Helmet Camera

[Casbar]

Hopefully this isn't going to be like a what tyre or oil thread, but here goes. Whilst out on duty (blood biking) Thursday night, I had 3 encounters with cage drivers who pulled out in front of me, not near misses as I had observed them and was ready if they did pull out, but it got me thinking having footage if the worst happened would help in an insurance claim.


So my requirements are:


Helmet mounted camera -  need to be able to move it to different helmets, so be able to buy at least 2 spare mounts
Decent battery life - not sure if this exists, as often out for 3-4 hours and then would need to be able to either fit another battery or recharge quickly in case of having to go out again
Loop recording - not interested in posting footage, just want to record and have footage if something happens.
Preferably a bullet type camera so I don't look like a tele tubby, well not from the helmet anyway


So not sure if such a camera exists, but my requirements don't seem to over the top Any recommendations?

[stayingupright]

One of the Drift Ghost's seem to fit your requirements pretty well.

The "S" or the "4K"

[Casbar]

One of the Drift Ghost's seem to fit your requirements pretty well.

The "S" or the "4K"

Yes, just been reading reviews of the 4k, not very good, camera seems to have a lot of issues, pity as a removable battery etc seems good. The camera isn't even waterproof, which is a bit rubbish for a motorcycle camera

[temesvar]

Good luck and let us know what you find. Am looking for same, yet helmet mounted is sort of out of question for modular helmets.
Was thinking of the body cams police is using. Am sure they would be available for civilians as well.

[Casbar]

Good luck and let us know what you find. Am looking for same, yet helmet mounted is sort of out of question for modular helmets.
Was thinking of the body cams police is using. Am sure they would be available for civilians as well.

I intend to fit to a flip helmet, not sure why that wouldn't work, I have a BT unit on the left side. Don't think body cam mount would work, because the screens would always be in the way.

[michaelc2710]

I use a Ghost S with a Shoei Neotec and have no problems. You can change the batteries but for ease and long days I use a power pack from my inner jacket pocket to the camera. The charge will last all day.


Never had any waterproofing problems with the camera even with the power cable plugged in through the water proof rear cover.

[Casbar]

I use a Ghost S with a Shoei Neotec and have no problems. You can change the batteries but for ease and long days I use a power pack from my inner jacket pocket to the camera. The charge will last all day.


Never had any waterproofing problems with the camera even with the power cable plugged in through the water proof rear cover.

How does fitting the power lead work, do you have the wire dangling off the camera and plug it into the pack when you put your helmet on, or do you unplug the lead from the camera before you take your helmet off?

[michaelc2710]

The cable just comes out at my collar and plugs in the back of the camera, I just unplug prior to removing my helmet (if I remember) and just plug back in when the lid goes back on.


You can't feel the cable and these no cable flapping around when your on the move

[Casbar]

Sounds a good solution

[simbo]

I use a Ghost S with a Shoei Neotec and have no problems. You can change the batteries but for ease and long days I use a power pack from my inner jacket pocket to the camera. The charge will last all day.

What sort of 'power pack'  (how many mAh's) are you using Michael? Sounds like a good alternative to plugging into an aux socket on the bike.

[michaelc2710]

I use a one of the following depending which one Linsdey has in her bag for her phone.
4000mAh or 5000mAh both free from my Mac Tools rep.


The 4000mAh is the one i used each day in Wales last year on the 3 day Northern monkeys trip

[guest5111]

I've been using a Drift Ghost S for 10 weeks and it's been an absolute delight. I elected for this over the GoPro because:


- it's much cheaper (you can still find them around)
- you don't have a massive piece of scaffolding on your helmet
- less wind resistance
- useful wrist remote control (mine is on my handlebars now)
- you can get an app for your phone that you can see the picture via wifi on


I agree with the point above on powerpacks. The standard battery lasts 2hours 20mins, and that consumes around 22Gb of memory at 1080p. I have a 20,000Ah pack that attaches with a micro USB, and if paired with a bigger 64Gb card would last you a good 6 hours or so.


I rejected the 4K Ghost as they seem a little problematic, and have combined the mic and USB port ie you can't charge it and record at the same time.

[Casbar]

Looking at the Drift 4K, it looks ideal, bit smaller than the S. But there are loads of bad reviews. Doesn’t look like they have got it right. It’s quite hard to find a positive review.

[Steve F]

The Drift Stealth 2 at £129 is seemingly good value for money. Admittedly, no built-in playback screen or ext mic capability, but purely as a camera to record incidents/near misses etc in decent video quality, then it appears to be fit for purpose, and only weighs 97g!

[guest5111]

Looking at the Drift 4K, it looks ideal, bit smaller than the S. But there are loads of bad reviews. Doesn’t look like they have got it right. It’s quite hard to find a positive review.

A week ago a there was a Ghost S on eBay, second hand in good nick with a few accessories. Gone now, but might be your best bet? They come up regularly.