GoPro or Other Car Video Camera Options/Ideas

[thetalonguy]

I've been thinking about getting a GoPro or some other sort of Car Mounted Video Camera. We've done some cool things this year and I think it would be awesome to get some video of it. Friends and Coworkers have been begging me as well.

I was looking at the GoPro Hero ($129) and it seems like it might fit the bill. I'm not really looking for the absolute best quality, so I think the entry level one would be good enough.

I was also looking at the car mounting options and I saw they suggested the suction cup mount. I always worry about the stability of those; especially when your car is pushing 500 ft/lbs of torque.

Does anyone have any experience / suggestions with car mounted cameras? Are there better options?

Also, I just got the new iPhone 6 and it's supposed to have a good camera. I've hardly ever used video on these things. Would it be the same if I just got a windshield mounted holder and perhaps a good video camera app? I'm terrible, I have no idea of the capability of smartphones besides email and internet.

[Bryan Savage]

GoPros work great. You can use the adhesive mount clips (that don't come off) or use the suction cup. Just remember that the longer extension or larger number of brackets you use, the worse the vibration will be. I've had mine on the suction cup to 130mph with no issues. Getting a model with the wireless is handy, so you can see what you're filming and monitor if the camera fell off. LOL.

I'd shy away from your phone simply because of the battery. It would be fine if you were on a drag strip, but if you want to film your 30 mile drive just in case something awesome happens, the phone will get so hot that it will melt the bracket, fall off, melt through your car, melt through the road, melt to the earth's core, and kill us all.

I've also got a HUGE suction cup mount from Wood's, so I can mount my Canon HD video camera, but I'd only use it on the inside of the vehicle. For outside, GoPro only. They're "cheap" enough to be disposable, and ubiquitous enough to pretty much be the industry standard, and there's an accessory for whatever you can think of. They also take good video.

[thetalonguy]

^^^Thanks for the insight Bryan. I didn't even think about the phone over heating. That just justifies my purchase more.

So when you mount these things, you use the suction and attach it to the outside of the car?

[VoodooRob]

I attach to the windows on the car, when done right it will not come loose or vibrate. Our Go Pro also gets used on our boat hanging over the out drives 80 mph getting wet and jumping good size waves in poker runs, it will not fall off. Get the extended battery so you can use the remote for awhile and use your phone to see thru the camera to set it up.
Here's the camera on our boat Formula Fastech 353 525 EFIs XR Drives and ITS, D…: http://youtu.be/yvdMtd2npM8

[Fatboy 18]

I have the Go Pro Hero II, they are good cameras but they do have there little draw backs. biggest pain is switching the thing on and off. you have to get out of the car switch it on back in the car harnesses done up film what you need then back out of the car undo harnesses etc, etc, there are other cameras out there now which you can operate remotely, I think the new Hero 3 is remote controlled but with anything made by Go Pro its an additional accessory that you have to pay more for!
Cough, Cough I have had the Go pro suction mount in various places around my car, stuck to the side of the passenger door, currently on the front splitter, side of the rear wing, on the roof, it has never come off the car and I have had my car at 180 leptons several times (on off road courses) :D

I do always use a secondary teather fixing, I run clear sea fishing line tied to the Go Pro suction mount bracket, which I then secure to a part of the car nearby. Example, if I have the Go Pro mounted on the rear quarter I run the clear line inside the rear hatchback glass and attach to the gas strut, if I have the mount on the front splitter, I wrap the line around the front grille bar, Mounted on the side of the rear wing the line gets wrapped around the rear wing. That way if ever the mount gives way you will not loose your expensive bit of kit and it will keep other drivers safe.
Check out this video I did at Le mans, the suction cup is mounted facing the car on the front corner of the hood, again it is tethered by lifting the hood and securing the line around the hood bump stop ;)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6smnVTEQIHg&list=UUi6VyHJ77lXMDcImq3lcgWA

Nadine one of our UK Owners was driving her daytona cobra on track at Le mans a couple of years back when a Go Pro camera came off the car in front of her, the result was not good, the camera bounced off the track and hit the windscreen of her car causing it to crack!

Just my experiences, but I would see if you can get a camera you can switch on and off from inside the car ;)

[thetalonguy]

Thanks for the input guys. So I guess it is worth it to get the GoPro White, which allows you to use your phone as a remote and viewer.

I'm glad to hear that you've had good feedback on the suction cup and I do like the idea of using a secondary tether. I would feel terrible if it came loose and it hit my car or someone elses while on a cruise.

Cool videos as well. Thanks for sharing.

[LeadfootRT10]

The newer GoPros are much better than the older ones. I think they just released a new one, but the 3 has been a great camera for me. You can control it from an app on your phone while driving. You definitely don't need the top of the line black, but you'll be more than happy with the silver or white editions. The suction cups are rated for 150MPH so don't worry about it blowing off so long as you get it attached right. Even if it does fall off, the case is nearly indestructible....so long as you can find it, the camera will survive.

i have used my cellphone in a pinch to record from within the car, but i would never put it outside the car. Usually just aim it thru the windshield and plug it into the charger.

[Late Apex]

I was given the top of the line GoPro and its total crap IMO. The battery life is terrible and right after I got it there was an update to down load and ever since then, NO SOUND. This problem exits with many that have done the down load too. The programming is very confusing and with a little window. In the trash it went. My simple HD Canon video camera is MUCH better with a long battery life and NO down load update crap. Has an optional suction mount for the windshield. Glad the stock dumped reference the Schumacher accident and supposed GoPro article recently.

[XSnake]

The Contour cameras are also an option.

[Vprbite]

Late Apex and I have had polar opposite experiences. I have the original GoPro that I bought from a club buddy used in 2010 or 2011. I love it. I have the original one which is absolutely bare bones but it works great for me but I will be upgrading at some point but as Leadfoot said, most people will probably be happy with the the entry model as I am still happy with mine. The ability to see what you are filming before you take off on the drive via phone/ipad is something I will look forward to when I upgrade to a newer one.

A. Suction Cup Mount. I have never had a single problem with the suction Cup mount. I usually stick it to glass because I am careful about my paint but it makes for a real solid mount. I have had the Viper over 100 MPH, of course on a track, in Mexico yaddey yaddey yadda, and never had an issue. Here are a couple vids taken with the GoPro, mounted to the window when I had my GTS. There is winde noise but on this drive I was generally haulin ass. The goal was double the speed limit at all times. Only drawback when mounting here is you can't roll down the window.

http://youtu.be/KU96OdU_LT8

P.S. you can add a plug in mic that you can mount out of the wind but near the motor/exhaust to get better sound.


I have also had them stuck to the hood or roof or quarter panel of my truck while going through deep river crossings and getting smacked my tree branches and jostled around on bumpy forest access roads and it never budged. Leadfoot is correct to that the case is tough as nails so even if it fell you could retrieve the camera fine. I have also used the "roll bar" mounting hardware to mount it to my light bar on the front of my truck and it worked great and I would think it could easily mount to an ACR wing stanchion or you could use the stick on adhesive mounting piece on the front grill and I don't thnk it would go anywhere.

B. Battery life IMO in good but it isn't going to last forever. I think straight through you get about an hour and change of full HD filming. This is why on long drives I would set the camera up inside so that I could turn it off during boring stretches of driving or whatever. You can also set the camera up to flip the image and record upside down so that you don't have to do it later. Here are a couple vids filmed from the inside so that I could turn it on and off. Of course the new ones have remote control so that you can start and stop recording remotely which is a huge advantage. Also they have an extended battery option.

http://youtu.be/EKL5RlJGZAs

This was a little movie I made that I added photos and music to but you get an idea for how the camera performs.

http://youtu.be/3E2QQKFWa7U



I hope this helps. Let me know if you want to see more videos or the examples from my truck on forest roads.

[Bryan Savage]

I was given the top of the line GoPro and its total crap IMO. The battery life is terrible and right after I got it there was an update to down load and ever since then, NO SOUND. This problem exits with many that have done the down load too. The programming is very confusing and with a little window. In the trash it went. My simple HD Canon video camera is MUCH better with a long battery life and NO down load update crap. Has an optional suction mount for the windshield. Glad the stock dumped reference the Schumacher accident and supposed GoPro article recently.

The GoPro Hero 3 White and Silver, and Hero 4 Black and Silver have WiFi capabilities that allow you total control from your phone. Yes, the small LCD screen on the phone is annoying, but the Hero 4 Silver has a larger touch screen on the back, if that feature is important to you.

The battery on my GoPros lasts longer than a 16GB memory card, and extra batteries are cheap. If you want to film for ten straight hours, just change batteries each time you change memory cards, and you won't miss a beat. The Canon cameras are nicer, sure, but they aren't as tough. Use that one for interior shots, and leave the exterior to GoPro, or whatever other mini camera you choose.

Don't know anything about the software issue. I haven't experienced.

And as far as GoPro's stock falling, it's panic-induced hype that's based on the speculation that the way in which the camera was mounted to Schumacher's helmet may have contributed to the helmet breaking in two. To which I would like to point out that this is finger pointing. There is no proof that the camera caused Mike's injury. There's been so little data released to the public at this point, that media needs to print something, and this is it. Regardless of having a camera on the helmet, any impact force large enough to crack a helmet apart probably would not have produced much different results had the camera not been there.

Like it or not, GoPro makes a great product that millions of people seem to be able to work just fine. Thanks to them, there are millions of hours of boring YouTube footage that nobody wants to watch.

[Fatboy 18]

Had to contact Go Pro and re load the Firmware on my HD Hero 2, Pleased to say its now working fine again (including sound).

Got some interesting footage of a guy parking his BMW through a brick wall! Woops!