Aviation in-dash cams

[n2230b]

Who makes the best all-round camera for aviation/most versatile/best bang for the buck?
(Sorry if this inquiry is a beater)

 

[donjohnston]

I got a Garmin Virb with the audio interface cable. Works fine for me.

 

[GMascelli]

Two Garmin VIRB XE’s with the interface cords. I also have two ACTIVEON CX Gold throw aways for the tail tie down. Highly recommend a battery pack to power the primary camera you use for recording, saves battery changes.

 

[rtk11]

Another vote for the Garmin VIRB. It records GPS information (track, altitude, speed, etc.) that you can overlay on the video.

 

[Nathan Miller]

Another one for Virb. Have the 30 ultra. I didn't bother with the Aviation bundle. $290 for just the camera from Amazon. Also bought a dual battery charger with a spare battery. 2 SD cards, so I swap out batteries and cards after each flight. ($49 for the charger? Maybe $9 per card?)

This was part of my overall avionics upgrade - I added the GMA 345 audio panel and I have the Virb and audio panel connected via bluetooth. I've since added a 25' mini USB cable and set the camera to record whenever it gets power. So, I flip my avionics master on, it starts recording.

I have the camera mounted over my shoulder. I think I'll buy a second camera pointed out left or right shooting under a wing (172). The second camera would not only afford me the extra perspective, but I could do a post flight mix of ambient cockpit audio with headset audio. (Ie - unless me or a pax talks (and breaks intercom squelch), the headset camera never picks up the brief stall horn and the chirp chirp of my tires, since every landing I make is a perfect greaser :rollseyes:

I will say this is my first camera and have no experience with a Go Pro or other competitor. I bought this to help with my upcoming IFR training so I can debrief lessons more effectively. It fits the bill and happy with what I have.

 

[GMascelli]

This was part of my overall avionics upgrade - I added the GMA 345 audio panel and I have the Virb and audio panel connected via bluetooth. I've since added a 25' mini USB cable and set the camera to record whenever it gets power. So, I flip my avionics master on, it starts recording.

Very nice, excelent way to eliminate the audio cable. I hate cables in the cockpit so my audio comes from the rear headset jac, out of sight out of mind. Very rare to have passengers anyway.

I will have to see if I can bluetooth my VIRB to my PSA 8000 B panel, maybe use the telephone connection. Something to investigate at the hangar.

 

[Hunt-man]

So I don't have a bluetooth panel. Does that make the Virb Aviation bundle a better idea?
Also, anyone mounting the camera externally? I was thinking under the wing? Will a suction cup hold it or use a tie down point?

 

[GMascelli]

....Also, anyone mounting the camera externally? I was thinking under the wing? Will a suction cup hold it or use a tie down point?

I highly recommend the MyPilotPro bracket for attachment to the tie down ring, works great.

 

[n2230b]

Outstanding responses and recommendations. Another chapter in the saga of the overwhelming urge to find stuff I don’t need but can’t live without! And the hunt is on! Whoohooooo!
Get the checkbook out! Thank God I’ll be back to work soon.
(I might even get the tail,tie-down mount before the camera. It is way cool.)

 

[schmookeeg]

Hoping to drag my jowl in this thread with a side question (sorry OP )

Could one mount, say a VIRB, on the vertical stab, and somehow get it powered off of the tail beacon power (let's ignore legality and certified planes for the nonce) -- and have the thing basically turn on and automatically start recording when the beacon's power is applied?

I assume at a minimum you'd need some wifi/BT device to download video from the thing. Are there other gotchas?

I've been daydreaming about working up some sort of mount to do videos with from the beacon's-eye-view, and am unclear if these things can auto-power-on with external power, or if they can have their video files sucked off of them with wifi/BT only.

Appreciate any ideas/brainstorms. The last time I did inflight video was with a canon handheld camcorder using the line-in for cockpit audio.

 

[rtk11]

Could one mount, say a VIRB, on the vertical stab, and somehow get it powered off of the tail beacon power (let's ignore legality and certified planes for the nonce) -- and have the thing basically turn on and automatically start recording when the beacon's power is applied?

I guess you could mount it there, but reaching up to turn it on and off would be a problem. It wouldn't turn on automatically based upon power being fed through a tail beacon, or off a battery (which does last a decent amount of time.)

I assume at a minimum you'd need some wifi/BT device to download video from the thing. Are there other gotchas?

You download by either connecting the device to your computer via a USB data cable, or you can pull out the memory card and plug that into your computer to read the video and any GPS based data the VIRB read.

Note that some Garmin devices can activate the device remotely to begin recording. For example, my Aera 660 will connect to my VIRB and I can control the device to begin or stop recording.

I've been daydreaming about working up some sort of mount to do videos with from the beacon's-eye-view, and am unclear if these things can auto-power-on with external power, or if they can have their video files sucked off of them with wifi/BT only.

Appreciate any ideas/brainstorms. The last time I did inflight video was with a canon handheld camcorder using the line-in for cockpit audio.

Some of those automotive or motorcycle dash cams can turn-on when power is applied. The motorcycle version has a separate camera from the recording body, so you could conceivably attach the slim camera to an access panel, and run its cable inside the fuselage so that you can retrieve the memory card without having to reach inaccessible areas (like the aforementioned vertical stabilizer.)

 

[n2230b]

Are some of the “exterior” camera mounts actually held in place with suction cup devices? Seems that method would not hold at higher airspeeds, extreme temp changes or precipitation. The risk of loosing expensive equipment is worrying. Are there minorly invasive means to secure cameras externally using structural airframe surfaces? I did see some mounting brackets that use tie-down hardpoints.

 

[n2230b]

OK, just looked at the mypilotpro website and it answered some questions. It is not clear whether their mounts are specific to one camera manufacturer or more generic. If these mounts are dedicated to only Gopro say, then the choice of camera becomes preeminent and predicated on the mission plus available accessories. Which camera system is superior for in-cockpit as well as exterior mounting options? Garmin or Gopro? Recommendations? Opinions? In your experience? Observations?
(Sorry if I’ve overlooked prior informative posts).
Thanks,

 

[n2230b]

Command decision: Gopro 8
Impressive image stabilization/features
Garmin hasn’t improved their product in 2 years
List of available accessories is endless

thanks,