Im going to be doing alot of track events next year and im curious if you guys have a specific go pro or garmin you really like for the money especially since its close to black friday. or if you prefer just to use your phone
Thanks all
Im going to be doing alot of track events next year and im curious if you guys have a specific go pro or garmin you really like for the money especially since its close to black friday. or if you prefer just to use your phone
Thanks all
not sure for track work, but I would rather sacrifice a cheaper gopro than my phone if something were to go very wrong. I also think the gopros can take more abuse
I'm not so sure about GoPros taking more abuse, I had one die from either sun exposure or nothing whatsoever...there was no rainbowing on the LCD to suggest the sun did it.
GoPros are clearly not the best bang for the buck based on specs. I'd go with SJCAMs if you're building a camera setup from scratch. If you break one, well they're about a quarter the cost of a GoPro.
I'm a big fan of the $30 Chinese versions.
Similar video quality, fits all go pro accessories, just missing Bluetooth or Wi-Fi.
RevRico said:I'm a big fan of the $30 Chinese versions.
Similar video quality, fits all go pro accessories, just missing Bluetooth or Wi-Fi.
Sounds like the same SJCAMs. Older models go for ~$30, the latest model is ~$80 and has wifi control.
BTW they use the same mounts, other accessories may not be compatible.
mad_machine said:not sure for track work, but I would rather sacrifice a cheaper gopro than my phone if something were to go very wrong. I also think the gopros can take more abuse
They don't even have to go all that wrong. I stopped using my phone when the mount let go and it flew out the window, reached the end of the power cord and recoiled back into the car.
I recently switched from GoPro to a Garmin Virb and really enjoy it, who would have known that having more than two buttons could make something work better?!
Disclaimer: the switch was heavily influenced by my use of SoloStorm with my AX, the Virb works waaaay better with that software than any GoPro did.
The real nice thing about the newer virb's is the OBD2 connection.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BYHg9SfITQ
I just put an OBD2 reader on my car and connect it to the camera and I have some data.
there was a artical in the magazine talking about this very issues. can not remember which issues it was, i know it was just this summer i think also.
In reply to GameboyRMH :
awesome thanks gameboy, ill read this article. Im a new user on GRM and ive found the search to be pretty terrible.
Ill check out the sjcams, but yeah having obd would be worth a little bit more money to me
I tend to use both a phone and an older Gopro - the phone stays inside the car (and doesn't so far get used in my formula car), whereas the Gopro gets mounted outside, either with a suction mount or bolted to a roll bar.
The reason I prefer the GoPro over the cheap knock-offs is that I can control it from Harry's Lap Timer, at least when it's feeling cooperative.
Groupon has deals on the cheap Chinese knock offs. I prefer them over the GoPro due to cost so that if they fall off or get damaged, it’s not as big a hit.
I have found my Mobius great mounted on the dashboard. Nice low profile, and far better video than I got with the off-brand clones.
The SJCAM M10 is also good for mounting in the interior, being a cube form factor, again smaller than the standard cameras.
My next camera purchase will be a standard SJCAM with motorcycle style external power feed waterproof case.
Do any of the cheap ones support obd2 like the virb?
the eken seems to be the best revieiwed cheap one, i dont think it does obd2 though. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01LAIBF2M/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A2L77EE7U53NWQ&psc=1
I use a GoPro and other than it's great picture quality I don't like it much. If you have a crew person to turn it on for you it isn't bad, but if you are by yourself you have to turn it on before you get strapped in or use a remote, which on mine hardly ever works in the car. I test it and it works fine but a half hour later it won't sync up with the camera. Get a cheap one and if you don't like it you won't feel bad. Also GoPro software seems to have gone downhill with each update.
Check your local used classifieds (craigslist, letgo, etc) for a previous generation GoPro - they're super cheap and usually come with a bevy of accessories - most I see are are pretty much unused. Save a tree (and some lithium), buy used! 
I run used Gen1/2 GoPros myself, I guess because I started with a Gen1 GoPro I got as a gift and I want to be able to keep using the batteries and housings I've collected.
I still have a Gen1 Gopro somewhere
I have an old GoPro HeroHD that has gotten very flaky in the last year or so, so I grabbed a $60 Crosstour off Amazon for the Challenge this year. Doesn't appear to use GoPro cases, but can use the brackets just fine. Also came with a remote.
Only got some video at the drag races, but it seems decent quality at least for night scenes. Still need to find out if it will hold up to rallycross abuse.
yeah at this point im leaning towards the virb ultra 30 over the go pro hero 5 due to the easy of overlay support and having a switch to flip on and off which may sound simple but all the video reviews of the virb the guys say its super helpful when youre doing an action sport or have gloves on.
also in another thread on GRM someone commenting on the hero 5 not having spot metering for some reason which makes it really crappy if youre using it in-car
theres are the best deals ive found on them so far but let me know if anyone has seen one better.
Virb ultra 30 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01N3U4CU0/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A13BNE3P7C8THK
costco go pro hero 5
https://www.costco.com/GoPro-HERO5-Black-Action-Camera-Bundle.product.100376560.html
After five summers of messing around with this stuff:
Harry's Lap Timer works great in the iPhone version. Not so great in the Android version last time I tried it a couple years ago.
I can video my session, pull the phone out of the holder, and immediately look at my laps WITH data overlay. It's really useful. So useful and easy that I will be using a phone instead of an action cam as the primary recorder.
iPhone 6 was the last generation that I can get to work as a dashcam. The "optical image stabilization" in the 6+ and 7 freaks out in a car. The best budget option is an iPhone 5 with something like 32GB of storage room. 16GB is good enough for a day but not the whole weekend. It doesn't need to be on my Verizon plan to work as a track cam. I put one of the cheap clip-on mild wide angle lenses on it. iPhone 4 is too slow to run Harry's reliably.
RAM Mounts makes modular mounting units designed for motorcycles. They have always held on to my iPhones in the car at the track.
Harry's can integrate OBD II, and overlays the data right on the video automatically, but the OBD II transmitters that are compatible are a little pricey. Also any phone GPS out there updates 1/second, which is really a little slow for track, so a GPS puck at 5/sec was worth the $75 to me.
Harry's will kind of, sort of, work in conjunction with a GoPro. But for me, the process of getting the GoPro video file transferred into the iPhone so Harry's could do the overlay was too much trouble for marginally better video quality, unless I want to do picture-in-picture video of front and rear cameras (GoPro out the front and cell phone cam out the rear).
When I want plain video, no overlay, definitely the Chinese gopro knockoffs. $35! GoPro prices are crazy. The Chinese ones work just fine, and they come with a ton of mounting accessories. If the camera is somewhere hard to reach, I'll pay $45 to upgrade to one of the wifi ones so I can control it with a phone app from the driver's seat.
YMMV.
I am very satisfied with the Midland video camera I got a few years ago for $50. Came with an accessory package that included a waterproof gadget for use submerged, and a variety of mount options, including one that clips to the visor of a ball cap that I use the most.
JBasham said:If the camera is somewhere hard to reach, I'll pay $45 to upgrade to one of the wifi ones so I can control it with a phone app from the driver's seat.
With the china-pro you can just set it to 'dash cam' mode and put a switch in line or simply plug it in when you are ready to go.
Wifi control of GoPros is absolutely terrible.
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