[GrandTourer]

Having experienced more and more close passes and dangerous manoeuvres by car drivers that haven’t seen me I am coming to the conclusion that we need a critical mass of cyclists recording and reporting incidents for drivers to realise that there is a reasonable chance of being prosecuted and therefore improve their behaviour.

So, does anyone know if Devon & Cornwall Police accept video evidence and act upon it or would I be wasting my time investing in recording equipment?

And if they do, what camera(s) would you recommend that won’t break the bank but provide good enough video evidence for potential prosecution?

Thanks,

GT 

Topic

[Secret_squirrel]

My fly6 did that – I found it

My fly6 did that – I found it stopped when I swapped the SD card of all things.

[hawkinspeter]

 

 

I don’t see how it would be successfully challenged if you provide both the raw footage and the post-processed version (for easier viewing). I guess this is largely a moot point as submitted footage is rarely contested in court.

[TheBillder]

I doubt it’s something the

Awavey wrote:

I doubt it’s something the police reviewing this stuff have even thought of yet

What, neither of them?

[Awavey]

I doubt it’s something the
I doubt it’s something the police reviewing this stuff have even thought of yet and the onus on the submission is on you to supply unedited raw footage, at least on the portal I submit on it makes that point clear.

it’s just a point to bear in mind the clever 360 look around stuff that Vine posts on social media involves post processing and editing to produce, and its something that a Mr Loophole would undoubtedly challenge as inadmissable evidence because the raw footage has been manipulated, plus that processing can lead to some optical distortions which may even throw into question how reliably it shows how close a pass really is.

I’d always say analyse the purpose the camera was designed for, and the Insta360 wasnt designed for this use case, even if it seemingly fills the need.

[hawkinspeter]

I’d be surprised if police

I’d be surprised if police can legally refuse to accept 360 footage of a crime just because it’s a different format. Maybe they could insist on getting the raw unprocessed footage if it’s going to court and the evidence is contested, but otherwise I can’t see why they wouldn’t act on a close pass etc (excepting any police force that wtjs may have dealings with).

[Awavey]

I know battery life is an
I know battery life is an issue for the 360 cameras in that it’s not designed as a always on dash cam,its a camera for making youtube, or instagram content, basically video creatives expected to use it in short bursts only to get interesting video,not a at 6pm on a cold rainy winter night after an hours commute to record that one time a car tries to hit you.

Plus I still dont know if the police have decided the 360 processing,counts as editing the raw footage.

[Awavey]

Another vote for Cycliq, I’ve
Another vote for Cycliq, I’ve got a 12CE, it’s not perfect by any means,the lens is easily scratched,it does occasionally tie itself in knots and low light could be better, and yep I’ve broken the handlebar mounting countless times, whilst the universal mount they provide isnt even the right sizing to mate with other mounts.

But it’s still probably the best all round camera for close pass evidence.

I’ve not come across a different camera which I’ve gone damn I wish I had one of those instead

[Mungecrundle]

I have an older Fly 6 and a
I have an older Fly 6 and a Fly 12.

The 6 has been very reliable and despite some issues with water and soft lens scratches it does the job.

The 12 has proved a little flakey to be honest. Sometimes it beeps when you turn it on, sometimes it doesn’t, sometimes it needs a hard reset to turn it off, but most annoying is the mounting which is brittle, expensive to replace and a PITA to swap between bikes, whereas the 6 is an object lesson in functional simplicity with its velcro strap.

I think sometimes, that in chasing new functionality, app conectivity, weight weenie hand wringing, added marketing gimmicks to differentiate new models and accountants skimping on build costs, that manufacturers loose sight of what is actually important in these devices and they actually get worse over time.

Edit: I should add that both these cameras have literally paid for themselves in recovering damages following road traffic collisions. I always cycle with at least the Fly 6 fitted and it is one of the few pieces of kit I would turn back home for if I forgot.

[OnYerBike]

I find it hard to recommend

I find it hard to recommend Cycliq products, given that mine (Fly6 Gen 3) had a habitat of randomly turning off mid-ride and is currently in Australia being “assessed”. Looking through reviews, I really should have seen it coming – a lot of other people report issues with devices randomly failing.

That said, the principal is sound and when it’s working it’s a great product – long battery life, reasonable quality video etc.

I have no personal experience, but Drift Ghost cameras are frequently recommended. They don’t have the dual-purpose of built in lights but as cameras they seem to be sensible, and have long battery lives too (some models at least).

GoPro is probably the gold standard when it comes to video quality, but they are expensive and don’t have a very long battery life (~1.5 hours).

ApeMan cameras are essentially knock-off GoPros – I think they generally work pretty well (if not quite as high quality video as the real deal) but have comparably short battery life. Cheaper though.

[hawkinspeter]

Another vote for Cycliqs

Another vote for Cycliqs front and rear. What I find essential is that they delete the oldest the recordings to make room for new ones, so you don’t have to manually clear them down – just keep them charged up before rides.

I wish there was some decent competition for Cycliq as they’re not so good in low light conditions and they’re quite expensive, but at the moment they seem to be the best bet.

I do love the 360 footage that Jeremy Vines gets from his Insta360 camera, but I heard from someone here that it’s not that great as a bike cam. I’d like to see a decent review of one for use as a bike cam.

[Rakkor]

Re: Cameras – I run Cycliqs

Re: Cameras – I run Cycliqs front and back – Not cheap, but good image quality and a good battery life 4-5 hours – I have used cheap Amazon no-name 4k cameras in the past but 45 mins battery life was no good for my commute.

[Author]

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