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Articles About Bicycling Video
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by John "Looking Ahead, Looking Back" Allen
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Cyclists and videos

Starting in 2006 with the introduction of the first GoPro camera, miniature digital video cameras have become increasingly popular with bicyclists, to record rides, assist with instruction, document riding conditions and provide evidence in case of a crash. The articles listed on this page describe some of these cameras, ways to use them, and techniques for editing video which they produce.

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Camera Reviews

The Sony HDR-AS100V helmet camera

A modern camera with many advanced features, including image stabilization

the Mobius M800 action camera/dashcam

A small, versatile and inexpensive camera, but i've ahd a reliability issue.

The Garmin VIRB 360 camera

This camera takes video in the round, keeps it upright and points in the direction you are riding. Pricey, though!

The Go Pro Helmet Hero HD helmet camera

The first high-definition GoPro, very reliable. I still use one.

The Contour HD1080 helmet camera

Contour was GoPro's main competition around 2012. My Contour camera has neat features, laser aiming and a rotatable sensor. It served me well until I dropped it and it went out of focus. This is supposed to be fixable and I've tried, but I have yet to succeed.

Techmoan Web site -- reviews of action cams

Techmoan, Matt, reviews action cameras, thoroughly, with a sense of humour. (Spelling is intentional: he is British). Note though that he reviews new cameras and so he can't test reliability. I've had a couple of Mobius cameras he recommended quit just after the warranty ran out. Otherwise, his reviews have been very helpful.

Technique

Synchronizing multi-camera shoots

Some newer cameras start-stop in synch by wi-fi, but it is also possible to synchronize using hand claps, a variation on the classic Hollywood clapperboard technique.

Image stabilization for bicycle video

A description of the different types of image stabilization and how they work with bicycle video.

Software

VirtualDub video processor

A free video processing application that runs in Windows, with a large array of plug-ins, useful especially for preprocessing.

Deinterlacing

Deinterlacing improves the display quality of old standard-definition videos, especially as displayed on a computer screen. There is a rather good deinterlacing plug-in for VirtualDub.

Deshaker image stabilization plug-in for Virtualdub

Deshaker is a highly configurable image-stabilization plugin which produces excellent results with bicycle video. You must change the settings, though!

Saving to MP4 in VirtualDub

By default, VirtualDub saves in .AVI format, but with some plugins and a workaround, it can save to .MP4, which makes smaller files and works better in video editors.

Using Virtualdub to improve video from VHS tape

An article on another site -- helpful with old tapes.

Pinnacle and Avid editing software

I use Pinnacle Studio Ultimate software, which is derived from very high-end Avid software. Review is here.

Five Ways to Create a Picture in Picture in Pinnacle Studio Ultimate

You'll want a picture in picture when shooting front and rear video. Pinnacle has accumulated several different ways to create a picture in picture, with overlapping features. This article will help you figure out which module to use.

Pinnacle overwrites voiceovers...

Preventing and recovering from some bad behavior.

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Articles by Sheldon Brown and Others


Reports of the demise of this Web site are greatly exaggerated! We at sheldonbrown.com thank Harris Cyclery for its support over the years. Harris Cyclery has closed, but we keep going. Keep visiting the site for new and updated articles, and news about possible new affilations.

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Last Updated: by John Allen