ali Express and Ebay and the prices are all over the place. I don't want to spend a lot and I don't want to produce mega bike movies of canyon carving. :dunno
Regards Martin.

[Filmcamera]

I have one mounted on the chin of my helmet.  I don't use it all the time, only when I can be bothered. 

Cons, well charging the batteries, remembering to use it, turn it on etc and the weight, not that it is much and above all looking like a bit of a prat with a go pro on your helmet

Pros, well some cool footage of your rides and potentially evidence that it was the other guys fault (or of course that it was yours for doing a wheelie at 120 kph in the first place)

The ideal camera is probably a go pro  Hero session but there are a ton of cheap knocks off out there, it really depends if you are going to try and do a motovlogging Ben Hur or just want proof that the damn roo jumped out in front of you.

In the end I think they are a good tool to have and one I will use when doing longer runs but too much of a pain to use every single time I ride.

[rbm]

Funny enough I was researching this topic today for myself. 


Found recommendations for a DDPAI M6 Plus dashcam and a Innovv C3 Snake camera.  The DDPAI is an automotive dash cam so has features mainly oriented towards installation inside of an auto compartment (i.e. not necessarily weatherproof) however the feature list is quite extensive.  The better cam would be the C3.  It has a lens/CCD assembly on a 1.5M umbilical cable that plugs into a basestation recorder.  That means the recording unit can be located on your person and the CCD on the helmet.  Or the CCD installed on the bike in an inconspicuous place and the recording unit under the seat.  Both are in the same price category of $US 140.00.

[blakey]

Thought about this myself.

Bike mounted? It'll only record what's in front of the bike, depending on the viewing angle.

Helmet mounted? Better option I think as where you look is what it will record. Useful when some clown is coming at you from the side or behind or wherever. I understand that some would think you look like a prat (me included sometimes...), but when the poo hits the fan, it's good to be able to prove the other guy was wrong.

My opinion.

[riots100]

When I got run off the road and ended up sliding on the asphalt last year, the driver did not stop.  The police said that if I had a license plate number, they would go after the person for hit and run. (a growing problem in SoCal)


I repurposed an old GoPro camera that I had and mounted on the bike for my daily commutes.  I see it as documentary evidence should the need arise.  I mount it on the instrument cluster, centered over the headlight.  The old GoPro that I have will only do 2K, so it is hard to make out a license plate number when the car is at a distance.  I tested with a friend's 4K GoPro and it provided enough resolution to zoom in and make out a plate number.

[Martin]

Thanks fellas I am going to do a bit of serious looking. I've had two minor bingles in the last twenty years, first one a woman ran a red light while I was turning right, the car behind spotted her and hit his horn, I braked hard while turning, and managed to swing off the bike and sort of lower it to the ground and do a backward roll. She slowed right down nearly to a stop and then took off, by the time I got remounted she was long gone. She missed my front wheel by about a foot, lucky the guy behind me hit his horn. The bike suffered minor damage, right hand bar mirror totalled and tragkorb scratched up which buffed out.


Second one a woman drove straight into me in a shopping centre carpark ran me all the way down the left side of her car folding in her mirror. I was leaning hard to the right trying to avoid being pushed into the parked cars. As soon as I cleared the side of the car I went down, she was stopped by a witness. He asked her why she didn't stop after hitting the motorcycle, her answer what accident, what motorcycle? The car had scrapes the full length of the car and I folded the mirror in, without the witness she would have been long gone. A camera wouldn't have gone astray, 
Regards Martin.

[Motorhobo]

Ah -- this brings back memories of the absurd contraption I devised to attach a Panasonic GS320 tape DV recorder to my Shoei half-shell back in 2008...those were the days, when you had to make your own shit because there weren't any mass-produced solutions...

Anyway, I was looking into it too, and probably would go with this:

https://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/sena-prism-tube-camera

You need to get a specific 32 GB SD card because it won't work well with just any generic one -- read the reviews. More reviews here:

http://www.webbikeworld.com/r5/sena-tube-review/



https://www.amazon.com/SENA-PRISM-TUBE-ACTION-CAMERA/dp/B01AAG8S8O

Most of the bad reviews are based on the fact that the reviewer didn't bother to do the due diligence. Some users say with the 32 GB card they can get 2 hrs of video, more than enough for most daily rider's commutes or around-town riding.

Filmcamera, that GoPro contraption looks almost as ridiculous as my own home-baked contraption back in 2008...I wouldn't want that hanging off my chin. I had mine bolted to a piece of aluminum 3/4 inch bar that I'd bent to the same curvature as the helmet. The bar was velcroed to velcro strips which were epoxied to the side of the helmet. So the camera was pretty much attached to my ear. It worked great, except for the stupid asymetrical weight hanging off one side of the helmet, which was considerable. Cameras were much heavier back then.

[K1300S]

Thought about this myself.

Bike mounted? It'll only record what's in front of the bike, depending on the viewing angle.

Helmet mounted? Better option I think as where you look is what it will record. Useful when some clown is coming at you from the side or behind or wherever. I understand that some would think you look like a prat (me included sometimes...), but when the poo hits the fan, it's good to be able to prove the other guy was wrong.

My opinion.

lots of the modern cameras have a very wide view...160deg.  mounted on front of bike it will capture a lot of what is going on. 

if cam is helmet mounted and you are looking to one side for a turn, you will have no video of the clown coming at you from the other side....

I laugh every time is see a biker with a go pro on top of their helmet...TeleTubbie!!!!!

IMHO....

[Martin]

With the size of some of the camera's, a neck brace would be a must have option. Without it you would get a new slant on life. So far I like RBM's Innovv snake camera and Motohobo's Senna. I have decided to go slow and might try a cheaper version first. Bike mounting is still an option, still looking thanks for the input.
Regards Martin.

[Motorhobo]

Here's a 1080p 60fps YouTube of a ride with the Sena Prism Tube. Looks pretty good -- the low profile really reduces the turbulence noise. Plus, the Sena Prism Tube is inconspicuously mounted -- no Teletubbie effect there!



But I gotta say -- getting a clear shot of a license plate in case of an accident will be a luck-of-the-draw thing no matter where your camera is mounted. I've had two accidents in the past 15 years. One was a front-ender broadside into a illegally left-turning Taurus. No chance any front-mounted camera would have picked up anything because from the front the rear of the offending vehicle was never visible, certainly not once the bike hit the ground. The second accident was when I got rear-ended with the sidecar rig. Again, no help from a front-mounted camera. The best chance you're going to have of getting anything in the frame is to point your head at the license plate, either before, during or after the impact. If your camera is mounted on the bike, there is absolutely no chance of pointing it anywhere prior to impact, and the odds of a front-mounted camera picking up the rear-mounted license number once the bike is on the ground are...well, I don't know what the odds are but I can't imagne many scenarios where the odds would be good.

[Martin]

A lot of things to digest, I was also thinking it might not have worked in two of my incidents. The only time it might of worked was the one last Saturday when the LOL took of through the light, no impact. I did ask whether anyone had used the camera to prove they were in the right. So if I am going to do it, I might try a cheapie first and use the rest of the money to buy Profiteroles.
Regards Martin.

[Michael Sydney]

An added factor is that the police in Qld may consider helmet cams illegal. They do in NSW and Vic it seems.
Their argument is that you have modified your helmet and so now it is non-compliant. They will take you to court and show footage ..... Recorded on their helmet cams!

[Filmcamera]

Filmcamera, that GoPro contraption looks almost as ridiculous as my own home-baked contraption back in 2008...I wouldn't want that hanging off my chin

You see why I don't use it much!

I actually got that gopro mainly for scuba diving and just wanted to see what I thought about using it on a bike before getting something smaller.  So far I am not convinced I will bother...

Agree 100% on the teletubbies btw they look even worse than my mash up!
 

[Martin]

Extract from QLD Transport.
Motorcycle helmetsAll Queensland motorcycle, quad bike riders and passengers must wear a helmet that complies with:

• Australian standards  AS1698 or AS/NZS1698, or
• United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (ECE) 22.05 standard. 

Unless exempt, the driver and passengers of utility off-road vehicles being operated on a Queensland road or road-related area must also wear a motorcycle helmet which complies with the  standards.Helmet labels and stickersHelmets must display either a stitched label on the inside of the helmet or a sticker on the outside of the helmet, indicating compliance with the approved standards.
For a helmet meeting the ECE 22.05 standard, the label or sticker may contain any number from 1 upwards. An example is shown in the following images.

An example of an Australian standards conformance mark is shown below.
Attaching a camera    There is no law that prohibits the attachment of a camera to a motorcycle helmet, as long as the helmet remains compliant with the above mentioned standards, and is an approved attachment (according to the helmet manufacturer).You may use a camera mounted on your motorcycle or a body mounted camera as an alternative.
So not a problem with legality just practicality. :dunno
Regards Martin.

[Martin]

After looking at a heap of helmet camera footage, most of the time the camera fails to get a good shot of the number plate. The only time a camera comes in handy is when the other driver actually stops. So I might just get a cheapy for now, as most of my close calls tend to happen at intersections or in car parks. And without being discriminatory it's always been a woman on the really bad ones.   :nono :dunno
Regards Martin.

[wmax351]

The one thing I would think would be important, more than the license plate, is proving your case to insurance and/or the police. You don't need a license plate for a hit and run driver to get insurance coverage. It falls under uninsured motorist insurance.


This is particularly the case in Michigan, where we have so-called "no fault" insurance. Your insurance pays your injuries primarily. In the case of cars, any collision has an unlimited medical bills and related coverage. Motorcycles are slightly different. If it's a single vehicle collision, you are on your own, non-no fault insurance, at least for medical bills and the like. But as soon as the vehicle touches another, you qualify for the no-fault insurance that you have to buy.

[Martin]

Unfortunately in OZ you have to identify the other vehicle. A mate had a hit and run with a totally independent witness and still had to pay the excess. He identified the model and colour of the car but could not supply a registration number. However I am about to change insurance companies and will definitely ask that question, about do I still have to pay if it's on camera but no registration number.
Regards Martin.

[Martin]

Max just talked to the insurance company. Even with a camera unless I can supply the registration or somehow prove who the other person is I am liable for excess.
Regards Martin.

[pablooo]

I have a GoPro session mounted on the chin of my helmet. It gives you the best point of view of what you're looking at. You can somewhat feel a small weight on the front but one gets used to it and because of its form factor, it doesn't really hinder your view or feel the drag. If I rode everyday for my 40 minute commute there and back it'd probably last me 2 or3 days until needing a charge. I just delete the footage if nothing happens on my commute but it can probably fit 3 or 4 hours of 1080p footage but I have yet to max it out.

Although I've never had to use any of the footage, a friend had to here in Texas did after a motorcycle accident and it proved the negligence of the other driver. He had a helmet mounted one and one mounted on his passenger seat looking behind him. Having a camera gives me peace of mind because it can show what actually happened and none of that he said-she said stuff that usually occurs in accidents and road rage incidents. A downside for some though can be that if you do have a camera and do something illegal and are even caught speeding you can incriminate yourself and make it your fault. (obviously I've heard that a delete button exists but thats none of my business :hehehe )
Cameras can certainly help and with todays prices one can't argue that the price is a problem.GoPro Sessions can cost 150 but a 4k Chinese one which I've heard good things about and uses the same GoPro mounts can be a little less than 100 and give peace of mind.

[Motorhobo]

Looks great, Darth!

[Martin]

I've ordered one from that new great source of Brick parts, China. I decided to go with a cheap one to see if I will actually bother to keep it charged and downloaded. If it works out with the cheap one I will then possibly upgrade. I've read a couple of articles that even the wearing of an inoperative camera can get some motorists to behave themselves.
Regards Martin.

[mxl]

I've been riding for the last few years wit a Drift Ghost S on the side of my Shoei. It's waterproof and low profile. Shoots 1080p and 60fps if you want it to (I leave it at 30 fps for longer battery life). There's a remote that you can mount to your wrist (or the bike) to start/stop recording, change modes, ect. I don't use it since it's enough trouble for me to keep the camera charged let alone the remote. Speaking of batteries, it uses a standard size camera brick type battery. I haven't bought more but you could carry spares if you wanted to. A charge lasts for ~3-4 hours of shooting I'd say. I just looked it up and they advertise 3.5 hours so they are spot on actually.


The camera works well. Shoots good video at a wide angle which is adjustable. It's not a huge go-pro sticking off the side of the helmet either. You can rotate the lens so if you mount it on an angle it's shooting video right side up. The sticky mount is very solid, it's been through all kinds of weather, dropping the helmet, ect with no issues. I imagine it would come off in a crash (as it should). The display is enough to preview videos, delete unwanted ones, and change settings.


[/size]I have been meaning to wire up a USB charging port to the bike so I can mount the remote on the handlebars and have it plugged in 100% of the time there. Then I wouldn't forget to turn it on, I'd get used to the remote flashing at me so I know it's recording. The most annoying thing is remembering to turn it on, remembering to charge it, ect.


Overall, after riding with this thing for 3 years I'd recommend it.



Not my picture, but this is how it's mounted:

[mxl]

Not sure how to edit my post. I seem to have some tiny font tags in there. Here's the text without the tiny font:

I've been riding for the last few years wit a Drift Ghost S on the side of my Shoei. It's waterproof and low profile. Shoots 1080p and 60fps if you want it to (I leave it at 30 fps for longer battery life). There's a remote that you can mount to your wrist (or the bike) to start/stop recording, change modes, ect. I don't use it since it's enough trouble for me to keep the camera charged let alone the remote. Speaking of batteries, it uses a standard size camera brick type battery. I haven't bought more but you could carry spares if you wanted to. A charge lasts for ~3-4 hours of shooting I'd say. I just looked it up and they advertise 3.5 hours so they are spot on actually.The camera works well. Shoots good video at a wide angle which is adjustable. It's not a huge go-pro sticking off the side of the helmet either. You can rotate the lens so if you mount it on an angle it's shooting video right side up. The sticky mount is very solid, it's been through all kinds of weather, dropping the helmet, ect with no issues. I imagine it would come off in a crash (as it should). The display is enough to preview videos, delete unwanted ones, and change settings.I have been meaning to wire up a USB charging port to the bike so I can mount the remote on the handlebars and have it plugged in 100% of the time there. Then I wouldn't forget to turn it on, I'd get used to the remote flashing at me so I know it's recording. The most annoying thing is remembering to turn it on, remembering to charge it, ect.Overall, after riding with this thing for 3 years I'd recommend it.

[Laitch]

Not sure how to edit my post. I seem to have some tiny font tags in there.

If you preview your post before you post it, you'll see the tags then you can return to the reply box and remove them. After you do that, preview it again then post it if it's ok.

[Martin]

Received my camera, camera looks ok, instructions reasonably clear. Comes with a couple of different mounts which are a little flimsy where they mount to the camera. I tried filming and downloading, eventually the Honourable Minister worked it out. At  the moment we can't seem to work out how to change the time and date, might have to consult the daughter. Mounted the camera to the top front of my helmet with double sided tape, but I will eventually use Velcro so that I can remove it easily. Went for a ride and was surprised at the quality of the sound and picture for a camera that cost $8.50 Au, plus additional cost of a Micro SD card 16GB at $12.00. I'll have to move the camera mounting point to the chin area as mounting on the top restricts the opening of my visor. The only problem with the first run was I had set the camera shooting point a little high. Once I work out the couple of bugs, date time, camera angle, mounting security I will post a video. It might not be up to the standards of a Go Pro, but it is fine for a stepping off point. MD80 Mini DV Camcorder DVR Video Camera
Regards Martin.