So I want to replace my old Polaroid xs100i camera since it hasn't been supported in a while.
So what's the latest camera that everyone likes that isn't going to break the bank?
Thanks!
So I want to replace my old Polaroid xs100i camera since it hasn't been supported in a while.
So what's the latest camera that everyone likes that isn't going to break the bank?
Thanks!
I'm also interested in hearing some recommendations. The Akaso V50X seems to be a favorite on Amazon:
I had a go pro 4 that was so terrible that I'm determined to never buy another one of their products. On the recommendation of JG, I bought a Garmin virb ultra 30. I've been very happy with it. It's not without it's flaws, it likes to turn back on after I shut it off. The good thing about it is that it has a lever that you can flip forward to start taking video, and back to stop.
The only reason my Garmin doesn't get the video that I'm trying to capture Is that I forgot to flip that lever. I never knew when my GoPro was going to be actually taking video, and usually it wasn't. It liked to lock up frequently. Obviously, their newer cameras are better, but I'm done with them.
If you want to buy new, probably some type of garmin. If you want the true GRM answer...used gopro hero 2. Same price (probably cheaper actually) than the chinesium knockoffs but without any of the sketchiness. That model specifically because it has most of the functionality and image quality of the newer models but is the last/only one that can take an external mic without a stupid (and stupid expensive) adapter cable and no built-in wife means it still has decent battery life (and you can add on wifi with an expansion pack that has its own battery).
mainlandboy said:I'm also interested in hearing some recommendations. The Akaso V50X seems to be a favorite on Amazon:
I hated my (different ) Akaso camera so much that I returned it and swore off their products forever.
What are you using the camera for?
In our race car I use an older Mobius action cam, the 1080p 30Hz one. It's configured to turn on and start recording as soon as external power is applied. It takes arbitrarily large SD cards (I currently use a 200GB) so I can ignore it for a race weekend and have all the footage from a 24 hour race. It's not waterproof and doesn't fit standard gopro sized cases so if you want to film under water it's of no use.
Do you need wifi or a rear display? How about 4K or image stabilization? What FoV do you want?
I do want to upgrade to a 4K/60Hz for in-car footage but I haven't found one that ticks all the boxes I want yet.
I've been real happy with my Insta360 One X. Not cheap, but shoots extremely nice footage.
I just want to post some videos on FB and on Youtube for fun.
Trying to show folks that you can actually take your Merkur on a race track and drive it.
I have an SJCAM (lopro). Its a $50 gopro, except it actually works, unlike the gopros I have experience with.
I've got a GoPro Hero 3 that is rather long in tooth and wasn't that reliable to begin with. Ended up buying a DJI Osmo last year (partially because of the 4k support and the good image stablilisation) - haven't used it that much yet but so far I like what I see.
Javelin (Forum Supporter) said:mainlandboy said:I'm also interested in hearing some recommendations. The Akaso V50X seems to be a favorite on Amazon:
I hated my (different ) Akaso camera so much that I returned it and swore off their products forever.
I didn't mention that I started with an Akoso EK7000 camera.
How can I accurately sum up my experience...TOTAL POS! No heat tolerance, so it would shut off as soon as I mounted it on the car.
I tried leaving it in the shade until right before my autocross run, but it still would shut off within seconds.
I also used a Sony handy cam for a while, but I bought the bottom one of the line, and the image stabilizer couldn't handle the vibration. The more expensive ones might work better. I returned it.
Thanks folks, I went cheap to try it out and ordered up the SJCAM SJ4000 off Amazon for $60.
Thanks for the suggestions!
Let us know what you think.
I got a gopro years ago and was pleased.
Last year I scoured CL and got a used model (I dont remember which one) and was really happy with the footage from my track day. And thought it was really cool that it could be operated from my phone!
There are so many out there they are dirt cheap used with so many accessories from the company and off brand manufacturers
I have a GoPro 5 and a GoPro 8. The 5 seems to always work no matter what; but, trying to figure out if it's actually recording video is a complex physics equation.
The GoPro 8 is the biggest piece of poop I've ever wasted money on. It will record video for an hour if I'm lucky before overheating and shutting off. It's battery life is laughable and it doesn't like being hooked up to external power. The video quality is great when it works.
The GoPro 8 does have decent sound recording when it works and you can stream straight to YouTube if you have that setup so there's that. Again you gotta figure out the external power thing and overheating. 2021 Champcar Daytona Altima Fire - YouTube
Also the GoPro 5 has a great spot to plug in a USB C cable for external power. The Go Pro 8 went backwards in design functionality and put that in the same slot as the battery so connecting to external power requires you to remove the battery cover and it has nothing to secure it in place during a race.
A note on the external power - with the SJCAM, put it in 'car mode', and it will record as long as it receives external power. Just wire to a switched circuit and its perfect for trackdays. You can toggle it on easily without ever touching it or verifying with your phone or any of the typical GoPro bullE36 M3.
Thanks for starting the thread... it got me motivated to get video going again after shelving everything a while back.
I spent a while this morning digging out all my video camera crap. I have a GoPro Hero2, a Mobius Mini, and a "LeadEdge" GoPro clone I bought off Amazon a few years ago for $40. The GoPro was eating batteries and wouldn't record a full session, so I bought the clone... which is a POS. Then I tried some replacement batteries for the GoPro, and they were crap. I was frustrated enough with both of them that I couldn't count on getting any video so I had just put them on the shelf.
Also, it was a pain to use them because I had to remember to start recording on the grid, which was difficult with the camera mounted to the roll bar, and it was almost impossible to tell if they were actually recording once I was strapped in. If I started recording before strapping in, it almost always failed, for whatever reason, before the session started or a few laps in.
The Mobius Mini I was using for drone and RC stuff before off the shelf drones like the DJI were a thing, but I've never tried it in the car. It has a configuration setting to start recording when external power is applied, so I can just wire in a power cable with a switch on the dash.... if I get good video from it, that may be the easy button.
Fortunately, the GoPro and Mobius both use USB Mini, so I ordered a hard wire power cable and switch. Hopefully I can get it set up for this weekend, and I'll report back.
I use an AIM smartycam. Not a cheap camera, but it's purpose-built for the job of being mounted in a race car. Supports external power and external mic, receives CAN bus data and renders it onto the video as it records. It auto-starts when the car starts moving and auto-stops after a (configurable) delay after engine shutoff. Basically all you have to remember to do is put in a memory card with enough free space.
ProDarwin said:I have an SJCAM (lopro). Its a $50 gopro, except it actually works, unlike the gopros I have experience with.
You don't have any issues with the outputted audio? Between the SJCAM I bought a few years ago, and the Xiaomi Yi 4k+, both have less than desirable audio compared to my GoPro Hero 2 out of their internal mics.
aw614 said:ProDarwin said:I have an SJCAM (lopro). Its a $50 gopro, except it actually works, unlike the gopros I have experience with.
You don't have any issues with the outputted audio? Between the SJCAM I bought a few years ago, and the Xiaomi Yi 4k+, both have less than desirable audio compared to my GoPro Hero 2 out of their internal mics.
What kind of issues? The audio works. It might not be the best though.
Better than my gopro experience where 1/2 the time they just don't work.
ProDarwin said:aw614 said:ProDarwin said:I have an SJCAM (lopro). Its a $50 gopro, except it actually works, unlike the gopros I have experience with.
You don't have any issues with the outputted audio? Between the SJCAM I bought a few years ago, and the Xiaomi Yi 4k+, both have less than desirable audio compared to my GoPro Hero 2 out of their internal mics.
What kind of issues? The audio works. It might not be the best though.
Better than my gopro experience where 1/2 the time they just don't work.
My issues seem to be how more muffled they sound or capture way more wind noise than the GoPro does. Going to try the external mic setup for the Yi 4k+ and better position to see if it sounds better.
Edit: I'll find a video from the autocrosses showing the differences in audio
My wife got me an Akaso V50X for Christmas. Only complaint is the external power and external mic use the same port so I have to use battery power if I want to use the external mic which is a must Locost. It was cheap enough that if it falls off the car or disappears from someone's sticky fingers I wont be out much.
Sample video:
Huh... It looks like... Garmin has discontinued all the Virb stuff and hasn't replaced them? They're still on Garmin's site, but labled as such. I've just emailed to ask whether there's a replacement product, but I haven't really seen anything else on their site but dash cams...
Bummer. I can't smash my Hero5 Session with a sledgehammer because that would be a waste of money, but I haven't been able to bring myself to sell it because I don't want to do to someone else what GoPro did to me. I guess at least I'd be giving them a discount on the experience, or maybe it works better with iOS stuff. It's a spectacular piece of garbage. I've spent literally an order of magnitude more time twiddling the attempts to connect it to my phone than actually using it.
I'll have to look into which of these works nicely with external/remote mics. I'm hoping to do both automotive and youtube-level "studio" type stuff...
I had a GoPro 2, then 3, and then 4. I was dumb and kept buying into the myth that they'd fixed the bugs: acting like the battery was dead, then acting fine; stopping and restarting all by itself; acting bricked, then working fine hours later, and appearing to be off (no blinking light), but actually recording.
If I had a dollar for everytime I've heard from users, "it was almost impossible to tell if it's actually recording", I'd be rich. I'm pissed at GoPro for perpetuating such a crap product and pretending nothing is wrong, and at myself for supporting them.
I finally gave up and got a Sony Actioncam, and have mysteriously had no further problems.
ProDarwin said:aw614 said:ProDarwin said:I have an SJCAM (lopro). Its a $50 gopro, except it actually works, unlike the gopros I have experience with.
You don't have any issues with the outputted audio? Between the SJCAM I bought a few years ago, and the Xiaomi Yi 4k+, both have less than desirable audio compared to my GoPro Hero 2 out of their internal mics.
What kind of issues? The audio works. It might not be the best though.
Better than my gopro experience where 1/2 the time they just don't work.
This is the audio I get without an external mic from the Xiaomi Yi 4k+ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BeS3-yTZuWM
And here is one from the GoPro Hero 2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYfg2SEHRv0&t=6s
The GoPro sounds a lot more natural. But I am running a plastic enclosure around the camera whereas I am not on the Xiaomi.
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