Onboard cameras give a new dimension to outdoor disciplines and particularly to cycling! Having become indispensable, action cameras or "action cams" are an excellent way to capture your best memories and share your outings with friends and the world.
Manufacturers now offer models perfectly suited for use in difficult conditions. Even off-road, technologies such as built-in image stabilisation or advanced wind noise reduction deliver spectacular results.
Features of onboard cameras
- Image quality: resolution in video and photo mode, frames per second, viewing angle, sensitivity, lens precision, file compression
- Shooting aids: stabilisation, shooting modes
- Protection against the elements: protective housing, waterproofing and impact resistance
- Ease of use: battery life, menu settings, screen, recording media, connections, connectivity
- Mounting systems: adhesive, clamps, clips
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT ACTION CAMERAS
Image quality
Resolution
Expressing the number of pixels contained in the final image, resolution has evolved greatly in recent years. "Full HD", which offers an image of 1920x1080 pixels — more than 2 million pixels in total — is currently the most widely used standard, even though 4K, which quadruples the number of pixels, is rapidly growing. Cameras also feature a photo mode in addition to video, which can reach up to 12 million pixels. This resolution allows images to be cropped or large-format prints to be made without any loss of quality.
Frames per second
In cinema, the historical standard is to display 24 frames per second. For greater fluidity, manufacturers of digital cameras now offer 30 frames per second (fps) and sometimes even 60. The immersion is then even more realistic and striking. Manufacturers have also worked extensively on slow-motion functions. Some models can thus record hundreds of frames per second for an incredible result, since the more frames you record, the slower and therefore more spectacular the slow motion can be.
Viewing angle
Onboard cameras use very wide viewing angles, up to 170°, with several settings to choose from. This very wide field allows you to miss nothing of the action and to include various elements in the frame, such as the bike's cockpit. The result: a more intense immersion and greater depth. A wide viewing angle also has the advantage of offering naturally far better stabilisation than with a tight focal length, such as a telephoto lens. Finally, it allows perfect focus from the foreground to the background, with no element left blurred.
Sensitivity
Action cameras feature small sensors, designed primarily to deliver optimal image quality in daylight. When light levels drop, the gain can be increased, automatically or manually, to maintain a well-exposed image.
Lens precision
The quality of an image depends on the digital sensor and also on the quality of the lenses. Manufacturers today use various lens coatings, as well as very precise machining processes, to guarantee the greatest possible sharpness..
File compression
Action cameras offer various options. Lightweight recording formats allow you to avoid filling up your hard drive whilst maintaining good quality. Raw formats require more storage space but give filmmakers, both professional and amateur, great latitude at the post-processing stage: colours and contrast can be worked on with precision.
Shooting aids
Stabilisation
During your onboard filming sessions, the many vibrations can ruin your footage! Action camera designers sometimes use a very effective solution: image stabilisation built into the camera. The result: a very stable film, free from defects and without the risk of making your viewers feel sick!
Shooting modes
Video, slow-motion video, photo, burst shooting, self-timer… Cameras offer you all recording possibilities.
Protection against the elements
Impact resistance
Action cameras are often supplied with a protective housing. This housing serves both as a mechanical barrier against impacts and scratches, and ensures the camera's waterproofing. Some cameras are directly built with a rugged shell and can make do with a lighter protective case.
Whatever the case, action cameras have the advantage of being compact, with very few fragile internal components. These internal components are assembled so that they do not move. The lightness of the cameras combined with the outer protection means that in the event of an impact, the forces applied are well absorbed and less likely to cause damage than in a conventional device. Under normal use, excluding severe impacts or falls of several metres, cameras prove to be highly durable.
Waterproofing
It is not uncommon to find models certified water-resistant to depths of up to 10 metres without a specific housing.
Ease of use
Battery life
To save space and improve efficiency, manufacturers most often offer specific batteries to power the camera. Battery life depends on usage (continuous video recording requires far more energy than taking photos, for example) but generally reaches several hours.
Menu settings
A small camera does not mean limited options! Everything is adjustable: image format, shooting mode, colour or contrast options, audio and visual signals, etc. It is possible to adapt the camera to your preferences, for intuitive use.
Connectivity
Wi-Fi or Bluetooth compatibility makes it easier to share files, configure settings and operate the camera remotely, most often via a smartphone through intuitive apps that largely compensate for the absence of a screen on the camera itself, sometimes with the help of a remote control.
Recording media
Cameras most often record in .MOV or .MP4 format, and use SD or micro-SD cards to store this large amount of data. Class 10 cards are fast enough to handle Full HD or 4K video: the higher the write speed indicated on the card (for example: 90MB/s), the greater your chances of obtaining smooth and complete recordings, without dropped frames or stuttering.
Connections
Most cameras can connect via a USB cable to a computer, to transfer images or charge the battery. If an HDMI input is present, images can be viewed directly on a television.
The screen
Action cameras are small and most often do without a display screen. This is not necessarily a drawback: a screen consumes a great deal of energy and reduces battery life. A small black-and-white screen is most often present for making adjustments.
On the other hand, a screen is very useful if you regularly wish to use your camera as a still camera. Some models even offer a touchscreen for an extremely intuitive experience.
Mounting systems
Without well-designed mounting systems, an action camera is unusable!
Adhesive mounts
Easy to implement, they do not damage the surface (such as the paint on a helmet) and offer excellent resistance. They also have the advantage of being very lightweight and inexpensive, whilst being able to adapt to slightly curved surfaces.
Clamp mounts
To mount a camera on handlebars or on the frame, a clamp system is an excellent solution. The camera stays firmly in place and can even be fitted on a small articulated arm, to adjust the framing with precision.
Clip mounts
When it is not possible to attach an adhesive mount, straps fastened with a clip are an interesting alternative. On the same principle, a harness allows the camera to be placed at chest level, offering interesting viewpoints.
Which camera to choose?
Rest assured: today, all cameras on the market offer a high level of image quality! Some will suit you better than others in use, depending on your needs, but the result is rarely disappointing.
To make the right choice, start by determining where you most often want to mount the camera: on the helmet, the chest, the handlebars, the bike frame, or even the fork? Cameras are often supplied with a few basic mounts, such as adhesive pads, but make sure you can find the mount suited to your handlebars, for example.
Depending on your discipline, size and weight may be of particular importance. For road cycling, it is in your interest to choose the lightest model possible. Even mounted on your helmet, the camera will go unnoticed. For mountain biking and outings in difficult conditions, focus on robustness and the use of a waterproof protective housing.
For off-road use, also make sure to favour a model with image stabilisation, to reduce or eliminate vibrations visible on screen.
If your goal is to film entire outings, do not forget that the small size of action cameras does not allow them to carry large batteries. Battery life is often limited to 2 or 3 hours! Purchasing a second battery and/or a fast charger may therefore prove very useful.
On the memory side, the same logic applies: Full HD or 4K video files are large. Bring several memory cards on a long outing. Be careful, however, not to film too much, at the risk of getting lost at the editing stage or ending up with a large quantity of uninteresting footage.
A 64 GB memory card can store an average of 6 to 8 hours of Full HD video. Spreading your recordings across several memory cards has another advantage: in the event of loss or failure of one of the cards, you will not have lost everything.
Whatever your filmmaking ambitions, choose a model that is at least Full HD, with a frequency of 60 frames per second for excellent fluidity.
Finally, if you wish to edit your footage, you will use specific software. Make sure that this software and your computer configuration are capable of reading and processing the video formats offered by the camera. Converting rushes before beginning the edit is a lengthy, tedious and resource-intensive operation, even if manufacturers have greatly simplified this process, notably through applications offering automatic editing — admittedly relatively basic, but which will allow you to spend more time on the bike than editing your videos!
