Extreme Cam 1080p

Overall:9/10
Price: <$160-200
Image Quality: 9.5/10

The new leader... It seems to be identical insides to the dreaded "eagle eye" but doesnt use a seive for a case. All the menu's and functions are the same, but it doesnt have the rotating lens. It mounts incredibly easy with the generic mount, solid & no wobbles.

The case is nice & waterproof so far - i've tested it in light rain, nothing too heavy. There is also no fogging of the lens or any issues with focus when its covered with water. Battery life is INCREDIBLY good - it was about 1.5hrs before it went to 3/4 of a full battery So i'm guessing 3hrs at 720p mode.

At 1080p its got a decent viewing angle, but at 720p its fish eye - which is really superb!

This is my new front facing cam, its a little heavy & a bit more expensive - but sturdy, great pictures, waterproof & really good wide angle lens. Audio isnt all that good, but i might drill a hole & have a bit of a play later

MD80 Mini Camera

Overall:8/10
Price: <$15
Image Quality: 6/10

Its an entire video camera that works for sub $15!!! Video quality is OK, its low resolution @ 720x480 but the quality isnt too bad

Its fully functional - i.e. it works, its a nice little package, battery life is OK over an hour - maybe 1.5hrs

Its not waterproof, but when setup as a rear camera - it doesnt need to be! Numberplates are recognisable & in terms of performance when cycling its great - little vibration & a great field of view. Probably the best cheapie rear camera for the money!

NOTE: some people have reported reliability issues, cameras that stop working & poor battery life

180deg Fish Eye Lens

Overall:8/10
Price: $15
Image Quality: 8/10

A great way to get a much larger field of view on your bike mounted cameras.
The quality of the lens is quite good, its not perfect optical quality you would get from a professional SLR lens, but its glass construction and has only minimal blurring around the edges.

A great side effect of the lens is that it reduces the shake/wobble of your video while riding, without reducing the quality of the image - so overall it greatly improves the output of your camera. It also makes the footage appear a little faster.
The magnetic ring system it uses will NOT hold it on your camera when you ride, a moderate bump will send it flying (trust me there).

There are a few different qualities of lenses available out there, mine was from dealextreme.com and was SKU 39814.

Looking at the videos and stills below, you can see there is some degradation of the image - so you loose the ability to be able to see a numberplate, however I would use one when cycling on the bike paths as it gives a much better indication of whats going on around you.

NOTE Use some blu-tack or similar under the lens to support it, over sharp bumps it will fall off & go flying!

iDV Mini Camera

Overall: 7.5/10
Price: $99 (+p&p)
Performance: 9/10
Image Quality: 6/10

Read the full review on Bicycles.net.au

While only 640x480 resolution, this is still a great package and a good option for biking. It is incredibly small and light weight which really helps the performance, and the waterproof housing is almost bombproof - so no fear of water or dirt in even the harshest of conditions.

The lens has a GLASS cover (not plastic) so wont scratch easily like other cameras, the internal hardware is also much better than other cameras of the same resolution, so you get a more crisp and clear image. However the one performance drawback is that the video does appear a little jerky.
All accessories are A+ in quality, and there's a wide range of them too!

Camera can be purchased locally online from here: www.idv.net.au

Specs:

• Price - $99, solid for the package
• Day Image Quality - 6/10, Its "only" 640x460 so it gets marked harsh as a comparison to HD cameras. Compared to standard res its superb.
• Night Image Quality - 6/10, As above
• Stability/Vibration Performance - 10/10, light, small, solid - the best combination
• Build Quality - 10/10, bomb proof
• Weight - 10/10, 64g with case, 24g without case, inbuilt Li-On battery
• Audio Quality - 7/10, nothing when in the case, good performance outside of the case
• Battery Life - 9/10, stated 2hrs (not independently tested/verified)
• Kit Contents - 10/10, Camera, case, charger, arm+head+general straps, desk+shirt clips, silicone case

Otek DVS 550

Overall: 9/10
Price: $100
Performance: 10/10
Image Quality: 8/10

This seems to be a more recent model and a replacement for the DVS126. It is basically identical to the DVS126 in almost every way, with slight differences in the camera casing and the lens/sensor module. The lens on the 126 was f2.8 with 1 million active pixels, the 550 lens is f3.2 with 5 million active pixels.
SD Card support is up from 8Gb to 16Gb (class 6)
The microphone seems to be better on the 550, it doesnt pick up anywhere near as much wind noise and can be comfortably used without the supplied microphone fluff.
The colours also seem to be a lot richer and vibrant with the new lens/sensor module.
The only negative point is the flashing green recording light below the multi-function button, it is now recessed in the casing which makes it slightly harder to view when riding. Not a significant issue as you should be looking where you are going!

Specs:

• Price - $100, Still one of the cheapest cameras available
• Day Image Quality - 7/10, Solid performance, not as crisp and slightly less contrast and colour intensity than one or two others
• Night Image Quality - 9/0, Great performance, keeps a decent frame rate in low light and gives well lit and balanced images
• Stability/Vibration Performance - 10/10, the best camera we've tested, any vibrations are nicely smoothed out
• Build Quality - 7/10, it doesnt feel as solid as others, but its not "cheap" or have any build quality issues
• Weight - 9/10, 84g no battery, 109g with battery (li-on)
• Audio Quality - 8/10, clear and audible while on the road
• Battery Life - 7/10, about 1hr 40min of continuous usage with a 1300mAh battery
• Kit Contents - 8/10, Camera, case, battery, charger

Otek DVS 126

Overall: 9/10
Price: $75-140
Performance: 10/10
Image Quality: 8/10

The best value around! This was the first camera we used and developed everything around it, and has not only outperformed everything we've used since, but its the cheapest camera too.
It has the best lens of all the cameras, capturing the most light and is also the widest angle lens. Its feature packed with great audio, a very usable 2" screen which is extremely convenient to have, solid battery life, extra batteries are also cheap and readily available.
The performance is unmatched, its nice and light which helps reduce vibrations and has processing to reduce the effects of vibrations and blur, which gives a smooth "rolling" effect rather than a sharp jittery look.

Specs:

• Price - $75-$140, One of the cheapest cameras available
• Day Image Quality - 7/10, Solid performance, not as crisp and slightly less contrast and colour intensity than one or two others
• Night Image Quality - 9/0, Great performance, keeps a decent frame rate in low light and gives well lit and balanced images
• Stability/Vibration Performance - 10/10, the best camera we've tested, any vibrations are nicely smoothed out
• Build Quality - 7/10, it doesnt feel as solid as others, but its not "cheap" or have any build quality issues
• Weight - 9/10, 84g no battery, 109g with battery (li-on)
• Audio Quality - 8/10, clear and audible while on the road
• Battery Life - 7/10, about 1hr 40min of continuous usage with a 1300mAh battery
• Kit Contents - 8/10, Camera, case, battery, charger

Kodak ZX1

Overall: 6/10
Price: $100-150
Performance: 4/10
Image Quality: 8/10

A great camera on its own, but unfortunately cannot be mounted in a way to reduce vibrations enough, the result is some very shaky images which makes it basically unusable for mounting on a bike.
The construction of the camera is superb, it looks and feels very solid, has great weatherproofing and finish on the frame and around the compartments. It also has a nice viewable screen which is very versatile, and great controls.
It struggles at night, with the image processing tending to go for exposure rather than frame rate, so the images tend to be well lit but blurry again making it unusable. Daytime image quality is superb, very vibrant colours and great contrasts.
Probably the biggest issue letting this camera down is the batteries - it uses 2xAA which are very heavy compared to Li-ion. There is a Li-ion battery pack but be prepared to pay another $40-80 for the battery & charger

Specs:

• Price - $100-$150, Moderately priced
• Day Image Quality - 8/10, Sharp and crisp with the best colours and contrast
• Night Image Quality - 3/10, Basically unusable, it tries to get good exposure of the image by putting a really slow shutter, so lots of blur and shake
• Stability/Vibration Performance - 4/10, suffers due to its very high form factor and AA batteries which give it a significant weight penalty
• Build Quality - 9/10, superbly built, tight tolerances and a solid frame, nice seals on the compartments for weatherproofing too
• Weight - 92g no battery, 148g with battery (NiCD/NiMH), non Li-on lets it down big time
• Audio Quality - 7/10 good performer
• Battery Life - 6/10, also around 1hr 40min with 2000mAh batteries supplied, not good considering the weight of the batteries though
• Kit Contents - 9/10, camera, soft case, batteries, basic charger (not good), cables

Eagle Eye

Overall: 0/10
Price: $250
Performance: 0/10
Image Quality: 10/10

DO NOT BUY! Others have reported issues with these cameras, failing in a short amount of time & having all sorts of grief trying to get refunds & returns. Avoid at all costs!!!

--------Original Writeup--------

Almost in a class of its own! After almost giving up on helmet cams due to not being able to bring one to market at a great price, our supplier contacted us and showed us this model.
Suffice to say it has blown us away in almost every aspect. It's full 1080p HD, wide angle lens, rotating lens, vast array of inbuilt camera features, inbuilt video screen, insane low light level abilities, huge battery life - the list is endless.
Performance on the road is great too - its construction is equal with the best, so no shakes or vibrations. The wide angle lens also helps reduce the amount of visible vibration.

The big issue is WATER - it is NOT at all water resistant and cannot be used near water unless it is sealed around the lens

After our demo model was used in the rain it had water all through it, since then it has not been 100% reliable - freezing after a few minutes of use. We're unsure if it was due to the water ingress (it did work fine before that) or its just not the most reliable camera.

Specs:

• Price - $250, Insane for full HD 1080p
• Day Image Quality - 9/10, Solid performance, the colours are as vibrant as the Otek DVS550
• Night Image Quality - 10/10, Insane performance, with adjustable exposure its the winner, great frame rate in low light and gives well lit and balanced images
• Stability/Vibration Performance - 10/10, as with the Otek its the best camera we've tested, any vibrations are nicely smoothed out
• Build Quality - 9/10, as well built as the Kodak, its solid and well sealed
• Weight - 8/10, 103g no battery, 133g with battery (li-on), slightly heavier but it is not holding it back at all
• Audio Quality - 4/10, Its well sealed so its only muffled sounds and road noise
• Battery Life - 9/10, about 2hrs 30min of continuous usage at 1080p per battery
• Kit Contents - 10/10, Camera, cables, 2 batteries, mounts, chargers