Tested: GoPro Hero Helmet Camera WIDE

Like most mountain bikers (and really anyone into action sports,) I’ve always wanted to create those really cool point of view videos. You know, the ones filmed with a helmet cam that put you right in the action and make it feel like you’re the rider.

But making a video usually required a very expensive professional setup (if you wanted decent quality,) or you had to settle for short, terrible quality video clips from a helmet cam that still cost nearly $300. So I put the idea on the backburner till 2009 when I found a camera called the GoPro Helmet Hero.

It’s a wide-angle video camera that mounts on your bicycle or your helmet and makes it fairly simple to create such videos.

I heard good things about this device, and at just $189.99 direct from the GoPro website, you can’t go wrong. After watching a few sample videos from the company plus some from average Joes on Youtube, I immediately ordered one for myself.

Note: I ordered my memory cards from Amazon.com rather than GoPro. The same 2 GB card was $16.99 from GoPro, but $5.50 from Amazon (including shipping!) So I ordered three cards from Amazon for $16.47 total.

Now I’ll tell you if it actually worked well…

First Impressions

GoPro’s packaging looks great, but it’s a huge pain to open! It was a tight fit and glued together, so I had to rip it all apart.

Once I got to the camera, I realized it was super heavy! Heavier than my helmet! I’m sure the weight wouldn’t be noticeable if you’re a Motocross racer, but it will take some getting used to when used with a lightweight road cycling helmet.

It was easy to figure out, though, and I had it mounted to my helmet in no time. The Helmet Hero comes with a helmet strap that wraps through the air vents on your helmet, or you can use a stick-on mount if you have a skate-style helmet without the air vents. Heck, it also came with a handlebar mount and a headstrap mount, so there are plenty of options!

After mounting, the tricky part is figuring out the correct angle at which to mount the camera. It takes some trial and error. The first problem came from the tilt adjustment screw. It is meant to be adjusted by hand, but it was so tight I had to use a big Phillips head screwdriver to loosen it initially. (There was NO WAY that thing would budge with my hand strength!) Luckily, after that, I could tighten and loosen it without a problem.

Roll Camera!

It was still light out when I got the camera mounted, so I took it out for a few test rides!

I knew I’d have to ride laps around my yard, slightly changing the camera angle each time, then watch them on my computer to see which angle worked best. I think I did six trial runs (about 30 seconds each) before I was happy with the angle. I thought it would take forever, but it wasn’t that bad.

Basically I started the camera at vertical and tilted it down a little between laps. Then I watched all the videos on my computer. (I went by memory to reset the camera to the angle it was at for the preferred video.)

To fine tune this adjustment, I rode longer laps on varied terrain. You’ll need to download and play all the videos once again. It was a bit of a hassle since your head moves differently depending on terrain (paved roads, rock gardens, steep hill climbs, etc.) I’m glad I had a laptop I could keep outside during the process!

But, by the time it got dark, I had found a good angle!

The First Real Use

Now that I had the angle corrected, I could figure out how to work everything else!

One thing I had noticed in the videos was that there was a terrible clicking and clacking with the audio. That turned out to be the ends of the helmet straps flapping against the helmet’s shell! So tuck them in or tie them down somehow. (I tucked them back into the air vents so my head holds them still.)

Unfortunately, once I eliminated that noise, I heard another one! This one was a rattle.

It turns out that whenever I clip the camera into the helmet mount, the two plastic pieces rattle together. It’s not a good fit, so when the camera moves at all, you get an annoying rattle. (It’s annoying because it’s right by your ears!)

I can even feel the vibration being transmitted through my helmet to my skull, and I can’t imagine the shaking helps it record a clear video!

What really sucks is that you can’t adjust it. It’s either clicked together or not. You can’t tighten anything. You’d have to wedge something soft inside the buckle to sturdy it. I might try to put some really thin (i.e. worn out) handlebar tape in there and hope it still clicks together.

The other issue is working the buttons properly. To be safe, you want to hit the buttons while you’re looking at them and get it recording before you put your helmet on. You also have to hold your hand over the red light to see if it’s blinking or not, since the glare from the sun makes it hard to tell.

Yes, I’ll admit it, there were times I hit the button to stop recording, but the camera started recording since I got mixed up. You can laugh, but the button doesn’t have a good feel to it, so you might just do the same thing!

Other than that, I didn’t notice much while using the camera. The weight is noticeable, but not really a problem.

What I Learned After Watching All My Videos

Watching what you recorded is where you really learn how the camera works!

The audio, or lack thereof, is the first thing I noticed. If the camera is encased in the waterproof enclosure, you’re not going to get any worthwhile audio. Seriously, you can yell to other riders while recording, and this won’t pick it up! In my experience, the only audio I got was the sound of the camera rattling!

Next, I could not get over how shaky the picture was. I got shaky videos whether I was on a smooth road or mountain biking, so I think it’s the sensor on the camera. You’re just not going to get smooth, clear videos on a tiny $200 camera.

I could only watch a little bit at a time because I’d start to feel a little nauseous due to the weird movement. I’d suggest watching a lot of Youtube and Vimeo videos shot with the GoPro before purchasing one!

The other thing I noticed with the video was how the camera reacts to changing light conditions. It actually does a good job in a variety of lighting conditions. For example, when you go from open terrain to a shadowy trail, the camera automatically lightens the image.

Unfortunately, it’s a very noticeable transition! You’ll head into a dark trail for a moment, then it’s like a flash of light as the trail lights up, thanks to this feature.

Lastly, if you’re looking at the sun, you get black spots in the video. It doesn’t ruin the video, it just looks funny.

My Advice For Getting The Best Results

Here are some tips for getting the best video from your GoPro, based on my personal experience.

To start with, place the camera at the center of your helmet and strap it down as tight as possible. Then use the knob to make adjustments.

For recording the trail and having my handlebar and front tire in the viewfinder, I have the camera tilted slightly downward. To record riders, I have the camera almost vertical, just tilted down in front just a hair.

* Note that these angles are based on holding the helmet in my hand, parallel to the ground. the angle will be different once the camera is on my head, but this is an easier system to go by.

Also, remember that your body angle changes as the terrain changes. So you might have a wide open, straight ahead view on dirt road sections. Then on technical rock gardens, you might look down a bit more. And on downhills, you’ll be way back and the camera might even include more of your feet and legs than the trail ahead!

As a general rule, I say, the rougher the terrain and the faster you’re going, the more you want to tilt the camera back.

Above all, it’s best to test the camera in the exact situation in which it will be used. That is time consuming and inconvenient, but it’s reality.

Sample Videos From the GoPro Helmet Hero

The first day I was testing out the camera, I realized it was great for recording while doing wheelies!

Next up, I recorded some footage of the trails for the Greenbrier NORBA race around Hagerstown, MD:

That’s a good one to show you the audio. You can see my friend Brad explaining the course to me, but the GoPro picked up absolutely nothing of either of our voices! But then on the downhill, you can hear the camera clicking/rattling back and forth in its mount.

Lastly, here is some sample footage I took during one of the VisitPA.com team run races where I was trying to record the racers:

That video really shows how close you have to ride to someone to get a decent video of them.

Biggest Problems with the GoPro

Unfortunately, the GoPro Helmet Hero doesn’t come without its fair share of problems and nuances.

The first thing I noticed was the rattle while mounted in the helmet mount. It really sucks. It is due to the plastic mount design – you can’t tighten it down or anything to stop it. It just rattles back and forth.

The battery life indicator is useless. It will go from “full” to a dead battery in no time. Lots of battery indicators have this problem though. To mitigate this hassle, make it a habit to replace the batteries any time you switch out the 2GB card.

Also, there is no remote. I didn’t think it would be a big deal, but it is (unless you enjoy taking your helmet off all the time to check things.) And without a preview screen, you have to carry a laptop and hook the camera to that all the time. And the camera has to come out of its case for that! Another huge pain!

Lastly, I should really emphasize, the wide angle only works well if you’re recording the trail. If you are recording fellow bike riders, the wide angle works against you! (You’d have to literally ride an inch away from their back tire to get a good recording.)

My final verdict is…

The GoPro provides a decent picture, especially for the price. It’s fairly easy to use, and the wide angle is neat.

It’s a good choice overall, but it’s definitely not a superb, “best of the best” kind of helmet camera. It has plenty of annoying drawbacks.

If you have an unlimited budget, take a look at the Vio POV ($700) and the VholdR ($300) cameras. I wish I had saved up and got the Vio, but if you only have $200 budgeted for a camera, and just want to get some trail footage to share with friends, get the GoPro.

Official website: www.GoProCamera.com