Handlebar mounted sportcam
 

I see a lot of threads already regarding camera types, and it seems many prefer either a 'serious' high end camera, or the increasingly capable cameras included in smart phones. Does anybody else use a handle bar mounted camera?

I used a mobius action camera on several trips over the last eighteen months, mounted in a weatherproof housing with a handlebar mount, and set it to take a frame every 5 minutes. One of the good features of the unit is that it puts itself to 'sleep' between frames, so even though the battery capacity is quite small, it can actually carry on doing this for maybe 48 hours (at a guess). I have had variable results with picture quality, but after a bit of time altering settings, settled on something I'm happy with. Actually, on the last trip, with consideration to the roughness of the road surface, I was reasonably impressed that the photos were any good at all, but they were reasonable (to me at least).

I really like the idea of 'random' image taking, as even though most of the images are rather mundane, every now and then something special appears, and it's a pleasant surprise after completing the trip and looking back through the collection. It's also quite pleasurable to set up the entire collection as desktop wallpaper, changing every x minutes, and having fun trying to remember exactly where 'that' image is, during another day doing whatever job on a PC.

Does anyone else use a camera in such a manner? If so, what gear did you settle on, and what challenges were overcome, if any? I'm always on the lookout to find a better way of doing this.

I like to practice my video skills by making short vignettes using a go pro mounted on a flexible JOBY Gorilla tripod that wraps around the bars.
I shoot straight ahead shots this way but hold it in one hand to mix up various angles and perspectives and to dampen vibration.

Here's a pic

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=512976

The tripod also has a mounting adapter for a camera which I use for stability on the ground so I could mount it as you do but I wouldn't use it in that way. It seems like taking pictures of random stuff in a way that rolls the dice as to composition and quality. To me the whole idea of a camera is to take a particular shot and get the best quality possible. If I want a still shot I stop and pull my camera from the handle bar bag.

Touring Camera thread here: http://www.bikeforums.net/touring/10...-use-tour.html

I had a friend who had front and rear GoPro mounts and he used them on a shorter tour we did last summer. I wonder what he did with that video?
I am not really so much into doing much with photography myself (though I love looking at other peoples work) so I could care less, I brought a crappy camera and barely took many photos with it. I might consider an action cam deal though because they are generally pretty HQ and I could just mount and forget it (ish).

From my experience last year, the camera isn't as important as the mount. I had my GoPro handlebar mount snap on me in AR last summer. Fortunately I was in low traffic area so I was able to stop and turn around and pick the camera up off the ground before a car could run over it.

Handlebar clamp ons with a 1/4-20 camera tripod screw in them, work with your choice of camera ?

Use a go-Pro hero3. I found the battery life is only good for overnighters. Anything longer would require extra batteries or a way to charge while out and about.
Here is a link to the first use of it and the fun mounting.

https://rebaontour.wordpress.com/201...opro-practice/

I like the random picture taking and the video mode. The sound is a little harsh in video mode (all you hear is bumps and wind).
Still really trying to figure out how to use it. Sometimes it works great. Others not so much. Sometimes I find it more trouble than it is worth. I guess I just need a little more experience.