Best option to mount my phone to my helmet/bike? | GTAMotorcycle.com

Best option to mount my phone to my helmet/bike?

PrivatePilot

PrivatePilot

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With my big trip down to TN & VA coming up in 6 weeks I've been looking at methods of getting some footage.

I have a knockoff GoPro that I've owned for years, but I refuse to use it again after it's last use in South Dakota when I was out there riding the black hills, only to find out after some epic runs that I was so excited to have on video that....it only recorded a minute or so and then **** the bed.

And it's outdated now anyways, no 4K, etc.

i was going to buy a new GoPro, but I want 4K, I want image stabilization, I want a high frame rate, and I want a good lens. And then I realized....my iPhone 12 has all of that, and I already own it.

So, now the prospect of how to mount it to either my helmet (probably awkward but could make for some cool shots), or the bike in various places (probably better, and probably cooler footage from different angles) has been top of mind. Mount it on the front fairing facing backwards for some shots. On the beer box facing forward for others....etc etc.

I thought I could find a phone holder of some sort that would use GoPro style mounts (which I already have in various places), but it seems I can't find anything that looks like it'll hold securely.

Or is there a better way...like, just sucking it up and spending the money on a GoPro...despite a $300 purchase not carrying a very high WAF (Wife Approval Factor) right now.

Any ideas?
 
PrivatePilot said:
With my big trip down to TN & VA coming up in 6 weeks I've been looking at methods of getting some footage.

I have a knockoff GoPro that I've owned for years, but I refuse to use it again after it's last use in South Dakota when I was out there riding the black hills, only to find out after some epic runs that I was so excited to have on video that....it only recorded a minute or so and then **** the bed.

And it's outdated now anyways, no 4K, etc.

i was going to buy a new GoPro, but I want 4K, I want image stabilization, I want a high frame rate, and I want a good lens. And then I realized....my iPhone 12 has all of that, and I already own it.

So, now the prospect of how to mount it to either my helmet (probably awkward but could make for some cool shots), or the bike in various places (probably better, and probably cooler footage from different angles) has been top of mind. Mount it on the front fairing facing backwards for some shots. On the beer box facing forward for others....etc etc.

I thought I could find a phone holder of some sort that would use GoPro style mounts (which I already have in various places), but it seems I can't find anything that looks like it'll hold securely.

Or is there a better way...like, just sucking it up and spending the money on a GoPro...despite a $300 purchase not carrying a very high WAF (Wife Approval Factor) right now.

Any ideas?
Click to expand...

I bit the bullet and bought a gopro Hero 10 after I saw what the new stabilization can do. No way am I mounting my phone to the bike for this stuff. Buy from gopro US direct and there’s a decent deal right now…yes, there’s ridiculous shipping/broker fees (that aren’t hidden, you see them all upfront) but you also get a 1yr unlimited upload subscription and a replacement plan for any damage, plus up to 50% off on accessories. It’s also cheaper than buying here in Canada even after all fees.
 
One big plus….if you buy the camera you can also buy the new endurance batteries from gopro direct too (they won’t ship them without a camera). Those batteries are not available anywhere else right now. I also picked up a pass through power door from the gopro site with the camera and an Anker power cell to power the camera for longer periods.

I’ll add that I also bought a 512GB Samsung card from Amazon…they sent me a box of 10 and only charged me for 1. I got in touch with Amazon and told them they had made an error and they said to keep them. $1000 worth of memory cards for $100. Double checked them…they are all genuine.
 
$579??!

Yeah, unfortunately, that's a no.

Sure, I can afford it, but honestly, I use things like this maybe once a year. Heck, I don't think I've even had my knockoff out of it's bag since 2020, maybe even 2019. It still had footage from Sturgis and my last time down to the tail (2019) on the memory card even. I cannot justify north of $500 for something I use once a year. Or three.

It's a great unit, I get it, but if I was going to spend that much money I'd put that money towards a Skydio drone instead as those things are simply amazing at obstacle avoidance and making cool footage automatically just following it's beacon. I have a DJI Air2 already, but it's autonomy modes are hopeless when it comes to heavy obstacles.
 
Find a used Hero 7 Black, bunch for sale in toronto area under $300 on kijiji right now. Battery will last you about an hr so bring a few spares.

Can mount it to the bars/tank and your lid as needed.

www.techradar.com

GoPro Hero 7 Black review

This former flagship now offers fantastic value
www.techradar.com www.techradar.com
 
What's available in the fiddy bucks territory? lol.

Yes, I know, I want my cake and I want to eat it too.

Finding a way to mount my phone remains my end goal. It takes such awesome 4K stabilized high frame rate video that it seems like a waste to not use it for what it's good at.
 
PrivatePilot said:
$579??!

Yeah, unfortunately, that's a no.

Sure, I can afford it, but honestly, I use things like this maybe once a year. Heck, I don't think I've even had my knockoff out of it's bag since 2020, maybe even 2019. It still had footage from Sturgis and my last time down to the tail (2019) on the memory card even. I cannot justify north of $500 for something I use once a year. Or three.

It's a great unit, I get it, but if I was going to spend that much money I'd put that money towards a Skydio drone instead as those things are simply amazing at obstacle avoidance and making cool footage automatically just following it's beacon. I have a DJI Air2 already, but it's autonomy modes are hopeless when it comes to heavy obstacles.
Click to expand...

Yep..I’m still not over the sticker shock but this will be my “insurance” cam too. I wanted stable footage and I’ve had a camera on a smartphone go a bit weird too. I’m just not convinced they are made for high vibration environments. I was going to get a Hero 8 as that has perfectly acceptable stabilization too! Quite a bit cheaper as well.
 
One cam that works really well in a semi-dampened environment ie on a helmet (I wouldn’t attach it directly to a bike) is the Sena tube cam. It’s tiny too. I have the older version and the only issue was it didn’t have a user replaceable battery so you went by the onboard charge time. I got about an hour out of mine, maybe more. Super easy to use, line it up and there’s an off and on switch, that’s it. Good footage. The one below is updated, it maybe be even better now. What I really like about it is that it‘s streamlined, not a box.

www.tradeinn.com

Sena Prism Tube WiFi Action Camera | Techinn

Buy Sena Prism Tube WiFi , Action cameras from Sport for only 0 $. Find electronics and computers deals in Techinn | Fast delivery
www.tradeinn.com www.tradeinn.com
 
Do not use your phone as a camera on your bike. Here's a link to Apple's own support site.

Exposure to vibrations, like those generated by high-powered motorcycle engines, might impact iPhone cameras - Apple Support (CA)

Exposing your iPhone to high amplitude vibrations within certain frequency ranges, specifically those generated by high-power motorcycle engines, can degrade the performance of the camera system.
support.apple.com support.apple.com

This is while they still are honoring the warranty because they cannot prove this is what broke it, Apple has a trend of excluding things once they can prove the activity.
 
That first picture. Seriously? Is April 1st delayed down under?
 
I could see the chest strap working. But honestly, If I see someone wearing an entire iPhone attached to the helmet, that just looks silly.
 
otwo_91 said:
I could see the chest strap working. But honestly, If I see someone wearing an entire iPhone attached to the helmet, that just looks silly.
Click to expand...
I've worn a chest strap before for use with my GoPro. How well it captures the view all depends on the riding position of your bike. For my bike which is pretty upright, it still captured too much of the instrument cluster for my liking. I'd prefer one mounted to my helmet or a spot on the bike for a more unobstructed view.
 
shanekingsley said:
I've worn a chest strap before for use with my GoPro. How well it captures the view all depends on the riding position of your bike. For my bike which is pretty upright, it still captured too much of the instrument cluster for my liking. I'd prefer one mounted to my helmet or a spot on the bike for a more unobstructed view.
Click to expand...

I think this might work a bit better but it wouldn’t be centred TELESIN compatible Backpack Shoulder Strap Mount for Camera, Adjustable Shoulder Pad & Strap Holder attached for GoPro Hero/Fusion/Session, Polaroid, Xiaomiyi, SJCAM,Osmo Action (Backpack Strap Mount) : Amazon.ca: Electronics
 
Since you sent this yesterday, I was originally thinking this:

iu
 
Here's my setup... camera sits under the headlight, tucked in a bit. Another rear facing camera is mounted under the tail rack. Both cameras are wired into the control module which sits under the seat and is wired into a switched power source. Automatically starts recording when I turn on the bike and automatically stops when I turn off the bike. Records in 5 minute clips then overwrites the oldest clip when the memory card is full. But if I wanted to make a movie out of all the clips I can just pop the memory card into my computer and user a program to join all the clips. This camera cost me $160, but it's only 1080p. A 4k one would be more expensive although I think 1080p is good enough.

Memory cards have really come down in price, I bought a 128 gb micro sd card for $15 recently.

Don't attach your phone to your helmet (seriously, how did you ever even come up with such a dumb idea?). A go pro or some other kind of action camera is the next best thing and I've used them in the past but I find it a hassle to always have to remember to turn it on, and also they run off batteries which only last a few hours..
 

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The insta360 go2 is tempting because of how small it is so helmet mounting it is very unobtrusive. Still pricy though.
 
danp said:
Here's my setup... camera sits under the headlight, tucked in a bit. Another rear facing camera is mounted under the tail rack. Both cameras are wired into the control module which sits under the seat and is wired into a switched power source. Automatically starts recording when I turn on the bike and automatically stops when I turn off the bike. Records in 5 minute clips then overwrites the oldest clip when the memory card is full. But if I wanted to make a movie out of all the clips I can just pop the memory card into my computer and user a program to join all the clips. This camera cost me $160, but it's only 1080p. A 4k one would be more expensive although I think 1080p is good enough.

Memory cards have really come down in price, I bought a 128 gb micro sd card for $15 recently.

Don't attach your phone to your helmet (seriously, how did you ever even come up with such a dumb idea?). A go pro or some other kind of action camera is the next best thing and I've used them in the past but I find it a hassle to always have to remember to turn it on, and also they run off batteries which only last a few hours..
Click to expand...
890 adventure? :oops:
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