Relatively discreet helmet camera
 

I've got a Sony HDR-AS200VB action cam that i've used a few times to record my bike rides. However, it's not ideally suited to helmet mounting as it's shaped like a mini camcorder so I've only ever used it mounted on my handlebar.

I could do with a helmet-mounted camera that isn't too 'in your face' - like the GoPro style cameras that are mounted on top of the helmet are.

Ideally I'd want a cylindrical-shaped camera that can be mounted to side of the helmet. The only ones I've seen that might fit the bill are Contour Roam cameras but I don't know whether these can be mounted to the side of the helmet.

Earlier generations of Garmin Virbs -- the Virb and Virb Elite, circa 2013 -- were also cylindrical shaped, at least in being longer than wider.

Mohoc helmet camera
 

There's a low profile side mount for the Contour.
https://store.contour.com/collection...ile-mounts-l-r
http://www.iceplanter.com/images/GoP...rcement(1).jpg



But if you want something really flat, this is the thing:
MOHOC - Military and Tactical Camera
http://www.mohoc.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/5.jpg

+1 Contour

Yes, everything is pointing to the Contour at the moment. However, in the UK it’s surorisingly difficult to get hold of one. Amazon UK are not selling it and it’s mostly out of stock at other online retailers.

Is there a particular version that is considered the ‘one to get’. I’m appreciative of the fact that the very latest version of a product is not always the best.

I am looking at going back to using Mobius Action Cameras. Apparently the latest version (Mobius 2 I think) is a significant improvement.

http://www.mobius-actioncam.com/mobi...9/DSC02977.jpg

eBay
 

There are three NIB Contour camcorders on eBay in the EU, so no custom fees to add.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/Camcorder...r&LH_PrefLoc=3

I use one occasionally, usually bar mounted so far. Great images and sound pick-up, and so darn small. :)

I helmet mounted my ContourGPS a few times. The front has a rotating bezel; you can level the view at any angle.
I didn't have the Flex strap at the time; so I used strips from an old tube:
https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8356/...224746fce5.jpgCONTOURGPS HELMET MOUNTED by 1nterceptor, on Flickr

Kinda heavy; but if centered on helmet - acceptable.
I'm experimenting with a Polaroid CUBE now. Lighter and smaller:

PS, I remember trying the Contour at the side/off center.
I didnt like the off balance feel of my helmet.

The Polaroid Cube, whilst still a box-shaped camera, is quite small and would be acceptable. I also looked at a GoPro Hero5 Session which is also a tiny box-shaped camera and is more readily available in the UK.

Take a look at Ion video cameras. I've used an Ion Speed Pro on almost every ride for more than a year. Shaped pretty much like the Contour Roam -- cylindrical, roughly like a largish headlight.

• Runs about 90 minutes per charge on video, up to 3 hours in time lapse still mode.
• Weatherproof as-is, no special housing needed.
• Only two controls, a large slider switch and press-button, easy to feel and operate without looking on a helmet mount.
• Can be run and charged simultaneously via external USB battery, but this compromises the weatherproof seal -- it's necessary to remove an O-ring sealed rear cap to access the USB port and other controls.
• Good daytime image quality; fair low light; mediocre nighttime IQ due to poor dynamic range.

Good value for the usual $50-$75 prices on Amazon and elsewhere. I keep hoping Ion will improve it with longer battery run time and better low light performance.

I'd also rather have a slightly less wide lens. The Ion is designed as an action cam for up close action. A traffic document camera lens should have less barrel distortion (nearly like a fisheye lens) and either better resolution of fine detail or a less extreme wide angle.

You could rig up a GoPro Session on your helmet. Still noticeable, but not as much.

I've had some minor annoying issues with mine, so I wouldn't necessarily recommend it unless you find a good discount.

Came across a Bike-Skate helmet that built a camera in it, you may also find it on the web..

Why is discretion important?

Here in the UK an overt camera worn by cyclists is often an invitation to drivers to drive aggressively. Cyclists and motorists don't really mix here, sadly. Generally speaking, cycling standards are also very poor which contributes to driver road rage sometimes. There's also hardly any enforcement of cycling laws.

I also don't really want a large camera mounted on the top of my helmet purely on aesthetic grounds.

Wow.

Perhaps you could get one of those cameras that look like headlights.

Or which look like a frontlight:
magicshine-light.com/2017/07/20/magicshine-eagle-dv-action-camera-bicycle-light/
gearbest.com/bike-lights/pp_990885.html

Yeah, I've watched many UK cyclist videos and am surprised at the level of hostility and aggression by some drivers. That behavior would get someone seriously injured or killed in the US, in areas where even cyclists carry firearms.

I choose not to carry weapons but if driver got out of his vehicle with bad intentions in the way I've seen in several UK videos, he's gonna need emergency medical treatment unless he's quicker and hits harder than I do. But I'm not easily riled up and usually shrug off most stuff, so I doubt it'll ever come to that. So far I've had only one dispute with a driver in the past two years and he was sensible enough to stay in his car. And my bike video showed I was calmer than I felt -- I thought I was yelling and cussing, but when I reviewed the video later I was actually quite calm but firm and assertive and never cussed. Most drivers I encounter are remarkably civil and tolerant toward cyclists, which I try to remember anytime there's a rare minor frustration.

Check out the Ion Speed Pro and Contour Roam. Both resemble headlights. If you also mount a headlight on the helmet it won't be obvious at a glance that one is a camera. But it can be heavy. Due to chronic neck pain from an old C2 injury I'm not wearing my Ion Speed Pro on the helmet at the moment. I am considering a smaller, lighter weight camera for POV footage wherever I'm looking. Meanwhile my camera is mounted on the handlebar or stem.

I use a Garmin Virb Ultra 30 .... I have it mounted on the handlebar using a K-Edge aero mount on the handlebars (together with my Edge 1000)

however, I also have a helmet mount, and I find that when I have it on the helmet (ontop where it is visible to motorists), the motorists are very polite and give me lots of room when they pass

I also use a Cycliq Fly 6 rear camera but most motorists think that it's just a back light

[MENTION=426461]dim[/MENTION] - is there a Garmin helmet mount (quarter turn) for vented helmets? Most helmet mounts I’ve seen are for flat surfaces like motorcycle helmets.
[MENTION=418370]canklecat[/MENTION] - cyclists running red lights here in the UK is mainly what antagonises drivers. Unfortunately far too many cyclists do this. I try and ride courteously and always move over to let cars pass if I know that I’ve been inadvertently holding them up.

the Garmin Virb Ultra 30 uses the GoPro mounts ....

Interesting. In all the videos I've seen of UK drivers assaulting cyclists, the assaults were completely unprovoked.

However a common theme among all complaints by some drivers is that *all* cyclists are terrible because *some* cyclists ride in a way that those drivers consider unlawful, dangerous or annoying.

Even some of my ultra-liberal friends have made similar complaints about cyclists -- condemning an entire group based on their annoyance with a few examples. I've pointed out that this attitude violates their own principles that one shouldn't judge or condemn an entire race or group based on selective examples of bad behavior by a few people who happen to fit a target niche that's convenient for bigots to hold up as representative of the entire group.

I'm not sure I've persuaded any of my friends who dislike cyclists. They tend to prefer to champion abstract causes, people they don't actually need to deal with on a daily basis ("Palestinians", as an abstract group, rather than homeless people in their own communities; or rather than, say, actually sponsoring a Palestinian to live in their homes while attending school and applying for citizenship), or animals over people (dogs, cats and horses get preferential treatment over cyclists -- many of whom in my community also happen to be impoverished and borderline homeless).

So it's a tough nut to crack, getting through to drivers that not all cyclists are the enemy simply because a few happen to be annoying.

And, yup, I try to make room for drivers as soon as it's safe for both of us. Typically if I must take the lane for my own safety I'll move right as soon as I can do so safely and wave drivers behind me that it's safe to pass. Sometimes it works out okay. I did that on my rural route ride Sunday and it worked out fine. There are a few traffic congested places along the access road I ride that's mostly very lightly traveled by vehicles. At construction bottlenecks I must take the only lane available. Usually any holdup is for only 100 yards, and I sprint to minimize any delays, then wave drivers ahead as soon as possible.

Sena Prism Tube is more discreet than a Contour, but with a switch that is just as easy to use: https://www.sena.com/product/prism-tube/