Glad I found this review. The Texas sun fried my Ghost 4K and I was comparing models for replacement. Your info helped me decide this is the right camera for me. Thanks for putting this out there!
Good honest review Bruce. I don't understand why Innovv got so upset about it. It's clear from the footage that the audio is sub-optimal. The video is visibly not as good as their own K5 system, let only the Hero 10.
I have the Techalogic dual camera. Great bit of kit records front and rear. Only issue I have is battery time recording. Supposedly 3 hours but mine has never lasted more than 2. Although you can plug a power pack in.
Thank you for the video. I have the H5. I have had it for about a month but I have not installed it yet. In your video, you recommended, a better or updated mic. Which mic would you recommend? You also recommended an update for the H5 where do I find this update for the H5?
A few thoughts from my own experience, I am not a Vlogger so any videos I take are for my own record of a ride. Like many I started with a GoPro (Hero 8 Black) and mounted it behind the screen, normal helmet mount is no use as I use a flip front helmet and ride with the front up in hot weather. Only used it for one trip as I found the battery life was only around 1 hour so had to keep turning it on or off during the ride hoping it would last until the end. I then fitted an Innov K2 to the bike as a dashcam and this worked well but I have found that in rain the front camera lens becomes water covered and the image is blurred, will have to look at fitting some form of a cover to allow the water to clerar off when moving. I decided to go for a Ghost XL for a helmet cam due to its battery life, ay least 8 hours recording so enough for a full days riding without charging or changing batteries, and no need for a wire tether. I agree that the side mounting position loses much of the view to the left especially as with the flip front it is mounted further back than ideal so the helmet side shows. I bought the optional mic for it although not really needing it for voice but have found audio is poor, it just about picks up engine noise but voice is bad. I finally fitted an Insta360 ONE X2 to the bike to allow for the 360 degree recording, I was goinf on an Alpine tour and wanted this for riding the passes. There is no way to safely look all around you at the scenery while riding the hairpins so the Insta allowed me to review the rides afterwards and see the full scenery. Video definition is not up to the standard action cam although this is to be expected as the sensor input is spread round a 360 sphere instead of perhaps 120 degree. The only way around this would be amuch larger sensor which brings you into the professional range costing several thousand pounds. I am able to power the Insta from a USB socket on the bike with the wires strapped down and not dangling. This new Innov helmet cam looks reasonable but doesn't have the battery life I want unless you are tethered by a wire and I prefer not to have wires dangling from my helmet, with the Ghost the mic wire tucks away under the helmet lining and doesn't show.
hi Bruce, great video as usual. Do you know how the Innov h5 compares to the ghost xl in terms of quality as I was looking at getting one until this came out. look forward to more of your reviews and tours. Thanks Mark.
Hi Mark, I don’t know about the new Drifts I’m afraid, last time I used one was when they launched the Ghost 4K back in 2018 - the H5 is similar video quality to that
The Ghost XL is a 1080 camera, so not the same quality. The audio is similar though... The Ghost XL camera is fine for a 1080 and the battery really does last 9 hours. Good for most things, but you will need seperate microphone and recorder if you're looking at blogging because of the poor audio.
Informative Vid. For me a dashcam is more suited to being fixed to the bike e.g the K5, and a action camera is more suited to be able to be mounted anywhere, e.g GoPros. Using a camera specific mount is a waste of time IMO, GoPro has pretty much got the mounts sewn up.
Is the K5 the best dashcam you've tested still? I only have one bike and don't plan on upgrading but still torn and I like the idea of seeing front and rear.
I had nothing but issues with the 7, almost made me leave GoPro… again 🤦♂️ The 9 & 10 have been much better for me, the game changer was using the ‘Enduro’ batteries (white topped ones) and the media mod - the audio adaptor is horrendous.
Would it not of been better to have compared this along side the Drift helmet mounted camera? As you quite rightly suggest , it’s definitely not in the same league as the GoPro etc type cameras. 😊
I was thinking epic finally a camera to replace my drift ghost s until I saw the no mic and battery pack. Might just me be but I have a feel thing about being wired mic wise. Don’t mind it contained to helmet but don’t like cable from helmet to jacket or to bike. More to get wrapped up in incase of the worst.
Still hunting for the perfect helmet camera that I can use with my battery bank in my backpack. Using the GoPro Hero 7 Black and it just seems to hate recording and charging. Sometimes It'll be flawless for a few days, other days it'll start, beep and show corrupt icon and restart 5 TIMES and then just hardlock up.. May just have to resort to hard-wiring a camera system to the bike and have the helmet be an optional thing :/
I’ve moved on to the Hero 9 & 10 for my filming, I get very few corrupt files now I’m using them and the media mod - probably around 1 in 10 times I get a corrupt file, rather than around 1 in 4 that it used to be 🤷♂️ Not perfect, but a LOT better.
Dont like how it has the lag when you move your head for the stabilisation, drift seems to have the same issue. Gopro and DJI seem to be leading the way with stabilisation.
About the same sort of quality we get with the Gitup Pro (gopro knockoff) on our dual vlogs... But at that price, we'll stick with the 30 quid knockoff which even records good audio 🤣 good comparison nevertheless!
I just want a camera I can mount on my helmet or handlebars that I can take pictures or videos. Not continuously recording. I would like to preserve battery and card space.
Hi Bruce, have you tried the Akaso that you mentioned as a budget option? Wondering if the stabilisation was good enough to mount on the bike and not be affected by vibration. Thanks
Yes, tried one about 2-3yrs ago. The picture quality is good, better than the H5/K5’s but the stabilisation is not as good as GoPro. Still a good, relatively cheap option though
Great review. I purchased an Innovv K3 for my RT last year based on your reviews of their kit. The quality of that is a little washy and too compressed (quite a lot of noise/artefacts) for moto-vlogging - but I just have it as an insurance protection and it's nice to know it's always there, doing it's thing. Would love to meet up with the clan. Looked at the IoM option, but I'm a shy old git.
Cheers Chris, glad you enjoyed this vid bud. Come along to a Clan meet, there are loads of people just like you - it’s great to see everyone making friends and going to new places in their bikes! 👏👍
I very much doubt that they will be able to fix that audio in software/firmware, it looks like their hardware design and capsule choice is poor. What's interesting is how bad it is versus their current mic in the K3 etc. When is someone going to make something that just uses the audio from Sena / Cardo over Bluetooth or even as a wire-in mod in line with the mic...
I know, I’ve even spoken with Cardo about it - and I did say to INNOVV during the initial concept design brainstorm we did a few years back that I’d love to have that ability natively in a camera, to connect to the Comms and record the group chat - just another thing they totally ignored 🤷♂️ Cardo said it wasn’t something their core market wanted
@@teapotone What's interesting about this is when you look at Sena Mesh, their products for other sports/track use clearly have the architecture to support recording the group chat with just another node. If I could pay £130 for another node and connect it to a standard 500mV 3.5mm Audio IO on my Innovv K3/Some other camera that takes bike power in a non-ridiculous adapter way it would be awesome... The key thing is everything is then already synced up and your editing workflow is a million times easier. It all comes on with the bike. As you say the Innovv footage I can live with, if they made an accessory set of ND filters and a rolling film mechanism you can put it in front of the lens to keep it clear. Then make it so that you can connect to the bike WiFi with a computer, not just an app. Or even just make it so that there is a drive that is easier to get in and out without dropping/having to remove the seat. something like a remote USB port and control that says clone, so you plug in a USB hard drive and hit the button and the microSD card gets cloned to the drive. It's a shame they're not interested...
I do like this concept, however always have an issue with the size of these on my helmet. I have Carbon helmet for a reason, now you add this and you killed the weight.
Its a decent attempt but the quality isn't there compared to Gopro, Insta, or DJI. Also side mount doesn't cut it compared to chin mount. If recording as a safety recording in case of accident then perhaps yes?? I've just bought the Action 3, like the images and stabilisation but recording on board external audio isn't as good as my Insta.
The fitting mount and holding clips very awkward to fit and remove they look very weak and fragile need three hands it looks so ungainly mine keeps turning off. Get home and find out it not recorded the last hour etc
Depends what you want a camera for. For dashcam stuff then INNOVV K3 is a great system (K5 is better quality videos and quicker wifi if you want to utilise the app a lot). If you’re any a camera to create videos and vlog with - a cheap GoPro knock off will do, but I’d always go for the GoPro/DJI/Insta360 models personally
Great review. Disappointing first try from INNOVV. Looks like a toy camera from the 80’s and the sound quality is awful. The mounting is mad. Why leave the tried and tested go pro mount type system and introduce a new mount system. Why would anyone chose this over a go pro or DJI. Oh and it’s huge.
I was thinking epic finally a camera to replace my drift ghost s until I saw the no mic and battery pack. Might just me be but I have a feel thing about being wired mic wise. Don’t mind it contained to helmet but don’t like cable from helmet to jacket or to bike. More to get wrapped up in incase of the worst.
Glad I found this review. The Texas sun fried my Ghost 4K and I was comparing models for replacement. Your info helped me decide this is the right camera for me. Thanks for putting this out there!
Brilliant video again really enjoyed it 👍
Great review thanks. Can you just unplug the camera from USB power while recording?
Good honest review Bruce. I don't understand why Innovv got so upset about it. It's clear from the footage that the audio is sub-optimal. The video is visibly not as good as their own K5 system, let only the Hero 10.
Aye I know 🤷♂️👍
I like it, the mic sounds a lot like the long way round audio. I’m no UA-camr but for me personally, I do like it. 👍🏻
teapotone are there any helmet cameras that see through binocular vision of animals?
I have the Techalogic dual camera. Great bit of kit records front and rear. Only issue I have is battery time recording. Supposedly 3 hours but mine has never lasted more than 2. Although you can plug a power pack in.
Yes it took me longer to charge it 3-3 1/2 hours for a 2 hour ride out no camera on way home 😱have returned it.
It's the size of one of Del Boys Russian camcorders
Thank you for the video. I have the H5. I have had it for about a month but I have not installed it yet. In your video, you recommended, a better or updated mic. Which mic would you recommend? You also recommended an update for the H5 where do I find this update for the H5?
Not exactly small is it? Like strapping a box brownie to your lug.
A few thoughts from my own experience, I am not a Vlogger so any videos I take are for my own record of a ride. Like many I started with a GoPro (Hero 8 Black) and mounted it behind the screen, normal helmet mount is no use as I use a flip front helmet and ride with the front up in hot weather. Only used it for one trip as I found the battery life was only around 1 hour so had to keep turning it on or off during the ride hoping it would last until the end. I then fitted an Innov K2 to the bike as a dashcam and this worked well but I have found that in rain the front camera lens becomes water covered and the image is blurred, will have to look at fitting some form of a cover to allow the water to clerar off when moving.
I decided to go for a Ghost XL for a helmet cam due to its battery life, ay least 8 hours recording so enough for a full days riding without charging or changing batteries, and no need for a wire tether. I agree that the side mounting position loses much of the view to the left especially as with the flip front it is mounted further back than ideal so the helmet side shows. I bought the optional mic for it although not really needing it for voice but have found audio is poor, it just about picks up engine noise but voice is bad.
I finally fitted an Insta360 ONE X2 to the bike to allow for the 360 degree recording, I was goinf on an Alpine tour and wanted this for riding the passes. There is no way to safely look all around you at the scenery while riding the hairpins so the Insta allowed me to review the rides afterwards and see the full scenery. Video definition is not up to the standard action cam although this is to be expected as the sensor input is spread round a 360 sphere instead of perhaps 120 degree. The only way around this would be amuch larger sensor which brings you into the professional range costing several thousand pounds. I am able to power the Insta from a USB socket on the bike with the wires strapped down and not dangling.
This new Innov helmet cam looks reasonable but doesn't have the battery life I want unless you are tethered by a wire and I prefer not to have wires dangling from my helmet, with the Ghost the mic wire tucks away under the helmet lining and doesn't show.
Have you seen the innovv third eye yet? Looks interesting
hi Bruce, great video as usual. Do you know how the Innov h5 compares to the ghost xl in terms of quality as I was looking at getting one until this came out. look forward to more of your reviews and tours. Thanks Mark.
Hi Mark,
I don’t know about the new Drifts I’m afraid, last time I used one was when they launched the Ghost 4K back in 2018 - the H5 is similar video quality to that
The Ghost XL is a 1080 camera, so not the same quality. The audio is similar though... The Ghost XL camera is fine for a 1080 and the battery really does last 9 hours.
Good for most things, but you will need seperate microphone and recorder if you're looking at blogging because of the poor audio.
Didn’t say the H5 was similar vid quality to the Ghost XL, I said it was similar quality to the early Ghost 4K I tried back in 2018
Informative Vid. For me a dashcam is more suited to being fixed to the bike e.g the K5, and a action camera is more suited to be able to be mounted anywhere, e.g GoPros. Using a camera specific mount is a waste of time IMO, GoPro has pretty much got the mounts sewn up.
Is the K5 the best dashcam you've tested still? I only have one bike and don't plan on upgrading but still torn and I like the idea of seeing front and rear.
Yep - K5 is the best dashcam system I’ve tried so far
Could you please give me link to your chest bag for power pack
Teapot I find the go pro 7 poss the best camera out there. I also use a 8 but the 7 is better.
I had nothing but issues with the 7, almost made me leave GoPro… again 🤦♂️
The 9 & 10 have been much better for me, the game changer was using the ‘Enduro’ batteries (white topped ones) and the media mod - the audio adaptor is horrendous.
Would it not of been better to have compared this along side the Drift helmet mounted camera? As you quite rightly suggest , it’s definitely not in the same league as the GoPro etc type cameras. 😊
Yep, but I don’t own a Drift anymore or have any experience with the current models 🤷♂️
I was thinking epic finally a camera to replace my drift ghost s until I saw the no mic and battery pack. Might just me be but I have a feel thing about being wired mic wise. Don’t mind it contained to helmet but don’t like cable from helmet to jacket or to bike. More to get wrapped up in incase of the worst.
I don't use any system but the difference between the two they are miles apart sound is appalling on the helmet cam
Still hunting for the perfect helmet camera that I can use with my battery bank in my backpack. Using the GoPro Hero 7 Black and it just seems to hate recording and charging. Sometimes It'll be flawless for a few days, other days it'll start, beep and show corrupt icon and restart 5 TIMES and then just hardlock up..
May just have to resort to hard-wiring a camera system to the bike and have the helmet be an optional thing :/
I’ve moved on to the Hero 9 & 10 for my filming, I get very few corrupt files now I’m using them and the media mod - probably around 1 in 10 times I get a corrupt file, rather than around 1 in 4 that it used to be 🤷♂️
Not perfect, but a LOT better.
@@teapotone May have to add one to the Christmas wishlist then 😂
Dont like how it has the lag when you move your head for the stabilisation, drift seems to have the same issue.
Gopro and DJI seem to be leading the way with stabilisation.
About the same sort of quality we get with the Gitup Pro (gopro knockoff) on our dual vlogs... But at that price, we'll stick with the 30 quid knockoff which even records good audio 🤣 good comparison nevertheless!
I just want a camera I can mount on my helmet or handlebars that I can take pictures or videos. Not continuously recording. I would like to preserve battery and card space.
Hi Bruce, have you tried the Akaso that you mentioned as a budget option?
Wondering if the stabilisation was good enough to mount on the bike and not be affected by vibration. Thanks
Yes, tried one about 2-3yrs ago.
The picture quality is good, better than the H5/K5’s but the stabilisation is not as good as GoPro.
Still a good, relatively cheap option though
Great review. I purchased an Innovv K3 for my RT last year based on your reviews of their kit. The quality of that is a little washy and too compressed (quite a lot of noise/artefacts) for moto-vlogging - but I just have it as an insurance protection and it's nice to know it's always there, doing it's thing.
Would love to meet up with the clan. Looked at the IoM option, but I'm a shy old git.
Cheers Chris, glad you enjoyed this vid bud.
Come along to a Clan meet, there are loads of people just like you - it’s great to see everyone making friends and going to new places in their bikes! 👏👍
Your phone cradle big enough for the 13 ProMax? Or only the smaller version?
I don’t know bud, I have the 11 Pro
I very much doubt that they will be able to fix that audio in software/firmware, it looks like their hardware design and capsule choice is poor. What's interesting is how bad it is versus their current mic in the K3 etc. When is someone going to make something that just uses the audio from Sena / Cardo over Bluetooth or even as a wire-in mod in line with the mic...
I know, I’ve even spoken with Cardo about it - and I did say to INNOVV during the initial concept design brainstorm we did a few years back that I’d love to have that ability natively in a camera, to connect to the Comms and record the group chat - just another thing they totally ignored 🤷♂️
Cardo said it wasn’t something their core market wanted
@@teapotone What's interesting about this is when you look at Sena Mesh, their products for other sports/track use clearly have the architecture to support recording the group chat with just another node.
If I could pay £130 for another node and connect it to a standard 500mV 3.5mm Audio IO on my Innovv K3/Some other camera that takes bike power in a non-ridiculous adapter way it would be awesome...
The key thing is everything is then already synced up and your editing workflow is a million times easier. It all comes on with the bike.
As you say the Innovv footage I can live with, if they made an accessory set of ND filters and a rolling film mechanism you can put it in front of the lens to keep it clear. Then make it so that you can connect to the bike WiFi with a computer, not just an app. Or even just make it so that there is a drive that is easier to get in and out without dropping/having to remove the seat. something like a remote USB port and control that says clone, so you plug in a USB hard drive and hit the button and the microSD card gets cloned to the drive.
It's a shame they're not interested...
I do like this concept, however always have an issue with the size of these on my helmet. I have Carbon helmet for a reason, now you add this and you killed the weight.
Its a decent attempt but the quality isn't there compared to Gopro, Insta, or DJI.
Also side mount doesn't cut it compared to chin mount.
If recording as a safety recording in case of accident then perhaps yes??
I've just bought the Action 3, like the images and stabilisation but recording on board external audio isn't as good as my Insta.
I totally agree - really don’t see what they were aiming for with this as it’s nothing like we initially chatted about?🤷♂️
The fitting mount and holding clips very awkward to fit and remove they look very weak and fragile need three hands it looks so ungainly mine keeps turning off. Get home and find out it not recorded the last hour etc
So where is the best bang for buck?
Depends what you want a camera for.
For dashcam stuff then INNOVV K3 is a great system (K5 is better quality videos and quicker wifi if you want to utilise the app a lot).
If you’re any a camera to create videos and vlog with - a cheap GoPro knock off will do, but I’d always go for the GoPro/DJI/Insta360 models personally
Great review. Disappointing first try from INNOVV. Looks like a toy camera from the 80’s and the sound quality is awful. The mounting is mad. Why leave the tried and tested go pro mount type system and introduce a new mount system. Why would anyone chose this over a go pro or DJI. Oh and it’s huge.
Go Pro is better than the H5
K5 is better than the H5
👍
To big 🤦♂🤦♂🤦♂🤦♂ 2023 and still they can't make a small bike camera? 😖😖🤦♂🤦♂
I was thinking epic finally a camera to replace my drift ghost s until I saw the no mic and battery pack. Might just me be but I have a feel thing about being wired mic wise. Don’t mind it contained to helmet but don’t like cable from helmet to jacket or to bike. More to get wrapped up in incase of the worst.