Aldi HD Action Camera?

jackhandy

Esteemed Pedelecer
May 20, 2012
1,820
323
the Cornish Alps
My F9 arrived today. Nicely packed.

Ordered Sunday - posted Wednesday, 1st class: Not quite up to the estimate of delivery Tuesday, but not bad from the wilds of Welsh Wales.

Put it on charge & the wall-wart went pop after about 10 minutes :confused: Continued to charge it from the 'puter usb lead...

Watch this space for samples & comments.
 

Streethawk

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jan 12, 2011
634
16
I wouldnt buy a Contour, the company went bust a while ago, so there's no backup for any remaining cameras if you have problems.
 
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Cyclezee

Guest
My F9 arrived today. Nicely packed.

Ordered Sunday - posted Wednesday, 1st class: Not quite up to the estimate of delivery Tuesday, but not bad from the wilds of Welsh Wales.

Put it on charge & the wall-wart went pop after about 10 minutes :confused: Continued to charge it from the 'puter usb lead...

Watch this space for samples & comments.
Did it come with a UK plug or a Welsh one?
 

jerrysimon

Esteemed Pedelecer
Aug 27, 2009
3,292
112
Cambridge, UK
In terms of video quality and price these two seem to be the favourites.

Mobius ActionCam Full HD Sports Camera 1080P 30FPS 720P 60FPS Pocket Camcorder | eBay

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SDV1-UK-HD-1080P-12M-Waterproof-Mini-Sport-DV-Camera-Dive-Bike-Helmet-Car-Record-/281150405050?pt=UK_AudioTVElectronics_Video_Camcorders&hash=item4175deb9ba

After that seems like you have to pay 2 to 3 times as much. I quite like the first one above which would probably fit nicely on my helmet, though looks like it is not water proof.

Regards

Jerry
 
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Cyclezee

Guest
My F9 arrived today. Nicely packed.

Ordered Sunday - posted Wednesday, 1st class: Not quite up to the estimate of delivery Tuesday, but not bad from the wilds of Welsh Wales.

Put it on charge & the wall-wart went pop after about 10 minutes :confused: Continued to charge it from the 'puter usb lead...

Watch this space for samples & comments.
Has that battery charged yet Pete?
 

Eaglerider

Esteemed Pedelecer
Oct 25, 2011
374
47
East Sussex
My F9 has turned up.

First charge successful although I used the laptop and haven't tried the adapter. Just waiting for my SD card thingy to turn up.
 

eHomer

Esteemed Pedelecer
Aug 20, 2012
635
164
I keep searching for the elusive perfect POV action cam, for cycling, walking, canoeing ans sailing.

I don't try to surf the crest of "cutting edge" development because we punters seem to be drip fed with new features, making last years kit redundant too quickly !!

This thread stirred my curiosity again, so I googled and researched what had come on the market since my last dabble. Over the tears I've tried pal bullet cams with av in camcorders, then early self contained 720p memory card cams, (the forerunner of the Mobius), then a 1080p car cam, then a pair of 1080p sunglasses.

Each has had impressive new features, but they were all let down on something, like battery life, or bulk.

The main bugbear has always been jerkiness, whether head mounted or handlebar mounted. I tried post-processing with some free software called "deshaker", but that lowered video quality, and made the perimeter of the frame "flex", to keep the centre steady.

I agree with the comment about the "Techmoan" chap on the web, very good reviews, and non-commercial, so no bias.

I checked out the latest cheapo Chinese action cams, but was discouraged by the high proportion that turned out faulty, with problems returning.

Then I found the Sony HDR-AS10, which had Sony's "steadyshot" digital stabilisation at shooting time. The 1080p samples on youtube looked very impressive, many taken from bikes.

I then found the HDR-AS15, with wifi remote viewfinder, and then the newly released HDR-AS30V, with a smaller lighter waterproof case and buikt-in gps, which can overlay time, speed, and track on the replayed video.

The Sony action cams are a lot more expensive than these cheapo chinese jobs, but they're still cheaper than GoPros if you shop around.

The AS10 can be had for £118, the AS15 for £150, and the AS30V for £225, all brand new, with full guarantees, from UK sellers.
 

Geebee

Esteemed Pedelecer
Mar 26, 2010
1,256
227
Australia
This video shot with the latest GoPro kind of indicates they are beeping impressive.
Oh, watch the whole video it is quite impressive in a suicidal way. :)[video=youtube;cN-YTcSnE6c]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cN-YTcSnE6c#t=163[/video]
 

eHomer

Esteemed Pedelecer
Aug 20, 2012
635
164
Wow, glad I don't live there.........



Here's another form of suicide, shot with the Sony.
Some nutter with the Sony HDR-AS30V camera "lane splitting".

Sorry, I know it's a motorbike and not a push bike, but it shows the GPS overlay capability of the new Sony cam for about £225. The 1080P video quality is pretty good too. Nice and steady. The map overlay could be good with a cycle ride video, showing map position synchronized to the POV.

(worrying to think there's people like this whizzing past you when you're sitting in a traffic jam though).....

[video=youtube;oE2jimk1Gm4]http://www.youtube.com/watch?annotation_id=annotation_449463183&feature=iv&src_vid=4Q7eY0fTrGw&v=oE2jimk1Gm4[/video]
 
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jackhandy

Esteemed Pedelecer
May 20, 2012
1,820
323
the Cornish Alps
Has that battery charged yet Pete?
Yuss.

Definite improvement over the act20's 720p footage, at 1080p: Stop-frame numberplate id is useable.

720p/60fps is not good enough for numberplate id, unless you can stop-frame when the vehicle is very close: This is a disappointment for use as a helmet cam. I was hoping the faster framerate would be useful.

My 16g micro SD card will take more than the battery's 2 hour endurance, so no point getting a 32g card: The act20's battery lasts 3 to 3.5 hours.

The fixings supplied are very versatile, once I dremelled 2 slots in my 'ard 'at for the velcro straps on the "head" fitting.
I also slotted the "dashboard" fitting to take 2 cable ties & bunged it on my backpack shoulder strap: With the handlebar fixture on the bike as well, which seems strong enough to hold my camcorder ok, I'm bristling with technology - Look like a space-marine :rolleyes:

Worth 45 quid? Yes, I think so: Video is plenty sharp enough for an action-cam & it's a lot less to chuck down the road than a Gopro.

Oh - and windows Movie-maker works fine with the 1080p footage.
 
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Cyclezee

Guest
Finally decided to raid the piggy bank, but there wasn't enough to spalsh out on the GoPro and decided that £118.99 was enough to spend on something to "chuck down the road" as Pete so eloquently put it, so I opted for the Sony HDR-AS10 from here http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/161026257509?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649.

A question for Pete, if I need to 'Dremel' my helmet, should it be on my head at the time:confused:
 

peerjay56

Esteemed Pedelecer
May 24, 2013
745
201
Nr Ingleton, N. Yorkshire
Finally decided to raid the piggy bank, but there wasn't enough to spalsh out on the GoPro and decided that £118.99 was enough to spend on something to "chuck down the road" as Pete so eloquently put it, so I opted for the Sony HDR-AS10 from here http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/161026257509?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649.

A question for Pete, if I need to 'Dremel' my helmet, should it be on my head at the time:confused:
Trepanning - need that like a hole in the head:p