Don't get something stealthy, get something super conspicuous. I never get harassed now that I have a big, doofy camera sticking out the top of my helmet. Amazon has some cheap Gopro knockoffs that work well for commutes. I'm using the $60 "FitFort" model, which came with a mount, waterproof housing, and four batteries.
Edit: This guy, basically
This is one of those cases where having the video may save the biker's ass. What's recommended to mount on a helmet? I imagine one of these GoPro knockoffs but I am not sure if they have loop recording like dashcams.
"Surf cam" is just a term for a webcam pointed at a surf spot.
If you mean a waterproof action camera, this U$70 has a lot of positive reviews. I personally use a Sony.
Do you mean GoPro? I just use a cheap Chinese clone that's good enough https://www.amazon.com/AKASO-EK7000-Sports-Waterproof-Camcorder/dp/B01HGM33HG. For a full camera depends a lot. The housing is probably hundreds depending on brands. Lights depends if you use mounted on rig or hand mounted. You'll need to practice handling the whole rig. This is after you have perfected your bouyancy 😅 do you can keep everything steady. So most of the time just use a go pro size thing 😁
Best deal ever was an Activeon CX that came with a waterproof case, $29 new. Battery lasted 2 hours per charge. Simple but effective, case finally leaked and nuked the camera after a couple years. Wish I could buy another. Got https://smile.amazon.com/AKASO-EK7000-Sports-Waterproof-Camcorder/dp/B01HGM33HG/ instead, and its ok, but just make sure your sd card is compatible as its prone to file corruption for longer recordings if its too slow/old.
I deliver on a motorcycle, so I have a GoPro that covers everything. You can have a body cam, I got my GoPro clone for $13 and it works great. You can get a cube type that goes on your chest or on a hat for < $99 IIRC.
Other tips are to have the bags sealed. One restaurant missed 1/2 the meal (2 burritos) and I told the guy the bag is sealed, he said yes. Not all are sealed thou.
Pretty sure these are highly rated.
Watch the size of the MicroSD card they'll take. Mine is limited to 32G and that's about 3.5 hours at 720.
IDK if they make an all day one, but something in the range of 4~5 hours would be nice.
You can get chest straps and other attachments all over the place.
Look on Amazon for copycat GoPro (aka faux pro) action cameras. They're small, light and much cheaper than a GoPro.
It's a cheap knock off goPro type of camera. It's mounted on my roof with a magnet.
I had one of these just lying around unused. Used Velcro to mount it to the lid of my Boss LS 1630, used Command Strip hooks to route the cable out of the machine and directly to my laptop. Worked beautifully... https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B01HGM33HG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_glt_fabc_VS4NNB9WFKETFZSHDAJE
I have an old GoPro (which has had me hold back on this purchase).
But I read some incredible review and then you can see for yourself the reviews on Amazon for this 4kHD camera. Could be a cheap easy way to 'take the plunge' with minimal commitment.
Hey there, just wanted to bring up because someone else mentioned on hws to me too, but you can use one of the cheaper action cams from amazon as a webcam as well.
I’m currently using the Akaso ek7000 and it’s plug and play, and quality is probably better than the webcams you listed at a cheaper price.
I bought this one, really good deal. Has wifi and everything.
Harvey did a nice number on the lakes around here and I'm skeptical to get the boat out. Still lots of crap (people's docks and trees and what-not) that are just submerged below the water since it's so bloody high.
The one lake I have 100% confidence in is currently closed until the 14th. Feelsbadman, but I'm still excited that we're coming up on Fall! It's going to be a good year for bass, I can feel it.
Edit: This is the FauxPro I bought. It's actually super awesome for the price. I'm mega surprised. Takes as good as video as my Sony action cam.
How lit is it around your car? You could get something like This and put it on dashcam mode, as long as you have a car lighter socket that's got power it will record for 10 minutes, start a new recording and record another 10 minutes. Once the card is full it just goes and records over the oldest file. I have a 32gb card that holds around 12 hours of footage.
Oddly enough, I've heard from 2 people that this was a decent budget action cam. YMMV. I haven't used it, but check the reviews. May be a good option. I would chest mount it and just enjoy the trip. AKASO EK7000 4K WIFI Sports Action Camera Ultra HD Waterproof DV Camcorder 12MP 170 Degree Wide Angle https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01HGM33HG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_sHCfzbR0DEKX3
Every side-by-side I found it appears to be more of a HDR type effect with the EK7000. Could be some rendering done before the upload though but if you youtube the camera, you will see most, if not all videos have those bright colors to it. Looking at the videos, I would definitely say it is nicer than the gopro comparison but again, I don't own either so I am not sure if there's some touch ups before the uploads.
With the price of the EK7000, if the reviews are good you can't go wrong for entry level.
Edit: It's 4.5 stars with 4,220 reviews. BUY IT! Amazon Link
I used an AKASO EK7000. Overall a good camera. It's about $80 so you get much more bang/buck than a GoPro. Here's a link.
Pros: - Cheap - 60 FPS @ 1080p - Good image quality
Cons: - Some pixelation when flying fast - Not the best dynamic range
What were your thoughts on the image quality in the video?
I bought one of these faux pros after looking at footage online. its a solid under $100 camera!
I'm not sure which one Swaggles is talking about, but the Akaso EK7000 is incredible for $80. It can do 4K/25, 2.7K/30, and 1080P/60. It also has wifi for live view and supports the same mounts as a GoPro. I love mine.
Edit: it's also a bit lighter weight than a GoPro so hopefully your flight times would increased.
There are a lot of Action Cameras on Amazon under $100. I have never tried one out myself, but you may be able to search the reviews or see if anyone has tried them out. Something such as this
I'm looking at purchasing the same, do you have/know someone with a postage/drug scale and weigh the camera? My hope is I can replace the syma cam with this cheap "4K" cam.
Has anyone tried/thought if this modification?
Edit: BTW, I received a syma for Christmas that looks exactly like X8g (was Red) but the action cam could link up to my phone for fpv (camera looked the same as other x8g's) the problem was the nuts/caps that secure rotors had no threads, only "pressed" onto rotor shaft loose enough that one would fly off as soon as motors fired up - causing the blade to do the same. I returned the drone to Costco and continued to search the web for a replacement until I decided to get the x8g on Amazon (basically the same minus fpv feature). Oddly, I was unable to find the Costco model ANYWHERE online.
So 2 questions: 1.) does your x8g have any similar issues? How are the "caps" on yours? 2.) does anyone know if Costco sells defective merchandise sometimes, almost like a Nike outlet?
AKASO EK7000 4K WiFi Sports... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01HGM33HG?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
I use an Akaso EK7000 for the camera (https://www.amazon.com/AKASO-EK7000-Sports-Waterproof-Camcorder/dp/B01HGM33HG). The quality is pretty good, and it's only $60. Only issue I have is battery life. Shooting at 1080, I only get about an 60-70 mins per recording. But, it's $200 cheaper than GoPro's similar quality cam.
For the mount, I just picked up some curved adhesive mounts that fit really well with my helmet (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08L7MM29Q/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1) really inexpensive.
When I play as goalie, I mount it on the glass behind my net with a universal action camera suction cup mount similar to this one https://www.amazon.com/Smatree-Suction-Compatible-Session-Action/dp/B00GMCLLYE/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=action+camera+suction+mount&qid=1619804463&sr=8-3 (i don't remember the exact mount I got, it's been 4 years now()
Camera is the EK7000 i bought for vacation on Amazon last year.
Mount is one of these GoPro chin mounts
AKASO EK7000 4K WiFi Sports... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01HGM33HG?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share — got it for about $50!
AKASO EK7000 4K WiFi Sports... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01HGM33HG?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share (costs ~$50) but I also had to buy a micro SD card for about $8 also on Amazon which I could link too
https://www.amazon.com/AKASO-EK7000-Sports-Waterproof-Camcorder/dp/B01HGM33HG/ref=sr_1_3?crid=U4VVX50A4J7E&keywords=akaso&qid=1668869027&sprefix=akaso%2Caps%2C69&sr=8-3 I got the Akaso EK7000. It only records up to 2.5 hrs and needs two batteries for that. But I charge them before going out on my commute.
I'd answered a similar question in this thread a few weeks ago so I'll copy my answer here in case it's useful:
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One of the cheap action cam options on Amazon or Costco would work. I have this one which I'd bought for like $45 a couple years ago and it came with a bunch of cheap accessories including a mount which works on handlebars.
The only issue I've had with that camera is the battery life is terrible so I have a 5,000 mAh battery bank, which I bought for like $10 from Best Buy a year or so ago, zip tied to my handlebars and plug in a microUSB cable to the camera so I have seemingly days worth of battery capacity for recording. I'm happy with it.
I don't know if I'd be comfortable having an expensive GoPro or similar camera because of the risk of it being stolen when my bike is locked somewhere. I guess you could take it with you but I prefer the convenience of just locking my bike and going about my business since I don't care too much if this cheap one is stolen, even though anything being stolen sucks.
One of the cheap action cam options on Amazon or Costco would work. I have this one which I'd bought for like $45 a couple years ago and it came with a bunch of cheap accessories including a mount which works on my handlebars.
The only issue I've had with that camera is the battery life is terrible so I have a 5,000 mAh battery bank zip tied to my handlebars and plug in a microUSB cable to the camera so I have seemingly days worth of battery capacity for recording. I'm happy with it.
I record every single ride. I use this cheap camera from Amazon. The quality honestly isn’t great, but it’s better than nothing. I would like to upgrade eventually to something with better quality and a stabilizer.
Here is a video so you can see quality. This is me getting doored.
Here is a sped up video of a commute of mine from January 2020.
I really admire your video setup .. your time-lapse video quality is great! trying to set mines up similar..a few questions:
will this camera work? https://www.amazon.com/AKASO-EK7000-Sports-Waterproof-Camcorder/dp/B01HGM33HG/ref=psdc_7161074011_t4_B07N2N5C16
if so will the Vivitar macro lens work
Could you post links for the led ring ....camera mount ...camera case..thx
You're thinking of an action cam like this. It's like a GoPro but actually also has loop recording, so works just like a dashcam.
I do agree with the other posters about just hardwiring your dashcam to the fuse box. I have it on my dashcams and there are no cables visible. All hidden in the trim. Depending on the cam you have, you get one of these hardwire kits or a traditional two wire kit. Lots of youtube videos on how to hardwire it. Not that hard...takes about 2 hours.
You don't need to do it for 80~90% of your orders, just the ones you question. The "leave it ..." or changing address or people that don't know the name of the restaurant, etc...
So maybe once ever other day or so.
I got a GoPro clone for < $20 and 32G memory cards for < $6 and it runs for about 5~6 hours IIRC.
You can get a dash cam or use any camera as a dash cam.
Most of your orders are going to be no problem, but there's always going to be people trying to scam the system and they don't give a damn about you.
I use a motorcycle and did maybe 1000 orders and only a few accused me of something. First thing I do is tell them I have a life GoPro of ever second, then they tend to backdown.
Just one example (I know nothing about this camera, it's just an example): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01HGM33HG/ref=dp_cerb_1
$49 for a 4K GoPro clone. Mine was $13 and it sucks at 1080 but works at 720 so I use that. It's not great, but it was $13 complete with everything but the memory card.
I had to drill a hole to get voice to the mic, but otherwise works pretty fair.
Personally, I'd get an "ice cube" type because it's so small or a dash cam because it's easier.
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=dash+cam&ref=nb_sb_noss_1
Another bonus of the dash cam is when someone lies about an accident. Pretty soon everyone will have one.
Hey there! Here is a guide on cameras, it's a little out of date but will give you an idea of different price tiers on cameras.
It looks like the camera you mentioned is sold out for me. I have never heard of it and it looks really cool! I'd look at a cheap action camera in the meantime until they're back in stock?
Silver 7 will hands down be better quality than 50$ amazon camera. But the battery life will probably be the same... since GoPro is not known for their battery. That being said, I'd say for the price of the amazon ones they're worth a shot. At 15k reviews they can't all be bots... right?
​
edit:
Some specific camera suggestions by u/dougmc
I own both a gopro Hero 3 and my daughter uses a knock off from amazon. The knock off is honestly amazing quality and almost everything the GoPro is. Try one of these first https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01HGM33HG
Just bought a knock-off gopro on amazon for $50 to try out as a webcam - Akaso EK7000 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01HGM33HG
I'll report back on if it works alright!
I have been using a Go-Pro knock off from Amazon. Its a 4k camera that i run in 1080p @ 60FPS using a 2" PVC tube which goes through the headrest of my Fiesta ST.
Camera(couldnt find the exact one but same thing):
https://www.amazon.com/AKASO-EK7000-Sports-Waterproof-Camcorder/dp/B01HGM33HG/ref=sr_1_4?dchild=1&keywords=adventure+action+camera&qid=1595423038&sr=8-4
Mount DIY Tutorial - mine total was $6 using Home Depot PVC and hardware(M6 is Go-Pro size)
https://bimmertips.com/diy-homemade-headrest-gopro-mount/
Hah, that looks like the one I got months back: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01HGM33HG/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Sounds like this would be useful and cheap as a camera facing the rear.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01HGM33HG/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07P9ZBV31/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Mounted to Bars. A fairly cheap solution. Picture seems good and i record in 720p/30.
I currently have this https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01HGM33HG
It comes with a waterproof case that has a strap that can attach to it. I loop the strap in the gaps of my helmet and it fastens it in place on the top of my head.
I picked up a pair of these GoPro knockoffs and they're actually pretty damned good cameras. They don't have image stabilization, which makes them iffy for bike use though.
What I use
If you want a cheap 4k gopro type camera, check this out.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01HGM33HG/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
My recommendation, had for 6 months works pretty damn good, have as a chin mount