Best Camera For All Day Video?

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AfxTwn 02 Jan 2020

Hi, I am looking for some advice. I go walking a lot and want a camera so I can continuously shoot video all day of my walks to watch back later.

I tried this a few years ago with my old Sony DSC-HX9V but it was a little awkward to hold and I had to stop filming every 30 minutes or so as it wouldn't allow me to record longer than that.

I was thinking of something like a GoPro so I could get some kind of chest harness or attach it to my jacket and use it hands-free. I know I would probably need to get a few microSD cards for storage and some extra batteries but that's not too much of a problem.

I tend to be out for 6 hours or more and I want to be able to film the whole walk from start to finish and then watch it back at my leisure. I have Adobe Premiere Elements so I can edit all the footage together into one long video.

Does anyone have any ideas what I could use? Thanks very much.

 Dark-Cloud 02 Jan 2020
In reply to AfxTwn:

Erm, watching a 6 hour video of a walk is rather niche, even if it is for your own consumption but it takes all sorts i suppose !

I would just use a GoPro on time lapse then use the stills to make a video, Adobe Premier will do that, not sure about Elements though.

 Blue Straggler 02 Jan 2020
In reply to Dark-Cloud:

This is a very earlier contender for "most bizarre post of the year". 

I'm going to go right ahead and suggest "troll"

 Dark-Cloud 02 Jan 2020
In reply to Blue Straggler:

Well i have to admit that did cross my mind, i'm guessing the next post will be a link to some Chinese camera on Amazon that will meet all of the criteria that he has just "found"

But then i thought i would stop being so cynical and at least offer some sort of solution

 Blue Straggler 02 Jan 2020
In reply to Dark-Cloud:

Actually my first thought was that this was mypyrex! 

 Mike Stretford 02 Jan 2020
In reply to Blue Straggler:

> Actually my first thought was that this was mypyrex! 

I really don't think mypyrex would come up with a username that is such an obvious reference to Aphex Twin.

 Dark-Cloud 02 Jan 2020
In reply to Blue Straggler:

I am unfamiliar with his work...

 Blue Straggler 02 Jan 2020
In reply to Mike Stretford:

That was what stopped me thinking it might be him!

 Blue Straggler 02 Jan 2020
In reply to Dark-Cloud:

> I am unfamiliar with his work...

He is a genuine guy, not a troll or prankster. A bit curmudgeonly at times but I am guessing really just a nice guy, quite "senior" and set in his ways etc. Used to be a very regular poster here, took a lot of stick, has changed names now and again and may be here (and reading this!), I don't keep up. 
But there was a long period during which he genuinely was researching cameras for videos of his walks (he is a very keen walker), admittedly he was never after recording an entire 6 hour walk though!

AfxTwn 02 Jan 2020
In reply to AfxTwn:

Sorry, I think I didn't explain very well. I don't watch the whole six hours in real time. I speed it up but I didn't know about time lapse video/photos till now and thought I had to film the whole walk. And no I'm not a troll!

I enjoy watching my walks back as it relaxes me (I have autism) and I notice things I might not do when on the walk. It might seem very strange to you but it's just what I like to do.

I will look into the GoPro Hero 7 Black. It also has a timewarp feature for videos. Maybe this bundled with an external battery might be just what I need.

 Blue Straggler 02 Jan 2020
In reply to AfxTwn:

I am very sorry for casting aspersions! I did think to ask "do you speed it up" but I couldn't make it look like I wasn't being really sarcastic. No offence was ever intended, it was just that the way your post was written (and as a new user) it raised a few "flags" (the site gets regular new users asking for a recommendation for something that does, to the more frequent posters, sometimes seem a bit "niche", and then it turns into weird spam. 

GoPro seems the sensible thing. 

 ali_colquhoun 02 Jan 2020
In reply to AfxTwn:

I would have a look at the DJI OSmo Action as an alternative to a go pro. The battery lasts longer and they are a bit better cameras. They have a timelapse feature as well. They are about the same price. 

Using external batteries with them works a lot better than with a go pro 7. 

 The Lemming 02 Jan 2020
In reply to AfxTwn:

May I ask what budget you have for your choice of camera and what quality of image are you looking for?

I am a big DJI fan and rate their kit very well. If you want something that can compete with a GoPro and is probably better in the image stabilisation, than a GoPro, then I suggest a DJI Osmo Action camera. The image is stabilised using electronic image stabilisation. In other words it uses in-camera software to get rid of the shakiness. My mate has one and he clips it to his racing bike and is out in all weathers on bumpy roads. The footage is 4K and Rock Steady.

https://www.dji.com/uk/osmo-action?site=brandsite&from=nav

I prefer to have a camera with a mechanical method of keeping the camera steady. Mechanical methods include gimbals which keep the camera steady while you are out moving around. For this I use a DJI Osmo Pocket. Its light and rock steady and it image quality is fantastic. I am on my second Osmo Pocket.

https://www.dji.com/uk/osmo-pocket?site=brandsite&from=nav

The positives are:

Extremely small and light

Excellent image quality

Excellent app with features from timelapse, motionlapse, hyperlapse and many many other features.

It can be used in full manual and take RAW and JPEG images.

The downsides to the Osmo Pocket are:

Its not waterproof

The internal battery only lasts a couple of hours max, if that. However if I need extra juice then I bring a USB power-pack to keep it going. I've done some great 5 hour night-time star-trail time-lapses with it.

You could get a hand-held gimbal to use with a smartphone. Guess who makes the best hand-held gimbals at the moment?

DJI

https://www.dji.com/uk/osmo-mobile-3?site=brandsite&from=nav

I've had a few of these, but they weren't for me.

The majority of this YouTube was filmed on my Osmo Pocket. The first Roller-coaster was filmed using my Pixel 3A phone and the very last roller-coaster was filmed with a Mobius action-cam which I bought direct from China. Its only 1080p but my mate uses it almost every time he goes out walking. Its getting on for 5 years old now.

youtube.com/watch?v=0E5OyHYG8_I&

Mobius actioncam

https://www.mobius-actioncam.com/

AfxTwn 02 Jan 2020
In reply to AfxTwn:

I am not sure what my budget is, maybe around £200 but I would probably get a second-hand camera anyway so it doesn't cost as much.

I don't think I would like the DJI Osmo Pocket because I don't want to be holding anything in my hand while I am walking. I want to be able to clip the camera to my coat or backpack strap or something so I can just turn it on and forget about it.

When I am walking the camera will probably move about a bit but if the image stabilisation is good enough then it should be fine. I don't need very high quality, probably 720p or 1080p maximum.

When I used to use my Sony DSC-HX9V camera, I just tried to hold it in my hand as steady as possible and it turned out pretty good. I think some kind of action camera would be better though. I would want something waterproof as well just in case it rains.

If I use time lapse, does that use the same amount of battery as a normal video would or because it's just taking photos would it use less?

 Dan Arkle 02 Jan 2020
In reply to AfxTwn:

The GoPro will be your best option then. 

Although the older /basic ones will work, you should consider splashing out for the ones with the really good stabilisation and hyperlapse functions which are magic. I think that is Hero7 black and above.

youtube.com/watch?v=LBdah-mKu2o&

 The Lemming 02 Jan 2020
In reply to AfxTwn:

> I don't think I would like the DJI Osmo Pocket because I don't want to be holding anything in my hand while I am walking. I want to be able to clip the camera to my coat or backpack strap or something so I can just turn it on and forget about it.

You could get a clip to attach your Osmo Pocket to a rucsac. However the cameras are delicate and don't like rough handling such as forgetting they are there and throwing off your bag to take a rest.

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/71Y7rZdHisL._SL1000_.jpg

> When I am walking the camera will probably move about a bit but if the image stabilisation is good enough then it should be fine. I don't need very high quality, probably 720p or 1080p maximum.

I too thought that I would not need high quality. But that was till I discovered how versatile 4K is when editing video. You can crop, zoom in and reposition your footage for a better viewing experience. Its not long ago that Cathode Rat Tube TV's were the dog's danglies. Now Flat Screen tellies are practically in every home that I visit. Even YouTube does UHD. I'm guessing 4K will be the norm in under 10 years. If you think this is too far in the future to worry about then think again. My first digital camera, bought in 2000 had a screen resolution of 320 by 240 pixels and went at 15 frames a second. I have a record of those happy memories but they look shite.

With resolution I'd say "Go big or go home"

There is another option, which is on my Gear Wish List. Its a 360 degree Action Camera. Insta360

https://www.insta360.com/

You mentioned further up the discussion "I enjoy watching my walks back as it relaxes me (I have autism) and I notice things I might not do when on the walk. It might seem very strange to you but it's just what I like to do."

Well with a 360 degree camera, you get the pleasure of watching every angle, including stuff that happened behind you that you never knew was happening.

Also its not that important where you mount the camera because its always going to get something, especially if you fit it to the top of a helmet or hat. You could even attach one to a walking pole. It a great reason I want to buy one.

> I think some kind of action camera would be better though. I would want something waterproof as well just in case it rains.

I used to own a GoPro, and it was great however the company has sat on its laurels and now the crown has moved to the DJI Osmo Action. It ticks all your boxes.

> If I use time lapse, does that use the same amount of battery as a normal video would or because it's just taking photos would it use less?

Timelapses are a subject all of their own. You could film a scene and then speed it up in video editing to create the Timelapse, or you could set the camera up to take thousands of photos and then transfer them to a Video Editor to create a Timelapse. Taking images uses up less battery life and considerably less storage space on the SD Card.

Here is a 4 hour timelapse that I made with a GoPro Hero 5, in November 2016. I set the camera up on a tripod and had it fire off images once a second. For power I connected the camera to a USB power-pack because I did not want the faff of changing batteries and having stuttering in the finished clip. From my hazy memory, I think all the images were captured on a 64Gb card and there was still plenty of space to have. There would be no way that I could have filmed a 4 hour scene with one 64Gb card.

I love making timelapses

youtube.com/watch?v=Bvhkh9t6www&

Edit. Thinking back, I set the GoPro into Timelapse mode. The camera took single images, and at the end created a MP4 movie of it all.

Post edited at 19:51
1
 The Lemming 02 Jan 2020
In reply to AfxTwn:

Here's a review of Osmo Action and GoPro 7

youtube.com/watch?v=vMD8l4487Ps&

 d_b 03 Jan 2020
In reply to Dark-Cloud:

Fwiw I considered getting something similar for long climbs. The idea being that the interesting times are the ones when I'm least likely to take the time to switch on a camera.

In the end I didn't bother as the truth is I'm far too lazy for video editing and the world is full of content that is actually good.

In reply to AfxTwn:

I would vote for a Go Pro. I have owned a couple and they are fairly bomb proof and the Hero 8, which I don't own, is meant to have "next level stabilisation" if you believe the marketing hype. You seem to get the most amount of various mounts etc for the Go Pro including a rucksack type mount: https://www.amazon.co.uk/TELESIN-Backpack-Adjustable-Attachment-Crosstour/d...)

If you are interested in 360 cameras then I would hold off as Insta360 are releasing a new camera on the 7th Jan at CES. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3qWcF49rv8VMZO7Vg6kj5w

Good luck


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