Help me decide?

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Romans5.8

Romans5.8

Wannabie Member
Hey all,

So I'm considering getting into moto vlogging, but I don't know alot about these different cameras. I have a DSLR and know a little bit about photography, but videography of any sort is new to me and so is the realm of cameras.

I'm pretty much thinking GoPro. Right? Wrong? What's so special about those Contour cameras? They seem like they are more flattering on the side of the helmet but how's the video quality?

The Hero 3 Black edition may be out of my budget. Not sure how much I really want to invest here. So that leaves the Hero 3 silver or the Hero 2. The Hero 2 can be found fairly cheap. What does the Hero 3 silver give me? Anything of merit? Video quality seems to be identical.

Which do you folks prefer? 1080p/30 or 720p/60? I tend to lean to the latter, but what do your viewers prefer?

Finally, camera mounting. I'd like to use a Chest mount. For one, when I watch vlogs, I like to see the speedometer. I dunno why, I just do. The check mount accomplishes that. But it seems like most motovloggers prefer a helmet mount. What say you?

Sorry for all of the questions, but trying to figure this'n out!

EDIT: Forgot to mention that I also have a bluetooth headset/intercom I use when my wife and I ride. Intend to use that for my mic.
 
Romans5.8 said:
mrtommygunwhite said:
drift hd is also a good choice
Click to expand...

Care to elaborate? What advantages does it offer over the GoPro? Disadvantages? Any other input?

Thanks for responding!
Click to expand...
drift hd is more suited for vlogging where as the go pro is more suited for snow boarding and it also is cheaper and the accessories that come with it ie spare batteries mics are not too expensive oh and the drift can be switched on and off by a remote control
 
mrtommygunwhite said:
Romans5.8 said:
mrtommygunwhite said:
drift hd is also a good choice
Click to expand...

Care to elaborate? What advantages does it offer over the GoPro? Disadvantages? Any other input?

Thanks for responding!
Click to expand...
drift hd is more suited for vlogging where as the go pro is more suited for snow boarding and it also is cheaper and the accessories that come with it ie spare batteries mics are not too expensive oh and the drift can be switched on and off by a remote control
Click to expand...

Well the Hero 3 comes with a remote, and you can get one for the Hero 2. What makes it better for vlogging than the GoPro?
 
mrtommygunwhite said:
http://www.amazon.com/GoPro-HD-HERO3-White-Edition/dp/B009TCCTSQ/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1363670901&sr=8-3&keywords=go+pro+hero+3

http://www.amazon.com/Drift-Definition- ... ift+hd+170

have a look for yourself the drift is slightly cheaper
Click to expand...

Right, but you said it was BETTER for Motorcycle Vlogging. Cost aside, what makes it better? As far as I'm concerned, $194.99 and $199.99 is the same price. I'm not gonna sacrifice anything for $5. Heck, I was considering the GoPro Hero 3 Silver, which is around $300. More concerned about quality, battery life, durability and features than outright cost- though cost is a factor.
 
AFAIK the hero 3 silver is the new name for the hero 2. Exactly the same camera, but some different accessories. The gopro is great as a chest cam, but the drift or contour are much better suited to fixing to a helmet due to their orientation and their rotatable lenses. I think vloggers prefer a helmet view because its more of a POV type activity... we want you to see what we're looking at. If you just want to see the speedo in a drag race, a chesty would be fine. Im probably biased toward drift... i just prefer the camera shape. I always thought the gopro was a stupid idea as a helmet cam but then it became very popular and i became more jaded.
 
Romans5.8 said:
More concerned about quality, battery life, durability and features than outright cost- though cost is a factor.
Click to expand...
quality - debatable, but usually does to gopro
battery life - drift
durability - drift, maybe gopro if its in its giant case
features - they all do the same thing, but the rotatable lens is the clincher for people that bought the drift. The gopro stamp is the clincher for people that boght gopro.

If you also meant to say reliability - debatable again, but more often goes with gopro.

None of them will be anywhere near as good as mounting your dlsr, so pick anything you like. There will never be a clear winner by people that look objectionably (is that a word?) I think.
 
Nerb said:
Romans5.8 said:
More concerned about quality, battery life, durability and features than outright cost- though cost is a factor.
Click to expand...
quality - debatable, but usually does to gopro
battery life - drift
durability - drift, maybe gopro if its in its giant case
features - they all do the same thing, but the rotatable lens is the clincher for people that bought the drift. The gopro stamp is the clincher for people that boght gopro.

If you also meant to say reliability - debatable again, but more often goes with gopro.

None of them will be anywhere near as good as mounting your dlsr, so pick anything you like. There will never be a clear winner by people that look objectionably (is that a word?) I think.
Click to expand...

Not too interested in mounting the DSLR! lol! For one, it doesn't have a mic input, so it'd be a funky situation of trying to sync audio and video. For two, I just can't imagine if a rock flew up and smashed into one of my lenses, or the mount would fail, etc. Video quality would be superb, but, I think a small camera would be better.

I've been looking at some videos on YouTube. It does seem like the GoPro has better image quality. Certainly more clarity and more stability. But, of course, the Drift would be a much more excellent helmet cam (it'll look way less goofy). Hmm...
 
Nerb said:
Lol... you could mount it to your tank!
Click to expand...

I could... but that thing is expensive! I'm skeered! LOL. GoPro's and Drift cams are a lot more rugged than a Canon DSLR and glass lens.

Any comment on the Drift HD's waterproofness WITH the 'passthrough' back on it? I ride in the rain a bit, and would hate to think I have to pull over and put away the camera if it starts to rain. I know it has a waterproof back, but the other back has the passthrough for the mic, which I'd be using.
 
Romans5.8 said:
Nerb said:
Lol... you could mount it to your tank!
Click to expand...

I could... but that thing is expensive! I'm skeered! LOL. GoPro's and Drift cams are a lot more rugged than a Canon DSLR and glass lens.

Any comment on the Drift HD's waterproofness WITH the 'passthrough' back on it? I ride in the rain a bit, and would hate to think I have to pull over and put away the camera if it starts to rain. I know it has a waterproof back, but the other back has the passthrough for the mic, which I'd be using.
Click to expand...
its quite good but for about 20 usd you can get a waterproof sleeve for it
 
I'm currently using a GP3 Black, mounted onto the side of my helmet. Personally the only downside to it is the shape of it i.e square shape v.s the bullet shape of the drift/contour. At first I could feel the wind resistance against the GP. But I've gotten used to it now.
Another downside is battery life, but hey what the camera shoots at is more then worth having an average battery life, I picked up an extra 3 battery's and wall charger off ebay for $30.
I Personally record my audio separately with a recorder, others have made a whole in the case/ got the skeleton case for the GP3. It's really up to you/what your ability is like in post-production.

I've got some video on my channel, (link below) any other questions feel free to ask.
 
IMO if you are willing to shell out $200 on a camera, much like the DSLR world, save up the extra $100 and get the Drift Ghost. $300 with plenty of accessories. 1080p@30fps is a great vlog. It is light weight and has a built in LCD screen with a wifi app to help adjust the lens view after it is mounted.

I would love to see the mount to hold a DSLR. The weight alone would be unbearable as a POV. I have the Nikon D60, which only does stills, but the 200mm lens would make some shots.

Anyway, most people would agree that the Ghost is better suited for Vlogs than the GPH3B. For cinematography and action only, the GPH3B would be the clearer choice.

With the Ghost pass through back, it should stand up to a fair rain storm, not underwater or pressurized water.
 
I have had both the GoPro Hero3 (which I recently bought) and the Drift HD170, (which I returned for warranty issues).

The Drift is much easier to set up on the helmet, more slim and comes with loads of attachments included. The downside to the Drift is that you never know if you are going to get a good one or a lemon. Mine was a lemon, which I have returned and is being replaced. Many others here have had issues with theirs as well. It is quite common. I lost so many vlogs that I am am pretty much over the Drift trustwise. But I love it's other features.

You can pretty much see my Drift setup that I had here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PNbXyATZ74

The positives to the GoPro are the quality of the camera itself as not nearly as many people have issues with them as with the Drift. The downsides are that it is bulky, more cumbersome on the helmet, not as easy to change mounting positions and it also has no zoom function. Also, if you want extra mounting brackets you have to pay extra whereas the Drift comes with most you will need. (well at least the HD170 did anyway)

You can see my current GoPro setup here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7Zp-sXp19w

Hope this helps.

Bill :-)
 
I own a gopro (original HD) and a drift.. I chose the drift over a GP2 when I wanted to start vlogging because its a better profile then the gopro. I found at hi way speeds I can feel the gopro dragging in the wind when it was on my helmet. also the rotating lens makes lining up the shot a lot easier..

for indestructibility the gopro in its case is the one to go with.. but for ease of use the drift.

as for water resistance.. I have ridden in the rain and snow with the drift using the mic in the passthrough back... no problems.. I would not submerge it but for normal wet conditions it seems fine.

snow http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7B5rS9RUQ80
durability of the gopro http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_yCpUzDUxE
 
My biggest concern with the Drift HD was that it seems to really blow out the skies and have issues with changing exposure during a video. But, I did go ahead and order that. I think I can handle most of it in post, and it'll work nicer as a helmet cam.
 
Contour+2 is said to be a really good camera. The video quality is comparable with the GoPro and Drift, but the battery life is far superior, and has an input for a microphone.

I don't have the +2 but I have the Contour Roam. Its so lightweight, I actually forget its on the helmet. It also has a big switch on the top, so it can be switched on and off while out and about. Great for long distances and tours :)
 
Bikermole said:
Contour+2 is said to be a really good camera. The video quality is comparable with the GoPro and Drift, but the battery life is far superior, and has an input for a microphone.

I don't have the +2 but I have the Contour Roam. Its so lightweight, I actually forget its on the helmet. It also has a big switch on the top, so it can be switched on and off while out and about. Great for long distances and tours :)
Click to expand...

Just a quick correction. The +2 has a 2-2.5 hr battery life. The drift Ghost is almost 3hrs. So the battery is not that superior. The video recording specs are the same as the ghost. The only feature the contour has that might be cool is the GPS deal for tracking your travels.

At $400 the contour +2 is at the same price point as the GPH3B and Ghost. It still comes down to what you want. The contour does not have an LCD display so you can't see what your doing without the mobile app. The Ghost has a built in screen and has a vastly superior image capture sensor. Contour +2 is 5MP, the Ghost is 8MP, and GPH3B is 11MP.
But pure MP resolution means nothing compared to optic quality.
 
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