Best Cameras for Motorcycle Helmets

There are many reasons you might need to shoot your footage or view while riding. You can be interested in documenting your journey for fun; others can keep a record for their own safety or as a form of insurance in case of incidents. In the past, a decent GoPro could have been the perfect partner for this.

However, with growth, many modern, rugged, and compact camera options are available, even some priced for a fraction of the GoPro price. In this post, we will concentrate on the best cameras for motorcycle helmets to help you understand the best ones available. To get the best, we considered different important specifications like battery life, resolution, and image stabilization.

Top Cameras for Motorcycle Helmets

1. GoPro HERO 11: Best Overall
2. Garmin Varia RCT715: Best Mount options
3. Akaso EK7000 Pro: Best Budget Camera Option
4. Insta360 X3: 360-degree camera
5. Insta360 Go 3: Smallest camera

GoPro HERO 11: Best Overall

1. Dimensions: 2.8 x 2.2 x 1.3 inches
2. Weight: 4.52 ounces
3. Resolution: 5.3K60, 4K120, 2.7K240
4. Field of View: HyperView, SuperView, Wide, Linear, Narrow
5. Stabilization: HyperSmooth 5.0
6. Battery Life: Enduro battery (up to 38% longer runtime)
7. Water Resistance: Up to 33 feet (10 meters)
8. Voice Control: Yes
9. Touch Screen: 2.27-inch rear touch screen, 1.4-inch front display
10. Connectivity: Bluetooth, Wi-Fi
11. Live Streaming: 1080p live streaming
12. Mounting Options: Compatible with all GoPro mounts

The GoPro Hero 11 Black is the most popular option. It shoots high-definition videos at 5.3K resolution and 60 frames per second. This is crisp and clean and far better than 4K and 1080p resolution.

Additionally, you can capture still photos at 27 MP or extract single frame from the 5.3K video at the same high resolution. The 8:7 ultrawide aspect ratio allows you to increase your field of view up to 16% without loss of clarity.

The GoPro Hero 11 Black comes with in-built HyperSmooth 5.0 image stabilization that avoids shaky footage, making the overall output steady even on rough terrain.

Additionally, it is versatile and waterproof, ensuring durability and usage in harsh weather conditions. For navigation and previewing, you will have dual screens, which is a front and back screen option that allows better framing of shots from any angle.

Finally, it features a long battery life that will allow for long recording hours, plus cloud connectivity will let you easily upload and back up your footage.

Garmin Varia RCT715: Best Mount options

1. Dimensions: 4.8 x 3.8 x 9.8 inches
2. Weight: 5.22 ounces
3. Resolution: 1080p Full HD
4. Frame Rate: 30 fps
5. Field of View: 140 degrees
6. Continuous Recording: Yes
7. Detection Range: Up to 140 meters (153 yards)
8. Video Storage: MicroSD card slot (supports up to 128 GB)
9. Bluetooth: Yes
10. ANT+: Yes
11. Battery life up to 6 hours
12. Smartphone App Compatibility: Varia App

If you are looking for the Best Rear Mount camera, we recommend the Garmin Varia RCT715. It works as both a light, radar, and camera for your Helmet and bike. The camera features loop recording, easy archiving, and smartphone app compatibility as well.

The camera will record footage at 1080p/ 720p video quality and 30 frames per second. The 720 p quality mode will not consume the battery too much with up to 6 hours of continuous usage. This camera quality is perfect and will even display legible number plates with ease. It is almost as good as a Dashcam, to say the least.

The comes with a large aperture, allowing you to record even in low-light conditions. This means that you will not miss any incidents even when riding at night or in low-light conditions.

To mount the camera, you will get a free mount kit included on purchase for easy mounting and integration with standard Garmin mounts. What is unique about this camera is its ability to use radar detection and the Varia app to alert you of vehicles as far as 153 yards away.

Insta360 X3: 360-degree camera

1. Dimensions: 2.08 x 0.94 x 0.81 inches
2. Weight: 1.2 ounces
3. Resolution: 2.7K (2560 x 1440)
4. Field of View: 120 degrees
5. Stabilization: FlowState Stabilization
6. Storage Capacity: 64GB
7. Battery Life: Up to 45 minutes standalone, up to 170 minutes with Action Pod
8. Charging Time: Approximately 65 minutes
9. Bluetooth: Yes
10. Wi-Fi: Yes
11. Water Resistance: IPX8 (up to 13 feet)
12. Voice Control: Yes
13. Mounting Options: Magnetic mount, pivot stand, easy clip

The Insta360 X3 is the best 360-degree camera for motorcycle helmets. It comes with a large dual 1/2-inch sensor that is capable of shooting 5.7K 360-degree high-quality video.

For easy post-production and angle selection, the Insta360 X3 features a unique AI-powered application that is unique to this compact camera only.

Image stabilization can mean the difference between professional and amateur footage. Inbuilt FlowState Stabilization and Horizontal Leveling Algorithms on the Insta360 X3 allow for smooth and stable video recording.

You will be able to shoot 8K time-lapse video and 72-megapixel still photos. Invisible selfie-stick integration and long battery life allow for drone-like footage shooting.

Just like the GoPro Hero 11 Black, the Insta360 X3 features a waterproof body that will allow you to shoot even in rainy or adverse weather conditions. For easy control and navigation, you will have a large-screen interface.

Insta360 Go 3: small compact camera

1. Flowstate image stabilization
2. 2.7K resolution and 24/25/30 frames per second
3. Photo Sensor Technology: CMOS
4. Video Capture Resolution: 4K
5. Maximum Focal Length 30
6. Flash Memory Type: Internal memory
7. Video Capture Format: MP4
8. Screen Size: 2.2
9. Connectivity Technology: Wi-Fi
10. Special Feature: Touchscreen

The Insta360 Go 3 is a small, compact camera measuring just 1 in. x 2.1 in. x 0.9 in. It features a longer recording time of up to 45 minutes, which is 50% more than in older versions.

Once it crosses the 45-minute mark, you will be able to shoot continuously for up to 170 minutes, which is made possible by the powerful battery life.

The compact build, long recording, and overall light weight of only 1.25 oz. make it easy to carry around on your rides. It is the most portable option in this review.

The high 2.7K resolution and 24/25/30 frames per second recording ensures high-quality footage recording. If you like recording both video and audio, you will have a dual-microphone setup for enhanced voice control capabilities.

Action Pod accessories will not only allow long recordings but also serve as a mounting solution. It features a flip-up rear screen that can be used as a remote control device.

You will have 32 GB, 64 GB, and 128 GB to save your videos, and the Action Pod screen will allow you to wirelessly preview your shots.

How to choose the Best Motorcycle Helmet Camera

Choosing the best cameras for motorcycle helmets is not so different from choosing a regular camera for video recording. However, there are some specific extra features you need to consider.

For the best experience, we found that cameras with loop recording, easy saving, and smartphone compatibility provided the best user experience. As you choose a Helmet camera, it is important not to forget the safety aspects of a helmet.

Loop Recording

Loop recording is the ability to continuously keep recording even when the storage space on your camera is full. A camera with loop recording starts automatically overwriting old footage when full. This ensures that you do not miss any new moment of footage due to space constraints.

Despite this, a camera with onboard memory plus a micro SD card will provide larger storage space and save longer footage without having to overwrite.

Fast footage retrieval and Smartphone compatibility ensure easy and quick access to your footage whenever you need it. Many modern cameras offer an inbuilt WiFi connection and an Android and IOS-compatible system.

Resolution

The resolution will determine how clear your footage will be. Higher-resolution cameras will provide the best video quality and give your videos a professional look. Low resolution will have clarity issues, and your viewers will have problems viewing your videos.

Weather Resistance

Sometimes you will need to ride your bike in rainy weather. Waterproof cameras will be more flexible and can be used in adverse weather conditions.

Camera Mounting and Body

Make sure the camera you choose is easily able to be mounted on your helmet without issues. If it cannot be mounted, it is not usable. Make sure to choose lightweight cameras with a 6 to 10-hour battery life to ensure easy portability and longer recording hours.

Editing Software

Many new cameras come with an easy to use inbuilt editing software. This means that you will not have to hire a third party to edit your footage for you. When choosing the best one, we recommend you consider the available editing software for you.

Why Use a Motorcycle Helmet Camera?

Having a camera document as you ride has a lot of advantages. Here are some of the main ones.

1. In case of accidents, your helmet camera footage can be used as a record or information source for insurance or police officers to a certain who was at fault.
2. The knowledge that riding and driving activity is being documented promotes responsible driving and riding on roads. No driver can afford to be reckless knowing that they are on record.
3. Having your footage as you ride can help you review and improve your riding skills. This is made possible by checking the recorded footage or friends’ footage as a reference point to rectify mistakes.
4. Motorcycle helmets will allow a chance to share adventures with fellow riders and adventure enthusiasts. It can lead to the general growth of the industry.

GoPro HERO 11: Best Overall

Frequently Asked Questions