Need an affordable camera solution for mountain biking

[damric]

So I have a handlebar clip for my phone. I usually just use it to control my music going to my speaker which I mount in one of my water bottle cages. Ear buds or headphones are not possible when I'm bouncing down trails, so I just blast my music loud. But anyway yesterday I got the idea that I might be able to record video using my phone on the same mount. It was pretty terrible quality because of the shaking and bouncing of riding down the trail. I tried using my phone's software to stabilize it but it didn't really help. Although the recording was failure, it peaked my interest enough that I'm now looking at getting some sort of GoPro or something with better stabilization software. Also I'm thinking either a chest or helmet mount might be better than my handlebars for the actual camera (that also gives me a reason to wear my helmet or maybe a shirt

 

I think I want to go cheap on this (for now), but I'd want at least like 1080p and 60FPS, 120FPS is possible as I think that might look smoother. I want to make first person clips for youtube, ect. I'm ok with off-brand stuff direct from China if it works alright.

 

Anyone experienced in this sort of thing?

[pio]

I have no experience with an actual camera.  However I use "Droid Dashcam" on my Android phone and it appears to have stabilization built into it.  My phone bounces around really bad on its dash mount, and my dash cam footage always seems smooth enough.  Maybe there's an iPhone version of dash cam software out there you can try maybe?  Not sure if that'd eliminate enough of your bounces on a bike though.

[damric]

1 hour ago, pio said:

I have no experience with an actual camera.  However I use "Droid Dashcam" on my Android phone and it appears to have stabilization built into it.  My phone bounces around really bad on its dash mount, and my dash cam footage always seems smooth enough.  Maybe there's an iPhone version of dash cam software out there you can try maybe?  Not sure if that'd eliminate enough of your bounces on a bike though.

I also have android. I'll try that "Droid Dashcam" next time I ride (probably tomorrow) and see how it goes. I'm constantly hitting a lot of bumps, lots of gravel and roots, and pretty fast like up over 25mph sometimes on the steep declines. When flat I'm around 12-15 mph but still very shaky with all the bumps. Going back up the hills is where I get a good workout.

[pio]

16 minutes ago, damric said:

I also have android. I'll try that "Droid Dashcam" next time I ride (probably tomorrow) and see how it goes. I'm constantly hitting a lot of bumps, lots of gravel and roots, and pretty fast like up over 25mph sometimes on the steep declines. When flat I'm around 12-15 mph but still very shaky with all the bumps. Going back up the hills is where I get a good workout.

Like I said, I'm not sure if its my phone itself or the Droid Dashcam app, but my phone bounces around pretty good and my video seems pretty stable.  It's always worth it to try free options first.   

[The Pook]

Not sure what phone you have, but try another camera app first? 

[damric]

52 minutes ago, The Pook said:

Not sure what phone you have, but try another camera app first? 

galaxy a12

[The Pook]

31 minutes ago, damric said:

galaxy a12

 

try GCam, GCam Go, or Open Camera.

 

GCam is picky about what phones it'll work on but it'll probably be the better of the 3

[Slaughtahouse]

Ever heard of Apeman? It’s the budget gopro. Should do the trick but image stability might not be great. It’s like $50 so don’t expect a whole lot. Otherwise, go for a used Hero 4, 5 or 6. Should be under $150 all in with a mount.

 

I prefer helmet mount or vehicle mount (car, bike, sled etc.) instead of chest. Just a more enjoyable PoV in my opinion. 

 

I have an OG Go Pro, my wife had the 4 (can’t seem to find it), and I bought my dad an 8 recently. The more recent ones are stupidly good but personally, the 4 will do you good. Does 1080p 120 if I recall correctly.

Edited April 20 by Slaughtahouse