We're officially in the New Year now, and you may have some money left over from Christmas gifts, and an action camera can make a great addition to riding a motorcycle - whether that be for safety or insurance reasons in case of an accident, or purely to record your rides for posterity. You may even want to give motovlogging a go, though that will be a lot of work with the current crop of motovloggers being masters of keeping their audiences.
A few years ago there wasn't a huge range of action cameras to choose from, and the quality was distinctly average compared to full size video cameras. Nowadays that's all changed - the market's exploded and the quality you can expect from top-end models is at a level that can be seen on television and film.
There are still some bad ones about though, and unfortunately you generally get what you pay for, much like motorcycle gear. This blog will cover the two main competitors in the action camera market that most bikers will look at. Several other manufacturers have turned their hands to produce small, wide angle cameras, but Drift and GoPro are the two biggest names, with arguably the best quality and features.
My personal long-standing favourites are the models that Drift produce. They combine great video quality with a design suited to mounting on a helmet. They've been producing various models for several years now, with the latest, the Ghost 4K, being their latest high-end model, costing around £300, depending on source. The only real flaw in Drift cameras is that the image quality isn't quite as good as a top-end GoPro of the same age, so it depends what you value, and your intended usage.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXrnMMVDeeY
With regards to the 4K it has the same distinctive, sleek shape that Drift has become known for that sits on the side of a helmet relatively unobtrusively. Before this model, all Drifts included a screen for easy angle setup, but this has been done away with for this generation. This time they've opted for a module set up, allowing you to extend battery life, or have the LCD screen that you may want. On top of this the battery life is already much better than most rivals, and on extended rides this is crucial to stop faffing with extra batteries and keeping them charged. Without a viewfinder you can use an app on a smartphone to connect via Wi-Fi to set up a camera angle, and check your recordings. Other features include a Bluetooth remote to strap around your wrist, which has indicator lights to ensure you're recording, and a lens you can tilt independently of the camera, which is crucial for keeping shots level.
As mentioned the image quality isn't quite as good as the latest GoPro, but it is still very pleasing to watch, and picks out details very well. The resolution of 4K allows for number plates to be read if recording anything bad happening, and the overall clarity is great. Image stabilisation also helps this, though it's not as good as the GoPro's latest effort. As a helmet camera, I believe the 4K, and its predecessors in fact, beat the GoPro range hands down for convenience and ease of use.
Onto the best known name in this market - the GoPro. Their latest effort is the Hero 6 Black, and it'll set you back around £400 at present. Obviously this is a not inconsiderable chunk of change, but it does net you the action camera with the best image quality available right now. Image stabilisation has also been hugely improved this time around, which lends a much more professional feel to videos.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBM2yPop8xA
There a couple of inherent flaws to bear in mind that, to my eyes, don't necessarily make it the best motorcycle action camera. First up, it's shape. Mounting a GoPro on the side or top of a helmet is not an attractive or aerodynamic affair - quite frankly it looks ridiculous on the average rider. The only real option is to mount it on the chin bar, and the best way to do this is with mouldable silicon glue which is not the most gainly of solutions. This camera angle also makes some people dislike the movement as there's no reference in the frame (with a side/top mounted camera you can see the helmet), but it is the closest you can get to a first person camera view.
Its second weakness is its battery life. This has always been GoPro's weakness - recording at full 4K will result in less than an hour's battery life, and will only start to get near two hours recording at Full HD (1080p). By comparison the Drift will last twice this with the same settings.
My favourite use for a GoPro is mounting it elsewhere, and this is where it beats the Drift, because its size and shape lends it to this application. Chest mounts are especially popular, and other mounts can be stuck all over the bike with ease. For more creative videos and angles the GoPro is hard to beat compared to the Drift. The following video isn't actually shot on the Hero 6 Black, but it shows the shots that can be achieved. It's by my favourite motorcycle video maker, 'Schaaf' from Austria. He's also worth a follow on Instagram, he shows what a GoPro can do with its still mode.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TI4rd811QVM
The GoPro's other strength is its video quality, it really is very good. The Drift certainly produces great looking video, but the GoPro, out of the box, produces videos that look even better. If you were to colour correct the videos afterwards yourself there'd be less in it, but the GoPro is easier to get good looking video out of. It also has a touchscreen which the Drift lacks out of the box, as well as voice recognition to initiate recording. It also has Wi-Fi to link to a smartphone app.
I'll finally cover similarities and common features the two cameras have, because there are a few. Both cameras are waterproof out of the box (the GoPro no longer needs a huge waterproof housing), and both have a large number of mounts available to buy. Drift cameras include a screw thread for normal camera mounts, while the GoPro needs an adaptor, however the GoPro has a wider range of mounts available, including aftermarket ones. Both cameras have still modes, and this is often under appreciated , you can create some interesting videos from a string of shots, as well as unique individual shots. Both cameras can record at 4K, but the Drift is limited to 30fps, while the GoPro can achieve 60fps at this resolution, but battery life takes quite the hit when recording like this as mentioned before.
Which camera should you buy though? It all comes down to your usage. For a general helmet camera that you want to use for insurance and posterity, I think the Drift fits the bill perfectly. It's cheaper, and sleeker, which makes it much less obtrusive when used, which is essential for daily use, and the longer battery life is much more suited to longer rides. If you're a more creative type however, the GoPro is hard to beat. Its form factor and raw capability mean it can be used in a variety of ways with some sometimes superb results, but with a shorter battery life and helmet-unfriendly mounting system it requires more effort to live with, and it costs considerably more.
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