This was a very informative video, thanks for making it. I am one of these "black box cyclists" you mentioned. After nearly getting into a bad crash a few years ago, I decided to invest in a camera to mount on my helmet. I first had a little GoPro for years. I think it was a Session. It was fine, but the battery life as with other GoPros was intolerable. A downside to having such a small camera is it has no removable battery, so if I wanted to record anything for over 1.5 hours I had to stop and recharge it, so that really limited my range on the bike. I did sometimes go without the camera but it wasn't ideal. Last year I got a Drift Ghost XL "snow edition" on Amazon for around $100 US I believe. I've had almost no issues with it. Surprisingly, I haven't had any issues with it during heavy rains, so I guess the one I have is decently waterproofed. I have a feeling it would die underwater though, despite what the manufacturer claims. Also have not had overheating issues, despite the hot summers in my part of the US, but this could be partly due to the camera being white. The quality appears to dip at times (hard to tell if it actually is 1080p), the app can be quite buggy, and the timestamp has a habit of getting out of sync with real time, but the battery life makes up for all its issues in my opinion. The battery life simply just can't be beat. I don't want to lug around extra batteries or bring a portable charger with me, so the Drift cameras are good for me. They claim the battery life is 9 hours but I can't attest to that myself. I usually only use it for a max of 4 hours at a time, and I charge it once I get home, but even after 4 hours of use it doesn't die. After this one eventually kicks the bucket, I think I'll go for another Drift camera, but we'll see what happens. I'll definitely consider the other cameras you've reviewed.
Thank you, great comment. Yes so far I don’t know if anybody better on battery life than drift. But, my DJI with an external battery might be the answer. Safe riding!
It seems we have to make our own dash cams. PINE64 may provide the computer and the camera needed already. Now put it together in a neat case and write the software. How about no phone app required and intended? Just record to the memory card and set the modes with buttons.
Selling your soul to the devil? Ending up in a jail cell after a bicycle ride? Wow this is certainly one of your most provocative videos to say the least. I’m quite content to be like the travelling cyclist on Monty Python. All joking aside.great video. Looking forward to your next video. All the best!
About all the features on the GoPro style camera. On the GoPro's you can actually disable all those things, even the LED which indicates you are recording for added stealth. That way I get about 1h55m on my Hero 9 (confirmed) of recording time in 4K. In 1080p 24fps you should be able get up to 2h25 (Have not tested this) On 4k: I only use that because it has a slightly better readability for numberplates then when using it in 1080p. I hate that GoPro stopped making the GoPro sessions models. They have a similar form factor as the Polaroid's you have but battery is only about 1h20m. I have a Session 4 and a Session 5. I use both as the rear camera's. An other good thing about the GoPro's is that you can operate them with an external power source. Then the SD card is the only limitation. For your commute the battery is fine. For a race you can strap a powerbank nearby and run a short cable. This however impacts water resistance but I haven't drowned a camera. (yet...) If it starts to rain, I unplug and close the door. My cams: Hero Session 4 (old sturdy bastard, stil works perfectly) Hero Session 5 (same as above but it has video stabilisation which make a huge deal in video quality) Hero 9 (2x). Newer, huge step in quality compared to the old ones. I use now the Session models as rear cameras and the new ones for the front. I mainly use them for legal reasons (they came in handy a few times already, including one hit and run and one assault) but I also post video about (bad) traffic and sometimes nice rides.
I liked Go Pro until I spoke to a rep at a trade show. Since then, I will not deal with them no matter how good they are or how good the advertising is.
@@reginaldscot165 No problem. I forgot to mention that you can also plug the camera into a power bank and it operates like a dash cam on loop mode. Quick question regarding Titanium - would you still recommend titanium BMX frame over a chromoly BMX?
I use a pair of Garmin Ultra 30 which are great. Just over a hr recording in 4k and the ant+ connectivity for speed, and other metrics is 2nd to none. Clunky case however
The mounts on the Buffalo are identical to Go Pro so just buying one for the mounts would possibly be worthwhile? The information on DJI was interesting, I know I won't be getting one of those now. I make my own specific mounts for rigid bike mounting and use supplied mounts for the quick release part.
Get the action 4 - by far the best for MTB at least. I tried almost all (as pro photographer), was never impressed, to say the least. The newer GoPros etc mainly due to their high failiure rate. I cant use a system when it simply doesnt do its job 20-30% of the time, whatever the specs. The DJI 4 combines the high sensor quality (i guess its the same as their Drones use) that i want with reliability. Had one for a MTB project, and will get another one as soon as i need it.
@@reginaldscot165 i have a Fly12CE. my boss bought it for me after he saw me riding my road bike on the highways of the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia.i loved it. however, my rubber buttons have disintegrated. i wrote Cycliq, they just asked me to either jam rubber pieces into the hollow areas or buy the new Fly12 Sport. I'm planning a tour around the Peninsula of India and taking in a few mountains too. i just wrote Drift but, after seeing your video, i've changed my mind. looks like it's going to be a DJI Osmo Action 4.
For my rides, I'm currently torn between the Insta360 Ace Pro, for it's detailed night time video and DJI Action 4 for it's superior overall detail. I'm not a vlogger, I want something cheap, but I keep getting paranoid I'll end up in a similar crash to you, where (perhaps?) the detail of a low or mid range camera isn't sufficient enough...
Hi Reginald. I have a camera to record rides so that when I'm too old to do it I can watch againand enjuy the experience (remeniss). I have a "Balco" from Aldi, a bit like your "Buffalo" but does 4k. I hadn't tried the upside down mode, I don't know if its that sofisticated but phones do it so why not. Battery life is a little over an hour on the battery that came with it, but I have some batteries from Amazon with 75 mins, so I have to monitor time on the bike computer, and stop to change over. Ok for me as I'm not in a race. The DJI app business is scary and puts me off, partly because I hate phone apps. Does it not work as a camera without the phone? I've seen a set up where you can have a camera at the back and a screen on the handle bar to use as a mirror (saves vid too). As a last bit of levity, it always amuses me to hear of "footage" on digital cameras (wheres the celluloid?) and "Hoovering" with a Vax or ..... Its sad, I know, but it gives me a laugh.
It’s funny when you point that out! Yes I always say vacuum cleaner rather than the brand Hoover. 😁 I hope you have many more years of happy riding ahead! 🙏🏻
I have a couple of beginner ride video's, even put one up on You Tube several years ago when I was around 59~60 I hadn't thought about watching them since I was unable to ride but that's a damn good idea. Thanks
@@1crazypj Yes thanks. Another thought I had was that, perish the thought, I might get altziemers. Apparently showing suffers familiar things or playing familiar music is good paliative treatment.
@@emmabird9745 Thanks again, did not know that. It's been a long time since I studied psychology. I was hoping to change careers but second year at degree level started to get pretty boring plus working at the same time was getting dangerous so I dropped out.
Unfortunately their 360 cameras only have 81 minutes of battery life and if I put that on my head it’s going to get cooked by the sun. They are however amazing for capturing incredible video footage. 🙂
