A Photographer's Review of Top Three Action Cams
for
Bike Touring
Guest blog post submitted by Liz Pekler shares some information from her more than ten years as a travel photographer. Here she discusses what she considers to be the top three action cameras for bike touring, commuting or bike packing. Whatever your bike adventure action camera needs might be here's a good list to select from.
Liz Pekler shares her insight on selecting the action camera to meet your bike adventuring needs.
Action cameras have changed the game when it comes to filming dynamic scenes and events, with lightning-fast, high-impact extreme sports reaping the most exciting benefits out of their features. These tiny yet rugged cameras are mounted on the user, surfboards, vehicles, animals, helmets, bicycles, and other objects to capture dramatic high-definition point-of-view (POV) footage that puts you right smack dab in the middle of the exhilarating action.
To enjoy the best experience possible, choose an action camera with specs and capabilities that fit your needs. For instance, there are user-friendly action cameras that cater to beginners. Likewise, there are models with designs and features that work very well for bicycle racing or mountain biking. So if you’re a cyclist looking for the best way to document your adventures, below are some of the more popular options to consider:
1. Go Pro Hero4 Black
To enjoy the best experience possible, choose an action camera with specs and capabilities that fit your needs. For instance, there are user-friendly action cameras that cater to beginners. Likewise, there are models with designs and features that work very well for bicycle racing or mountain biking. So if you’re a cyclist looking for the best way to document your adventures, below are some of the more popular options to consider:
1. Go Pro Hero4 Black
New and improved Go Pro Hero4
The GoPro Hero4 Black is a slightly upgraded version of the GoPro Hero3+ Black Edition, which also tops the list of people in the cycling community for its ability to produce the smoothest video coverage even when used on rough roads.
The Black offers a variety of mounting options and accessories such as an external microphone. It also features one of the highest-quality resolutions out there with its 4K/Ultra HD video at television level 30fps or film-style 24fps, plus 120 frames-per-second slow motion video for playback at 1080p.
2. Sony HDR-AS30V
The Black offers a variety of mounting options and accessories such as an external microphone. It also features one of the highest-quality resolutions out there with its 4K/Ultra HD video at television level 30fps or film-style 24fps, plus 120 frames-per-second slow motion video for playback at 1080p.
2. Sony HDR-AS30V
Simple and Affordable Sony HDR-A530V
If you want a no-fuss action camera for your biking needs, you might want to look into the Sony HDR-AS30V. It has basic, easy-to-use controls and is also quite affordable. But don’t let its price fool you--it is also packed with the essentials to capture the perfect footage such as image stabilization features to shoot smooth videos even in rocky terrain and rough roads. It also has excellent low-light sensitivity, so the footage is sharp and of good quality even when lighting is limited.
The Sony HDR-AS30V also comes equipped with GPS and WiFi for easier upload. It has less mounting options compared to the GoPro Hero4 Black, but if that doesn’t bother you, this is a good pick overall.
3. Garmin VIRB Elite
The Sony HDR-AS30V also comes equipped with GPS and WiFi for easier upload. It has less mounting options compared to the GoPro Hero4 Black, but if that doesn’t bother you, this is a good pick overall.
3. Garmin VIRB Elite
Garmin VIRB Elite, popular with folks documenting the Tour de France
If you are looking for an action camera that works well when mounted on a bike (as opposed to your helmet), then the Garmin VIRB Elite is your best bet. In fact, it has regularly been spotted being used by cyclists on the Tour de France. The VIRB Elite allows you to take excellent-quality shots when it is mounted on the bike’s handlebar, while its slider switch button lets you monitor whether your camera is recording or not even when it is mounted on your helmet.
With the Garmin VIRB Elite, you also won’t have any trouble previewing your shots or reading text on your LCD under direct sunlight, as it uses a reflective Chroma LCD with ambient light.
A welcome bonus to this camera is that you can configure its GPS settings to automatically stop as you do. This way, you save on your camera’s battery and memory--as well as your own racing time--which you would otherwise lose if you had to shut it off manually.
Whether you’re a racer or a mountain biker, choosing an action camera is a matter of finding one that balances light weight, small size, video resolution, and convenient controls into one portable package. Whatever model or brand you select, biking will be a whole new level of awesome with action cameras like these to accompany you on your sporting adventures.
Links related to this topic
Camera Favorite for Bike Touring
Tripod Favorite for Bike Touring
Bridge Cameras for Bike Touring
With the Garmin VIRB Elite, you also won’t have any trouble previewing your shots or reading text on your LCD under direct sunlight, as it uses a reflective Chroma LCD with ambient light.
A welcome bonus to this camera is that you can configure its GPS settings to automatically stop as you do. This way, you save on your camera’s battery and memory--as well as your own racing time--which you would otherwise lose if you had to shut it off manually.
Whether you’re a racer or a mountain biker, choosing an action camera is a matter of finding one that balances light weight, small size, video resolution, and convenient controls into one portable package. Whatever model or brand you select, biking will be a whole new level of awesome with action cameras like these to accompany you on your sporting adventures.
Links related to this topic
Camera Favorite for Bike Touring
Tripod Favorite for Bike Touring
Bridge Cameras for Bike Touring
Liz Pekler is a New York based travel photographer with more than ten years experience covering diverse subject matter for the photography industry as a freelance blogger.
"I'm actually not connected with any company or organization. I'm doing this out of a personal advocacy. I've spent a couple of years taking beautiful shots of people and places, and it feels so good to share what I've learned along the way with friends and strangers who are starting out in photography. I want them to be able to tell their wonderful stories to the world by capturing them in photographs. It's just so fascinating to see how photography can inspire people to do that". Liz Pekler
"I'm actually not connected with any company or organization. I'm doing this out of a personal advocacy. I've spent a couple of years taking beautiful shots of people and places, and it feels so good to share what I've learned along the way with friends and strangers who are starting out in photography. I want them to be able to tell their wonderful stories to the world by capturing them in photographs. It's just so fascinating to see how photography can inspire people to do that". Liz Pekler
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