How to get the most out of your motorcycle action camera

You have a list of your favourite motorbike writers and YouTubers, right? Men like Zack, Ari, and Spurgeon? Well, none of them are motorcycle riders. Really not, at least. They’re really just a bunch of gorgeous (mostly bearded) faces that the RevZilla video crew, the true stars of this whole operation, pulled out of the shadows and made seem quick, skilled, and informed. That’s what I like to tell myself, at least.

In actuality, those people might be adept at using two wheels to go around, but I think we can all agree that a strategically positioned camera is essential to enhancing the appearance of your motorbike journey. And given that the majority of people have riding film that is egregiously bad, today we’re going to look at the easy methods I employ to get the best-looking photographs from an action camera, regardless of riding ability.

Fine-tuning the settings on your motorcycle camera

The right camera settings for your circumstances are the first step in the process. Sharpness of the picture is affected by factors including resolution, frame rate, shutter speed, white balance, and field of vision, as well as brightness, colour, perspective, and motion blur. These are the manual settings I use on an action camera in order to obtain the greatest image quality, while you can leave your camera in automatic mode (which frequently works fairly well):

• Resolution: Choosing the greatest resolution at which your Best Action Camera can capture video depends on the camera in question, but as a general guideline, choose that setting. Typically, an action camera indicates 4K. (3840 x 2160). Just bear in mind that something like 4K recording may sometimes make it more challenging to edit or play back on a computer and will eat up more memory and drain a battery more quickly.

• Frame rate: The typical rule is to record at least 60 frames per second (FPS) for slow motion and at least 24 FPS for regular speed. However, the best slow motion effects don’t appear until at least 120 frames per second (FPS), and occasionally lowering the quality is necessary while filming at a higher frame rate. Some claim that recording at 60 frames per second and replaying it in real time improves the quality of the image, but I don’t like the artifically smooth effect this produces, and I’m not sure it’s useful for many things outside broadcast sports and video games.

• Shutter speed: Choosing the proper setting is, in my opinion, the single largest method to enhance riding footage since it controls motion blur in your image. The standard recommendation for shutter speed is to twice the frame rate. Therefore, a 1/48 shutter speed would be used for conventional 24 FPS filming. Nevertheless, I discover that shutter speeds between 1/60 and 1/96 are frequently more useful since they prevent the sickening amount of motion blur that may be brought on by excessive movement on a bike. Using an ND filter is the only method to utilise this setting on an action camera in broad daylight without overexposing your image.

• The major secret here is the white balance. Activate auto white balance. Technically, you may set it to specific settings that correspond to various lighting conditions (such 5500K for daylight), but I find that the lighting on a motorbike changes so quickly that letting the camera make those adjustments is nearly often the best strategy for getting true colours. While some cameras are better than others at doing this, my experience with GoPro has been excellent.

• Field of vision: Choosing a view that is too limited is the most frequent error here. The FOV simulates the viewpoint of human vision by making objects appear to move quicker and closer. There are times when I want to zoom in on a particular feature, which necessitates a narrower FOV, but I generally find that going as wide as possible produces the greatest results. When we shoot Daily Rider, we use the broadest angle we can.

How to mount your motorcycle camera

Depending on your goals, you’ll need to decide where to set your motorbike camera. Do you wish to photograph a mountain pass’s scenery? Do you want to record a track day so you may watch it later to practise your lines or to wow your friends? Before going off, it’s crucial to give the job some real thought because what works for one person may not work for another.

In my experience, the most effective camera positions around a bike include:

• Cameras: on the front and sides of the helmet, with the field of view as broad as feasible, are what I desire to have. These vantage points, in my opinion, are ideal for bringing the audience along for the ride because they let us to see precisely what the rider sees. Do not, under any circumstances, place the camera on your helmet. It has an odd point of view, slows things down, and stops you from sporting the outrageous helmet mohawk you so well deserve.
• Gas tank: A big, wind-sheltered metal surface is generally a fantastic spot to instal a camera. For hot laps around a race course, I like to stick an adhesive attachment directly to the tank since it clearly records the rider’s speed and line choice. You may also turn the camera so that it is facing the rider, although depending on the bike, you might only be able to see the rider’s nostrils. If that’s your thing, there’s no criticism.
• Handlebar: In my opinion, this is the ideal spot for a camera facing the cyclist. Sport bikes with clip-ons might be somewhat challenging, but with the proper mounting hardware (see below), you can often fasten the camera to any handlebar for a stable and wind-protected location. If this isn’t a possibility, you might also attempt sticking an adhesive mount directly to the instrument cluster’s surface, although that will probably obscure your view of whatever is shown there.
• Different: bikes come with a variety of mounting choices, while others are smooth, mount-less machines designed to fly through the air with no resistance. If your bike is completely faired but you still want to get some different angles, you can clamp to a passenger peg or a fork tube or just attach an adhesive mount wherever anything interesting is being captured. There are often several mounting options available for cruisers and ADV bikes. You can try using crash bars, panniers, and baggage racks, to name a few.

Conclusion

The way the world perceives motorcycles has practically altered thanks to action cams. Anyone may enter the cockpit of a MotoGP racer, a globetrotter, or simply a casual Daily Rider with a few keystrokes on a computer. However, with immense power comes great duty to record footage that is meaningful. Nothing is worse than capturing the ride of a lifetime only to find out that the camera was aimed upward or detached itself from the bike before you even left the parking lot.

These advice on getting better footage is only a beginning point; if you have anything else that suits your needs or preferences, stay at it. Beyond any camera setting, location, or attachment, the most crucial thing to keep in mind is that the person who presses the record button is the true star of any motorcycle film.