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Pinned Setting up a Motorcycle Camera/Microphone

Discussion in 'Motorcycle Photography - Video' started by Linkin, Jul 16, 2015.

  1. Linkin

    Linkin The Mechanic Premium Member Contributing Member Dirty Wheel Club

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    So, here I have a GoPro Hero 3 White sitting here doing nothing, because I can't put it anywhere useful on myself or the bike. I am making this thread in an attempt to help others who want to go down this route.

    Here are a few videos of my older setups that each have their own problems.

    Fairing screen mount






    Problems:

    Unstable - thin plastic screen mount
    View the road or the dials. Choose one.
    Engine and tyre/road noise


    Fuel tank mount



    Problems:

    Height - Cannot capture number plates.
    Handlebars obscure vision
    Audible sloshing of fuel
    Wind & Road Noise

    The fuel tank mount is OK, but the height is insufficient and the audio needs revising


    My primary objective is a better mounting position for the camera to observe the road ahead, and an external stereo microphone, as the internal one is mono only. The go pro cases also leave much to be desired as far as audio goes.

    I already have the camera and SD card sorted, you need a proper genuine brand SD card in the correct class. Read more about https://www.sdcard.org/developers/overview/speed_class/

    My genuine 32GB Samsung card is a UHS Class I card, indicating a speed of 10MB/s (megabytes not megabits) MINIMUM.

    My Hero 3 White is a "budget" GoPro model at $200 or so, the max it can record is 1920x1080 at 30 frames per second. It can do 1280x720 at 60 frames a second which is what I will be using as youtube now supports 60 frames per second videos. Also supports various other non-widescreen resolutions (to save space).

    Secondly, official GoPro accessories will send you to the poor house, and their range is limited. Not including the camera, my total spend for ebay accessories was $25.63 for 3 items. Some more flat + curved mounts, a 3 pack of extension arms (my mainly needed item) and a 3 way pivot arm assembly, mostly for the screws to rob for the extension arm. Links below.

    http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/111644572414

    http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/351444695175

    http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/400927883596


    My attack plan is to have the adhesive mount on the fuel tank somewhere, and use the extension arms and and other parts to have the camera facing the road, with the dials in the lower part of the frame.


    Moving on to the microphone. You will need a 3.5mm mic adapter, or a microphone that fits the go pro plug (mini micro something USB). At $34.95, I do not recommend buying the official go pro one, but here it is: http://shop.gopro.com/APAC/accessories/3.5mm-mic-adapter/AMCCC-301.html

    Now, selecting the microphone itself. Ideally, it will be 3.5mm and stereo. You will want to know the type of microphone it is, as well as the general specs such as sensitivity and frequency range. Ignore anything that says 20hz-20khz - it's a boloney spec. Find something that lists the real specifications.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microphone

    I will be trying the following microphone from Jaycar: http://www.jaycar.com.au/PA-&-Party-Equipment/Microphones/Wired/Stereo-Tie-Clasp-Microphone/p/AM4106

    The final accessory you may want is a wind shield / wind sock for your microphone. This will greatly help to reduce wind noise. Many recommend the "dead cat" style or some simple foam, like a "P" filter on studio microphones. I will try the foam first as it's cheap to experiment with.

    I will post the results of my endeavours once the parts arrive and I have everything working nicely.
     
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    Last edited: Jul 16, 2015
  2. Linkin

    Linkin The Mechanic Premium Member Contributing Member Dirty Wheel Club

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    Here's my first test run



    The internal microphone is consistent. However it's only a mono and unless you're moving slowly, you get horrible wind noise. I didn't exceed 50KM/h in the video.

    The external microphone I mounted onto my left glove. I thought this might be a good position, but there's a bit too much engine noise, and it wasn't secured very well. Also it bumped into stuff which is what all the pops are. There is still the issue of wind noise to address as well, but it's a good start. You can easily tell the difference between the mono and stereo microphones.
     
  3. Mclaren

    Mclaren Well-Known Member Contributing Member

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    I set mine on triple tree contour have a helmet mount that works a treat lifts it up enough no case or mic I think sound is ok
     
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  4. Linkin

    Linkin The Mechanic Premium Member Contributing Member Dirty Wheel Club

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    I finally got the stuff I ordered and set it up for a test run. Video will follow shortly. Microphone is circled, I found a place for it to clip in nicely.

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     
  5. Linkin

    Linkin The Mechanic Premium Member Contributing Member Dirty Wheel Club

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  6. Murdo

    Murdo The Good Doctor Staff Member Contributing Member Ride and Events Crew

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    Careful on that road, Grey's friends may be waiting for you. (And cover the speedo if your going to post).
    Great vid, good sound too. Bike sounds to be running spot on.
     
  7. Linkin

    Linkin The Mechanic Premium Member Contributing Member Dirty Wheel Club

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    I was scouting for them, believe me... video is unlisted and only viewable by those that have the URL. And I have figured out how to blur a section of video in premiere pro now :thumb_ups:
     
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  8. Phil

    Phil Senior Member Contributing Member

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    You did...."GOOD" :thumb_ups:
     
  9. Linkin

    Linkin The Mechanic Premium Member Contributing Member Dirty Wheel Club

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    Well I've upgraded to a 15 dollar chest harness from ebay. Took it for a test ride today. Need to point the camera up a little more but I like the perspective it gives. Should be more stable with the bulkier leather jacket, I had the mesh one on today, too hot for leathers.



    Here's a link to the harness: http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/321468325679
     
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  10. Tim_

    Tim_ resident nutcase Contributing Member Dirty Wheel Club

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    Biggest problem i have come across (and I'm sure others have) is that fact then when you mount it to something sold it feels or the bumps... The human body is a nice mushy shock adsorber which equals less camera shake; the trade off is camera angles and/or wind noise.. Also a big problem with the mounts is they are plastic, plastic does flex a lot. That is why when you see longer mounts (by which I mean between the mount point and the camera) you will notice they be steal...
     
  11. Murdo

    Murdo The Good Doctor Staff Member Contributing Member Ride and Events Crew

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    Maybe mount it a bit higher on your chest so we can see over the windscreen?
    Bike sounds to be running sweet.
     
  12. XCite Bikes

    XCite Bikes Parts and Accessories Staff Member 250cc Vendor Contributing Member

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    A few years ago, I was thinking about this issue: where to mount the camera. My objective was to capture eventual accidents/mishaps, not just record a nice ride on the mountain.

    My initial plan was to drill a small hole somewhere in front of the bike, so I could mount the camera under the fairing, protecting it from the rain and thieves. Although cameras with "fish eye" lenses have a wide angle, I didn't think I would capture the "peripheral vision" area.

    The second place I though would be a good spot was on the mirror, right under the glass. This would allow me to remove the camera when I wasn't around the bike.

    Another issue for me was the type of camera to use. Action cameras, such as GoPro, give excellent quality and can capture number plates. But they don't offer a continuous connection to a power source. Dash cams do allow you to connect to the battery, and they will turn on automatically when you start the bike, and off when you turn the bike off. But don't capture as much as action cameras do.

    After much procrastination and promising myself "I'll think about it seriously next month", I had an accident, haven't been able to ride since, and never got any footage of what happened :/ Lesson learned.
     
  13. thebeefsalad

    thebeefsalad Well-Known Member

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    There is an accessory for that. One of the big 3 youtube motovloggers has one that basically takes the place of the battery. I haven't confirmed it yet (pretty sure its in the comments somewhere) but it seems to be lacking filtering on the power, so if the blinker is on, you get an annoying sound with every pulse of the winker. I wouldn't have the issue, as I run a separate audio recorder/mic. Other cams (believe contour2 is one) will run from USB power with the tradeoff of losing protection from water.
     
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  14. Rosskko

    Rosskko Member

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    Interesting. I have a Garmin Virb mounted on the front of the bike (BMW K1100RS).
    Wind noise is atrocious, but has ability to add external mic.
    Has all the overlays you could wish for and you can charge it while you are using it.
    A bit shaky where it is mounted, but good enough for me.
     
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  15. XCite Bikes

    XCite Bikes Parts and Accessories Staff Member 250cc Vendor Contributing Member

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    [​IMG]

    I guess I could put one on the front of the bike as well.
     
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  16. Linkin

    Linkin The Mechanic Premium Member Contributing Member Dirty Wheel Club

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    As I thought, the chest harness worked a lot better when I had a leather jacket on.

     
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  17. TechHeadFred

    TechHeadFred Well-Known Member

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    I need a new cover for my GoPro, so haven't used it in a while. When I was planning on switching bikes a bit more regularly, I found the chest mount preferable to a fixed mounting point on a single bike due to the questionable legal status of the earlier models when helmet-mounted.

    It became a moot point as I haven't been working on the bikes enough to keep more than one running reliably until recently anyway!
     
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  18. Revolver

    Revolver Big Member Premium Member

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    Your audio quality is pretty good. One thing that may help is a "deadcat". A big fluffy piece of material that covers the mic. NOT foam, material. I found my audio quality got better thanks to that. My mic is tucked into my chinpad. I still have to play with it a little more to get it sounding spot on.

    Deadcat:


    I have some of this material left over I can post to you. It only cost me $3 from spotlight.

    Have you thought about helmet mounting it. You can get chin-bar mounts for them.

    http://2fiftycc.com/index.php?threads/show-us-ya-lid.133/page-3

    This is my setup:

    http://2fiftycc.com/index.php?threads/helmet-cams.3292/#post-37291

    And my channel if you want to browse my stuff for audio/vid quality to compare to. I use 2 cameras, one on my helmet, one on my mirror facing back to me:

    https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCEpVBFO4QfTUL99puXEfiQ
     
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