Buying an outdoor action video camera – initial thoughts and choice made

Well, I have wanted to get one of these for a while now and think it will be useful to help catalogue some of my bike rides and walks. I wanted something thats primarily a sports video camera but also takes still pictures too. Action video cameras have been around for a few years and dominated in particular by the likes of GoPro. As technology has improved so have these action cameras designed specifically with outdoor hobbies in mind. So why what were the options?

I spent hours looking at the relative merits of the market leaders and also the bottom end of the market. I compared resolution, features, accessories, customer feedback, price, size, weight and weather resistance. I am the first to admit I am a little lacking in modern technical skills and dont speak the lingo….. Therefore I was reduced to looking at specifications carefully and relying on opinions. So what were my main requirements?

- Weather proof (water proof a bonus)
- a reasonable resolution for pictures and video (in my head above 5MP for the camera and a minimum of 720P for the video)
- mountable on a bike
- good battery life
- robust
- reasonably small and light
- competitively priced

After some research and filtering out, I came down to three basic choices:

- GoPro Hero 3 Silver
- Drift HD
- Sony HDR AS10

The GoPro was the most expensive, the Drift the cheapest. All gave 1080P video resolution and all had reasonable accessories. For me, apart from price, the Drift HD was weather proof without the need for an external case (as in the case of the others) and a decent size and weight. It also had on balance some very good reviews. It didnt have wi-fi built in but to me thats a very expensive feature and something I wouldnt use necessarily. It also had a playback screen and a rotating lens meaning that no matter how the camera is mounted, I can always get the picture the right way up! I have to admit price was a big part of the choice but for me the Drift HD was a better alrounder and likely to get used more by me.

Well, I took the plunge and got the camera a couple of weeks ago. I have taken it out a couple of times and had a thorough play with it. I have even read the instructions which is a first for me. I’ll post a first impressions entry in a few days time. I will expand upon the features that drew me to it and a balanced appraisal on whats good and not so good.

Houston – we have a problem.

So an early morning start becokoned this morning. The dog dragged his weary bum out of bed to greet me just fter 6am and then decided to go back to sleep. I got my stuff together, packed a few snacks, filled the drinks bottles, girded my loins and rode out into the morning light.

I had planned a 70mile ride with around 6000ft of climbing taking me through the Wye Valley and back down through the Forest of Dean. The ride started off well with light winds but a deep chill which soon found its way into my feet. I had dressed for spring weather (whatever that is these days!) so hoped it would warm up later.

A ride through the lanes and low hills around Shirenewton and a climb through Chepstow Woods brought me to the Tintern. So far so good, I was riding well and enjoying it. I stopped for a quick drink in Redbrook before continuing on to Monmouth along the A466 (a splendid road following the River Wye). A long steady climb took me up to Staunton on the edge of the Forest of Dean. A quick descent down through the forest and through Parkend (where the Dean Forest Preservation Railway started out 40 years ago) saw me eating up the miles. I was over 40 of the 70 miles into the ride with the worst of the climbing behind me when disaster struck.

A rear tyre puncture stopped me in my tracks. Ok so no biggy, I had all the tools for a repair or if necessary inner tube swap out and time was on my side. I set to work and it didnt take long before I was all set to inflate the tyre and be on my way again. I managed to inflate the tyre most of the way when the pump broke and immediately let all the air out of the tyre again. I tried again but a quick inspection of the pump confirmed the worst, it was beyond help. And suddenly so was I. The phone showed no signal. I cursed my luck and did what I knew in my heart I would have to do.

Walk…

Luckily I only had to walk a mile before getting a signal. I phoned my other half and explained the situation. She immediately said she would pick me up bless her (thanks!). I settled down to wait and pondered my bad luck and the failure of my pump. I couldnt believe it. I hadnt even used it in anger before and it was only 6 months old and failed on the first use. What was worse was that I was on the back straight of the ride and felt good. Still, there would be another time for me to attempt it again. Sue turned up only half an hour later and I gratefully put the bike in the car, got a cuddle off the daughter and a kiss off the dog.

Back home, I loaded the ride from my gps into Strava. 41 miles and 4000ft of climb. Still a decent ride but makes me want to go back and do it again.

This time with a better pump

Gower Bunkhouse weekend approaching….

Good grief that seesm to have come around quickly. Only 3 weeks until the dads, lads and daughter trip to Hardingsdown Bunkhouse on the Gower. Only seems like the other day when we went to the Beacons bunkhouse at Hiraeth. God only knows what the weather will be like as its been so hard to predict this year. The good thing is that we are very close to the beach and some stunning scenery.

Its a bit of a departure for us as normally we keep to the mountains but this time its the coast. If the weather is good, could be long days on the beach and a a humungous game of beach cricket

So the check list has come out.

beer – check
people – check (ish)
food – chip shop?

erm thats about it apart from 8 adults and a gaggle of excited kids

Cant wait

Barney in the Black Mountains

A quick pic of Barney at Gospel Pass at the weekend. not a bad spot for our dog daughter and dad wild camp perhaps?

A glorious mountain ride and perfect symmetry

Well I did say the other half and I were going to do a big ride today and so we did. It never quite rides the same as the picture in your mind or the ride profile on the plan. Well today’s ride surpassed both. It was harder, higher and certainly more satisfying than I ever thought possible. In total we climbed 5300ft in 42 miles taking in two mountains. In fact we climbed and descended each mountain twice! The profile has a certain symmetry that looks very pleasing to the eye. Also known as a leg killer!

The day started out at Hirwaun again, which is a pretty good starting point for riding around the valleys of South Wales and the Brecon Beacons. You dont get much preparation coming out of Hirwaun before you start the ascent of Rhigos Mountain. A long slow climb to begin with followed by a couple of hairpin bends and a cranking up of the gradient. The landscape changes into a partly wooded but mainly moorland aspect on the top. A quick drinks break and a chance to admire the scenery.

Pushing on we descended down the Rhigos towards Treorchy. Always the fun bit, we flew down the mountain although Sue sped off faster than me (as usual!). The view was stunning although I was gripping the handlebars and concentrating on not falling off such was our speed Cycling through the town and the bottom of the descent it was almost immediately into the next climb up The Bwlch.

A tough climb panned out in front of us but we soon settled into rhythmic peddling action. Head down and tail up. The area around The Bwlch really is stunning and was a really pleasant backdrop to our climb. Onwards and upwards we climbed until the top of the mountain opened out into a short ridge section allowing us to catch our breath momentarily before plunging down on another descent. Zooming down, Sue soon disappeared from my view and I was pleased just to keep my balance and enjoy the surroundings. Again, we soon levelled out and although originally we were going to have a food stop at the bottom we decided to turn the bikes around and head straight back up again. Ouch…..

The 3rd climb of the day was methodical and hard but really stunning visually. Several switchbacks and relentless climbing gave the impression of riding somewhere in Italy or Switzerland. Fabulous. We did have a little target in our heads for the end of this particular climb as we knew there would be a food van just before the descent over the other side

A quick stop for some photo opportunities on the top section of The Bwlch was too good to pass up

Just after this we stopped at the food van for a coffee and ice cream before our 3rd descent of the day back down off The Bwlch. The twisting nature of the road ensured we had great views all the way down and an opportunity to test the brakes! Finally we flattened out into Treorchy and had chance for a very short flat section before once more ascending up our 4th climb of the day. In all honesty this was the hardest of the day as tired legs and twanging hamstrings reminded us of the effort we had put in already today.

Luckily at the top of The Rhigos there was another food van and so we paused for a quick drink and another photo session

And one of me

And so to the last section, another descent…freewheeling all the way with minimal effort. At the bottom, a short couple of miles took us back to Hirwaun and the end of the ride. We were tired but really buoyed by the magnificent ride we had just completed. Not just the effort involved and the sense of achievement but also because it was a really lovely ride with stunning scenery. It will be hard to top this ride but by teh time we set off for home, we were already discussing the next challenge!

Barney at the beach

Well we got out and down to Rhossili today on the Gower coast. It was Barneys first time on a beach and we chose Rhossili for its dog friendliness. He absolutely loved it, being able to run around off the lead like a loony. The only thing he wasn’t so sure about was the waves!

The weather was superb if not quite warm with a stiff breeze. Still, we had the beach to ourselves but for a handful of people. We even managed to wet our toes in the surf.

No matter what, Barney really didnt fancy getting wet!

All in all, a great day and finished off with chips all round…even for Barney

A long weekend of beaches and bike rides

Finally, a bank holiday weekend with a glimmer of a chance of good weather…

So tomorrow will see us taking Barney for his first beach outing in the Gower. Its back to Rhossili which just so happens to be an all year round dog friendly beach. Not only that but apparently its been voted the UK’s No.1 dog friendly beach by The Times. It wont be hot, in fact it wont even be very warm, but the forecast is warm with long periods of sun and the chance to watch the dog run around like a fool

Sunday is also a good weather day so the wife and I will be “donating” the children to the parents for the day and venturing out into the Brecon Beacons again. This time, Sue has chosen the route and the weather looks a bit better than last weekend! It will be great training for France with our biggest, though not longest, ride so far (5000ft of climbing). Just hope the rain and wind stay away this time….

Monday will either be recovery or DIY (Dont Involve Yourself ). Report to follow!