Viewing 11 posts - 1 through 11 (of 11 total)
  • Sony HDR-AS200VB action cam – is this a good deal/buy?
  • somafunk
    Full Member

    I’ve been looking at action cams lately and This Sony HDR-AS200VB Action Camera with Live View Remote and Bike Kit seems a good deal for under £200 seeing as it has all the add-ons i’d need.

    I’ve tried a mates go-pro silver (the new one with a screen) on my handlebars but the video was pretty shaky/jittery and quite unwatchable – I don’t like the idea of riding with a camera stuck to my helmet no matter how quickly it’d break off. With a handlebar mount/bike mount in mind the Sony above has very good image stabilisation (according to reviews i’ve read anyway) along with an excellent mic that reduces wind noise and it has pretty decent battery life of around two hours whilst a spare battery can be had for less than £15 – apparently the interface/controls can be quite convoluted and fiddly to set-up but that doesn’t bother me.

    The live view wrist thingy could be good for quick viewing and control.

    Anyone got anything to add ?

    Cheers,

    mikewsmith
    Free Member

    Anyone got anything to add ?

    I mostly find the bar mounted footage about the worst of all the options. Either doesn’t convey it or is too shakey/lacking perspective that it’s hard to watch. Chest Mount was my favourite until the go pro 3/4 with the very wide angles appeared and made helmet work well.

    scotroutes
    Full Member

    The bar mount option is, basically, pants on anything approaching rough terrain – even with Sony image stabilisation.

    [video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LcsHkJn6BpY[/video]

    You need to go for chest or shoulder mount for a decent perspective and to allow your body to do some motion damping. That being the case, the Sony form factor isn’t the best option. Better to go for a Go Pro or the newer Garmin Virb.

    The other thing is that there are loads of cheap mounts available for the Go Pro range. The Sony cams just aren’t as well supported and the basic stick-mounts don’t even give you a swivel angle option in order to adjust where it’s pointing once it’s been stuck on.

    I have a Sony AS30. It’s nice but I think it’s just a fact that Go Pro is so well supported it makes sense to go down that route and is what I’d do next if I decide to upgrade.

    The Live View gadget looks OK but you can do much the same with an App on your phone.

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    timmys
    Full Member

    Image stabilisation isn’t going to cure the type of movement you get from a bar mount on rough terrain. Helmet footage makes 99% of riding look pathetic. Chest mount is really the best option by a big margin. Hence why cameras with the form factor to work chest mounted are the best option (and probably why Sonys, Garmins etc. always seem to be hugely discounted).

    somafunk
    Full Member

    Hmm, cheers for the feedback….. Gonna sleep on it tonight and decide tmorn

    poah
    Free Member

    don’t bother with sony. the IQ is good but the camera shape, mount and case suck. It steams up very quickly, the standard sony attachment is unsafe IMO I would hate to crash with it and you can reall only use it as a helmet mount due to its shape. imagine crashing with that on your chest. I have an AS30V BTW

    colournoise
    Full Member

    Never had an issue with the Sony chest mounted. Looks a bit odd but other than that it’s fine.

    In terms of mounting, remember the Sony has a standard camera mount so all manner of mounts can be used.

    Alphabet
    Full Member

    I’ve just bought an SJCam 4000+. It features a gyro for image stabilisation and uses the Gopro mounting system so lots of options. It’s also less than half the price of the Sony. I haven’t used it properly yet as I bought it for a ski holiday next week but my first impressions of it are positive.

    poah
    Free Member

    Never had an issue with the Sony chest mounted. Looks a bit odd but other than that it’s fine.

    In terms of mounting, remember the Sony has a standard camera mount so all manner of mounts can be used.

    I’ve used the chest mount too but like I said it would be pretty sore in a crash compared to a gopro and I also use a gopro mount on the helmet but I had to buy that extra.

    somafunk
    Full Member

    Well in true STW fashion of Ask a question and disregard all “gratefully” received feed back as i kind-of made my mind up last night but still thought i’d better sleep on it and make a decision in the morning without the aid of whisky…………..

    I bought the sony 😳 , yeah i know you are all thinking What’s the fking point of replying if the forum user doesn’t listen but i did listen – you put genuine doubts in my feeble mind so i’ve read loads of comparison/user reviews and watched countless youtube reviews. I decided the sony won out in the end as the image quality and colour saturation (mtbr review) seems to be better/more life like, the go-pro is good but it benefits from additional post editing and fiddling which is something i’m unlikely to do and i did not get on with my mates Gopro silver, the image stabilistation does seem to work better than the gopro for reducing jitter and shake. The sony comes with the camera wrist mount which means i don’t have to faff with my phone which is a bonus. I saw a review on youtube where someone had mounted it to the side of their Scott Stego helmet (same as i own) and the video was really good quality as was the handlebar mount video – there are a few options for chest mounting including a neat clip that attaches to the chest strap or shoulder strap of a hydration pack (but i can’t find it – will search later).

    And finally the price was almost too good to refuse, if it was recommended at the original price of £300 plus an additional £100odd for the wrist thingy compared to the go pro silver then at £200 all in for everything it must be a bargain, or it could mean that i’ve just bought a dead pup of a device.

    I’m an idiot disclaimer : expect to see it on the classifieds in a months time for £100 🙁 as i save up for the Go-Pro Hero silver

    Sorry……I will never ask for advice again……….at least until the next time anyway 😉

    Dibbs
    Free Member

    I always thought the Sony would work well mounted on the side of a helmet to give a line of sight view.

Viewing 11 posts - 1 through 11 (of 11 total)

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