NOTE: I have no financial interest in any product or web site mentioned below. Nor is this a recommendation to purchase a specific product. This is a record of my journey to satisfy a need. Some may benefit from it, or not.
MODS: If posted in the wrong section, please move.
Dash cams or, to use the correct terminology: incident cameras; are fast becoming a ‘must have’, as litigation around vehicle accidents increase. When it is your word against another; without the corroboration of an independent witness, things can get difficult and expensive – especially where injuries are involved. Yes, one can hire independent accident investigators; but at what price?
Overseas, seeing an incident camera mounted in a vehicle is a common sight. Many companies insist that their vehicles are so equipped and most police and emergency services have them installed. Additionally, the use of body camera’s are increasing; especially amongst police services. In SA, we have lagged behind a bit, but I see their use increasing.
Now, if motorists see the need, so much more should motorcyclists! We are far more exposed to the risk of injury in the event of an accident and, what may be a simple bumper bashing for a cager; could be a major accident for a biker.
More: We know in what poor condition our road infrastructure is. And, the general disregard for traffic laws in SA. Many accidents are caused by drivers disregarding traffic rules and although the use of an incident camera may not prevent the accident; it can go a long way in securing justice. And, how convenient will such an instrument not be when one is pulled over by a traffic or police official on spurious grounds when looking for a ‘favor’ (bribe)?
I decided long ago to use an incident camera when using my bike and for good measure; my cage as well. But, here is the rub: There are hundreds of incident cameras available for vehicles, but few (none?) for bikes. The only option for a biker; would be an action camera. But again, problems: Half way decent action cameras cost a fortune and I am not prepared to risk such a high value item for everyday use; no matter how justified it is. So, I set about drawing a list of needs and then looking at products that could satisfy those needs at the best possible price:
Here goes:-
The camera must be body or helmet mountable and if mounted to the helmet; on the side. I don’t like the top of helmet mounts. In addition, it should be compact. Ideally, a bullet camera if it is helmet mounted; or something like the Go-Pro shape, if body mounted. More, it should be easily attached and removed. A Velcro based mount would be ideal.
The camera should have a wide field of view: wide enough to include the surrounding area, including my bike’s instruments. Typically, a 120 degree view angle is a minimum.
Resolution should be adequate. VGA is adequate: anything above is nice, but not necessary. Picture quality, even at low resolution, should be sharp and clear: capable of identifying registration numbers of vehicles and road signs.
Sound recoding ability is required, but quality need not be high. If you can discern sirens and/or squealing tyres above the wind noise, that is good enough.
Image stabilisation is a ‘nice to have’; but not vital. The human body is a very good shock absorber where incident cameras are concerned. Mounting the camera anywhere on the bike will transmit vibrations and affect picture quality.
The camera should have enough data storage capability to record you commute or, have a loop recording facility which re uses the available data.
It should have sufficient battery power to record, at least a day’s commute or, have the facility for an external power supply.
Most importantly: the camera should not be a hassle to use and operate. Important is that: you will be using this camera whenever you use your bike. Hassles using the camera will soon have it lying at home. Then you’ve defeated the object and wasted your money.
Where to look and what to buy:
Not being an expert on issues: action/incident camera’s, I turned to the internet for help. Beware: there is a lot of BS out there and many more adverts masquerading as ‘evaluations/tests’ for a specific product. The one site I found that gave unbiased views; was Techmoan.com. This guy buys the stuff with his own funds and then tests them in actual use. His comments are honest; if sometimes brutally so. Also, he tests a lot of the cheaper camera’s; especially for those of us on a limited budget.
Following his tests, I narrowed down my selection to a few and eventually, settled on a little bullet camera called the ACT 20. This camera is not in the league of the Go-Pro’s or their clones, but for my needs: Good Enough. Plus, it was cheap. I did not want to make movies (for that I have a very excellent Sony), I wanted an incident camera.
R540.00 later (all in), I had my little incident camera in hand and now the fun starts....
It is a bullet camera of metal construction and rain proof. Resolution is 720P and it has a 120 degree view angle. It comes with mounting accessories, but without a data card. It mounts to the side of the helmet with Velcro and is small and light enough that you don’t notice the extra bulk and weight. It does record sound and time stamps the recording. That’s the good news.
Using the AVI file format; it is very data hungry. You need a class 10 data card or you will have endless hassles with jerky picture quality and lost frames. A class 10, 16 gig card is good enough, as it has a 20 minute loop recording function. Battery life is about 2 ½ hours; which is good enough for my needs. Plus, I can power it from the bike, but then I lose the water proof protection.
Do not use the camera’s playback facility (USB to computer). It is terrible. Rather, remove the data card and plug it into the computer direct. Best play back results are with VLC media player. Sound is terrible; but through the noise, I can discern sirens and tyre squeal (And also the throb of the V-twin!)
Using these ‘tweaks’, the picture quality is quite surprising. Compared to the Sony, also set at 720 and with image stabilisation active, the difference is hardly noticeable. Images are sharp and I can identify registration plates and road signs; even if I have to use the freeze frame facility to get there (most times not needed).
So there: I have a very capable incident recording camera that ticks all of the boxes for me. Importantly, it is cheap and if I lose it, it won’t break the bank. And if it breaks; hell, I’ll buy another.
Hope this helps.
MODS: If posted in the wrong section, please move.
Dash cams or, to use the correct terminology: incident cameras; are fast becoming a ‘must have’, as litigation around vehicle accidents increase. When it is your word against another; without the corroboration of an independent witness, things can get difficult and expensive – especially where injuries are involved. Yes, one can hire independent accident investigators; but at what price?
Overseas, seeing an incident camera mounted in a vehicle is a common sight. Many companies insist that their vehicles are so equipped and most police and emergency services have them installed. Additionally, the use of body camera’s are increasing; especially amongst police services. In SA, we have lagged behind a bit, but I see their use increasing.
Now, if motorists see the need, so much more should motorcyclists! We are far more exposed to the risk of injury in the event of an accident and, what may be a simple bumper bashing for a cager; could be a major accident for a biker.
More: We know in what poor condition our road infrastructure is. And, the general disregard for traffic laws in SA. Many accidents are caused by drivers disregarding traffic rules and although the use of an incident camera may not prevent the accident; it can go a long way in securing justice. And, how convenient will such an instrument not be when one is pulled over by a traffic or police official on spurious grounds when looking for a ‘favor’ (bribe)?
I decided long ago to use an incident camera when using my bike and for good measure; my cage as well. But, here is the rub: There are hundreds of incident cameras available for vehicles, but few (none?) for bikes. The only option for a biker; would be an action camera. But again, problems: Half way decent action cameras cost a fortune and I am not prepared to risk such a high value item for everyday use; no matter how justified it is. So, I set about drawing a list of needs and then looking at products that could satisfy those needs at the best possible price:
Here goes:-
The camera must be body or helmet mountable and if mounted to the helmet; on the side. I don’t like the top of helmet mounts. In addition, it should be compact. Ideally, a bullet camera if it is helmet mounted; or something like the Go-Pro shape, if body mounted. More, it should be easily attached and removed. A Velcro based mount would be ideal.
The camera should have a wide field of view: wide enough to include the surrounding area, including my bike’s instruments. Typically, a 120 degree view angle is a minimum.
Resolution should be adequate. VGA is adequate: anything above is nice, but not necessary. Picture quality, even at low resolution, should be sharp and clear: capable of identifying registration numbers of vehicles and road signs.
Sound recoding ability is required, but quality need not be high. If you can discern sirens and/or squealing tyres above the wind noise, that is good enough.
Image stabilisation is a ‘nice to have’; but not vital. The human body is a very good shock absorber where incident cameras are concerned. Mounting the camera anywhere on the bike will transmit vibrations and affect picture quality.
The camera should have enough data storage capability to record you commute or, have a loop recording facility which re uses the available data.
It should have sufficient battery power to record, at least a day’s commute or, have the facility for an external power supply.
Most importantly: the camera should not be a hassle to use and operate. Important is that: you will be using this camera whenever you use your bike. Hassles using the camera will soon have it lying at home. Then you’ve defeated the object and wasted your money.
Where to look and what to buy:
Not being an expert on issues: action/incident camera’s, I turned to the internet for help. Beware: there is a lot of BS out there and many more adverts masquerading as ‘evaluations/tests’ for a specific product. The one site I found that gave unbiased views; was Techmoan.com. This guy buys the stuff with his own funds and then tests them in actual use. His comments are honest; if sometimes brutally so. Also, he tests a lot of the cheaper camera’s; especially for those of us on a limited budget.
Following his tests, I narrowed down my selection to a few and eventually, settled on a little bullet camera called the ACT 20. This camera is not in the league of the Go-Pro’s or their clones, but for my needs: Good Enough. Plus, it was cheap. I did not want to make movies (for that I have a very excellent Sony), I wanted an incident camera.
R540.00 later (all in), I had my little incident camera in hand and now the fun starts....
It is a bullet camera of metal construction and rain proof. Resolution is 720P and it has a 120 degree view angle. It comes with mounting accessories, but without a data card. It mounts to the side of the helmet with Velcro and is small and light enough that you don’t notice the extra bulk and weight. It does record sound and time stamps the recording. That’s the good news.
Using the AVI file format; it is very data hungry. You need a class 10 data card or you will have endless hassles with jerky picture quality and lost frames. A class 10, 16 gig card is good enough, as it has a 20 minute loop recording function. Battery life is about 2 ½ hours; which is good enough for my needs. Plus, I can power it from the bike, but then I lose the water proof protection.
Do not use the camera’s playback facility (USB to computer). It is terrible. Rather, remove the data card and plug it into the computer direct. Best play back results are with VLC media player. Sound is terrible; but through the noise, I can discern sirens and tyre squeal (And also the throb of the V-twin!)
Using these ‘tweaks’, the picture quality is quite surprising. Compared to the Sony, also set at 720 and with image stabilisation active, the difference is hardly noticeable. Images are sharp and I can identify registration plates and road signs; even if I have to use the freeze frame facility to get there (most times not needed).
So there: I have a very capable incident recording camera that ticks all of the boxes for me. Importantly, it is cheap and if I lose it, it won’t break the bank. And if it breaks; hell, I’ll buy another.
Hope this helps.
