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Recommend me a commuting camera
After my old camera died after one too many wet rides, I'm looking for recommendations for a decent commuting camera. I'm only looking for something that can be handlebar mounted with the purpose of capturing evidence of any incidents, having had a few unfortunate encounters over the years. The specs are:
-reasonably compact, with a handlebar mount.
-good enough spec to capture reg plates of relevant vehicles. I don't need super-quality for producing slick videos. Just enough quality to report any incidents and defend myself in court.
-weatherproof. This is important. One that can reliably survive a damp commute. If it is absolutely bucketing it down, I won't necessarily use it, but it needs to survive unexpected rain showers etc.
-battery life of 2 hours or more, to cover a commute each way. I can recharge it when I get home.
-relatively affordable. I'd be very unwilling to spend more than £150.
I'm currently looking at the Drift Ghost XL or the Chilli Tech cameras, but if anyone knows of any other suggestions, or got any good tips regarding second hand cameras, do please let me know.
If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.
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11 comments
I have had the Garmin Virb and Contour GPS then moved to Go Pros now 9 with The remote to multicam only issue is the battery life
However I have started using my Insta X 360 great little camera positioned on handlebar gives me a perfect front sides and most of the rear you can pick these 2nd hand
For what it is worth, i've picked up a second hand GoPro, which look to be better image quality and weatherproofing than an equivalently priced new camera. Plus more sustainable!
+1. I happen to be running a GoPro I bought new at the moment but that is solely because during the pandemic for some bizarre reason my local Argos was offering a £190 camera (GoPro Hero 7 White) for £80 and it seemed too good to miss. My previous two cameras were secondhand GoPros from eBay and both are still going strong for the people to whom I gifted them, which is pretty good considering neither is less than seven years old. Cheaper cameras simply can't match the picture quality in my experience, I'd always sooner spend the money on a secondhand GoPro.
I've been running second hand Cycliq Fly12 & 6 for a few years. While the battery life's never going to be award winning they're easy to use and the footage is good. A second hand GoPro would also be a sound choice for no better reason than there are various companies that'll replace the battery unit for you should yours get a bit flaky. I've not yet needed replacements for my Cycliq units. As you've probably gathered I'm a keen advocate of refurbished/2nd hand for commuting duties.
Just FYI - the batteries in Cycliq's except the Gen1 Fly 12 are essentially irreplacable. They have a custom cell pack so no of the standard battery packs available fit.
Speaking from personal experience with a Gen 2 Fly 12 they are also very difficult to dismantle.
Decent quality.
Good battery life.
Cheap.
Ahh ... the good old 2 out of three triangle.
You're probably best off checking places like Cash Converters or CEX for second hand GoPro units and using them.
They have a wide range of mounting options and a full watertight enclosure.
Charge while your at work from a USB powerbank [if no mains USB alternative exists]
Personally, cant beat a Cycliq Fly12Ce or Sport on the front, and a Fly6 Gen 2 on the back.
But then, I've always used Cycliq and have never found a decent replacement.
Back to the
Decent Quality
Good battery life
Cheap
I have been using Drift XLs for a couple of years now. Footage is adequate but like all cameras they struggle in low light. 8 hours battery means they are great for longer rides but a bit OTT for commuting. I have recently discovered they are fussy about card quality and cards I bought off ebay caused them to freeze. Just a matter of leaving them till the light goes off then they seem to work fine after a recharge, resetting date and time and replacing the card with a known good one.
I have tried an XLpro but battery life is reduced for no increase in video quality that I can see.
They are quite pricey and I do not leave them on the bike which can be a bit of a faff. The front camera is on my helmet which makes it a bit easier.
I have Apeman A70s for my shopper bike which are cheap enough to leave on the bike. Quality is acceptable except in low light, battery life is around an hour, more in summer less in winter, but you can get spare batteries and replace them halfway if needed.
Good to hear the feedback on the Chilli cameras.
I was looking at those earlier in the year when I was considering getting a camera. Ended up getting an older GoPro which I'm happy with - the quality and stabilisation is good.. Recording in high quality means the battery lasts a bit over an hour, but it's got two batteries so I just swap them over at work and charge them later.
I've got a Mk11 chilli bullet camera which comes with handlebar mount. Battery life on mine is over three hours. Pretty good in decent weather, not so good in low light but I don't suppose many cameras are. I think they are on offer at 49 quid at the moment. This was a replacement for a Mk1 which I now use as a rear camera, again, pretty good.
I've got a couple of Chilli Tech PRO II Cameras that I'm pretty happy with. £107 for one, plus another £8 for a GoPro Bullet Cam adapter.
I have some footage here and here. Video quality is good for the price, battery lasts 2 hours and you can plug a power bank in the back (USB-C connector). Haven't used it in anything more than light drizzle but it's rated to IP67 so should be fine in the rain.
I was going to mention the chilli. I got one for my wife earlier this year and the quality is reasonable given the price. Battery life is around 2.5 hours and there is an app which is best used for checking the battery level, with viewing the footage on your pc via a usb connection.