Near Miss of the Day 479: Midnight commute close pass (video includes swearing)

The Cycliq lights ought to be able to synchronise the camera and light to capture a few frames each second with the light momentarily off for the single frame. Our eyes would hardly notice the flicker, if at all.

I don't know the Cycliq, but the Hero 7 Black and very bright Aldi front flashing setup will do me. I've utilised an old laptop for the rubbish software, and it is hardly ever updated so I can still utilise the good hardware to enable GPS on the images . Updating is what kills off GoPro Quik.

Light is polarised when the angle between refracted and reflected rays is 90 degrees. I understood the problem here was reflection of the bikes own light, so there might be little or no polarisation. But I'm going to have to go and find out now!

Sriracha wrote:

Light is polarised when the angle between refracted and reflected rays is 90 degrees. I understood the problem here was reflection of the bikes own light, so there might be little or no polarisation. But I'm going to have to go and find out now!

I think it would do something. I guess if you put a filter over the light and then one over the camera, then that might block nearly all the reflected light.

But how much that would reduce the overall light for illumiation or how it might affect the camera image I couldn't say for sure. I'm tempted to just order something and give it a go - but might turn out rubbish like the 'bear bell'!

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B015EK1DXI/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_f1BGFbWV0CWNJ

Yeah hard to know what to do when your front light reflects straight back into your camera, sigh

Nasty bit of driving.

It's not going to be easy to pick up a license plate in the dark, but there are a couple of things to try:

- experiment with different resolution / FPS settings (if it's the Fly12CE, then there's a 30fps mode which is high-dynamic range, that should do a much better job in the dark)

- try a strobe/flash on the cycliq light, this varies the light level quicker than the camera exposure can adapt, so you might catch a frame that doesn't have the number plate over-exposed

 try a strobe/flash on the cycliq light, this varies the light level quicker than the camera exposure can adapt, so you might catch a frame that doesn't have the number plate over-exposed

The flashing front light is the answer on GoPro as well. Although GoPro cannot be recommended for cyclists now because of the widespread and years long PC software failure, if you already have one and can get the software to work it does a good job combined with an Aldi flashing front light which is dirt cheap. Unless it's raining as well, you always get the plate on one of the frames at 50 fps/FHD

but neither do your eyes adapt quick enough, on a pitch black road its actually quite scary to ride with a strobe light, youd want a steady light, if theres street lighting strobing is fine, but thats not to say cant have both but youd potentially have the same problem with the reflection still.

Though Ive never seen as a general problem with using the cycliq light,that it blows the number plate out like that through reflection, it often feels to me the light isnt powerful enough, or the sensor isnt sensitive enough when its dark, as you find you catch the plate the best at the moment its just fractionally ahead of your front wheel and still not directly ahead of you, by the time the vehicle has got back in front of you its too far ahead of you usually, and depending on the speed of the vehicle as well, the quicker the vehicle goes past you, especially in the dark the less likely you are to catch a frame of it.

but Ive complained for years that  "action" cameras for cycling close pass use like this really do let you down in the dark and Im surprised there arent more online guides to the best setups and settings to use.

Awavey wrote:

but neither do your eyes adapt quick enough,

I agree. I don't use a front flash at night. A pulsing light (or one steady pointed down at road and one flashing pointed up) is only just acceptable for me, but generally I run a solid front light.

Where I find the flashing does help is on the rear. I have a solid LED to help drivers with closing distance estimation and a flasher to wake them up / assist with plate capture on the Fly6.

Front and rear cameras gives you 2 shots at getting the number plate.

If your camera has an exposure setting ("EV", "Exposure Compensation") you could try playing around with that.

I used to own a camcorder with a night vision (infrared) mode, not sure if there are any action cameras that will do that.

+1 for front and rear cameras. However, I can never seem to keep the clocks synced on mine and they're both made by Cycliq, which always makes me pause when completing the close-pass portal info - "Is the time and date shown correct?" Well, yes and no.

Rear camera would probably have been blinded out by the headlights. And strobing on a pitch black road when it appears to be their only light might not be a good idea either. 

There is an argument that having only a flashing rear light in the dark could make it harder to judge closing speeds so in the dark either more then one light or just full on is probably safer from both sides. 

but doesnt Einsteins theory of special relativity account for that ?...it being impossible to say that events occur at the same time to different observers if they are separated in space

Awavey wrote:

but doesnt Einsteins theory of special relativity account for that ?...it being impossible to say that events occur at the same time to different observers if they are separated in space

Does that mean that I cycle at relativistic speeds?

Infrared would be as over exposed as well wouldn't it once the lights hit it, or have I seen too many action movies. 

AlsoSomniloquism wrote:

Infrared would be as over exposed as well wouldn't it once the lights hit it, or have I seen too many action movies. 

Too many action movies! There's usually a dedicated camera for IR capture, which has optical filters to cut-out any other light apart from the illuminator. This is what you see on the roof of police traffic cars, bit heavy for the bike though...

https://www.petards.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Mini_Hawk_2i_datashee...

Looks like you can buy a GoPro that has been modified for IR. They're used for agriculture and ghosthunting (?!?).

https://stuntcams.com/gopro-hero-5-6-black-modified-lens-ir-camera-infra...

Not cheap, and you'd need an IR source.

Not sure how easy it is to get a GoPro apart, but if you had an old one, you could convert it yourself. It's just a case of removing the IR-cut filter.

https://youtu.be/_288yeSB1G4

You would also need a filter that only passed the wavelength of your IR illuminator, or the lights from the bike/car would still wash-out the plate.