Photograghy on a bike

[husky385_imp]

I am interested in what makes and models of cameras used for on bike photography. Especially ones you carry for quick pics and how you manipulate the shutter with your left hand.
Thanks
Kevin

 

[ride4now_imp]

Right now I just have a Nikon Cool Pix L20, point and shoot, on a lanyard that I hang around my neck. I got the idea from The Ferret who takes a lot of cool pictures that way. The camera is always available unlike my iPhone which is hard to use since its in my pocket and doesn't work very well with gloves. If you try it, and try to take pictures while rolling, BE CAREFUL as it does take a bit of getting used to. You just turn it on, point it, and shoot. You get alot of bad shots, but that's the beauty of digital since you can just delete them. I'm thinking of upgrading to a waterproof camera... but will probably just continue to use this one until it wears out as it does a good job.

 

[nvbobr_imp]

I use a small camera (Canon Power Shot ELPH 320HS) which requires me to remove my right glove, which I sit on, and ride with my throttle lock engaged, snapping with the right hand. I use this camera because it is the one I own, not counting my smart phone. There are safer alternatives, I'm sure. Make sure you wear your protective gear (except the one glove).

 

[Cormanus]

I use a Nikon Coolpix. It
's probably too good a camera for this job, but I had it so why buy another? Some technique as ride4now and the mighty Ferret. It can be hard to turn on wearing winter gloves and I intend to glue a small nut onto the on/off button one of these days. I take a lot of awful shots and score the odd OK one.

 

[redbirds_imp]

I've got a "ferret" camera, a Fujifilm FinePix XP90. Waterproof and easy to use one-handed.

 

[husky385_imp]

I see that it will be hard getting good pics with the left hand and with gloves, unless you are The Ferret with untold Millennia of practice.
I'm trying figure out what cheep camera that has the best ergonomics for doing this.
Kevin

 

[Roper_imp]

The new GoPro Hero4 cameras are 4K, which means that you can pull decent stills out of the video. You get an 8 mpx still which is more than enough for the web and can make decent prints up to 8x10. Mount the camera wherever, turn on the video, ride for a bit, then turn it off. Extract the still image later. Plus you have the video. Plus it's waterproof. Plus there are a zillion kinds of mounts for it. Plus you can keep both hands on the bars

The Sony RX100 mark 4 can do amazing super slo-mo, which would be interesting for some rides. It also has good still extraction. And it's small. But it's $900.

 

[husky385_imp]

Thanks redbirds I've had 2 fugifilm cameras in the past and liked them.
Kevin

 

[emptysea]

Mine's a Canon sure shot, I think. It's pink. LOL. It's my daughter's old point and shoot. And I too, use the Ferret's "infinite number of monkeys" technique.

If you're buying a new one, I'd look for one with the biggest on/off switch you can find. I do not have to remove my glove to shoot, but it's a bit of a struggle to turn it on. I had a Sony that was easier, but Tropical Storm Bill pis*ed on it.

 

[kennyw]

There is also a gopro knock off for $53 that is nearly as good as the name brand. I plan to get a good helmet mount for it. It didn't do well mounted to my windshield due to too much vibration. But the quality is very good. The reviews are good as well.

DBPOWER Waterproof Action Camera 12MP 1080P HD with 2 Batteries and Free Accessories Kit (Black) Amazon.com

 

[the Ferret]

I have been taking riding shots for almost 40 years, hundreds of thousands of them, the oldest riding shot I know I have is a pic of my brother on the way to Florida on our bikes in 1977.Think I have it down to a science now. Couple of things... point and shoot cameras are great these days, simple and nearly idiot proof..and cheap. My camera cost maybe $50 and I have been using it for years. Hard to take a bad pic with one. But like ride4now said they are digital now so if you missed the subject, it's blurry, or you just don't like it, just delete it after it's down loaded. I have done both aa battery models and rechargable battery models. I currently use a rechargable with a spare battery. Always have a charged battery ready to go in when you get the low battery symbol. I would suggest getting a camera that's waterproof to a certain degree and with the lens in the middle of the camera body and the on off and shutter button on top. My current camera (a gift from my wife) has the lens up in one of the corners (see sellfie pic) and I keep getting my gloved baby finger in the pic. Delete!.

Hang the camera on a lanyard in front of your stomach, but not long enough to ding your tank. I run a tank bag nearly every ride and often lay my camera on my tank bag. With a point and shoot all you have to do is turn it on with one finger, point it toward the subject and hit the shutter button with another finger. You can then either turn it off or drop it and let the lanyard catch it and the camera will shut itself off after a bit. as far as keeping both hands on the bars, it's no biggie I ride a lot with one hand. Sometimes it's lifting or shutting my helmet visor, or removing a dead bug that just smashed in my field of view on my face shield, sometimes it's just resting on my thigh, sometimes I am pointing at something for my wife or a riding companions to see, and sometimes I am waving at a fellow biker as he passes. There are all kinds of reasons for taking a hand off the handlebars and taking pics is one of them for me. I have never had a scary moment from taking a pic while riding. I ride every day and I take pics every day. You will not see me without my camera hanging around my neck. Having a camera around the neck also means it's there for those shots when you are stopped.

If you want to try it, practice turning on and off the camera and hitting the shutter button at home. It is second nature for me, like hitting the horn or cancelling the turn signals or hitting the high beam switch. And practice your first shots out in the country on a straight road with nothing around. Don't take your first pics while lane splitting in Cali lol.

Blue camera hanging on lanyard around my neck



taking a pic on the fly

[url=http://smg.photobucket.com/user/theferret111/media/image_zpsbjz6agnk.jpeg.html]

taking a pic of oncoming riders and my riding companions in front of me

[url=http://smg.photobucket.com/user/theferret111/media/Mens%20Fall%20Trip%20N.C.%202015%20068_zpsrbu5mjry.jpg.html]

my riding companions taken over the shoulder

[url=http://smg.photobucket.com/user/theferret111/media/Mens%20Fall%20Trip%20N.C.%202015%20089_zpsp6obfpnq.jpg.html]

portraits of riding companions (this one my son)

[url=http://smg.photobucket.com/user/theferret111/media/DSCF2465_zpsa0j87rst.jpg.html]

Cool scenery

[url=http://smg.photobucket.com/user/theferret111/media/Mens%20Fall%20Trip%20N.C.%202015%20108_zpsmbyqmwr3.jpg.html]

left mirror shot of companions following

[url=http://smg.photobucket.com/user/theferret111/media/Mens%20Fall%20Trip%20N.C.%202015%20215_zpsqpdgvreo.jpg.html]

right mirror shot of same

[url=http://smg.photobucket.com/user/theferret111/media/DSCF2458_zpsf8ah5rzw.jpg.html]

cool atmospheric conditions seen while riding

[url=http://smg.photobucket.com/user/theferret111/media/ST%20ride%20March%201%202016%20001_zpsb7e0ptte.jpg.html]

artistic kind of shots

[url=http://smg.photobucket.com/user/theferret111/media/CBride%20Feb%2029%202016%20003_zps9ipjllpk.jpg.html]

[url=http://smg.photobucket.com/user/theferret111/media/Christmas%20eve%202015%20CB%20and%20ST%20rides%20017_zps7m82ld5e.jpg.html]

unusual angles (I think it was Cormanus or Empty Sea that showed me this technique?)

[url=http://smg.photobucket.com/user/theferret111/media/CB%20ride%20Feb%203%202016%20032_zps8hki0uch.jpg.html]

a selfie

[url=http://smg.photobucket.com/user/theferret111/media/CB%20ride%20Feb%203%202016%20012_zpswdjsvwo9.jpg.html]

Candid shot at a stop while putting on rain gear

[url=http://smg.photobucket.com/user/theferret111/media/Mens%20Fall%20Trip%20N.C.%202015%20409_zpse89xijof.jpg.html]



Documenting rides is not only fun, but I love going back thru albums and looking at all the pics, places I've been, people I've been with, meals I've eaten, conditions I have ridden in. 600 pics in a week of riding vacation is not unusual for me. 1,000 a week when I went to Europe or out west.

 

[Cormanus]

Unfortunately, you can't see the camera in this shot of the Ferret underway.


It was MTC who came up with the clever low-down camera angle.

 

[husky385_imp]

Thanks so far gentlemen, you are giving me a lot of info on what I should be looking for in a camera and the tips on how to do it. Chime in anybody that does pics on the fly.
Video may come later.
Kevin

 

[the Ferret]

BTW the Blue Ridge Parkway is an excellent place to practice taking pics. Lots of scenery, not much traffic, 45 mph speed limit, no cross streets or stop lights or driveways, some of the shots taken above were from a trip to the BRP last year.

 

[husky385_imp]

BTW the Blue Ridge Parkway is an excellent place to practice taking pics. Lots of scenery, not much traffic, 45 mph speed limit, no cross streets or stop lights or driveways, some of the shots taken above were from a trip to the BRP last year.

Just for general info the BRP would be a little out of my way since I live on the west coast thanks any way.
Kevin

 

[flynrider]

I just got a Canon Powershot ELPH 360 to replace my old Canon lanyard cam that was stolen last year. I've used it on a couple of rides and it works very well for me. It's got a nice big shutter button on top that makes it easy to snap a photo (or several) without having to look at what you're doing. My old one had a large power on/off button next to the shutter button and I often inadvertently turned off the camera instead of taking a pic. The new ELPH still has a power button in that location, but it's very small and not easy to push by mistake.

One of the features that comes in really handy is the high speed burst mode. Hold down the shutter and it takes 2.5 shots per second (one of which should be good ).

I picked the ELPH 360 because it has a 12X optical zoom, which comes in handy when taking photos from my plane. If you're going to use it strictly for shooting from the bike, one of the less expensive ones with a lower zoom capability might be more suitable.

 

[Roper_imp]

If there was a way to program a drone with a camera to follow you and take photos...

 

[kmoney_imp]

If there was a way to program a drone with a camera to follow you and take photos...

I've seen guys try this effect with a selfie stick. Totally not the same, but can produce some interesting photos/angles.

On Revzilla, some of the bike reviews are shot by one guy and a Gopro stuck to the end of one.

 

[TINK_imp]

I've always favored Nikon...

 

[rboe]

I have a Nikon Coolpix but frankly, the iPhone 6+ does such a good job that unless I need the resolution of my Pentax DSLR I just use the phone. It's crazy how good phone cameras have become. I did not see that coming.