[Closed] making short bike movies with a compact digital?

Sounds fine spec wise and most cameras with auto adjust for light expose - so suck it an see my friend 😉 Tripod is good - i.e. gorilla pod but mayeb issues with portablilty or else a tree stump/rock 🙂

will be fine. good even 🙂

I started a little project myself at the weekend (Lumix ZX3 in HD mode) 720p, 30fps is good quality, beware that the file size is pretty large so hope you've got a big memory card (for me, 16Gb = 70mins). I edited in Premiere Elements, exported as a WMV file and the result looks good, even when streamed to my 40" TV.

My Lumix coped well with completely shady trails (middle of dense forest, cloudy day), it auto-compensated and the footage looked good. I think the biggest difficulty would be areas of high contrast e.g. sun shining through tree cover.

Excellent, cheers guys.

I'm only planning on doing short sections of singletrack at a time, so my memory card should be sufficient.

I'm already fairly well practiced with the gorilla-pod, and the trails I want to play with are all in the trees so I should have plenty of camera angles to play with.

I'm hoping the Canon software lets you edit, I only really need to cut/stitch little sections, maybe get fancy with the soundtrack (Tropidelico anyone? 😀 )

On my way to work this morning (which was mostly off-road and included Pentlands trails like Pistachio and Poets Glen) I took my compact camera (just a little Ixus) and a little tripod to take some video. The bits I filmed were in shady trails mostly and the expose settings seemed to compensate ok.

The footage was pretty weak though as, unlike the the Go-Pro chest-cam I normally use, it didn't give much of an impression of speed etc.

I'm really tempted to try this.

I'm still figuring out a way to secure my Canon 7D,some sort of chest harness seems best.

How would you secure the camera with the Gorilla Pod ? On your bars ? Top tube ?
I think it looks good to include some part of the bike in the frame alternatively up close behind a fast rider.

If anyone has any good examples up on Youtube etc. lets see them !

Hmm... I didn't want to mount the camera on the bike as I don't always think thats the best way to show the trail.

I'd imagined using the gorillapod to 'hang' the camera from branches above/trees beside the trail in an attempt to show the features of the trails best.

They're my favourite trails so I'd hope to look quick on them, Epic, do you think the camera angle might affect that?

camera angle won't really affect the speed much, but what will help is once you set up the camera, go back further than you think so you are easily up to speed by the time you get into view, its tiring work all the running back and forward but can look good.

Haha, I'm on a singlespeed so I just need to get far enough back that the camera doesn't pick up the frantic thrashing at the pedals as I accelerate.

[url=

test with Canon IXUS[/url]

Just did a very quick edit of the clips and uploaded the (very short at 19 seconds) results to Youtube.

This video with the Go-Pro has some of the same trails in it for comparison:

[url=

Pro commute video[/url]

Thanks Steve, thats a good wee side by side.

I sort of confirms what I wanted though, the IXUS on the tripod gives you more of the character of the trail, but it looks like it definitely needs elevated!

I've got a lightweight full-size tripod I sometimes take on the bike for night shots etc. so might take that one morning and try again with a better range of heights. I had thought the low shots would be more dramatic that they turned out to be.

Dave at Orange made a couple of really nice ones, have a look on the site or youtube.

Epic, I think you need to be drifting sideways and throwing gravel at the camera for dramatic low shots! I was thinking higher shots just to 'see' more of the trail at any one time. Trying to figure out how to suspend the camera for a birdseye view, might be tricky with my little gorillapod, would need a counterweight...

Thanks James-O, will check those out.

Check your editing software, will it rotate the video 180degrees? If so, then hang the camera upside down from a branch and rotate it later. I had my Lumix hanging from my rear-view mirror for some fun driving footage. 😀

Burts, I meant birds-eye as in looking straight down, there are a couple of tight s-bends with trees overhanging that i think would look pretty cool seen from above.

I'll find a way, or fall out of a tree trying...

Ah, ok. That would look pretty good if you find a branch in just the right position.

Iain sorry to hijack BUT still waiting eagerly for final installment of your Cape wrath route - Kinlochbervie - sandwood - Wrath , or have I missed it ? Too good to miss !

(Tropidelico anyone? )

Ian, by some strange coincidence, I just ordered that yesterday!.

Shot with Ed's Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT1, a rock, and Tony Lund.

Try taping the camera to bars for swooping descent shots...OK so this is road descent in Spain but shows angles of lean etc; Olympus mju2.
see----

Greg, i mis-typed, I meant Tropicalia (the Soul Jazz records brazilian compilation) Tropidelico is that new Quantic record isn't it?

Madeinyorkshire, Facebook is throwing a hissy fit with my photo uploads, it'll be along shortly! 😀

Brant, thats exactly the sort of thing I'm thinking about, although I'll have trees to elevate the camera a bit hopefully.

I like that road descent one, some nice leaning going on in those corners!

This could end up consuming the rest of my summer, glad I don't have any races to train for!