Alltrikes

The time has come for me to buy my next camera. I have been using the GoPro Hero uptill now and wanted to step in the HD video camera world.

Over the last week or so I have been extensively and obsessively been researching about the best product for the money. I have spoken to some trike pilots and spent many hours on the internet reading reviews and watching youtube videos. I had researched on GoPro 2 and 3, Drift HD and Drift Ghost and Controur +2

Here are my views (I am not going to go too much in detail of all the features) but only the general features that appealed to me and what I want to achieve from them.

GoPro3:

Strengths:  The attention to detail is the best in the GoPro cameras (Drift Ghost comes very very very close) but we are talking about very very fine details. GoPro 3 beats very other camera. Some additional features are WiFi capability, wireless remote etc).

Cons: As beautiful GoPro videos are, the camera that beats GoPro and Contour in true representation of colors (or "colours" for my Australian friends) of objects recorded is Drift HD and Drift Ghost. In some cases GoPro shows totally different color than the actual color. This fellow had an example where GoPro shows his wall as "light yellow color" when it was not.

Drift HD or Ghost:

Pros: In terms of bells and whistles with the cameras, nothing beats a Drift Ghost with, in addition to the best and true representation of the colors. Drift Ghost comes with a 7 hour battery option which is the longest in the POV camera industry, also it is water proof and you can turn the front lense to change the orientation of the video, this enables you many options for mounting the camera and of course you have external mic input.

Cons: If you are the kind of person who wants every little detail and we are talking about very small details GoPro3 has a slight edge there (not very significant though)

Additional Note: Drift Cameras use to have some trouble adjusting to varying light conditions but last June-July 2012 the company had released a firmware that took care of that problem. So now the Drift can definitely give GoPro run for it's money.

Countour +2:

There were not that many side by side comparisons of the Controur +2, but from what I have researched, it is a great camera beccause it has an external mic port and GPS that can make your videos look really cool. The GPS shows your location, altitude and speed.

What I have gathered from all the research is that if you are looking for a camera that you plan to install on your helmet, you can't go wrong with Drift or Controur. They are designed to go on the side of the helmet comfortably. GoPro does not have many helmet installation options (other than on top of the helmet).

For wing tip, my personal choice would be either a Drift or GoPro. I lean more towards Drift because it captures colors very close to what they appear in real life. And because I want to try something new.

If I get a camera for Helmet installation, I might get a Controur (in addition to the Drift) but for now GoPro3 is not my top choice, not because it is any less than any of the other cameras but because I am not looking to perserve the finest of the details. True color representation is more important to me.

One thing I realized watching the youtube comparison videos of camera recordings were done either by attaching them to the car, motorcycle or bikes and none of them represent how the recording would be during flight because we have the added advantage of unobstructed light (sun light) whereas when you are driving between the building or riding a bike through a forest the camera can be at times deprived of the natural light and not perform to it's true potential. Also remember that in the end if you have a pen made out of gold but you don't know how to write then the pen can't do much for you, by the same token trying to get the top camera and making a video that has no substance would not help you much either. Some great trike videos (Damien) were shot with mediocre cameras, yet they are some of the most memorable trike videos ever.

Price range:

GoPro3 (depending on the model you are buying, you can expect to pay as much as 400 dollars in the USA)

Drift Ghost is 400 dollars in the USA)

Contour +2 is (369-399 in the USA)

Drift HD 1080 (189-219 in USA)

Personally, between a Drift HD 1080 and Drift Ghost, I lean more towards the Drift HD 1080 because I don't think 200 dollars more for the Drift Ghost justifies the extra features (for my use). Drift Ghost will be excellent for pilots who do very long cross country flights (with battery life upto 7 hours).

Lastly, personally between all the cameras evaluated here, I like the the Drift or the Contour. I am going to wait till March or April, 2013 to buy my next camera.

I hope this helps my trike friends.

Your input is greatly appreciated.